The afternoon of Sunday Jan 28 twenty-four people in three groups searched
the back roads of Loudoun County for birds of prey during a field trip
sponsored by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. One group was led by Gerco
Hoogeweg, Bryan Henson, and Allison Gallo and covered the Lucketts area,
another by Phil Daley and Liz Dennison covered the area south of Leesburg
and around Lincoln, and the third by Joe Coleman covered the southern part
of the county west of Rte 15. All three groups got great looks at several
active Short-eared Owls with seven along Lucketts Rd and perhaps as many as
ten in the vicinity of Foxcroft Rd and St Louis Rd, where a couple were
perched high in trees prior to beginning their evening flight. One also
interacted with an immature Bald Eagle once they started flying. Another
highlight was a Barn Owl seen with special permission by one of the groups
on private property.
In addition to the Short-eared Owls
- Gerco's group in the Luckett's area also found a Ross's Goose, a
Cackling Goose, Black Ducks, 10 Wild Turkeys, 2 Northern Harriers, 5
Red-tailed and 4 Red-shouldered Hawks,4 American Kestrels, 1 Red-headed WP,
2 Ravens, and a lot of White-crowned Sparrows
- Phil and Liz's group, covering the area south of Leesburg and
Purcellville and found 1 Northern Harrier, 8 Red-tails, 4 Red-shoulders, a
Bald Eagle, 2 unidentified hawks, and a Great Blue Heron
- Joe's group saw 1 Red-shouldered Hawk, 6 Red-tails, 2 immature Bald
Eagles (one interacting with a Short-eared Owl), 2 unidentified hawks, 2
Eastern Meadowlarks in the same field as a couple of the Short-eared Owls,
and a Great Blue Heron. Additionally on Tail Race Rd they found, in cut
fields of corn, large flocks (over 500 birds in each) of Red-winged
Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and European Starlings.
Joe Coleman
