For those with smart phones, it’s time for an App showdown! There are a couple of birding apps out there – the two leaders seem to be Audubon Birds and Sibley’s eGuide to Birds. Both have similar features and content – bird photos, descriptions, songs, range maps and more, but do you have a favorite? […]

Most of us don’t have hummingbirds at our houses here in Loudoun in winter, but every year or two we do get reports of Rufous Hummingbirds showing up. Cornell calls this bird the “feistiest” of the hummingbirds, which will attack larger hummingbirds at feeders and out maneuver them (which is amazing considering the agility of hummingbirds […]

With all the rain and warm weather we’ve been having over the last two weeks, mushrooms and other fungi have been having a field day! They’re coming up in all colors, shapes and sizes.  There are a few decent field guides out there to help you with id but I also just came across this […]

Here’s a neat app for your smart phone.  It’s called Species Finder. Here’s a little bit about it: “Species Finder” works through the Android phones’ GPS to call up a comprehensive list of all threatened and endangered species in whatever county users are passing through. There’s also a search option that brings up a list […]

By Nicole Hamilton For the past 10 years or so, I’ve been raising and releasing butterflies, primarily Monarch butterflies but sometimes a swallowtail or other friend will come under my care and observation as well. I started this when I first saw a Monarch caterpillar transform from caterpillar to chrysalis and was fascinated by what was happening. […]

As Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy marks International Migratory Bird Day with many walks and a bird-a-thon, another thing you can do to support migratory birds is to buy Bird Friendly coffee certified by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center at the Rust Nature Sanctuary Shop in Leesburg. As always, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy members get 10% off everything […]

Nope – it’s for the hummingbirds! And our Ruby-throated hummingbirds….traveling hundreds of miles (including crossing the Gulf of Mexico….600 miles in one non-stop flight!!!) are on their way! They’re following the route of the Yellow-bellied sapsuckers that are migrating north, making sap wells in trees, and they’ll be flying over our houses any day now (if they […]

I recently upgraded from a not so smart phone to the Droid — and I have to say, I’m finally getting what all the buzz with apps has been about. I’m not sure you can really call these devices phones anymore but they do make calls so that’s a benefit 😉 Anyway, as I wander through […]

You can be a hit with wildlife by providing fresh water through the winter. Cornell has put together a great tip sheet on how to best integrate a bird bath into your backyard bird habitat. You can download it here, follow some simple steps and have the birds (and other wild friends) flocking in for […]

Chickadees are so much fun – and they’re not a shy bird. They’re usually the first to check out a new feeder, are often the first on the scene to jeer at an intruder, and we get to enjoy them year round. The species that we have here most abundantly in Loudoun is the Carolina […]