26 people participated in Birds of Prey organized by the Loudoun
Wildlife Conservancy trip this past Sunday afternoon. This trip was led
by Laura, Liam, Liz and Gerco. During our trip we visited various
locations along Rte 15 in Loudoun County with stops along Hogeland Mill
Rd, Banshee Reeks, Dulles Wetlands Mitigation Project, Tail Racer Rd and
Limstone School Rd in Northern Loudoun County.
Throughout most of the afternoon the raptors were low in number, except
for the ever present Turkey and Black Vultures (technical not raptors).
Bald Eagles were spotted in several locations along Evergreen Mill rd
and Tail Race rd. No activity was observed at the Dulles Wetlands Bald
Eagle Nest.
Both Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks were apparently laying low.
Very few birds were seen. Not a single Red-shouldered hawk was seen
sitting on the wires, which they typically like to do.
Most raptor activity was found south of Lucketts along Spinks ferry rd
and Limstone school rd. We found a few American Kestrels, Red-tailed and
Red-shouldered Hawks. As dusk came upon us, the Northern Harriers become
more and more active. At one point in time we observed a gray host (male
harrier) sitting on the fence next to another brown (female) harrier.
Shortly after that thing became more interesting, when 3 gray ghosts
were flying around at the same time. Wow, that was cool.
Without a doubt, the best bird of the day was the Short-eared Owl. At
least 5-6 owls were seen flying around or perching on the various posts
along Limstone school rd. With the fading light in our back we still had
excellent looks though the scope of these very interesting owls. With
increasingly darkness it seemed that the wings of the owl were getting
lighter and lighter in color. Very cool to see that contrast. The
Short-eared Owl was a life bird for several of the participants.
Happy birding,
Gerco
Leesburg, VA
