At the regular monthly bird walk at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve south of Leesburg, about 18 people enjoyed a cooler morning and a flurry of activity right next to the parking lot that produced the best 20 minutes of birding of the morning, including the first of two male Blue Grosbeaks, a perched Red-tailed Hawk, Eastern Kingbirds, Pewees and Phoebes, a drop-by Red-eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, many Bluebirds, 2 Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Towhee pairs, Field Sparrows, and Orchard Orioles.
Later we found a pair of Wood Thrushes carrying food to a nest about 25 feet off the ground.
Early likely migrants included 2 female Redstarts.
Following is the list of 36 species:
Canada Goose,Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, No. Flicker, E. Wood-Pewee, E. Phoebe, E. Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Am. Crow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, E. Bluebird, Wood Thrush, Am. Robin, Gray Catbird, No. Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Eur. Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Am. Redstart, E. Towhee, Field Sparrow, No. Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak – 2 male, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, Am. Goldfinch
Mary Ann Good, with co-leader Del Sargent