Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

Joe Coleman, President of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, talks about the need for stream buffer protections here in Loudoun.  See the video featuring Joe:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdXzyjwjJGk&feature=channel_video_title

This is a story about  a bird named Hope.  It isn’t a story about a bird in Loudoun, so I’m straying a tad, but it’s an amazing story that indeed could be that of any number of birds that are migrating into and through Loudoun at this very moment, on their epic journeys that link continents, habitats and cultures. In May, we will celebrate International Migratory Bird Day, and linkages that give us Hope.

Here is her story:

(Williamsburg, VA)—The odyssey of Hope, a whimbrel carrying a  satellite transmitter, continues to amaze scientists.  Hope was originally captured on 19 May, 2009 on the southern Delmarva Peninsula of Virginia.  She left Virginia on May 26 and since that time has logged more than 21,000 miles (33,000 kilometers) flying between a breeding territory on the MacKenzie River near Alaska and a winter territory on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  On Friday (8 April, 2011), Hope returned to Virginia following a 75 hour, 1,850 mile (2,900 kilometer) flight out over the Atlantic Ocean.
 
During the course of two full migration cycles, Hope has clearly demonstrated how distant locations are interconnected in the life of migratory species and how their conservation requires collaboration on a multi-national scale. 

For three consecutive springs, Hope has returned to the same creek in Virginia where she has fed on fiddler crabs preparing for a transcontinental flight to her breeding grounds.  The creek, located in the  the Conservancy’s Virginia Coast Reserve,  is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, a network of international sites considered critical to  populations of declining shorebirds. 

Hope’s breeding grounds on the MacKenzie River are part of an International Important Bird Area and  one of the areas of highest conservation value in Canada.  Efforts  are ongoing to protect the area considered by many to be one of the most pristine watersheds remaining in North America. 

For the past 2  years, Hope has wintered at Great Pond, a Birdlife International Important Bird Area on St. Croix.  Protection of long-distance migrants like Hope requires that countries recognize the importance of vulnerable populations and work together toward effective conservation solutions.
 
Hope is one of several birds that have been fitted with state of the  art 9.5-gram, satellite transmitters in a collaborative effort by the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary – Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia Coast Reserve of  The Nature Conservancy to discover migratory routes that connect breeding and winter areas and to identify en route migratory staging areas that are critical to the conservation of this declining species.

Updated tracking maps may be viewed online.

http://www.ccb-wm.org/programs/migration/Whimbrel/whimbrel.htm
 
Satellite tracking represents only one aspect of a broader, integrated investigation of whimbrel migration.  During the past 4 years, the Center for Conservation in partnership with The Nature Conservancy has used conventional transmitters to examine stopover duration, conducted aerial surveys to estimate seasonal numbers, collected feather samples to locate summer and winter areas through stable-isotope analysis, and has initiated a whimbrel watch program.  Continued research is planned to further link populations across staging, breeding, and wintering areas. Funding has been provided by The Nature Conservancy, the Center for Conservation Biology, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The Toronto Ornithological Club, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, and the Northern Neck Audubon Society.

I received an email from Christine Perdue earlier this week with this interesting observation of pine siskins on spicebush.  Let us know what you think might be going on here!

Our native spicebush, Lindera benzoin, is well known as an excellent shrub for wildlife.  It is a larval food for butterflies, produces nutritious berries for fall migrants, and offers early spring bloom and golden fall color. 

Here is a new twist, however.  Ever since the spicebush outside our patio came into bloom this spring, it has been a magnet for a flock of pine siskins. 

They creep along the branches and peck into the flowers, obviously finding something delectable.  A flock of siskins has regularly visited the feeders all winter, but the birds quickly abandoned niger seed for the spicebush flowers. 

Occasionally they are joined by chickadees, white-throated sparrows and song sparrows, who follow the same feeding pattern.   Does anyone know what form of insect might inhabit the spicebush this early in they season?

