Weather update: humidity levels hit 95% this week which is a sure sign that we have reached summertime in Northern Virginia. The elusive Northern Bobwhite Quail continue to evade the entire Manassas Battlefield Natural Resources Department, but our hopes are still high! We had a few park visitors share that they heard quail calls earlier in the week, so we’re convinced that the birds just don’t like us.
To give us a better chance at finding one of the ghost birds, we recently began callback surveys at designated points across the park. On top of our regular survey methods, we now conduct a second test where a Bluetooth speaker is used to project a quail call from a survey point, and then we wait to see if any quail respond. Though the birds seem to have stage fright when they are given the opportunity to call back to us, we are hopeful that we will get to hear at least one call before the end of the season.
On Tuesday, we joined a webinar titled “Insect Apocalypse? What is Really Happening, Why it Matters, and How Natural Area Managers Can Help” presented by the Natural Areas Association and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Researchers and citizens from all over the world have noticed drastic declines in insect populations over the last several decades, but our current understanding of the issue is limited. Arthropods make up a vast majority of the animal kingdom’s biomass, so it can be difficult to recognize the lack of specific insects in different parts of the world. Scott Black, the webinar’s main presenter, discussed the “Windshield Effect” in which people are noticing much fewer numbers of insects colliding with their car windshields than several decades ago, displaying the population declines in a relatable and notable manner. Until more research is completed, there are not many blanket statements that can be made about strengthening today’s insect populations as a whole, however there are some simple steps that we could all take to ensure that our natural surroundings remain inviting for our local insect inhabitants. Check out the Xerces Society’s list of pollinator-friendly plants HERE.
For the rest of the week, we were mostly completing housekeeping tasks before we begin some new projects in the upcoming weeks. Deer exclosure surveying will begin very soon, so we spent some time designing materials that are needed for the job. The beautiful checkerboard in the pictures above will be used to measure plant height and density inside and outside of the exclosures. This will give us a pretty good idea of how much deer browse is occurring in different areas of the park.
In addition to this work, I am currently designing some educational material about sustainable forestry practices at Conway Robinson so that we can host an official Heritage Hunt Day at the forest. This event, sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Department of Forestry, and Virginia Master Naturalists will provide Heritage Hunt community members and their families with a look at the features of the forest right behind their neighborhood. Conway Robinson State Forest has so much to offer and I can’t wait to help share its beauty with our visitors! (Look below for a sneak peek at some of the Conway’s most photogenic residents that recently modeled for me)
In addition to this work, I am currently designing some educational material about sustainable forestry practices at Conway Robinson so that we can host an official Heritage Hunt Day at the forest. This event, sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Department of Forestry, and Virginia Master Naturalists will provide Heritage Hunt community members and their families with a look at the features of the forest right behind their neighborhood. Conway Robinson State Forest has so much to offer and I can’t wait to help share its beauty with our visitors! (Look below for a sneak peek at some of the Conway’s most photogenic residents that recently modeled for me)