Check out what’s happening with the 2023 Birdathon teams and other Celebrate Birds events. And don’t forget to donate to support your favorite team.
In their second Birdathon, the Flying Kites (Eric, Kiersten, Abby, Rua, Sadie and Henry Anderson) once again pulled out their binoculars, keen ears, and paper and digital checklists to explore many of their favorite outdoor spots across Loudoun County. Over two days of birding, they saw and heard 97 species throughout the county, with a closing highlight provided by incredible views of a pair of our team’s namesake, the Mississippi Kite.
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Photos by Eric Anderson
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #birdingisfun #getkidsoutside #getkidsoutdoors #loudouncounty #loudouncountyva
In their second Birdathon, the Flying Kites (Eric, Kiersten, Abby, Rua, Sadie and Henry Anderson) once again pulled out their binoculars, keen ears, and paper and digital checklists to explore many of their favorite outdoor spots across Loudoun County. Over two days of birding, they saw and heard 97 species throughout the county, with a closing highlight provided by incredible views of a pair of our team’s namesake, the Mississippi Kite.
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Photos by Eric Anderson
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #birdingisfun #getkidsoutside #getkidsoutdoors #loudouncounty #loudouncountyva
Inspired by the Birdathon, ecology students at Loudoun School for Advanced Studies spent a class period finding and identifying birds. They called themselves The Bronchial Bluejays and identified 13 species during their 1.5 hour class period.
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Photo by Ashley Gam
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #loudounschoolforadvancedstudies #loudouncountyva
Inspired by the Birdathon, ecology students at Loudoun School for Advanced Studies spent a class period finding and identifying birds. They called themselves The Bronchial Bluejays and identified 13 species during their 1.5 hour class period.
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Photo by Ashley Gam
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #loudounschoolforadvancedstudies #loudouncountyva
The Double Stuft Orioles participated in their first Birdathon! The team is a Daisy and Brownie Girl Scout troop (first and second grade). They saw 24 species and heard an additional 6 species of birds.
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Photo by Heather Dionne
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #birdingisfun #kidsinnature #loudouncountyva
The Double Stuft Orioles participated in their first Birdathon! The team is a Daisy and Brownie Girl Scout troop (first and second grade). They saw 24 species and heard an additional 6 species of birds.
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Photo by Heather Dionne
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #birdingisfun #kidsinnature #loudouncountyva
The Fully-palmated Birders Birdathon team saw a total of 126 bird species, visited 11 locations, and hiked over 17 miles to see a greater number of warblers than in years past. They also rescued a trapped turtle. Read all about their 48-hour adventure here https://loudounwildlife.org/2023/06/fully-palmated-birds-126-species/
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Kentucky Warbler photo by Michael Myers
Black-throated Blue Warbler photo by Michael Sciortino
Black and White Warbler photo by Michael Sciortino
Group photo by Michael Sciortino
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #ebird #birdphotography #kentuckywarbler #blackthroatedbluewarbler #blackandwhitewarbler #loudouncountyva
The Fully-palmated Birders Birdathon team saw a total of 126 bird species, visited 11 locations, and hiked over 17 miles to see a greater number of warblers than in years past. They also rescued a trapped turtle. Read all about their 48-hour adventure here https://loudounwildlife.org/2023/06/fully-palmated-birds-126-species/
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Kentucky Warbler photo by Michael Myers
Black-throated Blue Warbler photo by Michael Sciortino
Black and White Warbler photo by Michael Sciortino
Group photo by Michael Sciortino
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #ebird #birdphotography #kentuckywarbler #blackthroatedbluewarbler #blackandwhitewarbler #loudouncountyva
The 2023 edition of the Raven Loonatics Birdathon was a relaxed affair focusing on getting together with friends and enjoying some bird watching at limited locations. There was no racing around, no waking up early, and no birding until the early night. It was just some walking around. They visited:
- Algonkian Northern Virginia Regional Park
- Bles Park
- Middlesex Drive Ponds
- Broad Run Stream Valley Park
And, found 97 species of birds. See their complete list of birds here https://loudounwildlife.org/2023/05/raven-loonatics-take-it-easy/
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Green Heron photo by Gerco Hoogeweg
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#loudounwildlife #loudouwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #greenheron #ebird #birdingisfun #loudouncountyva
The 2023 edition of the Raven Loonatics Birdathon was a relaxed affair focusing on getting together with friends and enjoying some bird watching at limited locations. There was no racing around, no waking up early, and no birding until the early night. It was just some walking around. They visited:
- Algonkian Northern Virginia Regional Park
- Bles Park
- Middlesex Drive Ponds
- Broad Run Stream Valley Park
And, found 97 species of birds. See their complete list of birds here https://loudounwildlife.org/2023/05/raven-loonatics-take-it-easy/
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Green Heron photo by Gerco Hoogeweg
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#loudounwildlife #loudouwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #greenheron #ebird #birdingisfun #loudouncountyva
The Snap! Grackle! Pop! Birdathon team spotted this Red-shouldered Hawk with a snake in Ashburn Farm. It was a soggy 48 hours of birding for this second year team but they sighted 82 species of birds.
