Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas
The long-awaited day has finally arrived – the Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas website is now live! You can find the link to a description of its current content and a peek at what is to come in this update.
You all will note many familiar names as contributors, compilers, and volunteers to include members of our Friends group and regular Monday Morning bird walk group: Kurt Gaskill, Larry Cartwright, Harry Glasgow, Joann and Powell Huitton, Ben Jesup, Cathy and George Ledec, Sally Lindfors, Betsy martin, Tom Nardone, Greg Butcher and Linda Fuller and others!
Come and See!
2025 Friends of Huntley Meadows Park
Photo Contest & Fundraiser
The Results Are Here!
The winners are in! Congratulations to the winners of this year's Huntley Meadows Photo Contest. We will be posting some or all of the winning photos, but all photos are on display at the Visitors Center through 28 February. Stop by and vote for your favorite photo entry for our "People's Choice Award".
And THANK YOU to all the participants. Photos are for sale and photographers are donating 100% of the proceeds to FOHMP to support the park. THANK YOU to all photographers and those who purchase their amazing work.
- First PLace
Shawn Thomas - Sentinel in Mist - Second Place Robert Weston - Morning Meditation
- Third Place Parker Thomas - Happy Quack Snack
Overall
- First Place Youth Parker Thomas - Happy Quack Snack
- Second Place Youth Sean Featherly - Butterflies
Youth
- Linda Ashley Green Treefrog
- Beth Howell Autumn Aura
- Beth Howell Elusive Visitor
- David Kravitz Soaking Up the Morning Light
- David Kravitz Caruso Wren
- Amy Pilgrim Scout's Smile
- Rena Schild Winter Woods
- Rena Schild Hitchin' a Ride
- Parker Thomas Sunset Perch
- Shawn Thomas Nuts
Homorable Mention
First Hike Fairfax Photo Contest
The amazingly popular First Hike Fairfax Photo Contest returns for 2026! Grab your coats and cameras and join the fun on New Year’s Day along more than 334 miles of Park Authority trails.
PARTICIPATION IS SIMPLE:
Visit any FCPA trail on Thursday, January 1, 2026. Take a photo to commemorate the experience and submit it online before Noon on Friday, January 2. The photo submission link will be posted here by 7 a.m. on January 1, 2026.
Win prizes in one of the following seven categories; prizes are sponsored by the Fairfax County Park Foundation:
- People’s Choice: $100 Park Authority Gift Card or 25-visit FCPA Rec Center Discount Fast Pass (valued at $175)
- Judges’ Choice: $100 Park Authority Gift Card or 25-visit FCPA Rec Center Discount Fast Pass (valued at $175)
- Director’s Choice: $100 Park Authority Gift Card
- Best in Show (Scenery/Landscapes): $75 Park Authority Gift Card
- Best in Show (People): $75 Park Authority Gift Card
- Best in Show (Wildlife): $75 Park Authority Gift Card
- Best in Show (Pets): $75 Park Authority Gift Card
PHOTO CONTEST RULES:
- First Hike Fairfax is open to amateur and professional photographers.
- Photos must be taken on a Park Authority trail on Thursday, January 1, 2026
- Submissions must be made online. A link will be provided above by 7 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2025.
- Only one photo entry per person will be accepted (multiple family members may submit photos individually).
- Photos must be in JPG format (no bigger than 5MB is preferred)
- Contest submissions must clearly indicate the date and what Park Authority trail the photo was taken.
- See full contest rules.
Need inspiration?
See all photo submissions for First Hike 2025!
Celebrating 50 Years
Compiled by Carolyn Gamble
An interview project by Pax Linson
The Friends of Huntley Meadows Park Have Joined the Bird Safe NOVA Campaign
More than one billion birds die each year from human-made causes. Even though Huntley Meadows Park does not have lights and buildings that pose threats to birds, the threats that the birds face elsewhere in northern Virginia and beyond have a direct impact on our park’s population of birds. The FOHMP have joined the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, Nature Forward, DarkSky NOVA, DarkSky Virginia, Friends of Dyke Marsh, and Friends of Little Hunting Creek in a partnership, Bird Safe NOVA, which will work to reduce the devastating toll that our built-up environment has on birds
Lights Out for Birds
Bird Safe NOVA Campaign
President's Message
Don't Forget the Plants
By Ben Jesup
Photo by Ben Jesup
We often focus on the amazing fauna at Huntley Meadows Park (HMP). People come from all over the world for the birds, various amazing mammals (beaver, otter, raccoon, and too many deer), and herps (turtles, snakes, the sometimes-deafening choruses of frogs and toads evident as I write this in April). Some folks appreciate the beautiful butterflies, dragonflies, and other insects that inhabit the Park. (We even have a book about the dragonflies in HMP!)
