Check out what’s happening with the 2025 Birdathon teams and other Celebrate Birds events. And don’t forget to donate to support your favorite team.
There were two versions of the Tanagers at Heart Birdathon team this year:
Day 1 - Leena McCluney, Pat Whittle, and Linda Nichols had a dry day.
Day 2 - the team lost Linda, but they gained Maria Pla (Birdie), and ventured forward in light rain.
Both versions of this team were delighted to end with 106 species, including this female Blue Grosbeak.
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Photos by Pat Whittle
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#loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2025
Loudoun Wildlife’s Birdathon happens from April 19-May 18. “20 in TWO” is our campaign to field 20 Birdathon teams within two weeks, and that two weeks is up on April 17! As of today, we’re still 10 away from the goal. Help us get there!
The Birdathon is like a walk-a-thon, but instead of counting miles, we count bird species! Forming a team is easy and free, and all are welcome, from fledgling birders to seasoned experts. It’s a fun way to bond with family and friends (and make new friends) while raising funds to support Loudoun Wildlife’s vital mission to PROTECT, PRESERVE, and RESTORE wildlife habitat. Learn more and sign up at https://bit.ly/LWC-Birdathon.
Big thanks to our current teams:
Flying Kites
Fully-palmated Birders
Gone Pishing
Kind of a Big Teal
Shrike Force
Snap! Grackle! Pop!
Taking Terns
The All Gull Band
The TowHEE-HEE`s
Whisky Drinking Warbler Watchers
Add your team to the list TODAY!
#lwcbirdathon2025
#CelebrateBirds
Lets give a round of applause to The Swifties Birdathon Team that is composed of six birding newbies (Liz Witmer, Joshua, Sydney & Harper Dudman, Chada Davis, Nichole Thorton). They found 54 species! Canada Goose, Northern Cardinal, and Pileated Woodpecker were among their finds. Read about their birding experience here: https://loudounwildlife.org/2025/05/swifties-54-species-first-birdathon/
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#loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2025 #birdsofloudoun #canadagoose #northerncardinal #pileatedwoodpecker
Veteran Birdathon Team Snap! Grackle! Pop! (Karenna Awtry, Steve Chance and Linda Colucci) explored familiar territory and new locations as well, to spot an amazing 91 species of birds. They visited: Algonkian Park, Ball`s Bluff, Broadlands Wetlands, Rust Nature Sanctuary, Beaverdam Reservoir Park, and Sweet Run State Park.
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Photo by Karenna Awtry
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#loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2025
Only two weeks remain in our Birdathon! We have a record 17 teams this year, and we can`t wait to see their results. Support our teams — and our BIRDS — through your generous gift. You can make a gift to all teams or to one of your favorites. Either way, all proceeds go to supporting Loudoun Wildlife`s ongoing mission: to PROTECT, PRESERVE, and RESTORE wildlife habitat. Link to donate in our bio.
And hey, it`s not too late to add to our record number of teams! Join up yourself and get out there! Info can be found at the same link.
As Obi Wan Kenobi once said, "May the BIRDS be with us. Always."
Or something like that ...
Thanks to our incredible sponsors:
@catoctincreek
@watermarkwoods
@rosegentile @avenuewealth
@yieldbookkeeping
@wildbirdsunlimitedashburn
#lwcbirdathon2025
#lovebirdsforever
#birdathon
#lwcbirdathon2025
#lovebirdsforever
#birdathon
First time Birdathon Team Blue Heron Cult (Elizabeth and Greg Scheib, and Jess E. and Jess B. Unger) counted 61 bird species including this Red-headed Woodpecker. They visited Algonkian Park, Broad Run Stream Valley Park, and Banshee Reeks.
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Group photo by Jess Unger
Woodpecker photo by Gregory Scheib
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#loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2025 #redheadedwoodpecker
Celebrate Birds! Sweet Run State Park birders got a good look at this cheery little bird - Yellow-breasted Chat. It is more common to hear than see this bird because of its preference for densely vegetated environments. They feed mostly on spiders and insects that they often grip with their feet, which is uncommon in songbirds. Their vocal repertoire includes whistles, croaks, gurgles, and chatter. They are even known to sing at night!
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Photo by Gerco Hoogeweg
Reference: Birds of Loudoun book
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#loudounwildlifeconservancy #sweetrunstatepark #birdsofloudoun #celebratebirds #yellowbreastedchat #lwcbirdathon2025 #lwcbirdathon
This year marked the fourth Birdathon for the Flying Kites (Eric, Kiersten, Abigail, Rua, Sadie and Henry Anderson). They got to see their team’s namesake bird, Mississippi Kite, in flight at the Golden Meadows neighborhood in Ashburn right as they were about to drive away. Throughout their birding adventure they saw 80 species which was unfortunately 25 species lower than last year. While they may never shake their competitive spirit, the important thing is “we hope that we’re teaching our kids that more than the count, it’s the small, memorable moments with birds and nature that make it worth doing this each year”.