A new Civil War battlefield historic district, 50 miles from Washington, is being created this year on the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.

The proposed 8,000-acre Unison Battlefield Historic District in western Loudoun and Fauquier counties, has won two awards and already is being hailed as one of the nation’s best preserved battlefield historic districts. It is being nominated in April to the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

A celebration and fund-raiser for the battlefield will be held April 30, 4-7 p.m., at historic Llangollen in Upperville and you’re invited!

The inivitation to the garden party celebration is here — simply RSVP by April 22.  It’s a beautiful location and promises to be a terrific event!

The battlefield and the April 30 gala are supported by more than 20 area preservation and conservation groups.

The battlefield has just been honored by the Washington Sustainable Growth Alliance as one of several Washington-area projects that “contribute most to the region’s future quality of life.” The award will be presented at a ceremony April 27 on the lawn at Mount Vernon.

In December, the Mosby Heritage Area Association gave its 2010 “Heritage Hero” award to the nonprofit Unison Preservation Society (UPS), which is creating the battlefield, and also praised the nonprofit Land Trust of Virginia (LTV), which has helped put conservation easements on more than half of the land in the proposed battlefield. —more— The National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program has awarded UPS three federal grants.

The first was to study the little-known 1862 Battle of Unison, planned by President Lincoln himself in the hope it might bring an early end to the Civil War. Two additional grants were given to help fund the battlefield’s nomination to state and national historic registers.

For information about UPS, the Battle of Unison and the battlefield, contact Paul Hodge at a.p.hodge2@gmailcom or 540-554-8624. Or visit the UPS website www.unisonva.org. For information about LTV and the April 30 gala, contact Don Owen at donlandtrustva@earthlink.net or 540-687-8441. Or visit the Land Trust website www.landtrustva.org.

[Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is one of the groups supporting establishment of these 8,000 acres as a preservation area. It has terrific and varied wildlife habitat.]

In case you missed it on the news, here’s a nice 2 minute expose by CBS on the status of Monarch butterflies. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7360811n&tag=channelMore;vid

It’s all about the milkweed this time of year!

We had almost 200 people come to our program last Tuesday [photo album], where Dr. Tallamy talked about how the choices we make in planting around our homes can make a huge impact on the populations of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.

What an absolute inspiration!  Personally, I plan to plant 3 oak trees this spring to add to the mix of black cherry, birch and other trees around our house.  I’m also excited to get into the garden and make sure my host and nectar plants for butterflies are in prime form – ready to be gobbled up and enjoyed by caterpillars (who in some cases will be gobbled up by birds).

“Garden as if Life depended on it” — When Dr. Tallamy signed my book, he included that inscription, and I can’t think of a better, more succinct message.  Let’s do it! Because it does!

Dr.Tallamy’s website has an excel spreadsheet that you can download that shows which plants will bring the greatest wildlife benefit to your yard.  Use this, along with our Gardening for Wildlife Plant list and other materials.

Let’s talk with our neighbors and start converting our wastelands of lawn into thriving rich habitat of native plans – they’re beautiful and exciting! Let’s Bring Nature Home!

If you missed the program, keep an eye on his website for upcoming lectures and check out his book.

I saw this publication posted on one of the local listservs that I follow and thought it was a good one to share.

While it says Delaware in the title, most of the plants listed in here are also native to our area so it’s a nice reference for Mid-Atlantic states. 

I especially like how it has not only color photos and descriptions of plants but also the different types of beesthat will be attracted – not just honey bees but also leafcutter bees, carpenter bees, orchard mason bees, bumblebees and more.

Bees are so important to our entire ecosystem, and as one person put it, “Bees are not optional.” 

Through our gardening and our nature explorations we can both learn about the wide variety of bees and the roles they play around us.

You can download the publication here.

