On this past Saturday’s regular monthly Banshee Reeks walk, co-sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Friends of Banshee Reeks, and co-led by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society (PVAS), sixteen people found 45 species of birds.
Notes: The highlight of the walk was finding a WOODCOCK in one of Banshee’s many hedgerows; someone heard 
scurrying in the undergrowth & the next thing we knew we were watching a Woodcock first running away from us and then flying away. Also nice were the numerous FOX SPARROWS (12), several of whom were singing.
Previously, when we found this many FOX SPARROWS at Banshee we also found several BROWN CREEPERS and were surprised to find only two during this walk. The large number of EASTERN TOWHEES (10), several of which were perched plainly in sight and singing away, was also nice.
The highlights at the Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project were a BALD EAGLE on the nest (4th year in a row), the PIED-BILLED GREBES and WILSON’S SNIPE, the wide variety of waterfowl, and a COMMON RAVEN.
Location: Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve
Observation date: 3/14/09
Number of species: 45
Canada Goose. Wood Duck, Mallard, Common Merganser, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, American Woodcock, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, House Sparrow.
Location: Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project
Observation date: 3/14/09
Notes: A couple of us checked out the Wetlands from the road before the Banshee Reeks walk and about six people did the same after the walk and Mary Ann Good actually went on the Wetlands to survey it and saw a lot more than the rest of were able to observe from the road. Number of species: 20
Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Coot, Killdeer, Wilson’s Snipe, Belted Kingfisher, Common Raven, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird.
Included here is a photo of a Fox Sparrow taken in Waterford.