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Photo by Karenna Awtry
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #birdingisfun #redshoulderedhawk #loudouncountyva #ashburnva
The Snap! Grackle! Pop! Birdathon team spotted this Red-shouldered Hawk with a snake in Ashburn Farm. It was a soggy 48 hours of birding for this second year team but they sighted 82 species of birds.
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Photo by Karenna Awtry
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #birdingisfun #redshoulderedhawk #loudouncountyva #ashburnva
The Gone Pishing Birdathon team found 125 bird species during their 48 hour adventure. Among their finds was:
- Common Merganser Family on the Potomac along the Berlin Turnpike
- Bobolinks hanging out in a field making their amazing sound
- Kentucky Warbler at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (about to become the Sweet Run State Park)
- Beautiful sunset at Algonkian Park
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Bird Photos by Bryan Henson
Sunset Photo by Allison Gallo
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwsbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #commonmerganser #bobolink #kentuckywarbler #ebird #birdsofloudoun #birdsofloudouncouty #loudouncountyva
The Gone Pishing Birdathon team found 125 bird species during their 48 hour adventure. Among their finds was:
- Common Merganser Family on the Potomac along the Berlin Turnpike
- Bobolinks hanging out in a field making their amazing sound
- Kentucky Warbler at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (about to become the Sweet Run State Park)
- Beautiful sunset at Algonkian Park
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Bird Photos by Bryan Henson
Sunset Photo by Allison Gallo
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwsbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #commonmerganser #bobolink #kentuckywarbler #ebird #birdsofloudoun #birdsofloudouncouty #loudouncountyva
The Pileated Woodpecker nestlings stole the show on a recent Celebrate Birds walk at Bles Park but the group also got to see an Eastern Painted Turtle (presumably laying eggs) and an Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly.
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Photos by Bryan Henson
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #celebratebirds #pileatedwoodpecker #pileatedwoodpeckerbabies #easternpaintedturtle #ebonyjewelwing #ebonyjewelwingdamselfly #blespark #loudouncountyva
The Pileated Woodpecker nestlings stole the show on a recent Celebrate Birds walk at Bles Park but the group also got to see an Eastern Painted Turtle (presumably laying eggs) and an Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly.
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Photos by Bryan Henson
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#loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2023 #celebratebirds #pileatedwoodpecker #pileatedwoodpeckerbabies #easternpaintedturtle #ebonyjewelwing #ebonyjewelwingdamselfly #blespark #loudouncountyva
Reports from the Field: Team Summaries
The 2023 Birdathon took place April 22 to May 21, 2023. Read about the adventures of the teams below.
