On Monday, June 4^th, a group of fourteen bird enthusiasts gathered at George Washington Birthplace National Monument for a bird walk led by author and wildlife expert, Joe LaFleur.  LaFleur holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology and a master’s degree in communication from Colorado State University.  For the past twenty years he has been collecting bird footage of the calls of various bird breeds.  The past month, he has been touring the east coast, leading bird walks at various parks along the way to help generate an interest in bird watching.

He started the tour with an audio-visual presentation of bird breeds that are prevalent in the Tidewater area and thus might possibly be spotted on the walk through the park grounds.  As the footage played, Lafleur discussed the birds’ markings, calls, and habitats so that the group could better identify and differentiate the breeds.  Some of…