The 2024 Central Loudoun Christmas Bird Count began on December 28 with low, dense clouds and drizzle but without any kind of wind. In Clark’s Gap and along the Catoctin ridge north and south of the gap, there was also a heavy, cold fog. While the fog lifted as the morning progressed, short bouts of drizzle with occasional intermittent rain were not uncommon.

Red-shouldered Hawk.
Photo by Michael Sciortino

While the lack of wind was a plus, the weather conditions did result in several people dropping out of the count.  Nonetheless, 181 counters found 94 species and 32,419 individual birds on Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s 28th Christmas count, and National Audubon’s 125^th count. Despite the weather, the number of counters far exceeded any previous Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Christmas Bird Count.

Weather always has a significant impact on birding, and this count was no exception. The weather earlier in the year made a difference as the summer drought, coupled with high temperatures, meant there would be less for the birds to eat in the fall and winter. Not only had most of the Cedar Waxwings left the area earlier in the fall due to the lack of food, so had Red-headed Woodpeckers. After several years of finding well over 100 Red-headed Woodpeckers during this count, this year’s lack of acorns, their primary food source, resulted in a low count of only three. There was also a low count of White-crowned Sparrows (nine) though probably because of the county’s changing habitat rather than this year’s drought.

However, we also had high counts for several species, including:

• Green-winged Teal, 85
• Great-blue Herons, 48
• Killdeer, 68
• Hairy Woodpeckers, 53
• Merlins, 4
• Peregrine Falcons, 3
• Eastern Phoebes, 17
• Winter Wrens, 15
• Carolina Wrens, 589

Juvenile Iceland Gull.
Photo by Pat Whittle

While the 94 species found was average, and no species new to this count were found, there were still several notable sightings. While Greater Scaup have been reported in this count twice before and an Iceland Gull on four other counts, they are still very rare in this area and were a thrill to find.

It’s also exciting for a team to discover something unusual such as a flock of 29 Wild Turkeys running and flying over a large field, or to hear a Great-horned Owl calling before dawn. Kent Clizbe’s team was thrilled to see a Peregrine Falcon bring its prey to a nearby perch. Linda Millington’s team discovered the count’s only Palm Warbler when they noticed a flash of yellow among a large flock of Dark-eyed Juncos. And three of the count’s four American Kestrels were found on Meadowkirk by Brian Magurn’s team, a large property northeast of Middleburg comprised of the ideal habitat for this species, a mix of fields separated by hedgerows and nearby forest. And 13 of the Count’s 67 Bald Eagles were all seen at the same time by Bob Abrams and Pat Whittle at the County Landfill. While much of the news about bird populations is depressing; the success in saving Bald Eagles is not! It’s hard to believe that it was unusual to find a single Bald Eagle on this count in its early years.

Because of his logistical skills, Kent Clizbe was able to place over 20 people in his sector on five teams in Ashburn and find 63 species in the remaining natural habitats in one of Loudoun County’s fastest growing areas. While several people dropped out because of the weather, the counters personally recruited by some of the sector leaders, such as Kent, made up for them.

Three groups are invaluable to the success of the count — the sector and team leaders, the many participants who join those leaders in the field, and the numerous landowners who give us permission to visit their properties. Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy thanks all of them as, without them, this count would not be the success it has been for so many years.

To see our totals and how they compare to previous years, check out the Christmas Bird Count data through 2024.

We look forward to seeing you for next year’s Christmas Bird Count, which will take place on either Saturday, December 27, or Monday, December 29 — we’ll let you know which as soon as we can.

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