Trash Cleanup Along the Potomac River Shoreline and in Dyke Marsh, January 16th

Photo: A Dyke Marsh inlet by Ned Stone.

Help collect trash along the Potomac River shoreline and in Dyke Marsh on Martin Luther King Day of Service, January 16, at 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

Register at https://forms.office.com/g/rPAPXU4DLV

On January 16, go to one of two check-in stations:  one near the Belle Haven Park south parking lot and one at the Haul Road trail bulletin board. The National Park Service and the Friends of Dyke Marsh (FODM) will provide some gloves, tools, trash bags and hand sanitizer.

Wear a pair of sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, gloves and sun protection. Bring water.  FODM kindly ask that you not bring pets.

Help Control Invasive Plants with the Friends of Dyke Marsh – January, February and March

Photo: Earth Sangha

Join the Friends of Dyke Marsh (FODM) at 10 a.m. on these dates and help tackle invasive plants: January 7 and 16, February 4 and 18 and March 4 and 18.

Meet at the Haul Road Trail entrance bulletin board. Bring water, gloves, hand clippers and a lopper, if you have one. FODM will supply instructions, examples of targeted plants and trash bags. They will have a few hand clippers and loppers to share. Wear long sleeves and pants and sturdy shoes.

Sign up by sending an email to [email protected] and put “Invasive Plants” in the subject box. Indicate your preferred date(s). They kindly ask that you not bring pets.

Team Table Time

It was a great way to spend a day – collaborating behind the Nature Forward Table at the Hybla Valley Community Center.
Hybla Valley is designated as an Opportunity Neighborhood in Fairfax County. United Community, a non-profit organization, hosted the holiday season outreach event handing out 100s of toys, a nutritional lunch, and a tremendous amount of information on community area services (police, health, assistance) to 700+ visitors.

The Nature Forward tables focused on the Little Hunting Creek watershed area that runs through Huntley Meadows Park and the Hybla Valley area out to the Potomac River. The tables included a Macro-invertebrates game and display to emphasize the importance of clean water in the neighborhood. A native leaf rubbing station for the kids, resource information for the adults and, boxes of free kid nature and seasonal story books. We counted 306 visitors to our table; I think the ‘bugs’ drew in a lot kids and their families.

Jo working the floor. Photo Jerry Nissley

The coordinator for Nature Forward was the gracious Renee Grebe and it was great to work with ARMN volunteers Eileen Miller and Eric Weyer. The team was rounded out by FMN reps Jo Doumbia and Jerry Nissley.

The team set up Nature Forward’s macro-invertebrates spin-wheel game, along with resin macro cubes (encasing real macros!), talked up their Water Keepers of Little Hunting Creek programming, and handed out flyers as the visitors streamed by.

Santa, of course. Photo Jerry Nissley

Renee was very appreciative to have FOUR master naturalists at the table that could talk specifically about macro-invertebrates and how they are an indicator species of water quality. Macro-invertebrates are literally one of Eric’s specialties and he could tell a good story. Eileen and Jo had both helped with Nature Forward in the past and were very familiar with their objectives and messaging. They are all wonderful communicators and Jo provided additional benefit by being able to translate materials for the predominantly Spanish speaking guests.
Toys, Santa, buena comida, joy, and bug science! A lot of smiles left the building that day.

Observations in Nest Engineering

Article and photos by FMN Stephen Tzikas

Feature photo:  Eastern Bluebird nest, Box 3. May 1, 2021, Langley Fork Park.

Animals can have fairly skilled abilities, like that of a beaver building a dam, wasps constructing a hive, an octopus maintaining a garden to hide and reinforce its den entrance, or a bird building a nest. Birds can build nests in a variety of areas, urban or rural.

In 2021, I volunteered to become a bluebird monitor at the Langley Fork Park, in McLean, VA. It is one of the great variety of master naturalist programs available to volunteers. I was partial to it primarily because I had a pet parakeet as a child and knew how extremely intelligent and friendly these birds are. In 2022, I became the trail leader.

The Virginia Bluebird Society’s monitoring program offers a great opportunity to see new born birds very close. It’s not just the birds I find interesting, but also their nests. My favorite Bluebird monitoring document is found at this link from the North American Bluebird Society:

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/PDF/NABSFactsheetMonitoring.pdf

It is a useful document that discusses the identification of birds, eggs, and nests.

House Wren nest, Box 9, July 16, 2021, Langley Fork Park.