Flying Kites’ Second Birdathon Yields 97 Species
In their second Birdathon, the Flying Kites (Eric, Kiersten, Abby, Rua, Sadie and Henry Anderson) once again pulled out their binoculars, keen ears, and paper and digital checklists to explore many of their favorite outdoor spots across Loudoun County. Read More…
Fully-palmated Birders Record 11 Locations, 17 Miles and 126 Species
The Fully-palmated Birders (FPB for short) reconvened for the 2023 edition of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservatory’s Birdathon on Saturday and Sunday, May 6 and 7 with last year’s team largely intact. Michael Myers, Michael Sciortino and Mike Scott were joined by John Denice. Read More…
Class Inspired by the Birdathon to Become The Bronchial Bluejays
Inspired by the Birdathon, ecology students at Loudoun School for Advanced Studies spent a class period finding and identifying birds. Read More…
The Raven Loonatics Take It Easy for This Year’s Birdathon
The 2023 edition of the Raven Loonatics Birdathon was a relaxed affair focusing on getting together with friends and enjoying some bird watching at limited locations. There was no racing around, no waking up early and no birding until nightfall. Read More…
A New Team Member and a Rusty Blackbird for Snap! Grackle! Pop!
It was a soggy 48 hours of birding for team Snap! Grackle! Pop! The trio of Linda Colucci, Adara Ricciutti and Karenna Awtry added a new member to its team this year, Steve Chance. Having an extra set of eyes and ears made for a fruitful first day of birding. Read More…
Despite a Change in Plans, Gone Pishing Finds 125 Species of Birds
For the Gone Pishing team (Bryan Henson, Allison Gallo and Jane Yocum), this year’s Birdathon contained a twist. Due to a change in travel plans and other logistics, we were doing the Big Sit event all day on Saturday, May 6 — the weekend of our Birdathon. Read More…
Gloves Needed During Larkolinks’ Birdathon
The Larkolinks (Sally Brenton, Dolores Goodson, Laureen Megan, Nancy Noerpel, Debra Gutenson and Zoe Sowers) began their Birdathon on Wednesday, May 3rd. The weather was not the greatest, being cool and overcast. Read More…
Down Two Members, Shrike Force Still Finds 113 Species of Birds
Shrike Force, down two members, found 113 species in a wide variety of hot spots scattered over Loudoun County. Mary Ann Good and Joe Coleman began their count at Beaverdam Reservoir and wrapped up 48 hours later in western Loudoun. Read More…
Whisky Drinking Warbler Watchers Have an Owl Encounter
The Whisky Drinking Warbler Watchers (Linda Millington, Robert Justin, Peter Lyttle and Scott Harris) lived up to their name in both whisky drinking and warbler watching. Luckily, the latter activity was more productive than the former. Read More…
The Fearsome Fledglings Explore New Locations During Second Birdathon
The Fearsome Fledglings had a great second Birdathon, with some new team members and new locations to explore. We had some great conversations about how to ID birds by sight and by sound, and over the course of the weekend the team identified an impressive 46 species. Read More…
First Birdathon for I Believe in a Thing Called Dove Yields 56 Species
I Believe in a Thing Called Dove, also known as married couple Eric Auld and Stasia Kemp, participated in their first Birdathon this year. We wanted to venture outdoors and meet some new bird-sonalities. Read More…
Ligi Nestlings Add a New Team Member and Find 46 Species
The Ligi Nestlings 15th annual Birdathon did not disappoint. We documented a record breaking 46 species and officially added Steve (a.k.a. Dad) to our existing team of Spring, McKenzie, Addison and Catherine. Read More…
Birds Aren’t Real Team Has a Quick Birdathon Between the Storms
Birds Aren’t Real, the Myers family team consisting of Scarlett, Jessie and Michael decided to conduct an impromptu Birdathon during the April 29-30 weekend despite the rainy weather forecast. We made the call to take advantage of our limited time and stayed within walking distance of our home. Read More…
First Birdathon for Double Stuft Orioles is Fun for Young Birders
The Double Stuft Orioles participated in their first Birdathon during the opening weekend, April 21-22. The team is a Daisy and Brownie Girl Scout troop (first and second grade) from the Hamilton area. Read More…