Stumpy Lake Natural Area

 Introduction & Geography

While it is perhaps best known on the state-level for reliably hosting Anhingas from spring through fall, Stumpy Lake Natural Area has a great deal more to offer both local & out-of-area birders alike. A mix of habitats over a small area make this city-run park an excellent location to view a wide variety of species on any given day throughout the calendar year. The natural area is comprised of two distinctly disconnected areas, the first being the newly constructed fishing pier & elevated walkway at the southeast corner of Stumpy Lake, accessible from Elbow Road just south of the Indiana River Road junction. A small parking area is available here, and this portion of the natural area affords excellent views of the lower (and widest) portion of the lake, including the spillway. The second, much larger area, is located at the north end of the lake, adjacent to the public Stumpy Lake Golf Course. Access to this portion of the natural area is along a narrow causeway which heads west from Indian River Road at its intersection with Chesterbrook Drive. This larger tract of land contains several sub-areas that are discussed in the text below. These include the entrance causeway which leads from Indian River Road to the natural area parking lot, the adjacent freshwater marsh/lake habitats, the kayak launch, the natural area parking lot itself and the adjacent stand of pine trees separating the natural area from the golf course, and the mixed deciduous/pine forest which contains a pair of loop trails oriented as a ‘figure-8’ (the first being 0.65 mile around, the second being 1.0 miles).

Year-round Opportunities

Before delving into which species can be seen during certain timeframes during the year, it is worth noting which species are known to spend the entirety of the year at the park (so the following sections can focus more on seasonal highlights). To that end, Canada Geese, Wood Ducks and Mallards are the three permanent resident waterfowl species, which can be seen along the entrance causeway, the kayak launch, or along the lower portions of the forest loop trails. Mourning Doves, and less frequently, Rock Pigeons, are observed around the parking lot or in-flight heading way from the golf course adjacent to the natural area. The lake itself provides habitat for Ring-billed & Herring Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron & Great Egret. In fact, the expansive Bald Cypress Trees scattered around the causeway area provide the largest nightly roost in Virginia Beach for Double-crested Cormorants, which can be counted by the hundreds on any given morning/evening as they depart or arrive. Bald Eagle, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk & Red-shouldered Hawk can all be observed flying overhead throughout the year. The mixed deciduous/pine forest provides excellent habitat for Great Horned Owls, and Barred Owls are often heard (even during daylight) along the loop trails as they call from the bottomland forest to the north.

A wide array of resident passerines can be seen on any given day, many simply from the entrance causeway & parking lot, including: Blue Jay, American & Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted & Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Pine Warbler & Northern Cardinal. The forest loop trails also provide excellent viewing year-round for many Woodpeckers including Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy & Pileated, as well as Northern Flicker. Of these, Hairy Woodpecker is the toughest species to find, but is somewhat reliable at this location, especially when compared to other areas of Virginia Beach where Downy & Red-bellied seem to be the dominant species and Hairy often goes unaccounted for. Any of the aforementioned species can be observed January through December, and they certainly help boost the tally of species observed on any given day. However, every day can vary at Stumpy Lake Natural Area, and it is worth breaking this discussion down to the seasons to help birders prepare for a potential visit. Knowing which species to expect at a given time of year, and in which portion of the park can provide a considerable ‘leg up’ to visitors, so it is my home that the following be consulted prior to any visit. This information is depicted in terms of a calendar year, since most birders (though, not birds) tend to function along this set order, beginning with what to expect in January and finishing with December.

Mid-to-late Winter (Jan-Feb) Opportunities

Throughout the mid-to-late winter season, Stumpy Lake is one of the few locations in Virginia where wintering Blue-headed Vireo have been reliably observed. While the species is not limited to the park, (it can be found throughout similar habitat in southeast Virginia, First Landing State Park for example), the short loop trails through the forested area north of the parking lot typically provides the most efficient means of observing this species. This same habitat has also been semi-reliable over the years for finding wintering Black-and-white Warblers, a species which is not likely to be seen elsewhere this time of year in Virginia (save for perhaps deep within the Great Dismal Swamp). Virginia Beach lies at the northerly extent of known wintering for each of these species. Wintering, forest-dwelling species like the irruptive Red-breasted Nuthatch & Pine Siskin, as well as annually-expected Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned & Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Fox Sparrow & White-throated Sparrow can all be encountered while walking the two short loop trails through the forest.

Walking along the gravel shoulder of the entrance causeway this time of year provides excellent viewing opportunities for a variety of wintering waterfowl (Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser & Ruddy Ducks are all species to be expected). Many of these will be found on the marshier, north side of the causeway where underwater vegetation is plentiful. However, scanning south of the causeway will often yield larger groups of species that don’t mind the deeper waters, like Hooded Mergansers and Ring-necked Ducks. Typically, the more coastal species like scoters & mergansers are not observed here, but every so often a record does show itself. In addition to the true waterfowl, other ‘waterbirds’ present this time of year include Pied-billed Grebe & American Coot. Though you are likely to encounter Great Blue Heron & Great Egret year-round, other waders this time of year would be considered exceptional. While Snowy Egrets do annually winter in Virginia Beach, they typically stay only north of I-264 around the Lynnhaven watershed, and Little Blue Heron & Tricolored Herons tend to show up closer to the coast as non-annual winter visitors.

