Heat and Humidity Don’t Deter Birders at Blue Ridge Center
Brown Thrasher.
Photo by Michael Sciortino
In spite of the heat and high humidity 22 people, including a group from the Frederick County Bird Club (MD), showed up for Loudoun Wildlife’s regular monthly bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship on August 28. Thankfully the trails in the woods kept the temperatures in the mid-70s. Temperatures soared in the open field areas.
Led by Michael Sciortino and Joe Coleman, we split into two groups, one of which took the Farmstead Loop and the Piney Run Spur, and the other crossing Piney Run and walking Arnold and the Little Turtle Trail. Both groups observed several Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and a lingering Green Heron at the vernal pool/old farm pond where there has been a family all summer long. We also observed a few warblers including a Chestnut-sided, two Black-and-white, and a variety of Common Yellowthroats (males, females, and juveniles). A lone Brown Trasher was active in the Demory Field area. While tallying at the end of the walks we added a Bald Eagle, a Cooper’s Hawk, and several vultures for a total of 42 species for one of the groups and 44 for the other group.
For a complete list of the birds observed, see the lists below or view on eBird at https://ebird.org/checklist/S93838200 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S93839120.
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy schedules three regular monthly bird walks, one at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship on the 4th Saturday of every month (except in December), one at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve on the second Saturday of the month, and one at Bles Park on the third Sunday of the month.
Photo by Michael Sciortino
Group 1 List:
Canada Goose 10
Mourning Dove 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Great Blue Heron 2
Green Heron 1
Black Vulture 3
Turkey Vulture 1
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Acadian Flycatcher 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Red-eyed Vireo 3
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 8
Fish Crow 3
Common Raven 1
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 7
Tree Swallow 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Carolina Wren 6
European Starling 3
Gray Catbird 4
Eastern Bluebird 6
American Goldfinch 8
Eastern Towhee 1
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 4
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 3
Indigo Bunting 3
Group 2 List:
10 Canada Goose
2 Wild Turkey
6 Mourning Dove
6 Yellow-billed Cuckoo
4 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Great Blue Heron
1 Green Heron
3 Black Vulture
7 Turkey Vulture
1 Bald Eagle
4 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Red-tailed Hawk
6 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
3 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
9 Eastern Wood-Pewee
5 Acadian Flycatcher
1 Willow Flycatcher
1 Eastern Phoebe
2 Great Crested Flycatcher
1 White-eyed Vireo
5 Red-eyed Vireo
3 Blue Jay
8 American Crow
3 Fish Crow
1 Common Raven
6 Carolina Chickadee
5 Tufted Titmouse
1 Tree Swallow
3 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
4 Carolina Wren
2 European Starling
4 Gray Catbird
2 Brown Thrasher
3 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
11 American Goldfinch
1 Field Sparrow
1 Black-and-white Warbler
2 Common Yellowthroat
5 Northern Cardinal
2 Indigo Bunting
