Gray fox at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. Photo credit: USFWS Virginia Tech researchers are embarking on an exciting project focused on the elusive gray fox, and they need your help. Gray foxes play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance, and understanding their behavior is crucial for their conservation. Gray fox populations across…

Rockingham County Circle On December 16, 2023, the Rockingham Bird Club held its Christmas Bird Count (CBC). This was the 70th count held in Rockingham County and the 124th year of counts nationwide. For a more general summary of Audubon’s CBC, see the article by Rob Beaton in the December 2023 HMN newsletter. This article…

Anthony Adamovich, a member of the Headwaters Chapter living in Luray, invited me to help with a December 14 presentation on the Geminid meteor shower led by Megan Goin and Samantha House, rangers at Shenandoah River State Park. The park is situated between Luray and Front Royal, overlooking bends of the South Fork. I had scouted…

2023 Progress Update from Ali This year, Headwaters Master Naturalists have been hard at work surveying and identifying trees at James Madison University (JMU) with Facilities Management and Edith J. Carrier Arboretum staff and interns. Over the last seven months, eleven master naturalists have spent a combined total of 115 hours working in the shade…

Audubon’s 124th Christmas Bird Count will be held from Dec 14, 2023, to January 5, 2024! The Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is an annual event conducted by the National Audubon Society and other birding organizations across the Americas. Frank Chapman and 26 other conservationists initiated the Christmas Bird Count as a way of promoting…