In mid-April, spring migration was just beginning, so there was no guarantee many songbirds would have arrived by the time we did for our weekend trip to False Cape State Park.

The state park is a narrow finger of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Back Bay that stretches to the North Carolina line.

Although the park is accessible by boat, most visitors either hike or ride a bicycle through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge to reach the park entrance, a trek of about 5 to 6 miles.

As part of a "Great Nature Escape" program sponsored by the Henrico County Division of Recreation and Parks, our group of about a dozen jumped on a bus in Sandbridge that carried our ample supply of food and personal belongings to our destination: Wash Woods Environmental Education Center.

A couple of miles from North Carolina, the park's modern center is a comfortable retreat that overlooks Back Bay amid the maritime forest of loblolly pine and live oak.

Our leaders, Dee Donnelly, Henrico's outdoor recreation coordinator, and Tim Smith, director of the King George County Department of Recreation and Parks, plotted a leisurely course for us, a group of mainly senior adventurers.

Having planned Great Nature Escapes for 11 years, they knew we were bent on enjoying spectacular seaside sunrises as well as gourmet meals and contemplative evening sunsets.

On the ocean side of False Cape, a 15-minute leisurely walk, there were opportunities to find pristine seashells and enjoy the pounding surf.

Just offshore, a flock of northern gannets zigzagged over the surface before folding back their wings and rocketing into the waves to capture small fish.

During the long weekend, there were ample opportunities to search for spring migrants, and several other guests got their binoculars and field guides to join my quest for brightly colored songbirds.

Saturday morning the live oaks brimmed with birds. The Wash Woods Center is only a few hundred yards from a stand of oaks with a large marsh behind that is hidden by willow thickets and thick brush.

For about three hours, we watched great-crested flycatchers chase each other through the treetops, startling pairs of blue-gray gnatcatchers.

A Carolina wren sat on three eggs in a nesting box, while a marsh wren chattered from a short willow behind it. It seemed as if more birds arrived by the minute: common yellowthroats, yellow-rumped warblers, gray catbirds and eastern towhees.

Best of all, a very elusive prothonotary warbler sang "zeet-zeet-zeet" just out of eyeshot in the dense marsh vegetation. He skulked through the swampy habitat for a half-hour before finally making an appearance in a nearby live oak. Another slippery fellow, singing the familiar prairie warbler's ascending song, teased us along the marsh edge.

Later, when we returned from another walk to the ocean, we spied an eastern screech owl that had taken up residence in a wood duck box along the trail. The small owl peered at us for five minutes before ducking back into the nest box.

Three-day Great Nature Escapes are held in the spring and fall, and information about the next outdoor adventure is available at (804) 501-7275 or www.co.henrico.va.us/rec.

False Cape State Park holds one-day excursions to hike and enjoy nature. You can learn about spring and early summer programs at (757) 426-7128 or www.dcrintra.state.va.us/dcr_forms/events/ListEvents.cfm.

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The 14th annual Purple Martin Field Day will be held June 21 in Louisa County, near U.S. 15 and state Route 640. Contact Ron Kingston at (434) 293-5173 or visit www.purplemartin.org/meetings/ for more information.

This yearly event is educational and entertaining, and you'll learn how to attract this helpful species to your own backyard.
Flyways and Byways appears the third Thursday of each month. Send questions or comments to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293, or e-mail flyways@verizon.net.