Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

Wood frogs freeze under a blanket of leaves
Under Orion’s watchful gaze, flying squirrels glide through trees
Mourning cloak butterflies move undercover
Even a bleak winter woods has stories to tell.

- author unknown

Ten of us joined Joe Coleman and Gerry Hawkins on Saturday for the monthly walk at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Loudoun County. We had a total of 38 species (including 7 different sparrow species). The walk included nice looks at American Kestrel, both kinglets, numerous Eastern Bluebirds and a Fox Sparrow. Missing from our sightings today was the Dark-eyed Junco.

Five of us made a quick stop at the Dulles Wetlands after the walk, where we saw over 200 dabbling ducks, including American Black Ducks, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal and an odd black-and-white mutt hybrid among the many Mallards, as well as a perched Red-shouldered Hawk, a couple of soaring Red-tailed Hawks and only our second Turkey Vulture of the day.

Banshee Reeks and other areas in Loudoun County will be the subject of a Christmas Bird Count on December 28, 2008.

Here’s the listing of the birds we saw:

Canada Goose (20), Mallard (1), Black Bulture (5), Turkey Vulture (1), Red-shouldered Hawk (2), Red-tailed Hawk (2), American Kestrel (2), Mourning Dove (2), Red-bellied Woodpecker (5), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1), Downy Woodpecker (5), Northern Flicker (2), Pileated Woodpecker (4), Blue Jay (10), American Crow (10), Fish Crow (1), Carolina Chickadee (5), Tufted Titmouse (5), White-breasted Nuthatch (3), Brown Creeper (1), Carolina Wren (8), Golden-crowned Kinglet (2), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1), Eastern Bluebird (38), American Robin (6), Northern Mockingbird (5), European Starling (12), Eastern Towhee (6), Chipping Sparrow (1), Field Sparrow (10), Fox Sparrow (1), Song Sparrow (25), Swamp Sparrow (2). White-throated Sparrow (50), White-crowned Sparrow (1), Northern Cardinal (7), Rusty Blackbird (2), American Goldfinch (25)

New regional park in Loudoun proposed
By Holly Hobbs
Source: Loudoun Times-Mirror
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3 2008
UPDATED THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4 2008

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is looking to add another park to its realm of outdoor space, creating White’s Ford Regional Park in Loudoun. Park authority leaders announced Dec. 2 that they have filed a land-use application with the county to turn 275 acres of land northeast of Leesburg along the Potomac into a regional park.

The authority is looking to buy the land from a property owner within a year and is waiting for county approval before purchasing.

The authority’s Executive Director Paul Gilbert said he envisions hiking, camping, boating at the park.

“This property is perfectly in line with our mission, and we’re pleased to be able to offer this land to residents of our region for recreation,” he said.

The purchase would fall nearly in line with the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, with which White’s Ford has a link.

“During the Civil War, [Confederate Lt. Col. Elijah V.] White owned the property as a farm,” Gilbert said. “On the way to the Battle of Antietam, a large contingency camped on the property.” The Battle of Antietam was fought near Sharpsburg, Md.

Gilbert said before choosing land for a regional park, the authority looks at historic significance and natural features. White’s Ford, he said, has both.

Also, he said, having regional park status would offer some protection from houses being built at the park site.

White’s Ford is located about one mile from Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, host to the annual Corn MAiZE and just north of White’s Ferry.

Gilbert said the park will have no effect on the ferry, which would lie outside of park grounds.

For more information about the White’s Ford Regional Park plans or the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, visit www.nvrpa.org .

Contact the reporter at hhobbs@timespapers.com.

People had been talking about it, there were a few posts to a listserv and then there came the article in the Washington Post “Acorn Watchers Wonder What Happened to Crop”.  Acorns seem to be at not only an all-time low but in many places there are none at all. According to the Post, reports of no acorns (a “zero year”) span from as far away as Pennsylvania, up through New England, out to Kansas. It’s very strange.

One theory provided in the Post points to the wet spring impacting the spread of pollen and subsequent pollination of the oak flowers.  Hickory nuts are also said to be scarce this year. Squirrels, deer and other mammals rely on acorns and other mast through the winter and will likely feel the pinch of this food shortage.

We’re curious about the oaks in Loudoun – if you have oak trees in your yard or neighborhood – did you have any acorns this year?

I remember when my husband and I first started dating, I lived in Falls Church and was just starting to learn about birds. I had just one feeder hanging off my deck and kept the bag of sunflower seeds in the kitchen pantry since mice had been getting into the storage closet off the deck. One day, I got home a little after my (now) husband and saw him there with a handful of sunflower seeds for a snack. I asked him where he got those and he said the pantry…….we laughed (or mostly I laughed) and he agreed not to eat the birdseed anymore.

A few years later, we moved to Waterford and my backyard birdfeeding went into full swing. I decided to try my hand at making my own suet and made a big batch that I stored in the freezer.  Needless to say, my husband thought it was delicious (now I label the baggies in the freezer). Here’s the recipe that I’ve been using but there are lots of variations out there:

2 cups of crunchy peanut butter
4 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups lard (or shortening)
4 cups cornmeal
2 cups white flour
1 cup sugar
raisins (chopped up)
sunflower chips

Melt the peanut butter and lard/shortening in a large pot over a low heat and then add the rest of the ingredients. Next, you can either put the mixture into a square pan (and later cut it into cakes) or form it into balls. Either way, put it into the freezer for a few hours so that it sets. You can either put it into a suet cage or crumble it and put it on a platform feeder.

