On June 8 several birding events occurred at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve
and the Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project (DGWMP) from Oatlands Mill
Rd (off of Rt. 15).
There was a Audubon Naturalist Society birding trip at 6:30 a.m. that birded
the entracne of Banhsee & the DGWMP and then joined up w/the Friends of Banshee
Reeks bird walk at 8:00 a.m. Because there were 17 people at the 8:00 a.m.
walk we split into two groups w/John Drummond leading one group & myself the
other. Several other excellent birders assisted on all three walks. John
Drummond also did a breeding bird survey from 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. at Banshee
Reeks.
The highlights were two Turkeys (one for each of the 8:00 a.m. groups), No.
Bobwhite on the eastern edge of Banshee Reeks, five Red-headed Woodpeckers (two
taking turns carrying food to a cavity), six Willow Flycatchers (two on the
DGWMP & four on the eastern edge of Banshee Reeks), 1 SWAINSON'S THRUSH
(well-observed by John's group on the 8:00 a.m. walk), 15 Yellow-breasted Chat
(a few of which provided us w/great views) and two Blue Grosbeaks (one observed
by John's group on Banshee Reeks and the other at the DGWMP by Jon Little).
John's group also observed a Field Sparrow feeding a Brown-headed Cowbird.
A total of 74 species were seen. The complete list follows (the 2nd number is
for the DGWMP):
Great Blue Heron 3/3
Great Egret 0/1
Green Heron 3
Black Vulture 6
Turkey Vulture 12/5
Canada Goose 65/5
Mallard 2/6
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Wild Turkey 2
Northern Bobwhite 2
Killdeer 0/1
Rock Dove 2
Mourning Dove 18/2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 7
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 0/2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 11
Downy Woodpecker 8
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 5
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Eastern Wood-peewee 16/2
Acadian Flycatcher 8
Willow Flycatcher 4/2
Eastern Phoebe 4/1
Great crested Flycatcher 10/1
Eastern Kingbird 3/1
White-eyed Vireo 4
Red-eyed Vireo 8
Blue Jay 20/2
Am Crow 20/4
Fish Crow 4
Tree Swallow 8/4
No Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 35/10
Carolina Chickadee 16/2
Tufted Titmouse 16/2
White-breasted Nuthatch 11
Carolina Wren 10
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10/2
Eastern Bluebird 12/6
SWAINSON'S THRUSH 1
Wood Thrush 20
Am Robin 30/4
Gray Catbird 35/3
No Mockingbird 20/2
Brown Thrasher 5/2
European starling 20/4
Cedar Waxwing 18
Yellow Warbler 2/2
Prairie Warbler 14/2
Ovenbird 4
Common Yellowthroat 35/4
Yellow-breasted Chat 11/2
Scarlet Tanager 4
Eastern Towhee 21/1
Chipping Sparrow 3
Field Sparrow 34/6
Song Sparrow 16/2
No Cardinal 28/4
Blue Grosbeak 1/1
Indigo Bunting 45/10
Red-winged Blackbird 12/5
Eastern Meadowlark 6
Com Grackle 18/4
Brown-headed Cowbird 32/2
Orchard Oriole 23/2
Baltimore Oriole 3
House Finch 6
Am Goldfinch 52/12
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