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Photos by Eric Anderson
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#loudounwildlifeconservancy #lwcbirdathon #lwcbirdathon2025
Reports from the Field: Team Summaries
The 2025 Birdathon took place from April 19 to May 18, 2025. You can read about the teams’ adventures below.
Tanagers at Heart Find a Trifecta of Terns and a Pigeon
Leena McCluney, Pat Whittle, Maria Pla (Birdie) and Linda Nichols are the Tanagers at Heart team. Three of the Tanagers started the Birdathon bright and early on May 8 at Pat’s house. Read more…
The Flying Kites Squeeze in Time for Their Fourth Birdathon
This year marked the fourth Birdathon for the Flying Kites (Eric, Kiersten, Abigail, Rua, Sadie and Henry Anderson). It was a busy year for the team with many competing events. Read more…
Fully-palmated Birders Visit 11 Locations to Find 118 Species
The Fully-palmated Birders reconvened for the 2025 edition of the Birdathon on May 3 and 4 with last year’s team intact. Kevin Denice joined Michael Sciortino, John Denice, Mike Scott, and Mer Mietzelfeld to round out the team. Read more…
Kind of a Big Teal Toughs It Out in the Rain for 65 Species
Kind of a Big Teal, a brand new team made up of Aljoscha Nern, Arthur Tsang, Heather Dionne and Alys Jarvela, set out for our first Birdathon on the only possible day our schedules allowed: May 4. Read more…
All Gull Band Finds 14 Species of Warblers
At the crack of 7:30 am on May 10, the All Gull Band (Anne Ellis, Katy Offutt, Miriam Klein and Amy Ritter) grabbed travel mugs of coffee and set out to see a few birds. Read more…
Wonderland Woodpeckers Make Their Debut
The Wonderland Woodpeckers (Tom, Joanie, Evan and Dylan Kercheval) didn’t have vast (or even intermediate) birding knowledge. But one thing the Kercheval family did have on our very first Birdathon was a ton of fun. Read more…
Taking Terns Team Finds Trumpeter Swans
For the Taking Terns team (Justin and Gwendolyn Ellis-Joyce, Ryan Christensen, Carla Nicolini, Thomas Ravenscroft and Lauren Warning), the Birdathon was their first time of birding together. Read more…
New Locations and 91 Species for Snap! Grackle! Pop!
The Birdathon began for Snap! Grackle! Pop! (Karenna Awtry, Steve Chance and Linda Colucci) on April 29th with the team exploring familiar territory: Algonkian Park. Read more…
Blue Heron Cult Congregates for the Count
On May 17 Blue Heron Cult (Elizabeth and Greg Scheib, and Jess E. and Jess B. Unger) gathered in the drizzle at the Algonkian Park Boat Ramp to start counting the first of 61 species for the day. Read more…
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Team Enjoys First Birdathon
May 9 was the start of the first Birdathon for the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers team (Kristin and Jonathan Morales). Read more…
Gone Pishing Team’s Hits, Misses and the Unexpected
This year Gone Pishing (Allison Gallo, Bryan Henson and Jane Yocom) welcomed a fourth team member, Gerco Hoogeweg. Like most of our past Birdathons, this year offered up fun, camaraderie, and exhaustion. Read more…
Shrike Force Completes Its 20th Birdathon with 108 Species
Shrike Force (Joe Coleman, Mary Ann Good, and Laura and Liam McGranaghan) began its 20th Birdathon on May 1 and wrapped up 48 hours later. Read more…
The TowHEE-HEEs Team Introduces Two Newbies to Marathon Birding
This was the first Birdathon for the TowHEE-HEEs (Sean and Porter Blackford, Danielle Wilkinson and Rachel Cates) and the first time birding for Danielle and Rachel. Read more…
Whisky Drinking Warbler Watchers Almost Reach Their Goal
It was a beautiful Mother’s Day weekend for the Whisky Drinking Warbler Watchers (Robert Justin, Peter Lyttle, David Manning, Scott Harris and Linda Millington) to enjoy birding all around Loudoun County. Read more…
The Swifties Team Finds 54 Species for Their First Birdathon
The Swifties (Liz Witmer, Joshua, Sydney & Harper Dudman, Chada Davis, Nichole Thorton) team is composed of six birding newbies. They ventured forth on April 20 and 21 for their Birdathon. Read more…
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