About 16 birders, led by Andy Rabin and Mary Ann Good, enjoyed a beautiful
morning at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship in NW Loudoun
County and had good birding. The highlights were hearing a singing Cerulean
Warbler and Kentucky Warbler near the beginning of Arnold Trail, great looks at
3 Louisiana Waterthrushes--1 in the rocky creekbed of Little Piney Run and a
pair, of all places, on the gravel drive when we returned to our cars!, and a
Grasshopper Sparrow not only calling but also seen energetically singing its
long complex song.
We spent some valuable time wading through waist-high grass at the unmowed
Sawmill field before giving up and heading to Arnold Trail, so we didn't make
it too far down Arnold and the hour was later. That probably explains why we
heard NO Wood Thrushes or Ovenbirds and only one Scarlet Tanager when the woods
is usually resounding with them. At Sawmill, we also didn't make it to the
area that usually holds Blue-winged Warblers and Yellow-breasted Chats. One
sighting that gave us pause was a black snake (Rat Snake?) with his head and
shoulders protruding from a fresh woodpecker hole.
The list of 56 species follows.
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 1
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo seen by several
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
E. Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Am. Crow
Fish Crow
Purple Martin - 2 at roofless martin house at visitor center
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Car. Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
E. Bluebird
Robin
Catbird
Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Starling
Redstart - female
Cerulean Warbler - 1
Louisiana Waterthrush - 3
Kentucky Warbler - 1
Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
E. Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow - 1
Song Sparrow
Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Grackle
Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Goldfinch
House Sparrow
