January 2014 Loudoun County Atlasers, We made it! Data collection for our Bird Atlas officially ended December 31, 2013 and we certainly finished strong. Highlights from December include Snowy Owl and Rough-legged Hawk at Dulles Airport in Herndon 3, Sandhill Crane, Horned Lark, and Snow Bunting in Waterford 4, Short-eared Owl in Round Hill 4, […]

December 2013 Loudoun County Atlasers, It’s hard to believe this is the final set of atlas tips. We’ve come such a long way from those first few weeks in 2009 when the majority of us didn’t even know what a bird atlas was! Over the past 5 years, over 85 atlasers have documented over 62,500 […]

November 2013 Loudoun County Atlasers, November is a time to give thanks. I’m thankful for the time and talent so many of you have devoted to the Bird Atlas over the past five years. The great success of this project is a direct result of all your contributions. And the birds in Loudoun County have […]

October 2013 Loudoun County Atlasers, Happy Fall! September proved to be a spectacular month of birding, with a nice variety of migrants and late breeders. Please consider enjoying this gorgeous fall weather with an hour or two survey of our feathered friends. There are a few blocks still in need of coverage, especially the Ashby […]

September 2013 Loudoun County Atlasers, Grab a frosty beverage of your choice and pat yourself on the back for a job well done this summer. Then grab your trusty binoculars and start documenting those migrants passing through our area! There are 20 atlas blocks that could benefit from additional migratory and winter bird coverage (see […]

July 2013 Loudoun County Atlasers, Thanks to your passion and dedication, we’ve risen to the challenge of finding those last elusive breeders for several of our top priority atlas blocks. Despite hot and humid days and no atlas database to reference, we’ve kept chugging right along and added some fantastic sightings for June. I love […]

June 2013 Loudoun County Atlasers, June is here and breeding is the name of the game. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, please consider sneaking out one morning or afternoon to survey an atlas block with little coverage (see Blockbusting Tips for the list of blocks). Plan an outing with a friend […]

May 2013 Loudoun County Atlasers, As the peak of our final atlas breeding season approaches it’s time to kick it up a notch! We have set aside the following weekends for small groups to blockbust areas in need of coverage: May 25-27, June 15-16, June 29-30, July 6-7. Locations and times are to be determined. […]

April 2013 Loudoun County Atlasers, I’m going with “the early bird catches the worm” approach and sending these monthly tips a bit early. My family and I will be away the first week of April (Disneyworld here we come!!) so thanks for bearing with me. Please contact your regional coordinator with any questions or concerns. […]

February 2013 Loudoun County Atlasers, After reading the January highlights, you’ll see that 2013 is off to a fantastic start for the atlas. I’ve noticed that a few of you have been reading my “Blockbusting Tips” section and conducting winter surveys in the targeted blocks. Thank you – your effort is greatly appreciated! January Highlights […]