But don’t forget about the flora. Plants are the base of the ecological pyramid on which all the fauna depends. Some are obvious to those strolling on the trails and boardwalks: the towering oaks that support many species of insects and the crimson-eyed rose mallows that profusely decorate the wetlands in the summer. Others are obscure but fascinating, like the several species of terrestrial orchid that are occasionally seen. Some are both showy and rare, like the state-threatened purple milkweed. I encourage everyone to get to know the plants of Huntley Meadows. In addition to taking a walk with one of the naturalists, anyone with a phone can use one of several apps such as Seek to identify plants from the HMP trails. Knowing the name of a plant is the first step in learning more about it and its place in the ecosystem.
Not all flora has a place in HMP—we struggle with numerous nonnative-introduced species. Japanese stiltgrass is perhaps the most obvious, but mile-a-minute, barberry, English Ivy, Japanese honeysuckle, porcelain berry, wineberry, and others crowd out native plants and provide little or no value to the habitat. We can all help to address nonnative species by volunteering at county-sponsored nonnative removal efforts and by eliminating nonnatives and replacing them with natives on our own properties.
The Virginia Native Plant Society’s website includes a discussion of the plant life at Huntley Meadows by the Board’s own Karla Jamir: https://vnps.org/virginia-native-plant-registry-sites/huntley-meadows/
Humans Can Shape the Land Over Time
By: Celia Boertlein
Photo credit: Suzanne Lepple.
Sunday, May 5 dawned as a drizzly day, but it still attracted over 300 visitors to Huntley Meadows Park for our premier annual event, “Wetlands Awareness Day.” This year’s theme was “Humans can shape the land over time.” The 4-hour event featured a presentation by Secret Gardens Birds and Bees, who shared their wildlife education program/exhibit with live birds of prey. Hidden Oaks and Hidden Pond Nature Centers brought a fascinating selection of their live reptiles and amphibians to see. Interactive displays and activities were spread along the mile and a half of walking trails through forested and open wetlands, which included the wetland boardwalk and wildlife observation tower.
Family and friends came to learn all about wetland ecology, local history (both natural and human) and the importance of wetlands for both wildlife and water quality. Many visitors took advantage of the shuttle buses running every half hour to and from Groveton Elementary School and the Park.
The Friends of Huntley Meadows Park (FOHMP) co-sponsored the event, while Wegmans provided FOHMP with a substantial gift card to cover much of the cost of food provided to the volunteers and staff. Special guests included FCPA Executive Director Jai Cole and Fairfax County Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk. Many thanks to all who made this event possible. None of this could have been possible without the support of 22 volunteers, members of 25 outside organizations, 16 Huntley staffers and 17 other Fairfax County Governments staff members.
Who We Are
The Friends of Huntley Meadows Park was founded in 1985 and is a nonprofit organization of individuals dedicated to the protection of Fairfax County's premier wetland wildlife sanctuary.
FOHMP was organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes and operates under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Monday Morning Birdwalk
The Monday Morning Bird Walk is sponsored by the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park and takes place every Monday at 7 a.m. April-September and 8 a.m. October-March. Following the walk, members of the group gather at the nearby Denny's for breakfast and to compile the morning's bird list. All are welcome.
Recent Visits and EBird Lists of Birds
Birders meet in the parking lot at the Park's entrance at 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA. Questions should be directed to Park staff during normal business hours at (703) 768-2525.
Friends of Historic Huntley
Friends of Historic Huntley is a non-profit citizen group committed to working with the Fairfax County Park Authority to assure the preservation, restoration and appropriate use of Historic Huntley and to enhance the public’s knowledge of the site and the broader historic development of the neighborhood.
FOHH Website
Join FOHH
Newsletter
Huntley Meadows
Volunteer of the Year
At the Volunteer Recognition Ceremony, held on Saturday, October 25, and sponsored by the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park, our very own, Liz Train, President of FOHMP, was the recipient of the Annual Ken Howard Volunteer of the Year award.
