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Wetlands
Awareness Day
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Huntley Meadows Park
Sunday May 5, 2013
Noon to 4pm
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Celebrate
wetland education & conservation!
Naturalist interpretation
on the boardwalk
Meet a raptor
Kids Fun Fair (small fee)
Face painting
Rain or
Shine Free! Fun
for all ages
Bring your
camera
For more
information about the event, call
Huntley Meadows Park Visitor Center
(703) 768- 2525
Co- sponsored by Friends of Huntley Meadows Park
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Who
We Are
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Founded
in 1985, Friends of Huntley Meadows Park is a nonprofit organization
of individuals dedicated to the protection of Fairfax County's
premier wetland wildlife sanctuary. The more than 400 members
represent an active influential voice for the Park and for
open space throughout the county.
Officers:
President: Catherine (Cathy) Ledec
Vice President: Sarah Stromayer
Secretary: Karla Jamir
Treasurer: Suzanne Lepple |
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Monday
Morning Birdwalk
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The Monday Birdwalk takes place every
week, rain or shine, at 7 AM, is free of charge, requires
no reservation, and is open to all.
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.
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Wood
Ducks and Mergansers
2013
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February 24, 2013
Every year, or so it seems, the birds start nesting earlier.
We have 7 Hooded Merganser eggs in box #1, and another
hoodie flushed from box #10. Photographers also report
that a Wood Duck drake has also been hanging about this
area at the beginning of the boardwalk.
We checked the other boxes in the wetland
and topped up the wood chips. Box #6 looks to be in serviceable
condition -- no need to replace it this year. The latch
on #62 is troublesome, as it has swollen and rusted in the
weather; I will look for a screw-lock ring that fits it
better.
March 31, 2013
It's high season: we have 10 boxes incubating,
and 2 more with eggs that we will hope will turn into ducks,
evenly divided bewteen Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers.
So we actually won't have that many boxes to check next
time, since those that are incubating won't be hatched yet.
April 7, 2013
A quick look into a half dozen boxes. Whereas #62, which
started inauspiciously, now has an incubating Wood Duck, we're
not as optimistic about #13, as the 8 eggs there are not
yet being incubated. We expect to report lots of hatching
activity from our May trip.
2012 Final Report
The birds made good use of the boxes this year, especially
the two new ones that we installed in February. In 16 boxes,
we had 12 nesting attempts, all of them successful. No dump
nests: our largest clutch was a combined Wood Duck/Hooded
Merganser nest with 18 eggs, of which 16 hatched.
The mergs continue to produce more than the woodies for
the third year running. 70 HM eggs laid, 63 hatched; 57
WD eggs laid, 46 hatched. The count for the woodies is probably
a little low, as we had one box where we never did get a
complete egg count. The Wood Ducks made as many nests as
the Hooded Mergansers (5 each, with 2 mixed), but their
clutches were, on the average, smaller.
Click
here for a summary ( raw data) of 2012
Click
here for historical data from 1982 through 2012
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Resource
Management Volunteers
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The volunteer run RMV Program at Huntley
Meadows park is hosting the following upcoming workday
events. All are welcome, but must RSVP for meeting location
and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
More
Information About the RMV Program (PDF)
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Park
Manager Walk & Talk
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Park
Manager Walk & Talk
and Wetland Project Update
- One Saturday each month -
Meet in the Huntley Meadows Park visitor center
(off Lockhead Blvd.)
May 11, 4-6pm
June 15, 5-7pm
July20, 5-7pm
Join park manager Kevin Munroe on a walk.
Share questions and concerns about the park, find out
about the wetlands restoration project and look for the
wildlife for which the park is well known.
FREE
Have questions about the wetland restoration project?
Visit the county website,
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntley-meadows-park/restorationproject.htm
to view the following information:
Arial Photography, Topography Map, Site
Succession Time-line, Power Points and Public Comments,
Project Guidelines and Components, Conceptual Drawing,
Site Plan Rough Draft - viewing info. & discussion
meetings, Program Dates and Descriptions
For more information,
please call Huntley Meadows Park at 703-768-2525, email
the park manager at
kevin.munroe@fairfaxcounty.gov or stop by and visit
us.
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The
Park
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3701 Lockheed Blvd.
Alexandria, Va. 22306
703-768-2525
Nestled
in Fairfax County's Hybla Valley, Huntley
Meadows Park is a rich,
natural island in the vast suburban sea of Northern
Virginia. Its 1,500+ acres harbor majestic mature forests,
wildflower speckled meadows and acres of wetlands bursting
with life. It is ideal wildlife habitat for beaver,
otter, heron, ducks, deer, many songbird and butterfly
varieties, as well as a host of other animals.
Operated
by the Fairfax
County Park Authority , Huntley Meadows is
forever preserved in a natural state for hiking, biking,
wildlife watching, relaxing and discovering.
Facilities
include a Visitor Center with exhibits and auditorium,
a 1/2 mile boardwalk wetland trail, 2-mile interpretive
trail system and wildlife observation tower
Click
Here for Visitor Center Hours and Directions to the Park
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