Algonkian Bird Walkers Find Mergansers and More

By Bryan Henson
On Sunday, March 15, 2026, 22 birders joined the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy walk at Algonkian Park. Over the course of the next couple hours, the group saw 46 species of birds.

Highlights included a trifecta of mergansers: Hooded, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers. Red-headed Woodpeckers rattled their way into participants’ hearts and posed nicely for a couple photographs.

At the end of the walk, the group found several species not previously seen. First, Dark-eyed Juncos made their presence known. Second, a Common Raven started circling some of the mature trees visible from the parking lot.  Third, a Merlin perched atop a tree before giving chase to a crow.

The full list of species can be found here.