Over 200 People Visited the Big Sit on May 10

Every spring and fall for the last several years, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has organized a Big Sit. The goal of the event is to provide a spot where birders and the community can gather to socialize and learn more about birding.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
Photo by Bryan Henson

Our team of volunteers and birders hung out at Algonkian Regional Park from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm and tried to count as many birds as possible without leaving the area next to the boat ramp. Over the course of the day, more than 200 people visited the area and talked with us about birds and other wildlife and helped us find birds. The Animal Ambassadors, who were brought by NOVA Parks Roving Naturalist Matt Felperin, captured the hearts of many visitors. Smoke the Eastern Screech-Owl was especially popular for selfies. Many of our younger visitors tried out the popular frog jump game set up near the booth.

On the bird watching front, we had several species keep us company all day, including Eastern Kingbirds, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Baltimore Orioles and Warbling Vireos. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher nest on a nearby tree provided for drama as the two feisty gnatcatchers dive bombed Brown Cowbirds, Mockingbirds and anything else that landed in their nesting tree. Disappointingly, we only found one warbler, a Northern Waterthrush. But, we did find a couple of uncommon birds, including a Black Tern and seven Common Nighthawk. Several Birdathon teams stopped by to look for birds. (Don’t forget to donate to your favorite Birdathon team.)

We love this event because it gives a chance for those who are new to birding to learn to use binoculars, see some of our spectacular local birds (like male Baltimore Orioles) and find out if birding is a hobby they would be interested in. This format also engages those with mobility issues. For example, one of our volunteers this year is recovering from knee replacement surgery.

Although the 63 species we recorded isn’t as many as last year, we made some new connections and some new friends. The complete list of birds can be seen on eBird: https://ebird.org/tripreport/365336. We hope to see you at our next Big Sit in October.