Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

06/05/2026

𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 you won't want to miss!

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟳𝘁𝗵, from 2:30–5:00pm at the Waterford Old School auditorium and we can't wait to celebrate with you!

Join fellow wildlife enthusiasts as we honor our volunteers, partners, and advocates and celebrate the past, present, and future of this inspiring organization. Our featured keynote this year is Dr. Mamie Parker, former Head of Fisheries for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

🎟️ Tomorrow, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟲𝘁𝗵, is also the 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 for our Celebrate Birds Raffle Bundle, featuring a hand-painted bluebird nest box and the stunning photography book
𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴: 𝘈 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. You do not need to be present to win.

➡️ Register for the Annual Meeting:
https://loudounwildlife.org/event/annual-meeting/

🪶 Purchase raffle tickets:
https://loudounwildlife.org/2026/05/celebrate-birds-raffle-bundle/

Special thanks to Wegmans for sponsoring this year's Annual Meeting.

📸Photo Credit: Ryan Corey (fox kits)

Waterford Foundation Inc.

06/05/2026

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 —> 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱!

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟯 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗪𝗖'𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗘. 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗶 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 at four Leesburg area stream sites:
🟢 Tuscarora Creek at the W&OD Trail crossing: 0 CFU
🟢 Goose Creek at Keep Loudoun Beautiful Park: 33 CFU
🟢 Town Branch downstream of Catoctin Circle: 67 CFU
🟢 Tuscarora Creek at Olde Izaak Walton Park: 200 CFU

Green means E. coli levels are below the recreational safety threshold. Red means they're above it.

With minimal rainfall over the past week, levels dropped significantly across all sites — Town Branch fell from 567 CFU last week to 67 CFU this week. No geese or ducks were observed during sampling, though tracks and droppings in the mud suggest they haven't gone far.

With warm weather expected this weekend, it's a great time to get out and enjoy our local waterways!

🔗Visit our interactive story map for full results, site info, and to learn more about the program: https://bit.ly/4dCbCW5

Results are posted every Friday all summer long — follow us to stay informed!

📸Photo Credit: Amy Ulland

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

06/04/2026

🌱 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀? 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲.

Summer is one of the most important times to manage invasive species, and our partners at Blue Ridge PRISM are here to help with this informative, free webinar.

💻𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹
📅𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟳𝘁𝗵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
⏰𝟭:𝟬𝟬–𝟮:𝟬𝟬𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗧

You'll learn how to manage and control invasive plants during the summer season and come away with practical strategies you can put into action right away to support healthier habitats for wildlife.

➡️𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿:
https://blueridgeprism.info/event/summer-invasive-plant-management-control/

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

Attend this free webinar to learn how these new laws will shape invasive plant management and help restore healthy landscapes, and how you can help!

06/04/2026

🎉 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗪𝗖'𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 — 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝘆𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗸𝘀𝗲𝗻, Conservancy Rangers at Willowsford Conservancy & Farm.

Blake and Nils recently completed the training and certification process and will be continuing biological surveys on Broad Run and Lenah Run, helping to keep monitoring efforts active along these important stream corridors.

Certified stream monitors are the heart of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy's Stream Monitoring Program. Through training, field experience, and certification, volunteers learn to identify the aquatic insects and other small organisms that help tell the story of stream health.

Blake and Nils trained at a survey on Tuscarora Creek and passed their certification exam at a survey on Dry Mill Branch. We couldn't be prouder of their accomplishment and look forward to the valuable data they'll continue collecting for these waterways.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺? You can begin the certification process over the summer, with in-field training and exams taking place in the fall.

➡️𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: loudounwildlife.org/citizen-science/stream-monitoring

06/03/2026

🐦𝗔 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗦𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀!

Our Spring 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗦𝗶𝘁 brought birders, families, and nature enthusiasts together for a wonderful day of birding, community, and wildlife appreciation. More than 150 visitors stopped by throughout the day to learn about birds and connect with Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, while participants recorded an impressive 𝟲𝟮 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 within our count circle.

