12-05-2025
Bird watchers flock to Mon County for Mother's Day bird walk
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — Around 16 bird watchers spent their Mother's Day morning observing mothers in nature as thousands of migratory birds return to West Virginia from their winter vacations in Central and South America for the breeding season in North America.
Field Trip Coordinator for Mountaineer Audubon Katie Fallon took birders on an extensive bird walk through Tom's Run Preserve, a 320-acre section of forest in Monongalia County under the stewardship of the West Virginia Land Trust.
'Mother's Day is a great time to have a birdwalk because a lot of our migratory species that have been down in Central and South America for the winter are back here setting up their nesting territories, getting ready to become mothers themselves perhaps,' Fallon said.
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The Scarlet Tanager pictured above was just one of 29 different species of birds observed during the walk. But aside from acting as a shelter for the area's wildlife, Executive Director of West Virginia Land Trust Brent Bailey explained to 12 News that Tom's Run also helps us humans as well.
'Tom's Run is a preserve that protects water, and the streams that flow off of Tom's Run go into the intake for Morgantown's drinking water supply,' Bailey said. 'By protecting land, you can protect water.'
If you want to visit Tom's Run for yourself to walk its trails or go on your own birding excursion, you can find the West Virginia Land Trust's page on the preserve here.
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