
DATE: Tuesday, November 11, 1997            TAG: 9711080056

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY KRYS STEFANSKY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   52 lines

A LITTLE MUSEUM WITH LOTS TO SEE

FALL IS A GOOD TIME to go to the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum. Here you can learn how migratory birds pass through this part of the country. You can also revisit history, see wildfowl art, artifacts and old hunting decoys that show the skills of turn-of-the-century decoy carvers in Tidewater.

The museum is in a charming, 19th century cottage right on the Boardwalk in Virginia Beach. Still locally known as the de Witt Cottage after the family that owned it from the turn of the century until recently, it is now the home of the Back Bay Wildfowl Guild Inc.

This peaceful spot on the Oceanfront is surrounded by a fenced garden with benches. A wide porch wraps around the brick-and-frame house and is a perfect spot to gather your wits - which is exactly what a certain small person had to do before entering the building.

Why do two 4-year-olds make a federal case out of who will pass through a door first? The answer was not inside. But ducks, a lot of ducks, were.

``Look,'' Emma said, pointing at the feathers of a preserved wood duck. ``That one's stuffed up.''

Stuffed, but not stuffy. This little museum has gone to some lengths to make a stop here interesting for visitors of all ages. A beautiful, full-length diorama of a slice of water out of Back Bay shows what goes on above as well as below the surface. Enormous migration charts track the amazing distances birds fly to follow food and the seasons.

In one gallery we found a computer on which you can ``paint'' a duck. In another room is a computer tic-tac-toe game. Three-in-a-row gets you - what else? - the sound of Canada geese honking.

And for dollhouse lovers, there is a fully outfitted, miniature decoy factory that shows what an industry decoy carving once was. The scale model is so beautifully detailed that you'll want to pull up a chair to better admire it.

The museum has a gift shop and appreciates donations. This is a low-key stop on the Boardwalk. On a warm day, you're a stone's throw from a walk on the beach. On a cold day, this is a cozy place to, well, duck in. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MOTOYA NAKAMURA/The Virginian-Pilot

Bill Deloatch, with 20 years experience, teaches decoy carving at

Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum, in the former de Witt Cottage in

Virginia Beach.

Graphic

If You Go

For complete copy, see microfilm

Map: Area Shown: Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage