Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

Breathless, we flung us on a windy hill,
Laughed in the sun,
and kissed the lovely grass.

- Rupert Brooke

For those of you involved in our amphibian monitoring program and those just curious, I just learned of this really interesting article about a study done that shows that frogs, toads and newts tend to mate under a full moon.  When we talk about Big Night events, we’re generally looking for those rainy nights since that’s when amphibians can move through the forests most easily and without dehydrating. This article gives us another interesting factor to consider.

Six of us went out stream monitoring today at the Phillips Farm in Waterford where the south fork of Catoctin Creek runs through.  The water was 69 degrees and we had a slight breeze blowing which made it a great day to be out stream monitoring.  This team is led by Helen Van Ryzin, who was certified last spring in the Virginia Save our Streams (VA SOS) protocol, which is the protocol used by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.

We set up our table under a nice tree, had our sorting trays all ready, and then went out into the water to collect our critters.  It’s such a fun process to be involved with – after doing the collections in the net, we brought it back over to the table and the excitement begins –  it feels like Christmas as we spread the net out and inspect what we caught. I was hoping for a caddisfly all wrapped up in it’s stone house but we didn’t find any of them today. We did have a significant number of net spinners, a bunch of riffle beetles, lots of mayflies, a clam, and I believe some damselfly larvae too.

I’ve posted photos to our facebook page.  Anyone can come out and learn how to monitor a Loudoun stream. It’s really quite fascinating to look at the aquatic insects and understand how their presence (or lack of presence) tells the story of water quality. They’re really beautiful in their own ways with their feathery gills and interesting legs and tails. It’s a whole new world of Loudoun’s nature and environment to learn about and explore.

Saturday morning’s walk at Banshee Reeks was attended by 13 birders, led by Joe Coleman and Mary Ann Good. 

Before the walk, four of us also surveyed the nearby Dulles Wetlands for 2 hours.  The increasing exposed mud at the wetlands has attracted numbers of Killdeer but no other shorebirds yet. Large numbers of young Wood Duck of all sizes and fewer Mallards largely ignored the nest-year Bald Eagle who surveyed the scene from the large dead sycamore.  Many juvenile Green Herons were testing their wings and hunting skills, and a pair of Willow Flycatchers scolded our passage.  The four Great Egret seen there Monday did not put in an appearance today. 

At Banshee Reeks, we got several close looks at the resident male Blue Grosbeak and observed Purple Martins beginning to flock.  We also spent some time at the MAPS banding station where we watched a Yellow-breasted Chat, a young Indigo Bunting, and a Catbird get weighed, measured, inspected, and banded, then released. A great day for exploring Loudoun’s nature and wildlife.

Following is the combined list of the 62 species observed:

Wood Duck – including many fledglings, Mallard – including fledglings, Great Blue Heron – 4, Green Heron – est 10, mainly fledglings, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle – fledgling, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Kestrel – pair (a participant saw the entire family with 3 young earlier in the week), Killdeer – est 15, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 3, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher – 2, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker – including a very young fledgling, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher – est 10, Willow Flycatcher – 2, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Purple Martin – est 10, Tree Swallow, No. Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher – concerned parent on one side of the path, alarmed young on the other, Eur. Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, No. Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak – pair, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Orchard Oriole, American Goldfinch

This is one of those settings that mystified me for years but I read through a pretty straightforward write-up on diopter adjustment and have been on the straight and narrow ever since.

Good binoculars will have two adjustments, your focus wheel, which lets you focus in on the bird or other creature that you’re observing, and the diopter ring (or diopter adjuster). The diopter is something that you basically just set and forget about but it’s really important to making your binoculars function well for you.

Our eyes don’t focus exactly the same at the same distance so this adjustments lets you account for that difference. Once the diopter is set, both barrels will be in focus for you as you use the main focusing ring.

The diopter setting will be individual to you (no two eyes are the same) and this is why it becomes hard to share binoculars (among other reasons….like wow there’s a cool bird, oh let me see…no get your own binoculars…).

Anyway, going through these steps allows you to set the focus of each eye separately. First you’ll focus your left eye using the main focus ring, then you’ll focus the right eye using the diopter adjuster. Once set, this will then give you maximum sharpness when using the central focusing ring as you hone in on that cool bird or butterfly or wildflower or whatever.

