On July 8, during the regular monthly bird walk, 56 species were seen at the
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve (www.bansheereeks.org). Because about 20 people
showed up for the walk we split into two dif. groups, one led by myself and the
other by Mary Ann Good. A lot of good birders assisted during the walks.
The most int'g birds seen were at least 5 Red-headed Woodpeckers, a lot of
singing Wood Thrushes (at least 20), including nestlings being fed by the
parents in a nest about 30 to 35 feet off the ground in a hickory), 3
Yellow-breasted Chats, including a probable juvenile, Orchard Orioles,
including begging fledglings and three Grasshopper Sparrows. One of the groups
observed a Red-shouldered Hawk pursuing a Yellow-breasted Chat. The most int'g
misses were Canada Geese and Red-winged Blackbirds.
After Banshee Reeks four of us, myself, Mary Ann Good, Jon Little and Ron
Staley, visited the nearby Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project on
Oatlands Mill Rd. In spite of the late hour for summer birding and the fact
that the wetlands was pretty low, we did add a few more species there: Great
Egret, Killdeer (4), Pectoral Sandpiper (2), two fly-by peeps (your guess is as
good as mine), Yellow-billed Cuckoo, another unidentified Empidomax flycatcher
in Willow Flycatcher habitat (& in the location where they have been seen every
other visit this summer) that refused to declare its identity and our first
Red-winged Blackbirds of the day (including fledglings begging for food). We
still failed to observe any Canada Geese in the area, which has to be a first!
The complete list follows:
A total of 61 species were seen. The complete list follows (the 2nd number is
for the DGWMP):
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 0/1
Green Heron 2/2
Turkey Vulture 3/7
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Am Kestrel 1
Killdeer 0/3
Pectoral Sandpiper 0/2
Rock Dove 2
Mourning Dove 6/2
Barn Owl 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 0/1
Chimney Swift 8
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 2/1
Red-headed Woodpecker 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 4
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-peewee 6
Acadian Flycatcher 4
Willow Flycatcher ?/? (Empidomax flycatcher seen in the right habitat on both
Banshee & DGWMP)
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great crested Flycatcher 2/1
White-eyed Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 6
Blue Jay 6
Am Crow 4/4
Tree Swallow 2/4
No Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 6
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 8/1
Carolina Wren 6
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4
Eastern Bluebird 12/6
Wood Thrush 20 (including nestlings being fed)
Am Robin 6
Gray Catbird 10/3
No Mockingbird 2/2
Brown Thrasher 4/1
Cedar Waxwing 4
Common Yellowthroat 10/4
Yellow-breasted Chat 3
Scarlet Tanager 4
Eastern Towhee 12
Chipping Sparrow 1
Field Sparrow 5
Grasshopper Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 6/2
No Cardinal 4/2
Indigo Bunting 20/4 (including begging fledglings)
Red-winged Blackbird 0/5
Eastern Meadowlark 6
Com Grackle 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 6 (including a fledgling begging from a Com Yellowthroat)
Orchard Oriole 7/1 (including begging fledglings)
Am Goldfinch 12/4
Joe Coleman, near Bluemont, VA
jandkcoleman@xxxxxxxxx or 540-554-2542
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