January 20th was the annual Birds of Prey search with the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. This year we had 28 people join us and therefore decided to split into two teams: one led by Liam and Laura McGranaghan, the other led by Joe Coleman and Liz Dennison.
Despite the sunny conditions, strong winds hindered our search. Although the groups saw several species of raptors we did not see the numbers as in years past.
One of the highlights of the day was getting great views of a Loggerhead Shrike, our honorary raptor. Late in the afternoon both groups had great looks at Northern Harriers hunting. Of these, 2 were Grey Ghosts! At sunset a few of us spotted Short-eared owls coming up out of a field and flying off to hunt.
Here is the combined list from both teams:
Bald Eagles 4
Red-tailed Hawk 18
Red-shoulder Hawk 7
Coopers Hawk 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Northern Harrier 11
American Kestrel 4
Barred Owl 1
Short-eared Owls 5
Turkey Vultures 28
Black Vultures 21