At the regular monthly bird walk at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve  south of Leesburg, about 18 people enjoyed a cooler morning and a  flurry of activity right next to the parking lot that produced the  best 20 minutes of birding of the morning, including the first of two  male Blue Grosbeaks, a perched Red-tailed Hawk, Eastern Kingbirds,  Pewees and Phoebes, a drop-by Red-eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, many  Bluebirds, 2 Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Towhee pairs, Field Sparrows, and  Orchard Orioles. 

Later we found a pair of Wood Thrushes carrying food  to a nest about 25 feet off the ground. 

Early likely migrants  included 2 female Redstarts. 

Following is the list of 36 species:

Canada Goose,Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, No. Flicker, E. Wood-Pewee, E. Phoebe, E. Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Am. Crow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, E. Bluebird, Wood Thrush, Am. Robin, Gray Catbird, No. Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Eur. Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Am. Redstart, E. Towhee, Field Sparrow, No. Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak – 2 male, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, Am. Goldfinch

Mary Ann Good, with co-leader Del Sargent