Fauquier Formation outcrop.
Photo by Srikanth Ravinuthula
On September 15, 10 people participated in Loudoun Wildlife’s first bird walk at Meadowkirk at Delta Farm. It is a beautiful 358-acre property managed by Meadowkirk, Inc., with a wide variety of habitats and about three miles of frontage on Goose Creek.
We met at the Welcome Center where a flyover Red-headed Woodpecker and a gobbling Wild Turkey greeted us. We began the walk at the silo next to the pavilion where we found a couple of Barn Owl pellets but, unfortunately, no Barn Owl. From there we took a steep path through the extensive deciduous forest down to the Goose Creek. When the group came upon some spectacular outcrops of the 700-million-year-old Fauquier Formation along Goose Creek, Peter Lyttle, co-leader and geologist, gave a short history of the geology of the area.
After that we shifted over to the eastern part of Meadowkirk where there are extensive fields and a new trail along the Goose Creek. This area was much more productive bird-wise because of the combination of extensive edge habitat, large mature trees, extensive meadows, hedgerows and the Goose Creek.
Avian highlights included a flyover male American Kestrel, four very vocal Yellow-billed Cuckoos, a couple more Red-headed Woodpeckers, numerous Eastern Wood-Peewees and a Willow Flycatcher. Many of the smaller birds were high in the canopy making them difficult to spot, let alone identify, but we did succeed with at least one Magnolia Warbler.
We also found a Wood Frog near Goose Creek and a number of very young American Toads.
The complete list of birds can be seen below or viewed on eBird at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S195225393. Walk leaders were Joe Coleman, Peter Lyttle and John Denice.
American Toad.
Photo by Srikanth Ravinuthula
Species List
Wild Turkey 1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
Mourning Dove 3
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Red-headed Woodpecker 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6
Downy Woodpecker 3
Pileated Woodpecker 4
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 8
Willow Flycatcher 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 10
Common Raven 1
Carolina Chickadee 6
Tufted Titmouse 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Carolina Wren 5
European Starling 90
Northern Mockingbird 3
Eastern Bluebird 9
American Robin 12
American Goldfinch 1
Chipping Sparrow 6
Magnolia Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 6