Four of us showed up for the regular monthly bird walk at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve Saturday morning, March 11. In spite of the beginning (25) and ending (32) temps it was a very pleasant morning for a bird walk. While there weren’t a lot of species, we did find a first-of-year (for most of us) Eastern Phoebe. However, except for a few large mixed flocks there weren’t a lot of birds.
Photo by Pidge Troha
After we finished at Banshee Reeks three of us went over to the private (restricted access) Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project to see what work the bluebird trail (managed by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy) might need. It had warmed up to 35 degrees by then but since the Wetlands is largely sheltered from the west winds it wasn’t bad. Because the beavers have been very successful in building a dam at the Dulles Greenway Wetlands spillway there is much more water on the wetlands than there used to be. Not only is there little exposed mud for shorebirds, the ducks can easily hide in the extensive scrub, much of which has its feet in water. The ducks that were there were rather skittish, perhaps because of the active Bald Eagle nest there or for some other reason. In addition to a Bald Eagle sitting in the nest we saw a variety of ducks and 2 Am Coots (see below for the complete list) and a number of ducks we were unable to ID as they darted this way and that in the sky and the scrub.
For a complete list of the birds observed at Banshee Reeks and the Dulles Greenway Wetlands pls see the eBird reports below.
The regular monthly free bird walk (every 2nd Saturday) at the Banshee Reeks Nature preserve is sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy & the Friends of Banshee Reeks. While there are no regular walks at the private Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project, which has restricted access, we do periodically survey the birds there and occasionally lead walks there – check our website calendar.
Good birding (regardless of the weather)!
Joe Coleman for the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, Loudoun, Virginia, US Mar 11, 2017 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Photo by Pidge Troha
Protocol: Traveling
2.4 mile(s)
34 species
Canada Goose 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 5
Turkey Vulture 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 35
Mourning Dove 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 6
Fish Crow 2
Carolina Chickadee 15
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 2
Eastern Bluebird 4
American Robin 50
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 2
Field Sparrow 4
Dark-eyed Junco 30
White-throated Sparrow 20
Song Sparrow 6
Swamp Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 8
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 2
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S35112630
Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project, Loudoun, Virginia, US Mar 11, 2017 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.8 mile(s)
30 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose X
Wood Duck 2
Gadwall 8
Mallard 2
Green-winged Teal 12
Ring-necked Duck 2
Hooded Merganser 2
duck sp. 30
Wild Turkey 3 seen by one person earlier in the day before the Banshee Reeks walk
Black Vulture 6
Turkey Vulture 6
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 1 on nest
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
American Coot 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 11
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 4
Fish Crow 2
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 2
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 2
White-throated Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S35112908
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)