On Sunday, June 12, Nicole Hamilton, while monitoring the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Bluebird Trail at the privately owned Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project, discovered and photographed a female HOODED MERGANSER with four ducklings among lots of Wood Duck and Mallard ducklings as well as 11 GREAT EGRETS and a number of other birds.
During our Mid-week walk on Wednesday, June 15, the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy sponsored a 7 am walk at the Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project and a 9 am walk at the nearby Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve; both were led by Joe Coleman and Mary Ann Good.
The highlight at the of the two walks on Wednesday was definitely the HOODED MERGANSER ducklings, a first for Loudoun County. When the Gold Book was published there were only four records of nesting Hooded Mergansers in the Piedmont so this is a really nice addition to the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s five-year birding atlas.
The other highlights for the 11 participants at the Dulles Greenway Wetlands were the nesting BALD EAGLES with at least one nestling visible, Great Egrets, Green Herons, Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Willow Flycatchers, a pair of Cedar Waxwings, and both Yellow and Prairie Warbler. Terry Hoffman uploaded his photos from the walk to share here.
The highlights for the 8 participants at Banshee Reeks walk were a flyover Cooper’s Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Willow Flycatcher, Northern Parula, both Yellow & Pine Warbler, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, and a couple of Yellow-breasted Chats.
See below for the complete list of birds seen at both walks.
For information on the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s many free programs and field trips visit www.loudounwildlife.org.
Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project, Loudoun, US-VA
48 species
Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Hooded Merganser (mother with four ducklings), Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Killdeer, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Orchard Oriole, American Goldfinch
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve – MFF08, Loudoun, US-VA
Jun 15, 2011 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
52 species
Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Parula,Yellow Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Orchard Oriole, American Goldfinch