Tag: wildlife
Archers take 26 deer in local parks so far during 2015-16 hunting season
Since Fairfax County’s deer hunting season started Sept. 12, 26 deer have been “harvested” in parks in the Annandale/Mason area. According to data provided by Katherine Edwards, wildlife management specialist with the Fairfax County Police Department, archers certified by the county have reported the following results for local parks: Accotink Stream Valley Park: 5 deer … Continued
Scene around A-Town: a fox in the woods
Spotted this guy on the Glavis property off Sleepy Hollow Road.
Scene around A-Town: a big snapper
Snapping turtles bite. [Photo by Kristel Wilson] This large snapping turtle was sighted by Kristel Wilson by the footbridge on the Holmes Run trail near Valleycrest Drive in Annandale. She estimates it was about a foot and a-half long and at one point started chasing her with its mouth wide open. If you see it, … Continued
Deer sharpshooting approved for Annandale Community Park
Deer at Annandale Community Park. The Fairfax County deer hunting program is expanding again this year. Two new parks have been added in Mason District for bow hunting – Bren Mar Park and Turkey Cock Run, both in the Alexandra area – and for the first time sharpshooting will take place in Annandale Community Park. … Continued
Rabid raccoon attacks man
Fairfax County Animal Control officers distributed rabies information to residents of the Kings Park area today after a man was attacked by a rabid raccoon in the 5300 block of Kings Park Drive on Sunday, June 7. The man was working in his garden around 12:30 p.m. when a raccoon quietly approached him from behind … Continued
Get free milkwood seeds at Hidden Oaks to help save monarch butterflies
A monarch on milkweed. Have you seen a lot of monarch butterflies this spring? Probably not, because the monarch population is in serious decline. Milkweed plants, the only food monarch caterpillars eat, is fast disappearing due to loss of habitat as vacant land is developed. To help save monarchs, the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in … Continued
Eakin Park project raises concerns about threat to frogs
A frog in Eakin Park. [Photos by Gary Rubin] Preparation for a construction project near the pond in Eakin Park in Annandale has raised alarm bells that the frogs who breed in a vernal pool nearby might be danger. Gary Rubin, who lives near Eakin Park, says his children enjoy watching the frogs and tadpoles … Continued
Local resident bitten by copperhead
Zoya Melnichenko was watering her flowers when she was bit by a copperhead. [Photo by Steve Barrett] Getting bitten by a copperhead is rare in Fairfax County, but it happened a couple of weeks ago right here in Mason District. And that should serve as a warning to other residents who spend a lot of … Continued
Scene around A-Town: Foxes!
The two babies in their den. Michael Thomas, a resident of Broyhill Crest in Annandale, took these photos and video of a fox family, with a mother and two kits, in his backyard. “They seem healthy and happy,” he says. Baby foxes are born with dark fur, which lightens as they mature. The kits in … Continued
Sharpshooters take down seven deer at Green Spring Gardens
Deer at Green Spring Gardens. Fifty deer were killed in Mason District parks during the 2014-15 season, including seven shot by sharpshooters at Green Spring Gardens, says Katherine Edwards, the wildlife management specialist for Fairfax County. Archers using crossbows were responsible for the rest. Edwards gave a presentation at the third and final installment of … Continued
Fish kill at Holmes Run
A couple of people who regularly fish in Holmes Run reported a fish kill in recent days, but inspection teams from the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) did not find any dead fish. One person who went fishing at Holmes Run on Jan. 1 saw “a whole lot of fish … Continued
Deer hunting in local parks starts tomorrow
A notice about deer hunting. Fairfax County’s program using archery to reduce the deer population begins tomorrow, Sept. 6, and runs through Feb. 21, 2015. Under the program, approved groups of hunters are allowed to hunt deer in parks throughout the county, including several in the Annandale area: The “Annandale Cluster,” covering the White Gardens … Continued
Public support needed for humane deer management program
The Deer Spay program in action. [Photo by Tom Jackman] If you live around the City of Fairfax, you might be surprised to see deer with “bling.” The deer wearing ear tags were part of a groundbreaking sterilization effort undertaken last winter called Deer Spay. That was the first time the Deer Spay approach was … Continued
Fundraising campaign aimed at protecting the Kingstowne turtles
Turtles “playing Frogger” on Kingstown Village Parkway are in danger of getting hit by cars. The situation is also dangerous for drivers who risk causing an accident as they try to avoid hitting the turtles—as well as the people running onto the road to help them. Jessica Bowser, a resident of Kingstowne in the Alexandria … Continued
Effective, safe mosquito control requires more brains than brawn
Yard signs from mosquito control companies. [photo by Friends of Accotink Creek] By Elizabeth Kirchner A yard sign advertisement shows a muscular cartoon warrior wielding a backpack sprayer blasting a towering spear-stingered mosquito: Insecticide “fogging” to control mosquitoes in summertime backyards seems powerful and effective, but specialists—even representatives of insect-control industries, Fairfax County, and the … Continued