Tag: wildlife
17 things to know about the 17-year cicada invasion
Soon our yards will be full of cicadas like this one. [Scientific American] As we’re nearing the end of one plague, we’re about to be inundated by another. Billions of cicadas in Brood X, hidden underground for the past 17 years, will emerge across parts of the East Coast and Midwest in May. The D.C. … Continued
Fairfax County has no plans to harm the Mantua beavers
A beaver in Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria. “The county has no plans to trap, remove, or relocate the beavers at the Mantua pond,” said Fairfax County Wildlife Management Specialist Katherine Edwards. That statement was made in response to a petition titled Save the Mantua Beavers by a Mantua resident concerned about a pair of … Continued
Hidden Oaks adjusts to pandemic with new custom programs for families or ‘bubble groups’
Nature Your Way at Hidden Oaks. By Suzanne Holland Even though Hidden Oaks Nature Center is not open for the public to visit the exhibits, the park is busy with children and adults enjoying outdoor programming. Hidden Oaks, located in Annandale Community Park, is at 7701 Royce St., Annandale. In December, Hidden Oaks is offering … Continued
Document wildlife during Virginia BioBlitz
An Eastern box turtle [Virginia Academy of Science] Local residents of all ages are encouraged to help scientists document the biodiversity in parks and backyards by joining Virginia BioBlitz 2020. The program kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 26, with presentations on Zoom by the Virginia Academy of Science and its partners, including the Fairfax County … Continued
Deer hunting approved for several Annandale-area parks
Signs like this one, in Holmes Run Stream Valley, are posted in parks approved for deer hunting. Fairfax County’s annual archery program to cull the deer population starts Sept. 12 and runs through Feb. 20, 2021. Bow hunters who meet certain qualifications are allowed to shoot deer from temporary deer stands installed in trees in … Continued
Residents can help prevent beetle invasion
There’s a killer on the loose in Fairfax County and residents can help catch it. The Asian Longhorned Beetle is an invasive species that attacks and kills many kings of shade trees, including its favorite, the maple. Staff of the county’s Urban Forest Management Division asks residents to keep an eye out for this insect … Continued
Bear spotted in Annandale
The bear takes a rest in an Annandale backyard. A young black bear has been spotted in Annandale in recent days – on Garlot Drive in the Camelot neighborhood, Lutrell Road, and Queen Elizabeth Boulevard – and further west, on El James Drive, Red Fox Drive, and other locations in the Braddock District. The bear … Continued
Deer season in local parks starts Sept. 7
Backyard fawns. The 2019-20 Fairfax County deer management season starts Saturday, Sept. 7 and will end Feb. 22. The county allows groups to use archery to reduce the deer population in designated parks. Archery is allowed in 113 Fairfax County parks during the 2019-20 season, including the following parks in the Annandale/Mason District area: Accotink … Continued
Swarm gathers on a Bee-M-W
Bees congregate on a car. [FCFRD] When someone contacted the West Annandale Fire Station about a bee swarm on a BMW parked at an office complex April 30, Capt. Dave Weand know what to do. “At times, people call the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department for a variety of non-fire or emergency medical situations … Continued
Baby squirrels who fall from their nests can be saved
Melissa the squirrel baby. When a Fairfax resident had a tree cut down, and a baby squirrel was found in a nest that had fallen to the ground, she contacted the Wildlife Rescue League to find out how to keep it alive. As the area was experiencing freezing temperatures at the time, she kept it … Continued
Deer hunting season under way in local parks
A couple of young deer in a park in Mason District. The Fairfax County archery program for reducing the deer population started Saturday, Sept. 8, and runs through Feb. 23, 2019. The program allows bow-hunting groups certified by the county to use archery to kill deer in designated parks. Signs like this one are posted at … Continued
You’re invited: Join a mussel rescue party
Volunteers save mussels at Accotink Creek. [FACC] By Tony Vellucci The Friends of Accotink Creek (FACC) invite you to join their party this summer – a mussel rescue party! At one time, fresh water mussels are believed to have inhabited a number of streams in Fairfax County. Today, however, the only place Accotink watershed stream … Continued
Coyote kills dog in Parklawn area
There coyotes are in the Parklawn area but it is not known if they were responsible for the recent attack. [FCPD] Animal protection officers with the Fairfax County Police Department have installed nine cameras in the Parklawn community after a coyote killed a small dog there earlier this month. There is no cause for alarm, … Continued
Vernal pools sustain habitats for wildlife
The group gathers for a tour of vernal pools near Lake Accotink. By Dave Lincoln and Beverley Rivera of Friends of Accotink Creek On a recent sunny April afternoon, educator and vernal pool expert Michael Hayslett led a captivating exploration of vernal pools in the Accotink Creek watershed. Vernal pools, also known as ephemeral pools, … Continued
Coyote kills small dog
Rufus A small dog has been attacked and killed by a wild animal, most likely a coyote, in the Broyhill Crest neighborhood in Annandale. Mary Trice let her dog, a seven-year-old male neutered Maltese named Rufus, outside for a bathroom break on Dec. 10, and he never returned. She found his partially eaten body the … Continued