The First Celebrate Birds Walk in 2025 Has 49 Species at Broad Run

Northern Mockingbird. Photo by Kevin Denice

Walk leaders Mike Sciortino, Pat Whittle, and John and Kevin Denice were joined by 13 participants for the April 19  Celebrate Birds walk at Broad Run Stream Valley Park.  As we left the parking lot and walked by the pond, we got a great look at a Red Fox.  We went through the tunnel to the park and immediately saw a Downy Woodpecker, American Goldfinches, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and an Eastern Bluebird.  After walking through the woods, we came out to see two Great Blue Herons landing on a nest, a Swamp Sparrow and a Rusty Blackbird.  We continued along the back getting Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Palm Warblers and Northern Parulas.  Cutting behind the pond, the group found  many more Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Common Yellowthroat.  As we came around the front of the pond we saw a Green Heron, a Belted Kingfisher, a Wilson’s Snipe and a Spotted Sandpiper.  We also got a nice surprise as an Eastern Towhee was sitting high in a tree letting giving us a good look.  The next patch of woods gave us an excellent look at a Yellow-throated Vireo.  We had 49 species in all. View the list on eBird at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S227313295.