Bird Call Initially Stumps Birders at Izaak Walton League

Fifteen birders attended the Celebrate Birds walk at the Loudoun County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League on May 18.  The walk started off with a bang as a male Scarlet Tanager perched in a tree preening.  Several participants also heard Blackpoll Warblers singing their high pitched song from the parking lot.

As the group walked through the woods, we heard Ovenbirds and spotted first a Swainson’s Thrush and then an Acadian Flycatcher.  Entering the area around the pond, both Baltimore and Orchard Orioles provided good looks.  Eastern Kingbirds, Blue-grey Gnatcatchers and Northern Parulas provided entertainment as the group circled the pond.  Near the shooting range, most of the group was able to hear a distant Canada Warbler.

Returning on the path, the group encountered a sound unfamiliar to the ears of the walk leaders. After some searching, one of the eagle-eyed participants found a fledgling Eastern Phoebe making the unfamiliar sound.  Along the way, the group found a variety of butterflies and dragonflies.

We found a total of 50 species of birds that can be viewed on eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S239747850.