A bird watchers paradise By Greg Jordan
A place in Summers County where visitors encounter majestic birds usually seen only fleetingly and learn how they can help preserve nature’ s living wonders can be found near the New River Gorge National Park.
Established in 1990, the Three Rivers Avian Center near Hinton stands on 110 acres near the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, one of southern West Virginia’ s many scenic areas. The facility is a nonprofit 501 © 3 organization bringing community involvement to wild bird conservation and ecosystem education. The avian center offers programs about restoring habitats and environmental stewardship.
Wendy and Ron Perrone started the avian center when they saw the need for rehabilitating wild birds that had been injured.
“ I was working for a veterinarian in another city and people came in needing help with some birds, wild birds,” Wendy recalled.“ We gradually learned from that and when Ron graduated from college, we started the avian center. Ron is from New Jersey and I’ m from Virginia, but we fell in love with this area and just decided to stay. We fell into starting a nonprofit and getting this thing going, so we’ re rocking and rolling.”
For the first three years, the avian center was taking in 20 to 60 birds a year before the Perrones decided that they needed a bigger facility. And the facility continues growing to this day.
The Three Rivers Avian Center is currently offering Saturday tours. These tours, which take place from 1 to 5 p. m. each day, are scheduled on the following dates: June 7; July 5; Aug. 2; Sept. 6; and Oct. 4. Live raptors including hawks, owls, falcons, a vulture and a bald eagle are part of the tours along with educational displays and visits with personnel from the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory. The last tour begins at 4:30 p. m.
each day. Admission is free, but donations help the nonprofit organization continue its work.
Outside the free tours, other tours are available only by appointment, Wendy Perrone said. On days when the free tours are not scheduled, the avian center focuses on bird rehabilitation.
The Three Rivers Avian Center is located at 2583 Brooks Mountain Road in Hinton. Its email is trac @ tracwv. org and its telephone number is 304-466-4683. The mobile number is 304-575-5024. Upcoming events are listed on the center’ s website and Facebook page.
People who enjoy the outdoors and birds will find the visit worthwhile. Bird watchers hoping to see bald eagles or golden eagles have a good chances to see them as well as many other species.
“ There’ s a lot of bird activity in the area no matter where you go,” Wendy said.“ The New River Gorge is known for its biodiversity in birds. There are probably over 200 bird species at least in the New River Gorge and the surrounding areas, and we’ re right on the edge of the New River Gorge.”
For several years, Three Rivers Avian Center has helped organize two annual events for counting the bald eagles and golden eagles that call southern West Virginia home. The avian center’ s visitors can see get a better appreciation of these special raptors when they see a bald eagle, hawks, falcons, owls and a vulture.
One example of community involvement that Three Rivers Avian Center fosters is the annual county conducted by the Eagle Brigade of Southern West Virginia. Bibbee Nature Club, the Hanging Rock Migration Observatory and Pipestem Resort State Park are part of the Eagle
Brigade, too.
Twice a year, volunteers partner with experienced bird watchers to count the numbers of bald eagles and golden eagles seen around the region.
Jim Phillips, who organized the 18th Spring Eagle Survey, said that bird watchers were lucky to see one bald eagle during the Seventies and Eighties surveys, but the eagle population started rebounding when the federal government banned DDT, a pesticide that was contaminating the fish and game that eagles prey on.
When eagles ate prey contaminated with DDT, the poison would weaken their egg shells, making it harder for them to reproduce. DDT was banned in 1972.
The Eagle Survey conducted on March 1 this year found 36 bald eagles and one golden eagle in Summers, Mercer, Greenbrier and other counties across southern West Virginia.
While DDT is no longer in use, raptors like eagles and hawks still face threats including lead poisoning and discarded fishing line. Hunters and fishing enthusiasts are now urged to use non-lead ammunition and avoid using lead fishing sinkers. Lead ammunition can break up when it strikes a deer or any other animal and contaminate the meat by spreading tiny fragments. Birds and other animals can get tangled up in discarded fishing line.
Donations help the Three Rivers Avian Center continue its mission to conserve West Virginia’ s avian wildlife populations. They are fully tax-deductible and can be made in the donor’ s name, the name of loved ones, an organization or a company. All sponsors are listed on the avian center’ s website and monthly newsletter. Three Rivers Avian Center accepts credit and debit card donations, as well as automatic monthly donations, via PayPal.
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