Eighteen people enjoyed the regular 2nd Sat. of the month bird walk sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy & the Friends of Banshee Reeks last Saturday. Prior to the Banshee walk four people spent an hour at the private Dulles Greenway Wetlands.
Except for a couple of mixed flocks the activity at Banshee Reeks was quieter than many of us had expected with 42 species there including four warbler species and two vireos, one of which was a very vocal White-eyed.
We did have one active mixed flock of migrants and residents at one spot along the Goose Creek and a couple of intriguing warblers there that managed to escape identification to our frustration.
Twenty-six species were found at the Wetlands for a total of 55 different species for the day. The highlights at the Wetlands were 21 carefully-counted Great Egrets, a VA Rail, approx. 10 each Wood Ducks and Mallards as well as a single Black Duck, a Northern Harrier, a Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, and a small flock of Least Sandpipers.
Because the wetlands is rapidly drying out and the exposed mud hardening, there were a lot of dead carp visible. Without rain soon the wetlands will prob. lose much of its appeal to a wide variety of birds.
It was a beautiful early fall day and a great day to be outside enjoying the many beauties of nature.
See below for complete eBird list of the birds seen at Banshee Reeks and the Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project.
As it warmed it there were 8 Monarchs, mostly females, among the several butterfly species at Banshee.
Good birding, Joe Coleman, near Bluemont, Loudoun Co
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve: Mallard 2, Black Vulture 32, Turkey Vulture 9, Red-shouldered Hawk 4, Broad-winged Hawk 2, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Rock Pigeon 8, Mourning Dove 8, Chimney Swift 2, Belted Kingfisher 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker 4, Downy Woodpecker 2, Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 4, Pileated Woodpecker 3, Eastern Wood-Pewee 6, Empidonax sp. 1, Eastern Phoebe 4, White-eyed Vireo 1, Red-eyed Vireo 1, Blue Jay 8, American Crow 8, Fish Crow, Common Raven 2, Carolina Chickadee 6, Tufted Titmouse 6, White-breasted Nuthatch 6, Carolina Wren 8, Eastern Bluebird 4, Wood Thrush 1, American Robin 6, Gray Catbird 6, Northern Mockingbird 6, European Starling 12, Cedar Waxwing 8, Black-and-white Warbler 3, Common Yellowthroat 3, Magnolia Warbler 2, Black-throated Green Warbler 1, Eastern Towhee 2, Northern Cardinal 8, House Finch 5, American Goldfinch 15.
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15170785 Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project, Loudoun, US-VA Sep 14, 2013 6:30 AM – 7:30 AM Protocol: Traveling 0.5 mile(s) 28 species
Canada Goose 50Wood Duck 12, American Black Duck 1, Mallard 10, Great Blue Heron 2, Great Egret 21, Green Heron 2, Northern Harrier 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 2, Virginia Rail 1, Killdeer 10, Lesser Yellowlegs 2, Least Sandpiper 8, Pectoral Sandpiper 1, Belted Kingfisher 1, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird 1, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird 1, European Starling 10, Common Yellowthroat 3, Song Sparrow 1, Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch 6.