Spring (Mar-May) Opportunities

Springtime at the park yields excitement primarily in the form of passerine migration, and this is by far the most popular season for birders to visit. Due in part to the popularity of spring migration at the park, much is known about the timing of individual species, so this section is simply the most in-depth because of this knowledge. March is a bit of a transitional month where waterfowl numbers begin to decline, forcing birders to turn their efforts away from the lake and towards the forests, as passerines begin their ascent to prominence. Typically, in mid-March, the first arrival of the springtime passerines, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, has returned and the forest loop trails and entrance causeway are almost always the first locations in Virginia Beach to produce records for this very vocal, summering species. A common nester in the cypress trees along the causeway, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers draw many observers, and after the long winter season, they are truly the signal to local birders that spring passerine migration has begun. By late March, both Louisiana Waterthrush and Yellow-throated Warbler can be present at the park. With an abundance of freshwater (a precious commodity in Virginia Beach), the park is one of the more reliable locations for each of these species. Louisiana Waterthrush tends to favor fast flowing streams of clear water, with steep banks and exposed tree roots which provide nesting habitat, but, given that type of habitat simply does not exist anywhere in Virginia Beach, the freshwater marshes that abut the forested area provide the next best alternative for migrating individuals. The transition of mixed pine/oak forest into freshwater marsh/lake also provides preferred habitat for Yellow-throated Warblers, and this is the only location in Virginia Beach to have provided a confirmation of breeding during the 2nd Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas.

In early April, forest-dwelling Ovenbirds have typically returned and can be heard singing along the loop trails, while Prothonotary Warblers should be looked (and listened) for along these trails and along the entrance causeway. Both species are annual breeders at the park, and this is the most popular place in the city for birders to view and photograph the latter species due to their habit of popping up close to the causeway, affording fantastic views. Also around early-to-mid April, it’s time to start scanning the skies for Anhingas soaring high above the lake on thermals, though they are also often observed perched in the cypress trees north and south of the entrance causeway or on lower perches just above the water with wings fanned out to dry in the sun. Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds and Ruby-throated Hummingbird are all expected arrivals this time of year as well. Mid-April typically brings in more summering passerines, including Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Buntings. All of these species can be heard singing throughout the forest, and often times are observed simply from the parking lot or along the entrance causeway. By the late third of April, spring passerine migration is in full swing, and while summer residents like Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee & Yellow-billed Cuckoo are typically showing up, it is the rarer transient species that become of primary interest heading into May.

Year to year, migration timing can vary for a given species, but overall, early May is typically when the best diversity of transients can be observed at the park. The parking lot and adjacent tree lines that catch the first rays of sunlight at dawn, the entrance causeway, and the forested trails all provide excellent opportunity this time of year. Uncommon migrants like American Redstart, Black-throated Green Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Veery, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Waterthrush, Magnolia Warbler & Swainson’s Thrush are all likely to be found in low numbers. Rarer migrants like Yellow-throated Vireo, Kentucky Warbler & Cape May Warbler have also been observed this time of year, typically on mornings following large-scale migration movements brought on by strong west-southwesterly winds which steer these typically inland-migrating passerines towards the park.

Summer (Jun-Jul) Opportunities

After the excitement of spring migration winds down in late May, June and July tend to be slower months for birding the park. Most species have quieted down considerably since each is likely to be nesting already, and trying to avoid unwanted attention by would-be predators. However, a walk along the forest loop trails is still likely to yield some singing Wood Thrushes, Red-eyed Vireos, Summer Tanagers, Ovenbirds, Prothonotary Warblers, and Acadian Flycatchers. Though, I must mention that the freshwater marshes provide excellent breeding grounds for more than birds, and during the heat of summer, biting flies and mosquitoes can be quite ravenous along these trails, so make sure to come prepared. The entrance causeway will yield opportunities to view Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, as well as other common breeders like Northern Cardinals, but the species to truly watch for here is Anhinga. A likely breeder around the lake, summer is as good a time as any to watch for these species, where they’ll often perch in the nearby cypress trees, or on logs to fan out & dry off their wings. Not to be confused with the large numbers of Double-crested Comorants that summer here, the Anhingas will show a more snake-like neck, a very long, narrow bill, and males show vivid white patches on the back of the wings.

Fall & early Winter (Aug-Nov & Dec) Opportunities

The fall migration season tends to be more protracted than the spring migration season. This is due, in part, to different age classes and sexes of species departing towards their wintering destinations at different intervals. The passage of cold fronts, bringing northwest winds behind them, typically assists these southbound species with the necessary tailwinds to sustain long-distance, overnight flight. So, the timing of the weather also has a wide-reaching effect on the overall timing of species arrival. That said, the best days of fall migration can yield excitement near the level of spring, however, on an average day typically there will be less to see since during fall, migrants tends to favor coastal scrub and denser vegetation than in springtime. The open, mixed deciduous/pine forests of the park cannot quite compete with other locations in the city like Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Little Island Park, so less is simply known about fall migration here due to less focused effort by birders. Another major difference between spring & fall migration here is that most species have stopped vocalizing altogether, which makes the forested loop trails a considerable challenge for finding birds among the canopy. For those who do opt to visit the park during fall migration, this simply puts extra emphasis on birding the parking lot and edges of the forest where birds will be more visible, as well the entrance causeway and kayak launch areas. The first several hours of daylight are key during fall, before migrants settle down for a day of rest before likely heading southbound again as the sunlight wanes.

While passerines aren’t the true focus here in fall, after several months without waterfowl being present (aside from the resident Canada Geese, Wood Ducks and Mallards that is), September and October bring excitement in the form of their return. By November, good numbers of individuals and diversity of species can again be found along the entrance causeway on the lake. Forest dwelling passerines have also begun to arrive in September, and the same species mentioned in the Jan/Dec portion of this writeup (Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned & Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Fox Sparrow & White-throated Sparrow) are all likely to be observed again. The birds it seems, have truly come full circle as the calendar year runs out.