Great Looks at Waxwings and Warblers at Izaak Walton

Fourteen birders visited the Izaak Walton League’s (IWL) Loudoun County Chapter’s property just outside of Leesburg on September 29. This nice expanse of conserved property contains mature forest, fields and a pond. It is home to several conservation projects that IWL is working on.

The morning was overcast so the light was difficult for seeing birds, but eventually we found a wonderful fall flock of migrants. The flock of over 50 Cedar Waxwings and several species of warblers treated us to a nice show in the trees alongside the pond. We got great looks at Cape May Warblers and Magnolia Warblers. Ruby-crowned Kinglets also made their presence known with their distinctive grumble and fast-paced flittering.

The group was led by Allison Gallo and Bryan Henson and found a total of 36 species of birds. The full list can be viewed on eBird at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S196884569.