Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

There’s a wonderful little stream called Town Branch that runs though Leesburg and many of us may not even notice that it’s there.

It runs along Catoctin Circle near the Village Lanes Bowling Center and is the site of a really great habitat restoration project that is happening this Saturday.

Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) is leading this project and we are supporting it. In the future, there will be a walking trail that runs through here and we are also talking about doing some additional habitat restoration for the amphibian population that use the vernal pools there too.

This is a great event for the whole family. The holes will be dug in advance so the main activity will be to plant the trees and shrubs that have been put out. Here is the flier for the event so you can read more about it and the important impacts that this habitat restoration will have our our local water.

I’m sure the wildlife will be pleased by the restoration.  When I went out to take some “before” photos, a Kingfisher, which is likely nesting in the area, came by to protest my presence. It landed just a few feet from me on the dumpster and made its rattling call. It was likely hunting in the stream for small fish.

The tree buffer that is planted here will help restore the water quality of this stream, giving great food sources for birds like this kingfisher. Kingfishers nest in burrows along stream banks – perhaps one day, the kingfishers will even nest in the banks of this stream!