Twenty-five people gathered on May 27, a beautiful sunny day with little wind and temperatures in the 60s for the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s regular bird walk at Sweet Run State Park (formerly the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship). Saturday was Sweet Run State Park’s first day, and the park’s interpreter Meg Doppee joined us for the walk.
Red-headed Woodpecker
Photo by Gerco Hoogeweg
Because there were so many of us, we split into two groups with Michael Sciortino and Scott Harris leading a group along the Farmstand Loop and Arnold Lane, and Joe Coleman and Mary Ann Good, assisted by Gerco Hoogeweg, leading the other group on the south side of the park (Lower Sweet Run, East Meadow Loop, and Butterfly Alley).
The two groups together observed a total of 64 species. Highlights for the first group included great looks at a Scarlet Tanager and watching a Red-headed Woodpecker entering its nesting cavity. They also listened to, and recorded, a Cerulean Warbler at one of its usual spots. The second group’s highlights included very vocal White-eyed Vireos, Yellow-throated Vireos, seven Yellow-breasted Chats and three Kentucky Warblers.
Additional sightings included a Northern Waterthrush at the small pond near the parking lot, and two people hearing a Blue-winged Warbler, a species once reliable at Sweet Run, but no longer.
For a complete list of the birds observed, see the lists below view on eBird at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S139433594 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S139432194.
Group 1 Species List
Canada Goose 6
Mourning Dove 4
Chimney Swift 2
Great Blue Heron 2
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 3
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 5
Acadian Flycatcher 10
Eastern Phoebe 5
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 1
White-eyed Vireo 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 13
American Crow 5
Carolina Chickadee 7
Tufted Titmouse 9
Tree Swallow 8
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
House Wren 2
Carolina Wren 5
European Starling 2
Northern Mockingbird 2
Eastern Bluebird 5
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 2
Cedar Waxwing 2
American Goldfinch 2
Chipping Sparrow 4
Field Sparrow 5
Eastern Towhee 3
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 3
Ovenbird 1
Louisiana Waterthrush 1
Common Yellowthroat 4
American Redstart 6
Cerulean Warbler 2
Northern Parula 1
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Scarlet Tanager 2
Northern Cardinal 15
Indigo Bunting 4
Group 2 Species List
Mourning Dove 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 4
Turkey Vulture 7
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Broad-winged Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 5
Acadian Flycatcher 8
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 3
White-eyed Vireo 3
Yellow-throated Vireo 2
Red-eyed Vireo 7
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 4
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 4
Tree Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 8
Carolina Wren 2
European Starling 8
Gray Catbird 1
Brown Thrasher 3
Northern Mockingbird 1
Eastern Bluebird 6
Wood Thrush 4
American Robin 2
Cedar Waxwing 12
American Goldfinch 12
Chipping Sparrow 1
Field Sparrow 14
Eastern Towhee 3
Yellow-breasted Chat 7
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 3
Louisiana Waterthrush 3
Blue-winged Warbler 1
Kentucky Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 8
Scarlet Tanager 2
Northern Cardinal 3
Indigo Bunting 9