Fourteen people showed up for this morning's Birds, Butterflies and Wildflowers
walk at the 900 acre BRCES in northwestern Loudoun County. The group's
emphasis was on birds with John Drummond leading and assisted by Elliot and
Nancy Kirschbaum and Phil Daley. Fifty-one species of birds and 19 species of
butterflies were identified on the walk. The highlight of the walk were
excellent views of Least Flycatchers, young Red-eyed Vireos begging for & being
fed, and 9 warbler species. We did a three-mile walk starting at the field at
the end of Sawmill Rd and walked into the large pond.
We saw
Turkey Vulture 14
Black Vulture 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 (as we were leaving the parking area)
Broad-winged Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Wild Turkey (a hen & her young - observed at the Visitor Center before the walk
started)
Mourning Dove 4
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2
Chimney Swift 6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Peewee 10
Traill's Flycatcher 2
Acadian Flycatcher 7 (some of which were a family group, all were vocalizing)
Least Flycatcher 3
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
White-eyed Vireo 5 (very vocal in several locations as compared to none last
week)
Red-eyed Vireo 9 (including one family group with young begging & being given
food)
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 10
Tree Swallow 3
Carolina Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Carolina Wren 6
House Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 8
European Starling 25
Cedar Waxwing 7
Northern Parula 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 3
Magnolia Warbler 3
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Blackburian Warbler 5
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 1
American Redstart 1
Common Yellowthroat 8
Scarlet Tanager 1
Eastern Towhee 1
Field Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 10
Indigo Bunting 20
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Baltimore Oriole 2
Am Goldfinch 40
Butterflies Seen:
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Spicebush Swallowtail
Cabbage White
Orange Sulphur
Eastern-tailed Blue
Variegated Fritillary
Great-spangled Fritillary
Meadow Fritillary
Pearl Crescent
anglewing
Painted Lady
Red Admiral
Red-spotted Purple
Hackberry Emperor
Monarch
Silver-spotted Skipper
Common Checkered Skipper
Least Skipper
Peck's Skipper
Information on the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship can be found
at http://www.blueridgecenter.org/directions.html. Information on the Loudoun ;
Wildlife Conservancy
can be found at www.loudounwildlife.org.
Joe Coleman
