[va-bird] Cuckoo, Vireos, Warblers, Catbird, Grasshopper Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, more, Blue Ridge Center (Loudoun Co), April 28

This morning 23 people participated in the Loudoun Wildlife
Conservancy's regular monthly bird walk at the 900 acre Blue Ridge
Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES) in northwestern Loudoun
County.  76 species of birds were seen with the highlights including
several First of Season (at least for most of us) birds: YELLOW-BILLED
CUCKOO, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, several
vireo species: WHITE-EYED, BLUE-HEADED, YELLOW-THROATED, WARBLING, &
RED-EYED, HOUSE WREN,  GRAY CATBIRD, 9 or 10 warbler species including
BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, PRAIRIE, BLACK-AND-WHITE, AMERICAN REDSTARTS,
OVENBIRDS, KENTUCKY, and a possible YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, SCARLET
TANAGERS, GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, RUSTY BLACKBIRDS,
and both BALTIMORE & ORCHARD ORIOLES.  It was the kind of beautiful
day that makes it tough to decide what your best birds are.

A couple of us got there at 6:30 am to catch the morning song, and the
larger group split into two at 8 am, one led by Jon & BJ Little that
took the Arnold Rd trail back to Gordon Pond and the other led by Mary
Ann Good, Laura Weidner, and Elliot & Nancy Kirschbaum that parked at
the end of Sawmill and took the Sweet Run trail to Arnold Rd with a
couple of detours.  We then checked out the area around the Visitor
Center.

The trails at BRCES are generally open to the public 7 days a week
from dawn to dusk - check their website to make sure that nothing
special is going on that would limit access to some part of the
Center.

Information on the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship can
be found at http://www.blueridgecenter.org/directions.html.
Information on the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy can be found at
www.loudounwildlife.org.

We observed (caps indicate FOS, not rarities for this area):
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Great Blue Heron 10
Black Vulture  2
Turkey Vulture  15
Canada Goose 8
Wood Duck 4
Mallard  4
Osprey 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 4
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Wild Turkey 1
Wilson's Snipe  1
Mourning Dove  10
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO  1
Chimney Swift 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Downy WP  4
Hairy WP  1
Northern Flicker 3
Pileated WP  4
Eastern Phoebe  5
GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER  2
Eastern Kingbird  2
White-eyed Vireo  5
Blue-headed Vireo  1
Yellow-throated Vireo 7
WARBLING VIREO 1
Red-eyed Vireo  5
Blue Jay 12
American Crow  15
Fish Crow  1
Common Raven  2
Tree Swallow 25
Barn Swallow  4
Carolina Chickadee  12
Tufted Titmouse  15
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Carolina Wren  3
House Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  8
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  50+
Eastern Bluebird 12
Wood Thrush  2
American Robin  5
GRAY CATBIRD 1
Northern Mockingbird  2
Brown Thrasher 2
European Starling  15
BLUE-WINGED WARBLER 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
PRAIRIE WARBLER 1
Black-and-white Warbler  2
AMERICAN REDSTART 3
OVENBIRD  10
Louisiana Warbler  1
KENTUCKY WARBLER 1
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT 1
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT 1 (possible as heard-only & 2 female Orchard
Orioles were seen in the same area)
SCARLET TANAGER 4
Eastern Towhee 20+
Chipping Sparrow 20+
Field Sparrow 25+ (many singing)
Fox Sparrow  4
Song Sparrow  12
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW 1
Swamp Sparrow  3
White-throated Sparrow 50
Northern Cardinal 10
Red-winged Blackbird  6
EASTERN MEADOWLARK  2
RUSTY BLACKBIRD  3
Common Grackle  4
Brown-headed Cowbird  6
BALTIMORE ORIOLE  1
ORCHARD ORIOLE 3
House Finch  1
Am Goldfinch  50+
House Sparrow 1

Joe Coleman
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