Update on Birdathon Team Reports!

Raven Loonatics beat Shrike Force by tallying 131 bird species!

They visited these sites in the 48 hour timeframe:
Bles Park
Algonkian Park
Beaverdam Reservoir
Dulles Greenway Wetlands
Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship

Trumpter Swan photo by Linda Millington
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#lwcbirdathon #loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #birdsofloudoun #birdathon #loudoun #loudouncounty #loveloudoun #visitloudoun #birding #ebird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #birdingvirginia #virginia #virginiawildlife #vabirding #audubonsociety #audubon #cornellsocietyofornithology #trumpterswan #blespark #algonkianpark #beaverdamreservoir #dullesgreenwaywetlandsmitigationproject #blueridgecenterforenvironmentalstewardship …

Happy #WorldMigratoryBirdDay!! Migration is a wonderful time of year. Last year one of our favorite visitors was this Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.

What have you seen this year?

And don't forget to donate to your favorite Birdathon team! We're almost halfway to our goal this year. Teams are going out to observe birds, and we'll pass along their updates as we receive them. Click the link in our bio to learn about the Birdathon or donate.

#LWCBirdathon #birdsofloudoun #loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #loudoun #loveloudoun #visitloudoun #yellowcrownednightheron #ebird #cornelllabofornithology #vabirds #vabirding #virginiabirds #birdsofvirginia #audubon #audubonsociety #springmigration #birdmigration #birdathon …

A huge thank you to The Bird Feeder of Reston for supporting our #LWCBirdathon for many years.

Prize donations support our Birdathon team winners.
Stay tuned for team results in the coming weeks! …

Rarities Wow Participants on Walk at Goodstone Inn
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Goodstone Inn, a luxury inn and restaurant set on 265 acres outside Middleburg, recently opened its grounds to Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for a spring bird walk. On May 3rd, six participants joined leaders Carol Sottili and Mary Ann Good to spend nearly three hours traversing the Inn’s fields and wooded areas, recording 47 species of migrants and residents.
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The walk started in light rain, but a singing Red-eyed Vireo beckoned and within a half hour, the skies lightened, temperatures rose and birds were abundant. An early highlight was close-up looks at Scarlet Tanagers; while the male wowed us with his vivid red-and-black plumage, the female, in her brighter-than-olive green, also turned heads. Grasshopper Sparrows buzzed from the tall meadow and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo flew past almost too quickly to identify, while a flock of American Goldfinch, the males sporting their brilliant yellow breeding color, entertained.
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The group was fortunate enough to encounter two rarities. The first, a Black-billed Cuckoo, gently called from the forest. But like a much louder Lousiania Waterthrush, it stayed hidden from view. Just as the group was heading back in, a slender and very unusual raptor flying overhead in challenging lighting caught everyone’s attention. All the usual suspects were quickly rejected: not a buteo, not an accipiter, perhaps a falcon? No, its shape and coloration made the call certain: our rarity was a Mississippi Kite.
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Special thanks to Mary Ann Good for arranging the hike and the Goodstone Inn for allowing our group to enjoy their lovely grounds.
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Photo by Bruce Hill
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#mississippikite #goodstoneinn
#lwcbirdathon #loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #birdsofloudoun #birdathon #loudoun #loudouncounty #loveloudoun #visitloudoun #birding #ebird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #birdingvirginia #virginia #virginiawildlife #vabirding #audubonsociety #audubon #cornellsocietyofornithology
#celebratebirds …

Warblers Steal the Show at JK Black Oak Bird Walk

Warblers such as Black-Throated Blue, American Redstart, Black-and-white, Yellow-rumped and Tennessee Warbler were sighted.

Led by Gerco Hoogeweg, the group ended up with 58 species for the trip which was by far the most species we have recorded in a single trip at the property.

To protect the environmentally sensitive habitat and rare species, JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary is not open for general public access.

