Seven intrepid birders from the Loudon Wildlife Conservancy and the
Potomac Valley Audubon Society defied the weather forecast to
participate in the monthly bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for
Environmental Stewardship (BRCES) in northwestern Loudoun Co, near
Harper's Ferry, WV, this morning. We saw 38 species, including two
species of warblers and six species of sparrows. We had especially
satisfying looks at the yellow Palm Warblers, and everyone enjoyed the
opportunity to compare the various sparrow species. The Field, Swamp,
and immature White-crowned Sparrows were particularly nice.
Surprisingly, many more birds were seen in the fields, in spite of the
wind, than were seen in the shelter of the woods. While in the woods,
the group heard Spring Peepers calling, and found a red eft resting on
a damp log.
We encountered no rain until we had finished the walk and arrived back
at the visitor center. The complete bird species list for the walk is
as follows:
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Rock Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Common Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Information on the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship can
be found at <http://www.blueridgecenter.org>. Information on the
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and its many free public activities can
be found at <www.loudounwildlife.org>. Information on the Potomac
Valley Audubon Society can be found at <http://www.potomacaudubon.org>.
--
Elliot
--
Elliot Kirschbaum
Shepherdstown, WV
kingfisher501 at gmail dot com