So here we go…..To set the diopter ring and focus adjustment for your eyes, you go through these easy steps:

- First, find the diopter ring on your binoculars and put it into position so that you can adjust it. On some binoculars, the ring clicks into an “up” position and you can feel it click through different settings as you turn it. On others, it’s a ring that turns. The photos here show both styles and there may be others too. In any case, set the diopter ring to the Zero or center setting so you’re starting there.

- Next, pick something on a wall about 30 feet away that you will use as the thing you focus on. Using your lens cap, cover the barrel that the diopter ring is associated with (usually the right barrel). If your diopter ring is located in the center, then cover the right barrel.

- Keeping both eyes open (no squinting), adjust the central focus knob so the object that you’re looking at (about 30 feet away) is as clear as possible for your left eye. Leave the central focus knob in that position. Your left eye is now set.

- Next, move your lens cap to the left barrel to cover up that side. Now you will focus your right eye using the diopter ring. You will not move the central focus at all. Looking through the binoculars (keeping both eyes open), focus on the object that you used before and adjust the setting of the diopter ring until the focus is sharp for your right eye. On some binoculars, you’ll need to unlock the diopter ring in order to adjust it, just look at your manual to see how it’s done. Often, you just lift the ring and turn it left or right and then restore it to its regular position.

- Lastly, take the lens cap off and see how things look using both eyes. After going through these steps, you should be able to focus well using the central focusing at any distance.

This wraps it up for now on our Binocular FAQs.  If there are other topics that you’re interested in, let me know

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.

- John Muir

Kurt Gaskill, an excellent birder and one of our volunteers for Loudoun Bird Atlas, sent over a great write-up from his 4th of July birding survey. It’s like going for a bird walk along with him as he explores the wild nature of Loudoun.   With his permission, I’m posting it here for you:

It’s the morning of the fourth of July and I am driving down Rt 743 to my eastern starting point in the block known as Bluemont 5.  It looks like yet another great day to do the  Loudoun Bird Atlas.  I took Rt 50 to get out here, turning north on St Louis Rd.  Earlier, when  I went through Middleburg, there is this pond on the west side of town.  I have only seen American Robins around it.  Today, there is a female Wood Duck on it.  It’s a new species for the Middleburg 1 block so I make a note and continue on.

The previously rain-rutted gravel Rt 743 is now smooth.  I am hoping the Kentucky Warbler Dave Boltz and I found here June 20 will say or do something.  Despite arriving at 7am, no warbler calls out.  Instead, the local Red-shouldered Hawks are making a commotion.  I suspect a fledged bird may be about, but cannot see or hear it.  I continue down the road upgrading various species.  Nearby, an American Crow family group appears and this becomes a good breeding confirmation.  Two weeks earlier, there was a Fish Crow family group in this area.  The real bonus was a Hairy Woodpecker adult with fledgling – a good confirm as Hairy Woodpeckers have been a premium in the blocks I have been atlasing.

I turn north on Rt 630 and stop hoping to find evidence for Common Yellowthroats or Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.  Both were here on the last visit.  I hear and then follow the call notes of a Blue-gray but I spot only a single bird working the tree canopy over my head.  Nearby, a Common Yellowthroat is singing.  Along the road edge I hear a tick sound and so I naturally pish. Out pops a very young Common Yellowthroat!  The little bird was clearly starting down the Independence path, foraging for its food despite still wearing the yellow-white gape that says “fledgling”.

Further down the road I find fledgling House Wrens.  Along a stretch with open fields I see one Red-headed Woodpecker in a snag letting an adult Red-shouldered know exactly what’s on its mind.  I hear more of the same woodpeckers in nearby woods.  Overhead, a loud smacking call causes me to look up – it’s a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird begging its “mama” Northern Cardinal for food.  Two males and female cowbird fly nearby making me think that they monitor the areas they parasitize, looking for results.  Near some trees I see Cedar Waxwings flying about – I think they are inspecting possible nest sites.  But, time is getting short – my day cannot go past 11am due to Independence Day activities at home.  I turn about and head for Willisville Rd.

The weather is, once again, superb.  I makes me wish I could put in a longer day, but holiday gatherings have been planned.  Still, I cannot help thinking that what we think is good weather, causes problems much further to the north as the cold summer in the taiga has resulted in extremely poor productivity for waterfowl and shorebirds.  Has this weather also impacted our local nesters?  I am not sure, we have few local baselines to compare and much of our data is best considered on a longer term basis.  Perhaps this atlas can shed light upon it?

