Join Virginia Master Naturalists Allison Gallo and Bryan Henson on a Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy nature walk to the less-frequented nature preserve part of Algonkian Regional Park. Separated from the main portion of the park by Sugarland Run, the Sanctuary Trail follows the creek, runs along the Potomac River, and winds by several ponds. More than […]

On Saturday, April 12th,  Del Sargent & Joanne Bradbury led the regular monthly bird walk (sponsored every 2nd Saturday of the month) at Loudoun County’s Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve. One highlight of the walk was not a bird but a probable Mink (there was some debate over whether it was a possible River Otter). It was well […]

Thirteen birders participated in a bird walk at Algonkian Park this past Saturday, co-sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and led by Bill Brown.  They enjoyed, in addition to excellent weather and camaraderie, good looks at Scarlet Tanagers, Warbling Vireos, Great-crested Flycatchers, and Eastern Kingbirds.  The complete list […]

We had our last of three amphibian monitoring program kickoffs this past Saturday.  This one was held at Algonkian Regional Park and it held some really great sightings! To start the morning, Casey Pittrizzi, the naturalist at Algonkian Regional Park, let everyone have up close looks at a Wood Frog, Spotted Salamander, American Toad and […]

Once nice thing about this time of year is that as trees drop their leaves and vegetation dies back, we can see signs of animal activity that may have been hidden through the summer.  Nests built in trees become visible, cavities that may have served as nesting sites are revealed, and sapsucker holes, that may […]

We had a great walk at Algonkian Regional Park in Ashburn yesterday.  Eleven of us met up in the parking area near the pool. It was a chilly morning but refreshing and it warmed up nicely. As we waited for folks to arrive, we watched hunters across the river monitoring their flocks of decoy ducks – […]

Loundoun Wildlife Conservancy’s walk at Algonkian Park on Wednesday morning drew eight people, who were treated to good looks at Palm Warblers and a Red-headed Woodpecker, among other birds.  Many thanks to Bill Brown for leading this walk! The complete list of species seen includes: Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Turkey […]

This past Sunday we had our first amphibian foray of the year and headed over to Algonkian Park to explore the amazing network of seasonal waters and swampland that is over there. The good news about all that snow that we had this year is that the swamp area and the vernal pools that run […]

Bill Brown, Joanne Bradbury, and Debbie Harrison enjoyed the mid-week bird walk at Algonkian Park today – and did our bit to improve international relations in the process.  Just as we were starting our walk, a group of four visitors from Sweden drove into the parking lot.  Seeing that they carried binoculars, we invited them […]

A fellow nature lover, Cheryl, just over the mountain in West Virginia, wrote this lovely piece on going for a walk in the woods. With spring at our heels, I thought it would be nice to share her writing and thoughts: This year I have begun to think about what I want to do on […]