One of the day's most memorable moments was watching a Common Merganser and her ducklings as they paddled across the water. Each time the mother dove beneath the surface to feed, the ducklings waited patiently before racing to reunite with her when she resurfaced, a heartwarming sight that captivated everyone watching.

Baltimore Orioles and Orchard Orioles provided a nearly constant soundtrack throughout the day, with Baltimore Orioles giving visitors an up-close look at nest-building behavior. Highlights also included four Mississippi Kites soaring overhead and a spectacular evening show from Common Nighthawks swooping through the sky as they hunted insects.

💚Thank you to everyone who joined us, helped with the count, shared their expertise, and made this spring's Big Sit such a success. We look forward to seeing you at the next one!

❔𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲?

📸Photo Credit: Bryan Henson, Allison Gallo, & Patrick Lewis

NOVA Parks Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

06/02/2026

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is incredibly grateful to the New World Foundation for recently 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝗮 $𝟮𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 to support our ongoing advocacy efforts related to data centers in Loudoun County.

𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀, by far, the location with 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. In fact, there has not been a single day in the past 14 years when a data center was not under construction somewhere in Loudoun County!

The financial gains data center proliferation has delivered to the region have come at a 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. Thanks to this generous grant, Loudoun Wildlife can continue working alongside our partners, members, and residents to 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀that better balance economic development with environmental stewardship.

💚Please join us in thanking the New World Foundation for their generous and impactful support!

06/01/2026

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀, 𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗼𝗳-𝗮-𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀?

Our 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗲 bundle features beautiful items created by talented supporters who share a passion for nature and conservation.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀:
🪶𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴: 𝘈 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 — 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 by Thomas Ramsay & Nancy Goetzinger featuring breathtaking bird imagery from across North America

🎨𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘅 created by Stephanie Fells and donated by Sherri Bartlett at Wild Birds Unlimited, featuring vibrant landscapes, flowers, and coastal scenes inspired by the beauty of the natural world.

Every raffle ticket helps support Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s programs to protect wildlife habitat, inspire stewardship, and connect people with nature.

𝗕𝘂𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟲𝘁𝗵. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲'𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻.

🎟️𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 & 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://bit.ly/4fga3hK

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Wegmans Wegmans

06/01/2026

🔦𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁

For 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, a Cub Scout stream monitoring demonstration sparked a curiosity about the natural world that stayed with him for years.

Later, he joined Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s stream monitoring program himself and has been an active volunteer ever since.

Today, Dave contributes across multiple LWC programs—from hands-on habitat work at JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary to stream monitoring, where he especially enjoys introducing others to the aquatic life that helps tell the story of our waterways. Seeing kids experience that discovery up close is one of his favorite parts of volunteering.

Beyond LWC, Dave has planted more than 80 trees and created a native pollinator garden at home as part of the Homegrown National Park movement.

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶...— he says.

💚We’re incredibly grateful for volunteers like Dave whose curiosity, stewardship, and generosity help inspire others to notice and care for the natural world around them.

➡️ Read Dave’s full volunteer spotlight here: https://bit.ly/3PM8z4x

(And in true naturalist spirit, Dave chose a photo of what first inspired his love of nature rather than one of himself.)

📸Photo Credit: Dave Manning 🙂

05/30/2026

🌧️ Thirteen intrepid birders joined leaders Mary Ann Good, Pat Whittle, Carol Sottili, and Joe Coleman for a chilly, wet walk at the beautiful Goodstone Inn & Restaurant estate in late April and were rewarded with 48 species of birds observed throughout the morning.

Highlights included finally spotting a singing Scarlet Tanager high in the treetops while several Red-headed Woodpeckers moved from snag to snag nearby; hearing the ringing song of a Louisiana Waterthrush along the rocky creek; excellent looks at buzzing Grasshopper Sparrows; and a Merlin flying low overhead across the field for great views.

Participants also enjoyed first-of-spring sightings for several birders, including Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush, and Indigo Bunting, along with likely last-of-spring White-crowned Sparrows.

You can view the complete eBird checklist here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S328944451

Cornell Lab of Ornithology