It’s all fascinating and perhaps the most interesting to me, as an engineer, is how nests are made. Each species has a unique nest. One might ask why and how? I haven’t found too much literature on why each type of bird builds a nest the way they do. So I will speculate a bit.   At Langley Fork Park the Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds are the most successful birds inhabiting the boxes, with the Tree Swallows having a slight edge. In 2021, we had one successful House Wren nesting event. While maintaining the bird boxes this Fall, I noticed a mouse built a nest in a birdbox surrounded by overground shrubs, which allowed it to reach the entrance.

Eastern Bluebirds build neat, cup shaped, woven nests of fine grass or pine needles. Tree Swallows

Tree Swallow nest, Box 5, May 21, 2022, Langley Fork Park.

build nests of coarser grass lined with feathers. Their cup is flatter than those of Eastern Bluebirds. House Wrens build haphazard nests of twigs, occasionally lined with feathers. House Wrens pile twigs creating a cavity in which they choose to nest, acting as a barrier between nest and entrance. House Wrens can be fierce competitors for nest sites, but generally speaking, the House Wren, as a species not as competitive as the Eastern Bluebird or Tree Swallow, has a security structure embedded as part of its nest.

Birds can also build unlined eggless “dummy nests” in nearby boxes to reduce competition. Dummy nests are also built by males, perhaps to offer the females some choices on her preferred location and once chosen, can be finalized.

From the Factsheet link I provided, the mouse has a messy nest. Mice usually make their nest from a variety of materials, such as grass, leaves, hair, feathers, shredded bark, moss, cotton, or shredded cloth. My son had a gerbil as a pet. I can say gerbils are not as intelligent as birds. Given this observation of their fellow rodent, and that mice are quite timid and scared, their nests are conducive to hiding. A mouse did not make a quiver when I opened a bluebird box weeks after the end of a season and found a mouse nest. Its nest was built to hide at all costs. Upon emptying the nest the mouse quickly ran away.

House Wren nest, Box 9, side view from 2021 season.

Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows, who are competitive and successful, perhaps have the luxury to build a more comfortable nest given their abilities to defend their turf. The Eastern Bluebird, perhaps being particularly skilled, can find those extra soft grass blades and soft twigs, being quite comfortable for a refined nest for their hatchlings. The Tree Swallow, who includes some coarser twigs, can make up in their selection of cushy feathers to keep their young nestlings comfortable.

If birds were people, we might amusingly attribute the following characters to their work:

  • Eastern Bluebirds – build with “engineering precision”
  • Tree Swallows – build with warmth and comfort
  • House Wrens – build with safety and security

 

Please Join One or All of The Wonderful Late Afternoon Winter Walks Scheduled at Huntley Meadows Park, December and January

Photo: FMN J. Quinn, Huntley Meadows Park

Wetland at Dusk Walk

Saturday  , December 17, 2022
4:15  – 5:45 PM
Cost: $10.00

Activity details and registration information.

Join park naturalists for a relaxing stroll through the park’s forest and wetland paths. Look and listen for wildlife settling down or waking up during the transition of day to night.

 

Winter Solstice Evening Walk

Tuesday, December 20, 2022
4:15 – 5:45 PM
Cost: $9.00

Activity details and registration information.

Celebrate the first day of winter and shortest day of the year with a Park Naturalist for an outing into the forest and wetland at sunset on this December evening. We will look and listen for signs of nocturnal wildlife.

 

Wildlife Walk at Huntley Meadows

Friday, January 6, 2023
3:30 – 5:00 PM
Cost: $9.00

Activity details and registration information.

Enjoy a naturalist guided walk through the forested trails and wetland boardwalk. Look and listen for seasonally active wildlife like birds, frogs, turtles, dragonflies, muskrats and more. Touch biofacts like turtle shells and snakeskin. Each season brings different wildlife into view, what will you discover?

 

Twilight Boardwalk Stroll

Saturday, January 7, 2023
4:30  – 6:00 PM
Cost: $10.00

Activity details and registration information.

Join a park naturalist for a guided walk along the forested paths to the wetland and experience the park as it transitions from day into night. Watch and listen for beavers, owls and other nocturnal residents.

Hot Cocoa Wetland Night Hike

Sunday, January 8, 2023
4:30  – 6:00 PM
Cost: $10.00

Activity details and registration information.

