The bird population, which peaks during the first week of June, is expected to vary and increase as new plantings and habitats mature. Members of the Lynchburg Bird Club offer the following list as an aid to birdwatching in the cemetery.
More about our birds…
Annual Memorial Day Bird Walk at the Old City Cemetery
Relative Abundance of Birds in the Old City Cemetery
Key
- a—Abundant: Species usually seen, often in large numbers
- c—Common: Species seen in small to moderate numbers on most visits
- u—Uncommon: Species not certain to be seen, but individuals occasionally occur
- r—Rare: Unexpected occurrence
- *—Species breeds, or presumably breeds, within the Lynchburg area
| Species | Spring March April May |
Summer June July August |
Fall September October November |
Winter December January February |
| Herons | ||||
| Green-backed Heron* |
r |
r |
r |
– |
| Great Blue Heron |
r |
r |
r |
r |
| Ducks | ||||
| Wood Duck* | r | r | r | r |
| Mallard* | r | u | u | u |
| Vultures | ||||
| Black Vulture* | u | u | u | u |
| Turkey Vulture* | c | c | c | c |
| Hawks | ||||
| Sharp-shinned Hawk* | u | – | u | – |
| Cooper’s Hawk* | u | u | u | u |
| Broad-winged Hawk* | u | u | u | – |
| Red-tailed Hawk* | r | r | r | r |
| American Kestral* | u | u | u | u |
| Pigeons & Doves | ||||
| Rock Dove* | a | a | a | a |
| Mourning Dove* | c | c | c | c |
| Cuckoos | ||||
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo* | u | u | r | – |
| Goatsuckers | ||||
| Common Nighthawk* | u | u | u | – |
| Chimney Swift* | c | c | c | – |
| Woodpeckers | ||||
| Red-bellied Woodpecker* | c | c | c | c |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | u | – | u | u |
| Downy Woodpecker* | c | c | c | c |
| Hairy Woodpecker* | u | u | u | u |
| Northern Flicker* | c | c | c | c |
| Pileated Woodpecker* | u | u | u | u |
| Flycatchers | ||||
| Eastern Wood Pewee* | u | u | r | – |
| Eastern Phoebe* | u | u | u | u |
| Eastern Kingbird* | u | u | r | – |
| Great Crested Flycatcher* | u | u | r | – |
| Swallows | ||||
| Purple Martin* | u | u | – | – |
| N. Rough-winged Swallow* | r | r | r | – |
| Jays & Crows | ||||
| Blue Jay* | a | a | a | a |
| American Crow* | a | a | a | a |
| Fish Crow | r | r | – | – |
| Chickadees & Titmice | ||||
| Carolina Chickadee* | c | c | c | c |
| Tufted Titmouse* | c | c | c | c |
| Nuthatches | ||||
| White-breasted Nuthatch* | u | r | u | u |
| Wrens | ||||
| Carolina Wren* | a | a | a | a |
| House Wren* | u | u | r | – |
| Kinglets & Gnatcatchers | ||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | u | – | u | u |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher* | u | u | r | – |
| Golden-Crowned Kinglet | u | – | u | – |
| Thrushes | ||||
| Eastern Bluebird* | c | c | c | c |
| American Robin* | c | c | a | a |
| Mimics | ||||
| Gray Catbird* | u | u | u | u |
| Northern Mockingbird* | a | a | a | a |
| Brown Thrasher* | c | c | u | – |
| Waxwings | ||||
| Cedar Waxwing* | u | r | r | u |
| Starlings | ||||
| European Starling* | a | a | a | a |
| Vireos | ||||
| Red-eyed Vireo* | u | u | r | – |
| White-eyed Vireo* | u | u | u | – |
| Warblers | ||||
| Yellow Warbler* | u | u | – | – |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler* | c | – | u | c |
| Magnolia | u | – | u | – |
| Blackpoll | r | – | – | – |
| Black-and-white Warbler* | r | – | – | – |
| American Redstart* | u | u | u | – |
| Worm-eating Warbler* | u | u | – | – |
| Common Yellowthroat* | r | r | r | – |
| Cardinals, Buntings & Towhees | ||||
| Northern Cardinal* | c | c | c | c |
| Indigo Bunting* | u | u | – | – |
| Rufous-sided Towhee* | u | u | u | r |
| Tanagers | ||||
| Summer Tanager* | r | r | r | – |
| Scarlet Tanager* | u | r | r | – |
| Sparrows | ||||
| Chipping Sparrow* | c | c | – | – |
| Song Sparrow* | c | c | c | c |
| White-throated Sparrow | c | – | c | c |
| Dark-eyed Junco | u | – | u | c |
| Savannah Sparrow | u | – | u | – |
| Blackbirds | ||||
| Common Grackle* | c | c | c | r |
| Orchard Oriole* | u | u | – | – |
| Northern Oriole* | u | u | – | – |
| Brown-headed Cowbird* | c | c | u | r |
| Finches | ||||
| House Finch* | a | c | c | a |
| American Goldfinch* | c | c | c | c |
| Old World Sparrows | ||||
| House Sparrow* | c | c | c | c |
