Program and Event Descriptions:

INSECT ID CLASS AND FIELD SESSION AT BANSHEE REEKS ― September 5, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00p.m. Registration Required. "Mysterious and little known creatures live within reach of where you sit. Splendor awaits in minute proportions." ― E.O. Wilson. Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and Cliff Fairweather, naturalist, for a class and field trip exploring the mysterious world of summer's insects at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve. We will take some time to explore the different creatures busy at work pollinating flowers, setting traps for other insects, excavating homes, hunting on the wing, or using camouflage to escape detection. Their shapes and colors, habits and habitats will be discussed. The world of insects is intricate and diverse ― come learn about how they fit into this remarkable web of life ― their splendor awaits! We are likely to see dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies, caterpillars, spiders, beetles of all kinds, hoppers, leapers and even an assassin bug or two. Registration required. Please Sign Up online or contact Laura Weidner at lweidner@loudounwildlife.org.

WATERFORD FOUNDATION PICNIC AND NATURE TRAIL WALK― September 5, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00p.m. Mark your calendars for a picnic at the Old Mill in Waterford from 5 to 8 p.m. Bring your own family picnic or order in advance a barbecue supper and drink from Paeonian Grocery Gourmet. Enjoy the history and nature of the Phillips Farm: watch the ribbon cutting to the new Phillips Farm nature and history trail, and join us for a guided tour of the trail to learn more about this great place. Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has been working in partnership with the Waterford Foundation for the past two years on habitat restoration projects at the Phillips Farm. Over 1,000 trees and shrubs have been planted through these efforts to date. This picnic will be a great time to celebrate this accomplishment. The flier can be downloaded here. For more information, contact Kathleen Hughes at 540-882-3018 or development@waterfordfoundation.org

BIRDING THE DULLES WETLANDS ―September 7, 8:00 a.m. Registration Required.  Join Joe Coleman and Mary Ann Good for a visit to the Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project on Labor Day.  We'll search for migrating shorebirds, wading birds, and warblers, and enjoy the many early-fall blooming wildflowers.  Registration Required.  Waterproof hiking footgear, long pants, and your favorite insect repellent advised as there are no formal trails at the wetlands.  Registration required. Please Sign Up online or contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or 540-554-2542

BIRDING BANSHEE ― Saturday, September 12, 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.

A SWIFT NIGHT OUT ― Saturday, September 12, 6:45 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Registration Required. Chimney Swifts congregate in communal roosts prior to their migration in the fall. Some roosts may consist of an extended family group of a half a dozen birds but the larger sites can host hundreds or even thousands of swifts! By keeping a watchful eye, we’ve found one such roost in the Lincoln area. We'll meet at the Goose Creek Friends parking lot where Lincoln Rd. intersects with Sands and Foundry Roads. Bring a blanket to sit on and binoculars. We’ll sit on a lawn area across from the chimneys where they roost and watch the wonderful aerial flights of the chimney swifts. We may wrap up earlier than 8:30 if the show is over before then. Registration Required. Please Sign Up online. Questions, please contact Phil Daley at 540-338-6528 or pdaley@loudounwildlife.org

BLUEBIRD MONITORING PROGRAM POTLUCK― Sunday, September 13, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Banshee Reeks. Registration Required. Join us at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Leesburg for our end of the season pot luck social and close out.  We’ll take a look at the results of our efforts and swap stories from the summer’s action.  Bring a dish to share and we’ll relax under the trees at Banshee for a late lunch and some time together. Registration required. Please Sign Up online or contact Elizabeth Evans at eevans@loudounwildlife.org

MID-WEEK NATURE WALK ALONG THE MIDDLEBURG WALKING TRAIL - Wednesday, September 16, 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. Registration Required. Join Christine Perdue Smith and Joe Coleman on one of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy's mid-week nature walks as they explore the native plants and trees at the Hill School and the varied habitats along the trail. We will also be looking for fall migrants. Registration Required. To register and find the meeting location, Sign Up online or contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.

BIRDING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL AND HAWK WATCH ― Saturday, September 19, 8:00 a.m. –2:00 p.m. Join us as we hike along the Appalachian Trail in search of migrants in the morning. We will hike a section of the trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall. Then, around 11:00 a.m., we will meet back at the Snickers Gap Hawk Watch for a few hours of hawk watching and, if we’re lucky, a major push of Broad-winged Hawks. Bring a lunch and a chair. Meet us at 8:00 a.m. at Snickers Gap Hawk Watch to car pool to the close-by hike location or join us at 11:00 at Snickers Gap. Questions: contact Andy Rabin at stylurus@gmail.com.

VISIT US THE BLUEMONT FAIR ―Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Come and visit us at our booth! We'll have our latest publication, the LWC Crossword Puzzle Book along with the LWC Coloring Book for the kids, copies of our Gardening for Wildlife Plant List, and other brochures and flyers on the wildlife and habitats of Loudoun County as well as some wildlife displays to play around with. We'll be talking all about Loudoun nature and are happy to answer any wildlife questions you have or help refer you to others. More information about the fair can be found on their website www.bluemontfair.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!

SNAKES: AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR LOCAL SNAKES ― Tuesday, September 22, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Rust Library in Leesburg. Liam McGranaghan will present a slide show on the snakes one is likely to see in our area. He will also discuss these creatures that so many of us are both fascinated and frightened of and explain why they are a valuable part of the world around us. Come at 7:00 for light refreshments and meet the speaker; the free program will start at 7:30. Rust Library is located at 380 Old Waterford Rd. in Leesburg, near Ida Lee Park. Questions: contact Laura Weidner at lweidner@loudounwildlife.org.

BIRDING THE BLUE RIDGE CENTER ― Saturday, September 26, 8:00 a.m. On the fourth Saturday of each month (except December) the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy 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, Rt. 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 visitor center. The Blue Ridge Center is located just north of Neersville, at 11611 Harpers Ferry Road (Rt 671). Detailed directions can be found on the website, www.brces.org. Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.

RUST SANCTUARY CONSERVATION CELEBRATION ― Sunday, September 27, noon to 4:00 p.m. This annual family nature festival is sponsored by Audubon Naturalist Society’s Rust Nature Sanctuary in Leesburg. Festivities will include live music provided by Acoustic Burgoo and Moon Music, family entertainment, magic, children’s nature activities, trail hikes and guided tours of the Rust Manor House, exhibits and demonstrations by conservation groups and green businesses, food, and more. Rust Sanctuary is located at 802 Childrens Center Road just off Catoctin Circle in Leesburg. Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will have a table set up at the event so you can stop by and pick up some of our free nature publications and we'll have volunteers onhand to help answer your wildlife and nature questions. Admission is free. Questions: visit http://conservationcelebration.blinkweb.com/, or call 703-669-2561.