Thursday, December 11th, 2008
Make Your Own Suet
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 [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Fun and Games by Nicole
Monday, December 8th, 2008
We Birded the Shenandoah Valley!
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 [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Field Trips by Nicole
Sunday, December 7th, 2008
Ducks at the Dulles Wetlands?
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 [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Field Trips by Nicole
Friday, December 5th, 2008
Loudoun’s Threatened and Endangered Species
Habitat loss is a primary driver for the decline in the diversity of species and in many cases, animals are hit by the losses twice - with breeding grounds and wintering grounds impacted. It’s important for us to be aware of the status of different species as well as the state of their habitats so [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Action Alerts, Books & Publications by Nicole
Monday, December 1st, 2008
Feeders Up!
With the chill of winter now with us, I’ve been making sure our feeders are up and full of tasty treats for the birds (and, as it turns out, also for the squirrels and raccoons and whoever else seems to come by). Feeders can attract a great diversity of species and as you keep an [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Fun and Games by Nicole
Monday, November 24th, 2008
LWC Podcast - Episode 9: Bird Atlas Project
In this episode we are joined by Spring Ligi and Joe Coleman to talk about the Loudoun Bird Atlas Project that we just launched. This is a significant endeavor, collecting data on more than 295 bird species over the course of the next four years to find out where the birds are breeding and over [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Books & Publications, Podcasts by Nicole
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008
Chilly Morning at BRCES but Still Good Birding
From Saturday, Nov 22….Only four of us showed up for the BRCES walk this rather cold morning (it was 24 when we started and 32 when we finished). The four of us first walked about a mile on the edge of the woods at the end of Sawmill and then did a mile loop in [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Field Trips by Nicole
Saturday, November 8th, 2008
Golden Eagle over Banshee Reeks
On November 8, we had our monthly bird walk at Bashee Reeks. Mary Ann Good led the walk and the group had some great sightings - especially that of a Golden Eagle! (very cool!) Here is Mary Ann’s field trip report from that day as well as a photo of a kinglet:
About 15 birders enjoyed [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Field Trips by Nicole
Sunday, October 5th, 2008
Great Bird Walk at Bles Park
Andy Rabin led a family bird walk at Bles Park in eastern Loudoun Co on Saturday morning. Most of the warblers we saw were close and gave us great views.
The following is the report that we also posted on eBird:
Location: Bles Park
Observation date: 10/4/08
Notes: Andy Rabin led a Family Bird walk at Bles Park in [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Field Trips, Great Places by Nicole
Saturday, September 20th, 2008
Great Resource for Feather Identification
Michelle Prysby of the Virginia Master Naturalists Banshee Reeks Chapter sent this email around recently. It looks like a nice resource for us in our nature explorations.
Michelle writes:
I came across this neat new resource that I wanted to share with Master Naturalists. It is an online database for bird feather ID. http://www.lab.fws.gov/featheratlas/ They have scanned [...]
