Program and Event Descriptions:

LATE SUMMER WILFLOWERS at Phillips Farm ― Saturday, September 6, 1:00 p.m. POSTPONED TO SUNDAY, SEPT 7, 1:00 P.M. As summer draws to a close, plants pull out all the stops to attract pollinators, resulting in a beautiful, multi-colored display that rivals a cultivated flower garden. Local plant ecologist and author of People and the Land Through Time, Dr. Emily Southgate, will lead a walk to see and learn about these wildflowers and their varied habitats and pollinators at the Phillips Farm in Waterford.  We will meet at The Mill on Main Street in Waterford.  For questions contact Emily Southgate at ewbsouthgate@gmail.com or 540-687-8291.

WINGS OVER SKY MEADOWS ― Sunday, September 7, 8:00 a.m. - Noon.  Pre-registration required.  Only 30 minutes from western Loudoun and situated on the slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sky Meadows State Park offers a mix of habitats, including meadow, forest, field, and stream.  We’ll explore this natural area with leader Joe Coleman in a search for birds, both resident and fall migrants, and late-season butterflies. The walk will include up to three miles with some uphill and downhill in sunny terrain, but at a leisurely pace. Co-sponsored with the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS).  Pre-registration required: Members (ANS & LWC): $22; Nonmembers: $30.50.  To register contact ANS at 301-652-9188 x16.

A SWIFT NIGHT OUT ― September 12, 13, 14. 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! We encourage you to go out and look for this exhilarating spectacle. Over the next few days, keep your eyes to the skies at dusk and watch for areas where swifts are feeding. Look for a tall shaft, chimney or similar structure to locate where Chimney swifts go to roost in your area (especially in the old historic parts of towns). Then, on one night over September 7, 8, 9, observe the roost starting about 30 minutes before dusk and estimate the number of swifts that enter. When you have your number, contact us with your results and location(s) where you counted swifts. That's all there is to it!

BIRDING BANSHEE ― Saturday, September 13, 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.

MID-WEEK NATURE WALK AT ALGONKIAN PARK IN EASTERN LOUDOUN ―Wednesday, September 17, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Join the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on a mid-week, general nature walk at the onset of fall migration. This park has varied habitat, including a long frontage along the Potomac. Admission to the park is free, there is ample parking, and comfort stations are available. Meet at the parking lot by the pool (see map here). Contact Mary Ann Good at 540-338-1901 (evenings).

BIRDING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL AND HAWK WATCH ― Saturday, September 20, 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 up with Liam McGranaghan, a master falconer, licensed bander of raptors, and educator 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 Laura Weidner at lweidner@loudounwildlife.org

VISIT US AT THE BLUEMONT FAIR ― Saturday and Sunday, September 20 & 21 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. We're also 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

SUNDAY IN THE PRESERVE ― Sunday, September 21, 1:00 p.m.  Join a naturalist from the Friends of Banshee Reeks and the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy 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, September 27, 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 Neersville Volunteer Fire Station on Rt. 671 at 8:00 a.m. Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.