As you read this, imagine millions (yes millions!) of Monarch butterflies, almost the entire  population of Monarchs, taking flight from Oyamel pine trees in the cold mountains around Mexico City, and flying….flying….flying up towards the United States.

That is what is happening right now.

These Monarchs left our gardens and fields last fall and flew to these very special mountain retreats and overwintered in Mexico.  Now, they take their final flight to continue the circle of life.

As they lift off, this generation will point to Texas and with the fates willing, rain and sun over Texas will make the milkweed grow and grow.  By the time the female Monarch butterflies reach Texas, the milkweed will hopefully be big enough for these ladies to lay their eggs…their last acts in this relay.

The monarch caterpillars will gobble up that milkweed and transform into beautiful butterflies and continue the journey north.  By late June, we should see our first Monarch butterflies.

As the spring rains start up in the next week or so, this is a great time to plant your Monarch Butterfly garden and welcome in the royalty — by planting some great native wildflowers you can attract Monarch butterflies as well as other species that will appreciate the nectar plants.

Habitat loss across the migratory path has a profound effect on Monarch butterflies – they must have both milkweed (the host plant that the caterpillars feed on) and nectar plants (the tasty drink that feeds the adults).  When we mow down a field or spray herbicides, we destroy that needed habitat (and do other damage). 

We can all make a difference! I’ve prepared a number of Monarch Waystation seed kits for this spring planting and if you’d like one, just let me know via our Contact Us form.  The kit has information about the different plants in the packet as well as information on Monarch butterflies.

It’s free – all you need is a sunny spot to plant your garden.

One of the organizations that we partner with, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, has a really nice program called Audubon at Home:

http://www.audubonva.org/index.php/audubon-at-home

To help kick off another year of Audubon at Home, ASNV is holding an Audubon at Home Orientation Meeting on Sunday, March 6, from 1:00 – 3:30 PM at the National Wildlife Federation building in Reston (directions available online).

They’ll cover the basics of creating native habitat on your property, getting your habitat certified as a Wildlife Sanctuary, and — for those who want to have even more impact on habitat restoration in our region — how to become an Audubon at Home Ambassador.

Ambassadors play a key role in Audubon at Home by providing on-site guidance to homeowners and other in creating native habitat.

They will be including two new Audubon at Home on-line resources on the website at the end of this month. These will include Top 10 Native Plant Lists for trees, shrubs, wildflowers, deer-resistant wildflowers, and ground covers and a Frequently Asked Questions page.

The Top 10 lists offer native plant recommendations for a range of growing conditions, with a focus on plants that are adaptable to urban/suburban conditions and that provide benefits to wildlife. The Frequently Asked Questions page will address common questions about habitat gardening and related topics.

Contact Cliff Fairweather at 703-438-6025 if you have any questions about the program.

Join us for this great event! We’re rented an extra large space at Ida Lee Park in Leesburg as we think this will be a pretty popular program — hope you can join us!

“Bringing Nature Home” by Doug Tallamy ― Tuesday, March 22, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (Ida Lee Park, downstairs meeting room).Gardening in our crowded world carries both moral and ecological responsibilities that we can no longer ignore. Because our gardens and managed landscapes are part of the world that sustains humans and the life around us, we must give thoughtful consideration to what we plant in our gardens and how these choices impact the environment. We can no longer view plants only as ornaments but must consider all of their roles and their intricate relationships with animals and insects. Tallamy will discuss the importance of native plants in our landscapes, emphasize the benefits of designing gardens with these roles in mind, and explore the consequences of failing to do so. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear this inspiring and enlightening message in person!

Doug is author of the best selling book, Bringing Nature Home.  [from an article I read recently, "People are calling Doug Tallamy's new book on native plants the next Silent Spring."]

Feel free to download the flierand share it with anyone interested. This free program is sponsored by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. Questions: contact Laura McGranaghan at lmcgranaghan@loudounwildlife.org.

We’ll also have copies of our Gardening for Wildlife Plant List available for you to take.