The Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has begun surveying the flora & fauna at the
future White's Ford Park in the Lucketts area of Loudoun County and paid a
visit to the property this morning. Most of the property is being farmed at
this time and there are cattle on part of it and crops on other parts. In an
area far back from the road that had recently been hayed there were large weedy
patches that had not been cut. We were excited to find two DICKCISSELS singing
in those weedy patches as well as a number of GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS (8 to 10).
In one case we inadvertently got too close to a Grasshopper Sparrow's nest & it
darted out the weeds and led us away with a distraction display. We also
watched a TURKEY VULTURE leaving a small entrance in one of the old farm
buildings and two different WILD TURKEYS in the fields of grain along the
river. We also saw three different immature BALD EAGLES, two of which were
approx. the same age while the other was much younger. Our other highlights
included a calling WILLOW FLYCATCHER and both oriole species.
Joe Coleman, Loudoun Co
