With permission from the Dulles Greenway management the Loudoun Wildlife
Conservancy led another walk on the Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project
(DGWMP) in Loudoun Co this morning. The DGWMP is immediately to the west of
the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve and immediately to the southeast of Oatlands
Plantation in the center of Loudoun County.
Except for a few more shorebirds, this morning's walk, led by Mary Ann Good &
Joe Coleman, was a lot like this past Saturday's except that the effects of the
lack of recent rain in this area were even more obvious this morning. While
still not bone dry and somewhat muddy, it was even drier there today. At one
point today there were 10 GREAT EGRETS on the mud at the same time and while we
tried hard to make them into something else we didn't succeed. Also besides
the continuing WILSON'S SNIPE there was a PECTORAL SP, a LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and
a few more shorebirds. And NO SNOW GOOSE.
Joe Coleman, Loudoun Co.
There were also a fair number of butterflies including several Common Buckeyes,
several Monarchs, and a Hackberry Emperor. And Bob Blakney pointed out many
dif. kinds of dragonflies.
Joe Coleman, Loudoun Co
This morning we observed (from eBird):
Location: Dulles Greenway Wetlands Mitigation Project
Observation date: 8/19/08
Number of species: 32
Canada Goose 25
Great Blue Heron 4
Great Egret 10
Green Heron 8
Turkey Vulture 3
Killdeer 4
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 3
Least Sandpiper 8
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Wilson's Snipe 1
Mourning Dove 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2
Chimney Swift 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 4
Fish Crow 1
Tree Swallow 4
Carolina Wren 3
Eastern Bluebird 2
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 4
Field Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 4
Indigo Bunting 3
American Goldfinch 10
