Immature Bald Eagle with food.
Photo by Michael Sciortino
Fifteen birders gathered at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve for the regular monthly bird walk on a cold, calm, and beautiful morning on December 9. Walking west from the Visitor Center, we spotted the first of six different raptor species, a Red-shouldered Hawk. A little further down the trail but still close to the Visitor Center was a Fox Sparrow that was seen by some of the group. Along the Carter-Luck Trail on the floodplain in the southwest corner of the preserve, we found the walk’s highlight, an immature Bald Eagle eating something while perched on a large sycamore branch hanging over the Goose Creek. In the same area we found two of the three Common Ravens we saw and frequently heard during the walk. The other raptors we observed were a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Cooper’s Hawk, an adult Bald Eagle, another Red-shouldered Hawk, two Red-tailed Hawks and an American Kestrel.
There were American Robins everywhere during the walk as well as a good-sized flock of Red-winged Blackbirds, mostly females and hatch-year birds. Scattered amongst the Robins were a few Cedar Waxwings who patiently perched for us a couple times.
Walk leaders were Joe Coleman, Michael Sciortino, Mike Scott and Jane Yocom. For a complete list of the birds observed on the walk see the list below on view on eBird at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S156007000.
You can also join us for the Central Loudoun Christmas Bird Count on Thursday, December 28. On that day approximately 20 teams will cover an area from Ashburn to Purcellville and Waterford to Aldie. Everyone is welcome: beginners are teamed with experts. You can bird for just a couple hours or all day.
We saw this Cedar Waxwing, along with American Robins, eating fox grapes.
Photo by Michael Sciortino
Species List
Canada Goose 12
duck sp. 9
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 30
Turkey Vulture 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 8
Downy Woodpecker 6
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 4
American Kestrel 1
Blue Jay 25
American Crow 4
Fish Crow 3
Common Raven 3
Carolina Chickadee 9
Tufted Titmouse 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 9
European Starling 12
Northern Mockingbird 7
Eastern Bluebird 6
American Robin 150
Cedar Waxwing 6
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 4
Fox Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 15
White-throated Sparrow 25
Song Sparrow 8
Eastern Towhee 1
Red-winged Blackbird 75
Northern Cardinal 6