Today, the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy & the Potomac Valley Audubon Society
held their annual labor day weekend "Birds, Butterflies & Wildlfowers" walk at
the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship in far northwestern Loudoun
County (near Harpers Ferry). Since 30 people showed up we split into two
groups for the first hour and a half, one led by John Drummond which
concentrated on birds and another by Stan Shetler & Joe Coleman which
concentrated on wildflowers and butterflies (Stan doing the former). It was a
highly productive walk. An extension walk deep into the Blue Ridge Center's
forests found some nice birds, including migrant warblers.
The highlights amongst the birds were 7 warbler species including Cape May
Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Hairy Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, Yellow-throated
Vireo, a very vocal Wood Thrush, a very active Veery, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
and about 18 Wood Ducks, all in eclipse plumage on a pond deep in the forest.
Highlights amongst the butterflies were Little Yellow, all three common (for
our area) fritillary species, Viceroys and an abundant number of Common
Checkered Skippers. There were too many nice wildflowers to list.
Information on upcoming Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy walks can be found at
www.loudounwildlife.org; information on the beautiful Blue Ridge Center can be
found at www.blueridgecenter.org.
The complete list (54 species) follows & includes Friday's scouting visit (most
of which was also seen today):
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Wood Duck 35 yesterday, 18 today
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird lots
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Peewee lots
Traill's Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Am Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Wood Thrush
Am. Robin
Gray Catbird
No Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
No Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, both a male and female
Indigo Bunting
Common Grackle
Am. Goldfinch
Joe Coleman, Loudoun Co,
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