Program and Event Descriptions:

Birding Banshee ― Saturday, October 8, 8:00 a.m. Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Friends of Banshee Reeks at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve for the monthly bird walk.  Because of its rich and varied habitat, this part of the county is a birding hot spot.  Please bring binoculars.  Questions:  contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.

Visit our Booth at Sterlingfest! ― Saturday, October 8, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We'll have our booth set up at Sterlingfest, ready to greet you! Some of the materials that we plan to have on hand include our Coloring Book for kids, our Gardening for Wildlife Plant List, information on volunteer opportunities and more! Check out our hands-on displays and ask our naturalists about local wildlife and plants. SterlingFest is a wonderful event where over 8,000 plus area residents enjoy beautiful weather and a wide variety of foods, crafts, business, entertainment and informational vendors. Children’s activities as well as local musicians all provide enlightening entertainment and fun. Rain date is October 9. Location: Sterling Park, at the intersection of Commerce Street and Enterprise Street in Sterling, VA.

Tree Identification Class and Field Trip ― Tuesday, October 11 and Saturday, October 15. Join Emily Southgate at the Rust Nature Sanctuary for the last Native Plant lecture of 2011. On Tuesday October 11th at 7:00 p.m., the class will focus on deciduous trees in the fall. Why and how do trees turn color and lose their leaves? How can we identify trees, and probably also some vines and shrubs, at this time of year. On Saturday, October 15th at 9:00 a.m., Emily will lead us on a tree ID field trip around the Rust Sanctuary. The field trip will include identification of trees and some vines and shrubs, as well as discussion of their relationships with their local environments.Cost for class is $20. To register please email julieg@audubonnaturalist.org.

Birding the Lucketts Area ― Wednesday, October 12, 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on one of our mid-week birding trips.  Gerco Hoogeweg and Mary Ann Good will lead as we drive some of the roads around Lucketts looking for migrants and other signs of fall.  Meet at the Lucketts Community Center parking lot and car pool from there.  This trip is co-sponsored with the Northern Virginia Bird Club.  Questions: contact Gerco Hoogeweg at drgerco@hotmail.com.

The Fascinating World of Bats ― Wednesday, October 12, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Leslie Sturges of the Save Lucy Campaign will describe the fascinating and enchanting world of bats, our only flying mammal, and how important they are.  She will also introduce the seven species of bats, some of which are common and some of which are rare, that call Loudoun County home.  This free adult program is sponsored by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.  Location: The Carver Center in Purcellville, located at 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville.  Questions: contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.

Removing Invasive Plants and Planting Natives ― Thursday, October 13, 9:00 a.m.
The Rust Nature Sanctuary, on the western edge of Leesburg, has a mix of different habitats on 68 acres that is home to numerous wildlife species.  We plan to help the sanctuary remove some of the invasive and aggressive plants around the pollinator garden and replace them with native plants.  If you are interested in helping please contact Ann Garvey at ahgarvey@aol.com or 540-882-4405.

Creating Meadow Habitat ― Saturday, October 15, 9:00 a.m. and Sunday, October 23, 2:00 p.m.  The most threatened habitat in the U.S. is meadow habitat; it and the wildlife that depends on it are rapidly disappearing.  This fall the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will be helping the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship restore two meadows for wildlife by removing autumn olive, a highly aggressive invasive alien shrub, as well as other trees and shrubs that are rapidly overtaking the meadows.  If you are a high school student or older and interested in helping or have questions please contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwilldife.org or 540-554-2542.

Family Stream Day ― Saturday, October 15, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Join Loudoun Water for the 10th annual Family Stream Day.  This year's event, "Exploring Our Streams" will offer a fun day of exploration of a local urban stream and hands-on discovery of the smart landscaping, stormwater and erosion control, stream assessment and monitoring, and the many ways you can help your local streams and environment. Rain or shine. Location: Loudoun Water, 44865 Loudoun Water Way, Ashburn, VA.

Sunday in the Preserve ― Sunday, October 16, 1:00 p.m. Join a naturalist from Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Friends of Banshee Reeks for a free, informal family walk around the preserve. Search for the many natural wonders that make this a special place. For information call the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve at 703-669-0316.

Birding the Blue Ridge Center ― Saturday, October 22, 8:00 a.m. On the fourth Saturday of each month (except December), Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy leads a free bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES). This beautiful 900-acre preserve is located on Harpers Ferry Road, Rt. 671, in northwestern Loudoun County. Only a few miles south of Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, the property includes meadows in the valley and heavily forested slopes on the Blue Ridge. Meet at the Visitor Center. The Blue Ridge Center is located just north of Neersville, at 11611 Harpers Ferry Road (Rt 671).  Detailed directions can be found on the website, www.brces.org . Questions: contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org.

Virginia Herpetological Society Fall Meeting ― Saturday, October 22, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Come to the VHS Fall meeting with us! Our own Nicole Hamilton will be doing a short presentation on the Loudoun Amphibian Monitoring Program, which many of you have been involved in. J.D. Kleopfer and Tom Akre will do a talk on the Ecology and Status of the Wood Turtle in Virginia. Dr. Edmund Brodie III, will give the keynote presentation on Time to change the channel: Predator-prey arms races and the evolution of toxin resistance in snakes. You can also see research presentations, research poster displays, student presentation competition, silent auction, live auction, VHS items for sale, live animals, exposure to Virginia's herpetologists, and a VHS business meeting with the election of new officers. For more details visit the VHS website. Location for the event is Bridgewater College, McKinney Hall , 402 East College Street, Bridgewater, VA

Identifying Hawks: A Class and Field Trip to Waggoner’s Gap, Pa. October 27 and 29. Registration Required.  Each fall, hawks migrate south along the Blue Ridge.  On Thursday, October 27, at 7 pm, Liam McGranaghan, a master falconer, licensed bander of raptors, and educator, will teach a class on how to identify in the field hawks and other birds of prey.  On Saturday, October 29, we will take a field trip to Waggoner’s Gap in PA, about a 2.5 hour drive.  Waggoner’s Gap is one of the premier hawk-watching sites in our area, and if the weather cooperates, we should see a wide diversity of birds of prey, including Golden Eagles!  While the field trip will be free, and one does not need to take the class to go on the field trip, there is a fee for the class ($10/member or $15/non-member).  Sign up online or contact Laura McGranaghan at lmcgranaghan@loudounwildlife.org.

Tweet