Hearing Eastern Towhees, I stop the car hoping to find evidence of breeding.  In this forested edge location  I hear a Wood Thrush make its “gurgle”, Acadian Flycatcher call out and several Brown-headed Cowbirds in a tree.  All in an area no bigger than 20 yards across.  Hmm… could the cowbirds be looking for a juvenile?  I spot the Wood Thrush – one calling and the other silently following, a hint of fledgling gape still visible.  I get out and walk a few yards into the forest.  The flycatcher still calls, and male and female Towhee call almost continually.  But, no breeding signs for those last two.  Before leaving I look about and find a round, grass woven nest in a sapling between a twisted vine, about 1.5 meters off the ground.  It has rough edges but is very smooth and round inside.  It fits images of Wood Thrush nests that you can find on Google.  Nice.

I give up on the towhees and flycatcher – I don’t want to poke around further as it would probably be intrusive to the towhees (given their calls, a nest may be nearby?).  Heading north I go to a nice spot where a Willow Flycatcher was noted last week and the week before.  And still there today.  I have to wait 5 minutes before the bird shows itself.  It softly calls, hunts a little, then perches in various places.  No sign of a mate, although the soft calling I believe is indicative that one is hidden nearby.  The local Song Sparrows are singing, finally one flies off to a bush with 3 more following  – fledged birds!

There are several species in this area such as the Grasshopper Sparrow. It sits pretty much in this one bit of vegetation in the field each time I visit.  It still sings.  I wait for it to do something, wait for the Willow Flycatcher to do something.  Then a Blue Grosbeak sings out.  It’s a new species to the block. After 15 minutes, I must leave.

Now comes the fun part of today’s trip.  I am visiting a site in the Blue Ridge Mountains that is part of the block known as Ashby Gap 6; it’s adjacent to the west of Bluemont 5.  The Blue Ridge promises a new mix of species and I am looking forward to it.  I have some concern about the date as it’s getting late in the breeding season and many species cannot be confirmed, at least easily.  I head to an area that is accessed by a public road (it goes to a parcel that is currently for sale).  I have learned a bit since today’s visit – there are many areas that are potentially accessible from this road that used to be the main road from the ridge line to Paris.  This road has been basically abandoned by the county since 1944, yet locals have kept it navigable.  Obviously, access would be of great value for the atlas.  

I enter a fine area of forest with reasonably mature trees (over 60 yrs old I am told) and a nice understory.  I don’t see much sign of Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), the exotic invasive that can be found in many of our forests in the piedmont or coastal zone.  This plant can reproduce in the low light levels of forests, covering the forest floor in a habitat that may not be conducive to ground nesters such as Ovenbird.  It is an annual, and the seeds can bank in the soil for years.  It is unclear how to best combat it. 

I drive about a half mile to the road’s end (at a gate) and get out of the car.  Within minutes I am in the battle ground between two Acadian Flycatchers chasing each other over a territory dispute. This is new to me – I have never thought that Acadians were so aggressive!    At Mason Neck NWR and SP, Acadian Flycatchers are very common, with estimated density of between 10 and 20 acres per breeding pair. My initial count at this Blue Ridge site suggests 6 singing males in the area I surveyed, which I estimate at about 60 acres given the half mile road and estimated 150 yd listening distance.  This would suggest a breeding density similar to Mason Neck.  Most impressive!

I was able to confirm the Acadian Flycatcher with one bird calling with a nice green worm in its bill.
Other species with good numbers were Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush,  Eastern Towhee, and Scarlet Tanager. But the biggest payoff were the other species.  Two dueling Hooded Warblers (with some territory incursions), 2 Ovenbirds, a couple of American Redstarts, some Eastern Wood Pewees and a singing Cerulean Warbler!  Yet there was one other species of interest at this site.

I was attracted to what sounded like chip notes.  They were somewhat continuous, but were NOT chipmunk in origination!  These notes attracted other birds such as a pair of Scarlet Tanagers, redstarts, titmice and chickadees.  And up with the tanagers, the squeaky gym-shoe on the basketball court call note of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak!  Now I have encountered this species a couple of times throughout the years along the ridge road at Thomson WMA, which lies a few miles to the south in Fauquier County.  Yet, there are few summer records of Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Loudoun County, so this bird was certainly unusual.

Are there more up on the ridge? Or other species not yet documented?  Probably.  Looking over some of the old Virginia Bird Atlas data, I see Rose-breasted Grosbeak is marked as a probable breeder near to this area. To fully determine the extent of breeding, it will take help from a few property owners to access areas along the Loudoun County ridge line and a few years of dedicated atlasing to sort out the possibilities.  But the really interesting thing is, anyone who wants to do it, can do it.  And there are thousands of acres up there to explore!

