John’s Lutheran Church, a group of boys from Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Loyola University alumni, Notre Dame alumni and many other eager trash collectors.Ĭontinue Reading Bald Eagles Are Star Attractions Among the volunteers were Boy Scout Troop 1107 from St. The Friends of Dyke Marsh had check-in stations at Belle Haven Park and at the Haul Road trail entrance. On April 13, 2019, 65 enthusiastic volunteers of all ages tackled trash in Dyke Marsh and along the Potomac River shoreline, as part of the annual Ferguson Foundation trash cleanup. This effort was led by Dan Schwartz, Ashley Palmer and Ben Rhoades of the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD). On a sunny April 16, 2019, for the third year, four FODMers helped conduct habitat quality testing in an unnamed stream flowing through Mount Vernon Park into west Dyke Marsh. Liz Dennison from Secret Garden Birds and Bees brought a barred owl ( Strix varia), two Eastern screech owls ( Megascops asio), a red-tailed hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis) and a red-shouldered hawk ( Buteo lineatus), birds that had been injured and cannot survive on their own.Ĭontinue Reading FODMers Investigate the Habitat Quality of a Stream On April 20, 2019, 250 people of all ages, from babies in snugglies to seniors, were wowed by raptors at the annual Friends of Dyke Marsh (FODM) Raptor Rapture event in Belle Haven Park by the Potomac River. Jennifer Gough, one of the teachers, reported, “We saw a snake, which the kids were thrilled about!” They were also excited to see the bald eagle in the nest along the Haul Road trail.Ĭontinue Reading Raptors Enrapture 250 Fans Luke’s Day School classes had their annual field trip to Dyke Marsh on April 29, 2019. Thirty enthusiastic pre-school youngsters from two St. Mile-a-minute is also known as Asiatic tearthumb because it has prickly little thorns on the stems.Ĭontinue Reading Youngsters Delight in Dyke Marsh The plant, a pesky invasive, is forming mats that overwhelm valuable native plants.

On May 6, 2019, 10 FODMers worked hard to remove and control the aggressive plant, mile-a-minute ( Persicaria perfoliata), in the native plant area along the Haul Road trail in Dyke Marsh. Both sexes participate in ritual combat and the presence of an observer of the opposite sex intensifies the aggression, which may last for hours, with pauses.Ĭontinue Reading Moving in on Mile-a-Minute Northern flickers ( Colaptes auratus) are known for their elaborate ritual flights which involve tail flashing, bill pointing and circling as well as lunges and chase flights. Most of the time the postures assumed appear threatening but avoid serious contact or injury. Ritual combat is often used among birds to settle disputes over territories or mate selection. Sanders is the Network Program Manager for the National Park Service’s National Capital Region Inventory and Monitoring Network. The rate of relative sea level rise along the tidal Potomac River is around 3.33 millimeters a year according to long-term water level data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reported Geoffrey Sanders on May 15, 2019, to 65 people who attended FODM’s quarterly meeting. How long they will hang on is difficult to ascertain, but the Lilium superbum is a gem in any wetland and difficult to locate at all in Fairfax County.”Ĭontinue Reading Sea Level Rise Will Affect Dyke Marsh Ed commented that a few clusters remain, having “survived despite profound erosion. On July 2, 2019, FODMer Ed Eder photographed Turk’s cap lilies ( Lilium superbum) while canoeing in the southern big gut of Dyke Marsh.

Classes in belle haven park