2021 Birdathon Team Summaries
Check out what’s happening with the 2021 Birdathon teams and other Celebrate Birds events.
“Shrike Force” 
another successful year of raising money and having fun in the books!!!! This was our 16th year competing in the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s Birdathon, helping to raise money for wildlife conservation in Loudoun County. Congrats to all the teams that participated this year!! I’m already looking forward to next year 
. #lwcbirdathon #loudounwildlifeconservancy #loudounwildlife #birdsofloudoun #birdathon #ebird #birding #birdingvirginia #birdphotography #yellowcrownednightheron #prairiewarbler #riverotter #farmanimals #bettertogether #loudouncounty #clarkecountyva loudounwildlife
For nearly 20 years birders from Central America through Canada have been celebrating World Migratory Bird Day. The goal is to raise awareness to the amazing journey migratory birds take. Closer to home the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy also celebrates the migration by offering several bird walks and the chance to participate in a Birdathon. If you’re interested in either, check out loudounwildlife I’m looking forward to participating and competing in the Birdathon with “Shrike Force”, this will be our 16th year raising funds for conservation within Loudoun County, and having a great 24 hours doing so! Please consider sponsoring a team 
. #lwcbirdathon #loudounwildlife #ebird #audubonsociety #loudounwildlifeconservancy #loudouncounty #naturephotography #worldmigratorybirdday #birdmigration #birdphotography #barredowl #yellowrumpedwarbler #bobolink #clarkecountyva
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
Reports from the Field: Team Summaries
High Temperatures Don’t Stop the Grumpy Old Men Team From Having Fun
The Grumpy Old Men birdathon team (Paul Miller, Dave Van Tassel, Phil Daley and Ernie Carnevale) withered under clear skies and high temperatures on May 18 and 19, but had a lot of fun despite the heat. On our first day out we covered most of our favorite locations in western Loudoun, spending the morning north of Rt. 7 and west of Rt. 15. Read More…
Larkolinks Luck Out with Trout as Well as Birds
The Larkolinks met at 8:30 on the morning of May 17th to begin our Birdathon search. Since most members are residents of Lovettsville, we decided to bird our own patch, walking Rehobeth Church Road and Ash George Road. The area contains woods, fields and a lovely pond, where we were lucky enough to see both a Greater Yellowlegs and a Killdeer. Read More…
Gone Pishing’s Excellent Birdathon Adventure
Gone Pishing (Allison Gallo, Bryan Henson and Jane Yocom) started at one of the loveliest parks in Loudoun County, the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES). On the far northwestern side of the county, the tranquil country feel of the park contrasts dramatically from the hustle and bustle (cars, airplanes, boaters, etc.) surrounding some of the more eastern part of the park. Read More…
Ligi Nestlings Enjoy Their 13th Birdathon
The Ligi Nestlings (Spring, McKenzie, Addison and Catherine Ligi) kicked off their 13th Birdathon at the Blue Ridge Center, where we were treated to an adult and immature Bald Eagle slowly circling above us. Wow! Read More…
Shrike Force Finds 113 Avian Species, a River Otter, a Beaver and a Monarch butterfly
Shrike Force, comprised of Laura and Liam McGranaghan, Mary Ann Good, and Joe Coleman, began its 48 hours of birding at 4 p.m. on May 6. We wrapped up about 3:30 p.m. on May 8 after finding 113 species of birds, a River Otter, a Beaver, Red Foxes, a Monarch butterfly, and feasting on a chocolate birthday cake. Read More…
Raven Loonatics’ Birdathon Is a Windy Affair
The 2021 Birdathon was probably the most challenging one to date for the Raven Loonatics (Donna Quinn, Bruce Hill, Gerco Hoogeweg and Larry Meade) because of the weather. Wind and rain dominated the skies and thus bird activity. Our 5:00 a.m. start at Bles Park on May 8 was dry, and we quickly picked up a few species before heading on to Algonkian. Read More…
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