Program and Event Descriptions:

FAMILY BIRD WALK AT BLES PARK― Saturday, October 4, 9:00am- 11:00 am. Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy at Bles Park for a family bird walk. Because of its rich and varied habitat, this part of the county is a birding hot spot. Please bring binoculars. Questions: contact Andy Rabin at stylurus@gmail.com or 703-723-6926.

BIRDING BANSHEE ― Saturday, October 11, 8:00 a.m. Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Friends of Banshee Reeks at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve for the monthly bird walk. Because of its rich and varied habitat, this part of the county is a birding hot spot. Please bring binoculars. Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.

VISIT OUR BOOTH AT STERLINGFEST! ―  Saturday, October 11 (Rain date, Sunday, October 12).  We'll have our booth set up at Sterlingfest, ready to greet you!  Some of the materials that we plan to have on hand include our LWC Coloring Book for kids, our Gardening for Wildlife Plant List, information on volunteer opportunities plus much more! Sterlingfest is held at the Community Center, with lots of booths hosted by vendors & non-profits. The Fire Department has an open house, sometimes with helicopter touchdowns. There is a separate "Children's Area" with games, rides, a climbing wall, etc. as well as children vendors (who make their own stuff to sell). There are a couple of stages with entertainment. For more information, visit http://www.sterlingfoundation.org/SterlingFest.html

MID-WEEK NATURE WALK AT HORSEPEN IN EASTERN LOUDOUN ― Wednesday, October 15, 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Registration Required. Join Joe Coleman and Linda Sieh for one of LWC’s free mid-week walks. Horsepen Preserve is a large, natural area that borders the Potomac River, immediately to the west of Algonkian Park. To register Sign Up Online or for more information contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or 540-554-2542

BIRDING SOUTHWESTERN LOUDOUN COUNTY ― Saturday, October 18, 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Registration Required. Join Joe Coleman and Andy Rabin as they search, by car pool, the southwestern corner of Loudoun County for birds. This part of Loudoun County is still largely rural with large farms bordered on the west by the Blue Ridge. Meet to car pool and explore several different rural roads. To register Sign Up Online or for more information contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or 540-554-2542.

FAMILY STREAM DAY― Saturday, October 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Loudoun Water's Administration Building, 44865 Loudoun Water Way, Ashburn. The event coincides with the opening of the Aquiary at Loudoun Water's Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility. This is the 7th annual "Family Stream Day" planned by Loudoun Watershed Watch. Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will be participating through helping to lead stream monitoring demos and answering your questions about water quality. This year's event will offer exploration of a local urban stream and hands-on discovery of the smart landscaping, stormwater and erosion control, stream assessment and monitoring, and the many ways you can help your local streams and environment. The theme this year is:"Loudoun Streams—Keep ‘em Clean". The day's events will include: Opening ceremony of the Aquiary, Water quality monitoring demos, Soil erosion, Smart landscaping, Stormwater, Games for kids, Wetland habitat, Water conservation. For more information, visit the Loudoun Watershed Watch website.

VISIT US AT THE ALDIE HARVEST FESTIVAL! ― Saturday, October 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We'll have our fair booth set up with lots of free information and materials. Bring us your wildlife questions and enter our raffle. We'll also have our LWC hats, t-shirts and lapel pins for sale. In coming to the fair, you can rediscover the simple pleasures of village life in rural Virginia. See grain grinding demonstrations and blacksmith forging. You can also enjoy music, food, antiques, collectibles, and children's activities along with a dose of Civil War history throughout the village.  For more information, visit the Aldie Harvest Festival website at http://www.villageofaldie.com/harvestfest.htm

SUNDAY IN THE PRESERVE ― Sunday, October 19, 1:00 p.m.  Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Friends of Banshee Reeks for a free informal, family walk around the preserve. Search for the many natural wonders that make this such a special place. For information call the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve at 703-669-0316.

BIRDING THE BLUE RIDGE CENTER ― Saturday, October 25, 8:00 a.m. On the fourth Saturday of each month (except December), LWC leads a free bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES). This beautiful 900-acre preserve is located on Harpers Ferry Road, Rte 671, in northwestern Loudoun County. Only a few miles south of Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, the property includes meadows in the valley and heavily forested slopes on the Blue Ridge. Meet at the Neersville Volunteer Fire Station on Rt. 671 at 8:00 a.m. Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org

IDENTIFYING HAWKS: A CLASS AND A FIELD TRIP TO WAGGONER’S GAP, PA. October 29 and November 1. Registration Required. Each fall hawks migrate south along the Blue Ridge. On Wednesday, October 29, Liam McGranaghan, a master falconer, licensed bander of raptors, and educator, will teach a 7:00 evening class on how to identify hawks and other birds of prey in the field. On Saturday, November 1, we will take a field trip to Waggoner’s Gap in PA, about a 2.5 hour drive. Waggoner’s Gap is one of the premier hawk-watching sites in our area, and if the weather cooperates, we should see a wide diversity of birds of prey. While the field trip will be free and one does not need to take the class to go on the field trip, there is a fee of $10 ($15 for non-members) for the class, and priority for the field trip will be given to those taking the class. Registration is required ($10/member or $15/non-member fee for the class) – contact Laura Weidner at lweidner@loudounwildlife.org to sign up.