Trip Dates:
May 20 - 24, 2026

Tour Fee: $3100 includes 5 full days shooting in the field. Does not include lodging, food, or flights. 

Tour Deposit: $900, leaving a balance of 2200 due 90 days in advance.

From: Fayetteville, West Virginia

Because of the mountains, West Virginia hosts a variety of species normally found further north like Canada Warbler, while also hosting southern specialties like Swainson’s Warbler. Swainsons will be a primary target for the first part of our trip. Along the way we hope to have chances at a variety of other eastern warblers such as Cerulean, Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, and at least 16 more. The trip starts in cabins in an old forest on the south western part of the state, then finishes in a higher elevation forest in the east.

Photo Tour Goals
As usual, our goal is to obtain exceptional photos of 1-3 species per day. Quality over quantity. Sometimes we end up with much more, but it can’t be guaranteed.

Where to Stay
The evening before the trip begins and the first night we will stay in cabins at Babcock State Park. Then we will move to a lodge in Canaan Valley about three hours to the east.

Best airport: The city of Charleston West Virginia likely has the largest nearby airport.

Cell service:
Service is poor to non-existent while we are shooting in some of the remote forest areas. We will have reception occasionally through the day and at dinner.

Weather:
Be prepared for temperatures in the low forties in the early morning, when the birds are most active. We may see 80 degrees by late afternoon, so dressing in layers is a good idea. We’ll be shooting rain or shine. Your shoes could get a little muddy or dirty if we have a recent rain or heavy morning due. Insects are rarely an issue at this time of year, but no one will laugh if you put on bug spray.

Sun data for Fayetteville, West Virginia:
Sunrise 6:10am.   Sunset 8:32pm

Transportation:
Each participant must have their own transportation. Carpooling will be optional and encouraged. Usually each participant follows me in their own vehicle through the forest. Once I find a cooperative bird, we pull off the road and start working on a setup. If you aren’t riding with me, you will probably want the clearance of a standard SUV. A minivan or small car may bottom out on some of the small dirt roads we use. We sometimes have to cross small puddles which are no problem for, say, a Toyota Rav4 but problematic for a Toyota Corolla.

Food:
Bring your own breakfast to eat in your cabin. We will eat lunch and dinner as a group, but restaurant options will be generally somewhat humble and limited in the small towns in the area.

What to pack:

• Tripod

• DSLR camera

• Your longest lens (600mm minimum when you count crop factor and tele-extenders)

• Extra memory cards or laptop to download images

• Rain gear

• Waterproof shoes recommended in case the grass is wet

• Bug spray.

• Notepad and pencil if you want to take notes during my photoshop demo

• Bring a sample of your own work if you like. It can be fun to share during lunch break to get to know each other’s work.

• A positive attitude. One negative person can put a cloud over the whole trip but good attitudes are contagious as well!

Physical requirements:
We’ll shoot primarily from standing positions unless you prefer to bring along a camping stool. This photo tour is not physically demanding aside from requiring a lot of standing, but again, bring a folding chair or stool if you are concerned about getting tired. Probably 90% of our shooting will take place from the forest logging roads while we stand right next to our cars. Only once in a while we may wish to walk a hundred feet or so into a field or forest.

Likely Species on the West Virginia Photo Tour -

• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

• Red-bellied Woodpecker

• Hermit Thrush

• Scarlet Tanager

• Red-eyed Vireo

• Yellow-throated Vireo

• Blue-headed Vireo

• Magnolia Warbler

• Black-throated Blue Warbler

• Black-throated Green Warbler

• Louisiana Waterthrush

• Swainson’s Warbler

• Pine Warbler

• Cerulean Warbler

• American Redstart

• Black-and-white Warbler

• Yellow-rumped Warbler

• Northern Parula

• Blackburnian Warbler

• Canada Warbler

• Mourning Warbler

• Nashville Warbler

• Kentucky Warbler

• Prairie Warbler

• Yellow-throated Warbler

• Ovenbird

• Rose-breasted Grosbeak

• Eastern Towhee

Cancellation Policy: Participant will receive a full refund of their deposit minus a $250 re-listing fee if we are able to fill the cancelled space. If we are unable to fill the cancelled space, we cannot issue a refund or credit of any kind.