On November 9th, eleven people enjoyed the regular 2nd Sat. of the month Banshee Reeks bird walk on a beautiful fall day that started off in mid-20’s but warmed up quickly & didn’t become windy until a little before 11 am. This walk is sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy & the Friends of Banshee Reeks on Sat..
After the Banshee walk six of us spent an hour at the private Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project. Except for seven sparrow species and a few flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds, American Robins, and Fish Crow flying over, Banshee Reeks was quieter than many of us had expected. The highlights of the walk at Banshee Reeks included a group of six Fox Sparrows and a Northern Harrier that flew by twice.
The highlight at the Wetlands were the 19 Wild Turkeys that I saw there as I passed by it on the way to Banshee Reeks about 7:30 am of which there was only one seen when we visited later. The water level was relatively high and the mud hidden by vegetation so little was visible on or next to the water.
See below for complete eBird list of the birds seen at Banshee Reeks and the Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project. The regular monthly free bird walk (every 2nd Sat) at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve is sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (www.loudounwildlife.org) and the Friends of Banshee Reeks (www.bansheereeks.org); information on both and their upcoming events can be found on their websites.
Good birding, Joe Coleman, near Bluemont, Loudoun Co
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve – MFF08, Loudoun, US-VA Nov 9, 2013 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM Protocol: Traveling 1.0 mile(s) 38 species
Canada Goose 4 Mallard 1 Great Blue Heron 1 Black Vulture 5 Turkey Vulture 6 Northern Harrier 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Rock Pigeon 12 Mourning Dove 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 4 Northern Flicker 5 Blue Jay X American Crow X Fish Crow X Carolina Chickadee 4 Tufted Titmouse 4 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Carolina Wren 6 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Eastern Bluebird 15 American Robin 125 Northern Mockingbird 10 Yellow-rumped Warbler 5 Eastern Towhee 2 Chipping Sparrow 2 Field Sparrow 3 Fox Sparrow 6 Song Sparrow 10 White-throated Sparrow 35 Dark-eyed Junco 12 Northern Cardinal 8 Red-winged Blackbird 60 Common Grackle 1 American Goldfinch 6
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15621515
Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project, Loudoun, US-VA Nov 9, 2013 10:45 AM – 11:50 AM Protocol: Traveling 1.0 mile(s) 23 species
Canada Goose X Mallard 8 Green-winged Teal 4 Wild Turkey 1 Black Vulture 15 Turkey Vulture 5 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 Blue Jay X American Crow X Fish Crow 50 Carolina Chickadee 3 Tufted Titmouse 2 Carolina Wren 2 Eastern Bluebird 4 American Robin 4 Northern Mockingbird 2 Song Sparrow 4 White-throated Sparrow 6 Dark-eyed Junco 4 Northern Cardinal 2 Red-winged Blackbird X American Goldfinch 2
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15621567