Sip hot cocoa and join a naturalist for a special winter wonder wetland tour after dark.  Look for signs and listen for sounds of beavers, owls, deer and other nocturnal winter animals. We encourage program participants to bring their own mug to help us reduce waste.

 

HUNTLEY MEADOWS LOCATION

3701 Lockheed Blvd.
Alexandria, VA,

Map of Huntley Meadows Park

Review of Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps by Serian Sumner

Article by FMN Marilyn Schroeder

I loved Seirian Sumner’s new Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps and I think you will, too.

A behavior ecologist (of social insects), Sumner thinks wasps get a bad rap and wants everyone to love them the way she does. The book is both deeply scientific and a fun read.

Sumner covers wide-ranging aspects: wasp-human relationship (why don’t we like them?), wasp evolution, comparison of wasp species, solitary wasp hunting behavior, the benefits and behaviors of the social wasps, what wasps could do for us, and more.

Reading the book, I realized how little I knew about wasps and how fascinating they are. The book was published this year and includes state-of-the-art research results.

Winter Tree Identification Workshop, January 28th

Image: Courtesy of The Clifton Institute

Saturday, January 28, 2023
1-3 pm

The Clifton Institute
6712 Blantyre Road
Warrenton, Virginia 20187

Cost: $10 ($5 for Friends of the Clifton Institute)

Registration is required!

Winter is a great time of year to learn how to identify trees and to practice looking at bark and twigs. In this program, instructors will take you on a short walk in the woods and talk about the tips and tricks to identify the most common trees in the forests. This program is meant for beginners. Advanced botanists are welcome but you may teach the class more than the instructors teach you! If you would like to start practicing now or if you would like to bring some resources with you, we recommend the book Winter Tree Finder by May Theilgaard Watts and Tom Watts, the Flora of Virginia app, and the Virginia Tech Tree ID app.

Research Talk: American Kestrel Nesting Habitat, January 27th

Image: Courtesy of The Clifton Institute

Friday, January 27, 2023
7-8 pm
Virtual event
Cost: Free

Registration is required!

Join Executive Director Bert Harris to hear the latest on American Kestrel research. The researchers have been studying these declining falcons for two years and they have learned so much about the habitats the Kestrels use for hunting. Cattle pastures are preferred over all other kinds of fields and the researchers are trying to find out why. They also now know that at least some of northern Virginia’s kestrels are migratory and that their territories are smaller here than in other parts of North America. This research is a collaborative project with Joe Kolowski from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and Alan Williams. The work is funded by the Raines Family Fund, Nick Lapham, the Virginia Society of Ornithology, the Washington Biologists Field Club, and Janine Moseley.

A link to the Zoom meeting will be sent a few days prior to the talk. Please make sure your email address is up to date!

Join this meeting to hear the latest and learn how you can help kestrels.

Winter Bird Walks – Hosted by The Clifton Institute, January and February

Image: Courtesy of the Clifton Institute

Join The Clifton Institute for a series of Winter bird walks starting this January and February. They will be held on the second Wednesday and fourth Saturday of the month. Please click on the links below for additional details and registration information.

1 – 3 pm
8: 30 – 10:30 am
8 – 10 am
8:30 – 10:30 am
Cost: Free
Registration is required!

The Clifton Institute
6712 Blantyre Road
Warrenton, Virginia 20187

 

 

Pollinator Habitat 101 – 5-week webinar recordings

 Photo by Dr. Jim Cane, USDA ARS Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, Logan, Utah.

A 5-session webinar series held from October 14th through November 11th, 2022

Find readings, links and resources for each session under the Learn With Us tab.

Doug Tallamy, University of Delaware
Pollinators’ Best Hope: A New Approach to Pollinator Habitat That Starts in Your Yard

Harland Patch, Penn State University
Creating Pollinator Gardens: The Role of Plant Choice and Design

Heather Holm, Author and Biologist
Creating and Managing Habitat for Native Bees

Matthew Shepherd, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Deciding To Create a Pollinator Garden Is the Easy Step — What To Do Next?

Shana Byrd, The Dawes Arboretum
Getting Started with Wildflower Patches, Flower Strips, and Meadows

All webinars were recorded and posted on the PH101 website Recordings tab.

This program is funded in part by a USDA/NIFA Integrated Pest Management Pollinator Health grant. The webinars will be presented with automated closed captions. If you wish to request traditional CART services or other accommodations, please contact Denise Ellsworth at [email protected].