Ten of us joined Joe Coleman and Gerry Hawkins on Saturday for the monthly walk at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Loudoun County. We had a total of 38 species (including 7 different sparrow species). The walk included nice looks at American Kestrel, both kinglets, numerous Eastern Bluebirds and a Fox Sparrow. Missing from our sightings today was the Dark-eyed Junco.
Five of us made a quick stop at the Dulles Wetlands after the walk, where we saw over 200 dabbling ducks, including American Black Ducks, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal and an odd black-and-white mutt hybrid among the many Mallards, as well as a perched Red-shouldered Hawk, a couple of soaring Red-tailed Hawks and only our second Turkey Vulture of the day.
Banshee Reeks and other areas in Loudoun County will be the subject of a Christmas Bird Count on December 28, 2008.
Here’s the listing of the birds we saw:
Canada Goose (20), Mallard (1), Black Bulture (5), Turkey Vulture (1), Red-shouldered Hawk (2), Red-tailed Hawk (2), American Kestrel (2), Mourning Dove (2), Red-bellied Woodpecker (5), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1), Downy Woodpecker (5), Northern Flicker (2), Pileated Woodpecker (4), Blue Jay (10), American Crow (10), Fish Crow (1), Carolina Chickadee (5), Tufted Titmouse (5), White-breasted Nuthatch (3), Brown Creeper (1), Carolina Wren (8), Golden-crowned Kinglet (2), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1), Eastern Bluebird (38), American Robin (6), Northern Mockingbird (5), European Starling (12), Eastern Towhee (6), Chipping Sparrow (1), Field Sparrow (10), Fox Sparrow (1), Song Sparrow (25), Swamp Sparrow (2). White-throated Sparrow (50), White-crowned Sparrow (1), Northern Cardinal (7), Rusty Blackbird (2), American Goldfinch (25)