But, time was up for me today – the picnic beckoned.  So I headed home after a fine visit to an area seldom birded.  I hope to get up there one more time this season.
Kurt Gaskill

So, I probably wouldn’t pull this one out at a happy hour or summer BBQ but this is one of those tid-bits that can help further understand how binos work and how to make them work best  for you.

Ok, so the techy part….Interpupillary Distance is the distance between the pupils of the eyes.  Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting any surgery here…..  In the world of binoculars, interpupillary distance is the distance between the centers of the two eye pieces.

The good news is, you can shift that distance by moving the barrels apart or together. When this distance is set correctly for your face, you see one circle in the viewing area (versus two or versus seeing parts of the inside of the barrel).

To set the distance, simply move the binocular barrels closer together or further apart until you see just one circle.  I’ve noticed that in some binoculars, to get them set up properly I need to hold them closer to my eyes but in other binoculars I hold them a little off my face and they work better. When you select your binoculars you’ll want to try out a few pairs and get a good feel for where that distance from your face is so you can properly set the interpupillary distance.

As part of our Bird Atlas project, Spring sent over this list of tips on how to confirm that birds are breeding. It’s pretty interesting to slow down and watch birds and connect with what they’re up to. Nature can be pretty wild

She found these tips in the San Diego Bird Atlas:

• The first thing to focus on when you see a bird is the bill. Is the bird carrying nesting material or insects? For the majority of species, carrying nesting material or food for young is behavior confirming breeding. Watch the bird for a minute or two to see whether it’s carrying the prey back to a perch to be killed and eaten by the adult itself. If the bird carries the prey any distance or is accumulating insects in its bill, it’s likely the food is destined for young.

• Find a likely spot with a few birds flitting around, sit silently for 5 or 10 minutes, and see what pops up—often quite a lot. Hurried hiking and crashing through brush will generate almost nothing. Once you spot a bird, stay with it for a moment to see what it does.

• Seemingly odd behavior may be a clue to something interesting. For example, swallows don’t normally land on the ground except to pick up nesting material (grass for nest-lining in the case of Rough-winged Swallows as well as mud for Cliff Swallows).

• Listen for unfamiliar calls—especially if they sound like those of baby birds. Even if you don’t see the young, the adults usually give themselves away with alarm calls or distraction behavior. The calls of fledglings are just as distinctive to species as those of adults and can be learned with practice. If you do discover a nest, don’t linger too long – so not to stress out the birds or attract predators.

• Spread your effort throughout the day. In the first hour or two after dawn the adults are often too preoccupied with feeding themselves and advertising their territories to engage in much breeding-related behavior. Later in the day may present good opportunities to see behaviors such as nest-building and feeding of young.

If you or someone you know owns any land in Loudoun County that can be made accessible to atlasers please let Spring know: sligi@loudounwildlife.org

Spring Ligi, our Loudoun County Bird Atlas Coordinator, just sent over some great highlights from the data that rolled in from our atlas volunteers through June. We’re getting some really exciting information on birds that we didn’t realize nest here.

So far, 28 enthusiastic atlasers have spent 634 hours in the field documenting 7,539 sightings and have recorded 177 species, with 74 of these species having a confirmed nesting status. 

If you’d like to join in this important citizen science project, we could certainly use your help! More information can be found on our Bird Atlas Page. Every bit of data – from backyards to large untouched areas is important to this project.

June Highlights

• Little Blue Heron – observed a Little Blue Heron, a Species of Special Interest, at the Dulles Wetlands.

• Cerulean Warblers – heard 3 singing male Cerulean Warblers, another Species of Special Interest, singing from the same point in the Ashby Gap area and then heard another one nearby.

• Black-billed Cuckoo – documented this species as a Possible Breeder in separate parts of the county (Unison and Ashburn areas, respectively) – this species is not previously thought to nest in Loudoun County!

• Dickcissel – documented this species as a Possible Breeder in the Arcola area.  This is most likely the first reported Dickcissel in Loudoun County this year!

• Red-headed Woodpecker – observed a pair flycatching and then returning to a nest cavity in the Bluemont area to feed young.

• Screech Owlets – observed 2 curious owlets nesting in a cavity in a Black Locust tree on property in the Bluemont area.