Mother Mallard with ducklings
Bluestone National Scenic River offers a wide variety of bird habitat along its 10.5 miles. Riparian areas, mixed hardwood forests, old fields, cliffs and the river provide food, water and shelter for an array of bird species.
Belted kingfishers, great-blue herons, Louisiana waterthrushes, scarlet tanagers, and over a dozen species of wood warblers can be seen in spring and summer along the river and it is not uncommon to see a bald eagle or an osprey. Bald Eagles were once rare, but they have been seen recently in increasing numbers along the Bluestone and New Rivers. Bluestone National Scenic River and the surrounding Bluestone Wildlife Management Area is one of the best wild turkey habitats in the east.
