On Saturday, April 12th, Del Sargent & Joanne Bradbury led the regular monthly bird walk (sponsored every 2nd Saturday of the month) at Loudoun County’s Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve.
One highlight of the walk was not a bird but a probable Mink (there was some debate over whether it was a possible River Otter). It was well seen by the group as it scampered along the shore of the Goose Creek for about 50 yards. Some people thought it might be a young River Otter, but the time of year has not yet arrived for that.
While looking at a kettle of vultures, the group found two Broad-winged Hawks soaring high in the sky. Also, earlier in the walk, an Eastern Kingbird was fly-catching at the pond near the Visitor Center.
While there were numerous Eastern Towhees (at least 8) and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (at least 8), there was only one warbler–a singing Louisiana Waterthrush. Other highlights included a male and female American Kestrel, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. There were also at least 15 Spring Azure butterflies, a very fresh Zebra Swallowtail, and an Anglewing–probably an Eastern Comma.
See below for complete eBird list of the birds seen at Banshee Reeks on this walk.
The regular monthly, free bird walk (again, every 2nd Saturday of the month) at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve is sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Friends of Banshee Reeks; information on both and their upcoming events can be found on their websites.
Next month, there are two REGULAR birding events scheduled on May 10th at 8am; one at Banshee Reeks, the other at Algonkian Regional Park.
In addition, May is a GREAT time to come out to a birding event with our “Celebrate Birds, Go Birding! International Migratory Bird Day” events, Saturday, May 3 – Sunday, May 11.
“During the spring, thousands of migratory birds move through North America to their nesting territories. Some will stay and nest in our area, while others will spend only a few days here replenishing their energy before continuing a journey that may be thousands of miles long. To celebrate and highlight this natural phenomenon and the importance of natural habitats, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has scheduled several IMBD walks between May 3 and 11.
All walks begin at 8 am and require registration except for Birding Banshee.
Registration required: Sign Up Online. Questions:Contact Jill Miller at jmiller@loudounwildlife.org.
– Birding Elizabeth Mills Riverfront Park, Tuesday, May 6. Led by Bill Brown & Joe Coleman
– Birding Camp Highroad, Friday, May 9. Led by Linda Millington & Christine Perdue
– Birding Algonkian Regional Park, Saturday, May 10. Led by Bill Brown & Larry Meade
– Birding Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, Saturday, May 10. Led by Del Sargent, Dori Rhodes, & Joanne Bradbury.
– Birding Waterford’s Phillips Farm, Sunday, May 11. Led by Bruce Johnson.
We encourage you to share your Loudoun County birding adventures with us on the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Facebook page, especially if you have photos from our bird walk events.
Submitted by Joe Coleman for Del Sargent & Joanne Bradbury
Edited by Sarah Steadman
REPORT:
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve – MFF08, Loudoun, US-VA
Apr 12, 2014 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.75 mile(s)
48 species
- Cooper’s Hawk 1
- Canada Goose 10
- Wood Duck 2
- Mallard 2
- Black Vulture 15
- Turkey Vulture 6
- Red-shouldered Hawk 5
- Broad-winged Hawk 2
- Red-tailed Hawk 2
- Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
- Mourning Dove 12
- Belted Kingfisher 1
- Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
- Downy Woodpecker 12
- Northern Flicker 8
- Pileated Woodpecker 1
- American Kestrel 2
- Eastern Phoebe 2
- Eastern Kingbird 1
- Blue Jay X
- American Crow X
- Fish Crow X
- Tree Swallow 12
- Carolina Chickadee 7
- Tufted Titmouse 9
- White-breasted Nuthatch 1
- Carolina Wren 1
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet 8
- Eastern Bluebird 10
- American Robin 12
- Brown Thrasher 6
- Northern Mockingbird 4
- European Starling 6
- Louisiana Waterthrush 1
- Eastern Towhee 8
- Chipping Sparrow 5
- Field Sparrow 16
- Song Sparrow 7
- White-throated Sparrow 15
- Dark-eyed Junco 11
- Northern Cardinal 8
- Red-winged Blackbird 10
- Common Grackle 2
- Brown-headed Cowbird 2
- House Finch 1
- American Goldfinch 12View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S17857444
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org/VA)