Ring-necked Ducks.
Photo by Srikanth Ravinuthula

Nineteen people showed up on a beautiful winter morning for the joint Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy/NOVA Parks bird walk on March 1 at Gilbert’s Corner Regional Park. There were two groups doing bird walks, and the two groups frequently birded together. One was  a walk for young birders led by Patrick Lewis.  The other was led by Matt Felperin (NOVA Parks Roving Naturalist), Bruce Hill, Mary Ann Good and Joe Coleman,

Highlights of the walk were:

• Tree Swallows, a first-of-season sighting for a number of us
• Ducks, including American Wigeons, Gadwalls, Ring-necked Ducks and both both male and female Hooded Mergansers on the pond on the east side of Watson Road immediately across from the parking lot.
• Several raptors including a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks as well as both vulture species
• A Common Raven.

American Wigeon.
Photo by Srikanth Ravinuthula

After the walk, a few of the group checked out the pond southeast of Mt Zion and found two Trumpeter Swans.

Although Gilbert’s Corner Regional Park is not a large park  at just 156 acres, it has a wide variety of habitats for birds such as succession fields, shrubs, scrub and a variety of trees ranging from Eastern Red Cedars to a mature oak-hickory forest.

For a complete list of the 37 bird species observed, see the eBird list at https://ebird.org/checklist/S216021897

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