Tag: wildlife
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
Scene around A-Town: a red-tailed hawk
When a red-tailed hawk dropped in to visit the bird bath at Bob Kovacs’s home in the Columbia Pines community in Annandale, Bob had his camera ready and got this shot.
County to spray Mason District Park to eradicate fall cankerworms
Fall cankerworm caterpillars. [Virginia Department of Forestry photo] Fairfax County urban foresters will begin aerial spraying to suppress fall cankerworm caterpillars around the third week in April. A total of 2,200 acres will be treated, including 61 acres in Mason District encompassing the southern half of Mason District Park in Annandale between Oak Hill Drive … Continued
Sen. Marsden’s Richmond report: My legislative agenda
By Sen. Dave Marsden The 2014 General Assembly session has hit the crossover point, where all the bills passed by the Senate cross over to the House of Delegates and vice versa. This is traditionally thought of as the halfway point for the session. Transition of power The 2014 session will be remembered for many … Continued
State lawmakers update Annandale residents on actions in Richmond
Virginia General Assembly For the Democratic legislators that represent the Annandale/Mason area in the Virginia General Assembly, it’s been nearly impossible to get anything passed by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates. Nevertheless, Del. Kaye Kory, Sen. Dave Marsden, and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw have been able to make some limited progress, they told constituents … Continued
Be alert for ‘downed birds’
An eared grebe in Fairfax County. Fairfax County Animal Services Division has have received several reports of “downed birds” around the county. They appear to be eared grebes that likely have been thrown off their migratory track due to recent frigid weather. They have webbed feet and typically swim and fly. They are not accustomed … Continued
Fairfax City approves sterilization program to curb deer population
A deer in Annandale Community Park. The City of Fairfax has approved a pilot program for humanely controlling the deer population by removing the ovaries from females, but don’t expect Fairfax County to do this any time soon. Getting the program underway has been a huge bureaucratic nightmare, said Anthony J. DiNicola, a wildlife ecologist … Continued
Hunters who violated rules suspended from bow hunting program
A sign warning the public about bow hunting at the entrance to a park in Annandale. Five hunters have been suspended from Fairfax County’s archery program to control the deer population following an incident with a Parklawn resident Nov. 16. Karen Corbett was at the playground in Heywood Glen Park near Holmes Run Stream Valley … Continued
November is the top month for deer-vehicle collisions
A car damaged in a collision with a deer. [FCPD photo] Be careful driving. November is deer breeding season, which means there are more deer on the roadways. In November 2012, there were 27 deer-vehicle collisions in Fairfax County, which is more than another month, reports the Fairfax County Police Department. December had the next-highest … Continued
Fairfax County needs to use humane methods to control deer population
A young deer in Luria Park in Annandale. By Melissa Klein There was a packed house of rapt animal welfare advocates at the quarterly luncheon hosted by Sandy Lerner at her Ayrshire Farm estate in Upperville, Va., recently. The riveting topic was an exciting new approach in managing wildlife called Deer Spay, or more technically … Continued
Overuse of pesticides is killing off bees essential for pollination
Dead bees under trees sprayed in a mall in Wilsonville, Ore. [Photo by Rich Hatfield of the Xerces Society.] By Deanna Crumbling In Wilsonville, Ore., on June 17, it was discovered that a chemical weapon of mass destruction had left over 25,000 carcasses in the parking lot of a shopping center, and the bodies were … Continued
Deer hunting in Annandale starts Sept. 7
Roundtree Park on Annandale Road. Only two people attended the public meeting on Fairfax County’s deer hunting program Aug. 20. Maybe the low turnout had to do with the inconvenient time, 6 p.m., and remote location at the Fairfax County South County Center on Richmond Highway, which is nearly as far as Mount Vernon. The … Continued
No local public meetings on deer archery program scheduled for Annandale
Deer in Green Spring Gardens. Annandale residents concerned about Fairfax County’s decision to allow the use of archery to control the deer population in several Mason District parks are encouraged to attend one of two upcoming public meetings. Unfortunately, neither of these sessions on the 2013-14 archery program is actually in the Mason area. The … Continued
Farewell to ‘Darling,’ the nature center snake
Darling swallows a mouse. An eastern rat snake that had lived at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale for 20 years has passed away. Naturalists don’t name exhibit animals—because they aren’t pets and shouldn’t be humanized—but staff members referred to the snake as Darling. He arrived in 1993, when a homeowner found some snake eggs … Continued