Flycatchers, Warblers Abound at Blue Ridge Walk

Fourteen people showed up Saturday, May 26, for the regular (every 4^th Saturday) bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship in northwestern Loudoun County near Harpers Ferry.  A total of 54 species were observed though some, such as a Black-billed Cuckoo, which was heard by one birder along the driveway a little before the walk started, weren’t observed by everyone.  The highlights of the walk included 9 species of warbler, the no-longer a warbler – Yellow-breasted Chat, one of which posed on top of a tree so all of us could share in his song and appearance; large numbers of flycatchers; 12 noisy and rather active Blue-gray Gnatcatchers; 5 Scarlet Tanagers, a couple of which gave us good looks; lots of Indigo Buntings (at least 9, of which several posed for us); and 5 singing Field Sparrows. Seven of the nine warblers, including Worm-eating, Louisianan Waterthrush, Blue-winged, Kentucky, Cerulean, and Northern Parula, are Blue Ridge Center nesters.

One thing was clear, as a result of all the recent rain and standing water, this is going to be a great year for flycatchers. While we always get a lot of flycatchers and other insect eaters at the center this time of year, there seemed to be more than normal. Interestingly enough, we didn’t find a single hawk.

For a complete list of all of the species observed see the eBird list below.

Joe Coleman & Jane Yocom, assisted by Bryan Henson and Elliott & Nancy Kirschbaum.

Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, Loudoun, Virginia, US May 26, 2018 7:48 AM – 10:33 AM

Protocol: Traveling

2.5 mile(s)

Comments:     Monthly BRCES walk sponsored by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

Temps starting in the 70s and rising to 80s during the walk.

53 species (+1 other taxa)

 

Great Blue Heron  2

Black Vulture  3

Turkey Vulture  3

Mourning Dove  2

Black-billed Cuckoo 1

Barred Owl  1

Chimney Swift  3

Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker  3

Downy Woodpecker  1

Eastern Wood-Pewee  6

Acadian Flycatcher  10

Eastern Phoebe  2

Great Crested Flycatcher  5

Eastern Kingbird  1

White-eyed Vireo  1

Red-eyed Vireo  10

Blue Jay  1

American Crow  3

crow sp.  1

Tree Swallow  8

Barn Swallow  4

Carolina Chickadee  2

Tufted Titmouse  3

White-breasted Nuthatch  3

House Wren  1

Carolina Wren  5

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  12

Eastern Bluebird  6

Wood Thrush  1

American Robin  1

Gray Catbird  3

Brown Thrasher  1

Cedar Waxwing  16

Worm-eating Warbler  2     heard only

Louisiana Waterthrush  3     heard only

Blue-winged Warbler  1     heard only

Kentucky Warbler  2     heard only

Common Yellowthroat  5

Cerulean Warbler  1     heard only

Northern Parula  2     heard only

Magnolia Warbler  1     heard only

Blackpoll Warbler  1     heard only

Chipping Sparrow  1

Field Sparrow  5

Eastern Towhee  1

Yellow-breasted Chat  2

Scarlet Tanager  5

Northern Cardinal  12

Indigo Bunting  9

Orchard Oriole  1

Red-winged Blackbird  2

Brown-headed Cowbird  7

House Finch  1

American Goldfinch  7

House Sparrow  1

 

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S46045096

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)