Yellow Warbler photo by Michael Sciortino
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#lwcbirdathon #loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #birdsofloudoun #birdathon #loudoun #loudouncounty #loveloudoun #visitloudoun #birding #ebird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #birdingvirginia #virginia #virginiawildlife #vabirding #audubonsociety #audubon #cornellsocietyofornithology #celebratebirds #yellowwarbler #jkblackoak …

Bryan & Allison will be hanging out at The Big Sit at the Gatehouse at Morven Park until 4pm. One of the highlights of the morning was a small flock of Cape May Warblers.

Stop by to hang out out, and who knows what we will find this afternoon?

#LWCBirdathon #loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #loudoun #loveloudoun #visitloudoun #morvenpark #birdsofloudoun #capemaywarbler #birds #birding #ebird #vabirds #vabirding #bigsit #birdathon #audubon #audubonsociety …

The Birdathon has been great fun for the Ligi family for 13 years!
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The Ligi Nestlings (Spring, McKenzie, Addison and Catherine Ligi) were treated to an adult and immature Bald Eagle slowly circling above us at the Blue Ridge Center and then we heard and saw several Indigo Buntings. We also got to show the girls what an Eastern Kingbird looks like. The highlights at Olde Izaak Walton Park included a Green Heron, a baby turtle, and a groundhog.
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At Claude Moore Park, a Great Blue Heron entertained us by catching and eating a fish. We laughed as we watched the baby Canada Geese and Mallards try to keep up with their parents. An Orchard Oriole bid us farewell as we headed off to Whites Ford Regional Park where we enjoyed seeing a Killdeer sitting in the grass and discussed how they pretend to have a broken wing to distract predators away from the nest. We discovered a black rat snake and the girls were startled at first, but curiosity got the best of them and they slowly crept in for a closer look. Our last bird of the day was also our most surprising — a Red-headed Woodpecker along Spinks Ferry Road – then we celebrated another successful Birdathon with ice cream at Sweet Frog.
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Addison really impressed me with her birding knowledge. She identified 20 species on her own and has a good sense of which birds can be found in different habitats. In true teenager fashion, McKenzie was more interested in her phone than the birds, but she popped her head up every now and then to add to the conversation. Catherine is learning how to write in first grade and was excited to record the birds we saw in her notebook. She said her favorite was the Rock Pigeon — go figure!
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A big thanks goes to our friends and family for their generous support and encouragement along the way. We found 38 species and have raised over $1,200 thus far to support Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy! A special thanks goes to dad whose birding (and corralling) skills have also grown over the years. He is a big reason for our success. Happy birding!
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#lwcbirdathon #loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #birdsofloudoun #birdathon #birding #ebird #birdingvirginia #vabirding …

Forty-nine species of birds, numerous wildflowers and one young toad made an appearance on April 24 for a bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES).
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This walk is the first of 11 events that Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is sponsoring to Celebrate Birds this spring.
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Red-headed Woodpecker photo by Michael Sciortino
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Species List:
Canada Goose 2
Wild Turkey 1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 5
Mourning Dove 3
Green Heron 1
Black Vulture 8
Turkey Vulture 10
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Broad-winged Hawk 3
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
American Kestrel 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
White-eyed Vireo 3
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 2
Fish Crow 3
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 5
Tree Swallow 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 8
Carolina Wren 2
European Starling 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Eastern Bluebird 3
American Robin 2
Purple Finch 10
American Goldfinch 12
Chipping Sparrow 4
Field Sparrow 15
White-throated Sparrow 4
Song Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 2
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Red-winged Blackbird 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 4
Common Grackle 1
Louisiana Waterthrush 1
Blue-winged Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 4
American Redstart 2
Northern Parula 2
Yellow Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 4
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#celebratebirds #blueridgecenterforenvironmentalstewardship #redheadedwoodpecker #lwcbirdathon #loudounwildlife #loudounwildlifeconservancy #birdsofloudoun #birdathon #loudoun #loudouncounty #loveloudoun #visitloudoun #birding #ebird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #birdingvirginia #virginia #virginiawildlife #vabirding #audubonsociety #audubon #cornellsocietyofornithology …