Do you have a suet recipe that you enjoy making? Share it here so we can try it out too!

When one tugs at a single thing in nature,
he finds it attached to the rest of the world.

- John Muir

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is seeking applications for prospective interns for 2009. Information about our Internship Program can be found on our website along with the application form and resume request.

In past years, interns have engaged in our stream monitoring and amphibian monitoring programs, helped developed educational materials that are handed out at fairs and other venues, acted as co-leads for our nature camp, and helped coordinate and execute habitat restoration projects.

Work includes both field work as well as back office support such as research, writing and data entry and analysis. This is a paid internship. Applications will be accepted from December through March.

I’m posting this late but still wanted to share with you the field trip report from last weekend. The photo here is of an immature Red-Shouldered Hawk, coping with the cold windy day:

On Sunday, Dec. 7, Laura Weidner & Joe Coleman, assisted by Liam McGranaghan in the morning, led an all-day ANS/LWC 17-person field trip to Clarke Co.  The group met at Snicker’s Gap at 9 am and returned there about 4:30 pm.  Since the winds were as horrible as Joan Boudreau & Bob Abrams said in their hawkwatch post we got off the mountain as quickly as possible and spent much of the day in relatively-sheltered places.  As a result we did miss some of the more int’g birds Joan & Bob reported as well as some of the ones we found while scouting on Friday & Sat.
 
Our best bird was a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE spotted by Laura in a farm field a little south & east of Blandy.  It was on the north side of Rte 622 right after we turned off of  Ed Lee Rd (Rte 626?).  We watched it hunt and perch until we were ready to move on.  We also found all seven woodpecker species including a small group (four or five) of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS behind Blandy in a woodlot north of Rte 628 where it intersects with Ed Lee Rd (Rte 626?). There was also a BROWN CREEPER in the same area. 
 
We also found at least four NORTHERN HARRIERS, one on Blandy and three south & east of Blandy.  Three of the Harriers were Gray Ghosts and one was a hatch-year bird.  On Friday there were 7 AMERICAN KESTRELS, on Sat. 2, and on Sunday four.  We saw at least a dozen RED-TAILED HAWKS; interestingly enough they were frequently in groups of two or even three (twice we saw three birds perched close together).
 
While scouting on Saturday morning (a much nicer day because of the lack of wind) there were 8 NORTHERN BOBWHITES, an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, and a couple of SWAMP & WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS as well as a number of Field and Song Sparrows in the wetlands and restored meadow that is right in front of Blandy’s observation tower.  There was almost nothing in that area on Sunday (maybe because of the winds …).  On Sat. behind Blandy along Rte 628 there was a COOPER’S HAWK as well as a very mangy Red Fox in pretty bad shape (I had to stop the car to let it cross the road).  Its irritated skin showed through its wispy fur in several places.
 
On Sunday with the exception of Blandy most of our birding was done from the cars or in places well-sheltered from the wind.  Not surprisingly the birds were also in the sheltered locations.  The two BALD EAGLES we saw over the river on Sunday both rocked like Turkey Vultures in the wind.  Two COMMON RAVENS playfully flew over the river in the same area.  And shortly after that we saw a flock of at least 50 BLUEBIRDS.
 
There were a fair number of geese, mallards, Great Blue Herons, and Belted Kingfishers on the Shenandoah River but nothing else in the way of waterfowl with the exception of one PIED-BILLED GREBE who kept slipping all but his head below the water.
 
We did not see any SNOWY OWLS though many of the fields looked promising; nor did we find any RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES (there were at least four of them at Blandy back in Nov.), PURPLE FINCHES, or PINE SISKINS.
 
We had a total of 45 species of birds for the day.

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Flying squirrels – yes they do exist!  In this episode we talk about their habits and habitats as well as how to attract them to a tree where you can watch them and enjoy the show!

The photo above was taken by Michele Morrow at one of her feeders.

To listen to this episode, click the play button at the top of this post and it will play now or Right Click Here to Download (select “Save as Target”).

Ten of us went out yesterday morning in search of ducks at the Dulles Wetlands.  As it turned out (in the 20 degree chill) the water was frozen so except for a lone goose that is likely recovering from a wound, the ducks had departed to open waters.  We had a wonderful walk nonetheless since there was no wind and Phil Daley and Paul Miller led us through the trails.  The ice crystals on the grasses made for such a beautiful landscape. We watched a flock of Yellow-Rumped Warblers gobble up Poison Ivy berries, had great views of bluebirds foraging through the sumac and inspected the work of the beaver which has been busy bringing down a few trees. Phil also pointed out small burrows where you could see that the breath of the animals down below had risen and crystallized around the entry. Pretty neat. After our walk at the wetlands, we headed over to Beaverdam Reservoir and found our ducks.  As we stood there, a flock of Common Mergansers flew right past us – it was great to see them up close in flight.

Here’s a list of what we saw at the two locations (many thanks to Martha Vandervoort for keeping our list and posting to eBird)! In all, we had 26 species of birds at the Dulles Wetlands and 10 species at the reservoir.

Dulles Wetlands: Canada Goose, Mallard (flew by), Green-winged Teal (several flew by), Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird (may have been common grackles), House Finch, American Goldfinch

Beaverdam Reservoir: Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Ring-billed Gull, American Crow