Life in Huntley
March 17, 2010
With the retreat of winter at hand, life is returning to Virginia. The chirping of insects and the sight of budding plants is just the beginning of things to come. Wednesday I took advantage of the weather to explore Huntley Meadows Park. With temperatures in the upper 60s for the first time in a while, I couldn’t have asked for a better day to be out.
One of the most overwhelming presences in the park right now belongs to frogs. The sheer volume of their calls right now is amazing. As I approached the boardwalk section of the trail, I saw a flurry of activity in the water some distance away as a rolling wave of frogs jumped for their preferred hiding spots. Despite the constant hum of their calls along the trail, I only managed to get close to one, shown above. Read the rest of this entry »
Holmes Run report and photo update
February 20, 2010
Birds, birds, birds! That seems to be all I’m getting these days. Don’t get me wrong – I think they’re great. I just crave a little variety thrown in the mix.
On Thursday I returned to Holmes Run Park, hoping the snow would have cleared to a point where easy navigation would have been possible, but that wasn’t the case. Read the rest of this entry »
Birding in Holmes Run Park
February 11, 2010
Over the past few days several large snowstorms have swept through the area. Although traveling over much distance was difficult, I was able to make some successful birding runs on Holmes Run Park.
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) in Holmes Run Park
Most of what I observed I’ve seen plenty of times before, but I was able to get some different perspectives. Read the rest of this entry »
Heron FAIL (VIDEO)
February 8, 2010
I considered combining this video with another post, but I wouldn’t want you to miss it after a break, so I’ll just let it stand on its own. Enjoy.
Friday’s trek through Holmes Run Park
February 6, 2010
Although we’re in the middle of dealing with record snowfall right now, it didn’t begin so dramatically.
Friday I spent several hours checking out Holmes Run Park in Alexandria as the snow began to fall. It was a great outing simply due to the fact that there was no wind. Wind is a definite killer when the temperature is hovering below freezing. Read the rest of this entry »
Snow heron (VIDEO)
February 6, 2010
While I sit here, snowed in, I thought I would share a video from yesterday’s outing. More posts are on the way.
Snowy scan of Huntley Meadows
February 1, 2010
Monday evening I had a pleasant visit at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, but didn’t have much in the way of wildlife sightings.
With an abundance of snow still along much of the path and entirely covering the ground within the woods, I thought it would be simple to notice wildlife. Generally speaking, I was wrong. Read the rest of this entry »
Surprised by a hawk – 100th post!
January 22, 2010
Before getting into this post, I wanted to note that this is my 100th entry for this site. It’s been a pleasure and I’m looking forward to many more adventures ahead. Now on with the post!
Every day is different, even if exploring the same area. Thursday I visited Holmes Run Park in Alexandria and had a few unexpected finds, both animal and of the park in general. Read the rest of this entry »
New bird and book happenings
January 20, 2010
Tuesday evening I made my way back to Huntley Meadows Park to see what a dusk shoot was like.
Despite seeing little in the woods, I began to hear constant noise of chirps and motion once I approached the boardwalk. As I walked that area, Red-winged Blackbirds, Downy Woodpeckers and tons of sparrows moved among the reeds. Read the rest of this entry »
Exploring Huntley Meadows Park
January 18, 2010
Monday morning I explored a new site in Alexandria, Huntley Meadows Park, and was very pleased with the diversity of environments and number of birds.
A male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) sings in Huntley Meadows Park on Monday shortly after sunrise.
Around 7:40 I hit the trails and started walking through the woods. The park is situated on a freshwater wetlands area and the paths take you either through the forest or over the water. While mammals were few and far between, birds were a different story. Read the rest of this entry »
