Vol. 19 Issue 1, Spring 2014 By Mary Ann Good To those of us who treasure the Dulles Wetlands as a place of nature at its liveliest, the secretive rails are birds that truly evoke the marsh’s aura. Rails are solitary and shy, more often heard than seen. They are small to medium in size, […]

Vol. 18 Issue 4, Winter 2013 By Liz Dennison, Raptor Conservancy of Virginia During the spring and summer months in northern Virginia, we enjoy the calls of our resident owls: the resonant hoot of the Great Horned Owl, the familiar “who cooks for you” of the Barred Owl, the melodic whinnies and trills of the […]

On October 12th, a damp & very overcast & occasionally rainy morning, four people showed up for the regular monthly bird walk at the preserve. We decided to take the “Greenway’ through the meadows all the way to the far eastern side of the nature preserve with a side trip along the edge of the […]

Vol. 18 Issue 3, Fall 2013 By Emily Cook The sight of a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is a common occurrence here in Loudoun County. We see them soar gracefully overhead, the untrained eye often mistaking them for hawks or eagles, their 5 to 6 foot wingspan making them appear regal and dignified as they […]

Vol. 18 Issue 3, Fall 2013 by Katie Fallon The bird had a warm, musty smell – like old leather with just a hint of rot. Despite being emaciated and weak, I struggled to keep the powerful wings folded against its body. I hugged the squirming vulture against my chest, careful to keep hold of […]

Eighteen people enjoyed the regular 2nd Sat. of the month bird walk sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy & the Friends of Banshee Reeks last Saturday. Prior to the Banshee walk four people spent an hour at the private Dulles Greenway Wetlands. Except for a couple of mixed flocks the activity at Banshee Reeks was quieter […]

The highlight’s of the regular monthly bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship on Sat., Aug 25, attended by 14 people, were numerous flycatchers, many unidentified, and at least eight dif. hummingbirds. A tall dead tree on the edge of one of the meadows was populated while we watched by a number […]

Many thanks to Del Sargent for sending over the latest report from the field: Fourteen birders came to the monthly walk at Banshee Reeks sponsored by The Friends of Banshee Reeks and the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy this past weekend.  As is typical of the August walks, the birds were quiet.  The temperature was overcast and […]

I’m sure you’ve heard the term crowdsourcing – it’s where a company or organization gathers ideas or information by gaining contributions from a large group of people (especially from an online community) and sifts through that information for trends that bubble up. Well this practice isn’t just for businesses – it’s being well used in […]

In spite of the warm damp humidity and heavy cloud cover we had a wonderful walk at Banshee Reeks last Saturday morning, with 17 people coming out for the walk. There was a lot of bird activity and many families of birds with even more juvenile birds begging for food. It took us almost 30 […]