Blue-headed Vireo Among the Birds Found at Algonkian

Twenty birders ventured out on a chilly, but beautiful day at Algonkian Park for our monthly Eastern Loudoun bird walk that took place on October 20.  Right from the start, we found a good mix of our year-round residents like Northern Mockingbirds, Downy Woodpeckers, Song Sparrows, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.  We also saw a stream of Fish Crows heading west as is common along the Potomac this time of year.

As we walked down the trail, we encountered many of our winter visitors, including Eastern Phoebe, Winter Wren, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, White-throated Sparrows and both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets.  One of the highlights of our walk was a Blue-headed Vireo and a good number of thrushes. We found Hermit Thrush, Swainson’s Thrush and a couple thrushes that eluded our identification.  On the walk by the driving range, we spotted a Red Fox at the edge of the woods.  It was a wonderful day for a walk, and we found a total of 45 species of birds.  The full list can be seen on eBird at https://ebird.org/checklist/S199612063.