On Wednesday morning, which was simply exquisite, six birders joined Christine Perdue and Joe Coleman to amble along the banks of the Goose Creek and traverse the buttercup and white-violet sprinkled fields and woods on the grounds of the beautiful Goodstone Inn near Middleburg, VA.
Highlights included several Louisiana Waterthrush – white underparts and eye-stripe bright against the backdrop of dark brown mud; a pair of Red-Headed Woodpeckers visiting a nest hole high up in a sycamore tree; several brilliant Baltimore Orioles; and one immature Orchard Oriole with his jet black throat.
We heard Northern Parulas, American Redstart, and Blackpoll Warblers high in the canopy. Grasshopper Sparrows buzzed near the barns. As we finished our walk, two Broad-winged Hawks soared above the parking lot.
The walk, sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, was part of a series of walks to celebrate and highlight International Migratory Bird Day. For a complete schedule, check the website at www.loudounwildlife.org.
Our list of 53 species:
Canada Goose, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Parula, Blackpoll Warbler, American Redstart, Louisiana Waterthrush, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird, Orchard Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch