TOUR NAME: Such a GRAND View!
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 2024
DEPARTURE LOCATION: Mount Trashmore Park 310 Edwin Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
DURATION – approximately 5 hours (ROUND TRIP): 8:00 am – 1:00 pm – (ish) Flexible return time/Traffic dependent.
PRICE: $70 per person (a tip for the guide is already included in this fee)
*Important Note: REGISTRATION OPENS on November 15 at 9 am. Please know that the annual Winter Wildlife Festival tickets often sell out within a few hours. It is advised that you purchase tickets right at 9 am!
Register and get your tickets directly from the City of Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation at this link:
DESCRIPTION: Join the heated Nature Bus and bird expert James Abbott for a guided winter waterfowl trek to Grandview Beach in Hampton. Grandview Nature Preserve juts out into the Chesapeake Bay off the northeastern tip of Hampton. Its combination of tidal marsh, maritime scrub and beach habitat make it a hotspot for winter bird diversity. It boasts a tremendous amount of waterfowl including Harlequin Duck and has had a few rare sightings of Snowy Owl on the lighthouse ruins. This tour will involve beach walking. It is about 1.6 miles to the over-wash area. It is 3 miles to walk to the end at Factory Point. Dress for colder temperatures due to wind on the beach. Visit TheNatureBus.com for more trip details; be sure to click the green button for important information!
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
– Expert pre-planning services
– Air conditioned/heated new vehicle
– Transportation: Departure from: Mount Trashmore Park 310 Edwin Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 > travel to State Park Drive, Hampton, VA 23664 (approximately 40 min ride each direction; 1 hour, 20 min total)
– All fees (including gasoline, tolls, permits/admission fee to all locations, donation to facility, when applicable)
– Loaner binoculars (in exchange for your driver’s license for the duration of the tour). We will also bring a birding scope for this tour.
– (excluding food/drink)
– Your guided tour includes an expert birding naturalist. The naturalist will be showing an educational power point presentation on board the bus during travel to the location.
–MEET YOUR NATURALIST GUIDE James Abbott: https://thenaturebus.com/our-team/
– Description from DWR about Grandview Nature Preserve:
This 500-acre preserve along the Chesapeake Bay may be entered on foot. A trail passes through a cordgrass marsh, where a medley of wetland waders can be seen. In wooded patches along the trail, woodland birds, like the eastern towhee, are abundant. The trail ends at a 2.5-mile long sandy beach. During spring, the beach’s dunes are home to the largest colony of least terns on the Atlantic Coast. Black skimmer, American oystercatcher and other shorebirds also frequent the beach. During winter, northern gannets or tundra swans can be spotted as they fly over offshore waters.
THINGS TO BRING:
– Your binoculars, of course! If you do not have a pair of bins, we can loan them to you in exchange for your driver’s license for the duration of the tour.
– – Pack simple snacks in your backpack or in an insulated lunchbox – a sandwich, power bars, or something else that is very EASY to snack on while walking outdoors. We will not SIT down to eat due to the colder weather (not picnic temperatures). Some folks might bring a thermos of hot coffee or soup to stay warm on the inside. Eating, drinking, chewing gum is not permitted on the bus. Bring water to stay hydrated. Of course, water is allowed on the bus.
– Dress for the weather and trail conditions; warm layers, hat, rain jacket, comfortable walking shoes; air-activated heat packs/inserts for your socks and gloves.
– Your proof of registration from the Winter Wildlife Festival portal www.vbgov.com
– Printed/signed waiver (If you forget yours we will have one you can sign on the bus, but it saves a lot of time when everyone prints theirs at home and brings it with them.) Here is the link to the required form: https://thenaturebus.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/NB_Waiver1.pdf
– $20 cash if you’d like to purchase a Nature Bus t-shirt (available on board)
Important NOTES “Know before you go” ~
*We go “light rain” or shine. Please dress for the weather. In the case of light rain, we simply take cover and wait it out. In the case of very heavy rain, extreme wind or temperatures, we will cancel this tour and refund all participants. ALL SALES FINAL/NO REFUNDS for any other reasons, including sickness/covid. In this case, please sell/gift your ticket with someone you know.
*PLEASE: Eating, drinking, chewing gum is not permitted on the bus. Please arrive 15-30 min before departure. Save time at check-in by bringing your signed waiver. No restroom on board the bus; arrive early enough to use the rr at location Mount Trashnore Park before boarding the bus. There are no restrooms at Grandview Nature Preserve. *Wild mammals pee in the wild (haha). We can make an emergency stop if needed, at a store, just before and just after our walk. We cannot wait for latecomers because we must adhere to our planned itinerary. Therefore we must pull away at the exact departure time. We cannot receive telephone/text calls to let us know you are running late because we will driving and using the phone as a GPS.
*ALL OUR TOURS INVOLVE WALKING; GUESTS SHOULD EXPECT VARYING DEGREES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. This particular tour involves a lot of sandy beach walking. There are 3 large steps to climb to enter the bus. We apologize, but there is no room on board to accommodate wheel chairs or walkers. Our tours require participants to be ambulatory and in reasonably good physical health to manage our nature excursions.
COVID SAFETY MEASURES: We care about the health and safety of those participating in our nature experiences. The bus is sanitized between each tour. Feel free to crack open your window if you prefer. Please stay home if you are not feeling well or have a fever. Federal Law no longer “requires” masks be worn on airplanes, trains and buses. Masks are optional.
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- We look forward to seeing you on the tour! Check out all of the 5-star reviews, so you will be super confident that you will have an amazing experience! You can read these reviews at TheNatureBus.com > click the REVIEWS tab or click this link: https://thenaturebus.com/reviews/
- Please help fill up this tour! Share on your social media and with everyone you know! We need a minimum of 10 seats, maximum of 16 seats for each tour to go. Spread the word! See you soon!
- If you have any questions, please text/call the owner. Suzanne 757-288-9595
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February 4, 2024
8:00 am - 1:00 pm