JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 FOUR DOLLARS
Inside: Masters of Adaptation JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 CONTENTS 5 Masters of Adaptation By Jo Ann Abell A top predator, the elusive bobcat is more widespread in Virginia than one might imagine.
10 The Pioneers By Curtis J. Badger Early and influential inhabitants of the Eastern Shore changed a way of thinking by using conservation to protect hunting for all.
14 On the Road for Kestrels By Dan Bieker A surprising decline in this once common falcon sends volunteers out to give them a place to raise their young.
18 Fishing Season is Almost Here! By David Hart Now’s the time to clean out the old tackle box, respool the reels, and get ready for another great fishing season.
24 Virginia’s Most Mysterious Birds By Glenda C. Booth You might be surprised to discover the variety of owls that make Virginia home. And whoooo doesn’t love owls?
30 Manage Forests for Diversity By Bruce Ingram Timbering a forest might look bad but, if managed properly, has been proven to offer many benefits to a wide variety of wildlife.
DEPARTMENTS 36 Out & About • 40 Conservation at Work • 42 Off the Leash 43 A Walk in the Woods • 44 Photo Tips • 46 Fare Game
Cover: The adaptable bobcat lives throughout Virginia. See page 5. © Rue Wildlife Photos Left: Owls, such as this rare visitor, a snowy owl, have always intrigued us. See page 24. © Rob Sabatini Back Cover: Dreaming of big bass? Get your gear ready! See page 18. © David Hart
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Ralph S. Northam, Governor s one year closes out and another begins, I find it helpful to consider the progress being made. For HUNTING & FISHING example, over the past decade, with the support and LICENSE FEES Subsidized this publication Aapproval of our Board, DGIF has acquired more than 21,000 asters of daptation acres of land for wildlife, wildlife habitat, and wildlife-related Secretary of Natural Resources M A By Jo Ann Abell recreation. This represents about ten percent of our total land Matthew J. Strickler holdings and these purchases have ranged from the fabled Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Eastern Shore to Southside and on to the Great Southwest. Bob Duncan These properties have varied in size from two acres (for critical Executive Director bat caves) to over 4,200 acres for a new wildlife management area. And the additional good news is that more land proj- Members of the Board ects are already in the works. It is our goal to provide quality Douglas Dear, Chair, Syria BOB DUNCAN hunting, fishing, boating, and wildlife watching opportunities Mamie A. Parker, Ph.D., Vice-Chair, Dulles within a reasonable driving distance of all Virginians. Leon Boyd, Vansant Executive Director Ryan J. Brown, Fork Union During that same time frame, DGIF started a Leadership Nicole S. Butterworth, Vinton Development Program to provide future managers and leaders for the department and since H.S. Caudill, North Tazewell 2007 we have held eight law enforcement training academies and successfully graduated Catherine H. Claiborne, Richmond John W. Daniel II, Richmond 139 new conservation police officers. We also celebrated our 100th anniversary and moved Karen Terwilliger, Locustville our headquarters to a new location. Along the way, we stocked a few elk and launched a Brian Vincent, Farmville new Go Outdoors licensing system which, after we got a few bugs out, has provided us with G.K. Washington, Dillwyn opportunities to serve our customers better than before. We’ll always be a work in progress as I believe there will always be change and new Magazine Staff challenges. We need to continue in our efforts to place a priority on science, innovation, Interim Editor: Lee Walker Contributing Editors: Ron Messina, Paige Pearson meeting the needs of wildlife resources, protecting habitat, focusing on the future, and being Art Director: Lynda Richardson proactive. There will always be a need to provide sound stewardship for the protection and Production Manager: Carol Kushlak management of all our wildlife and natural resources. Staff Contributors: Jef Cooper, Mike Fies, Nelson Lafon I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the wonderful efforts made by Sally Mills, who recently retired as the editor of Virginia Wildlife. She, along with the talented editorial Printing by Progress Printing Plus, Lynchburg, VA staff and a host of outdoor writers and photographers, has continued to bring to life the important work that the department does every year and this issue is no exception. Copyright 2019 by the Virginia Department of Game and A great example can be found in the article “Manage Forests For Diversity” that looks Inland Fisheries. All rights reserved. at a very passionate conservationist who is devoting his time and resources to educating Virginia Wildlife (ISSN 0042 6792) is published bimonthly by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. people about the importance of quality habitat and the need for managing young forests. It Send all subscription orders and address changes to Virginia goes without saying that the right habitat benefits all wildlife, including animals like bobcats, Wildlife, P. O. Box 830, Boone, Iowa 50036. Address all other communications concerning this publication to Vir owls, and kestrels which are also featured in this month’s issue. As there is no better time than ginia Wildlife, P. O. Box 90778, Henrico, Virginia 23228- © Bill Lea 0778. Subscription rates are $12.95 for one year, $23.95 for during the cold winter months to organize your fishing gear and to get your boat in order for two years; $4.00 per each back issue, subject to availability. the upcoming season, David Hart has provided a check list and he hopes that you will have e Canadian rate is $24.95 for one year and $35.95 for two years, payable in U.S. funds. No refunds for amounts a fun and safe time on the water. So, as we move into the New Year, where would we be today less than $10.00. To subscribe, call toll-free (800)710-9369. without some forward-thinking conservationists of the past who blazed a trail for future Though rarely seen, this elusive predator is found in every county of Virginia. is publication is intended for general informational pur- generations. See Curtis Badger’s story on some of those pioneers from the Eastern Shore. poses only and every effort has been made to ensure its ac- Teddy Roosevelt called conservation efforts “work worth doing!” I could not agree curacy. e information contained herein does not serve as a legal representation of fish and wildlife laws or regulations. more and let’s hope that 2019 brings lots of opportunities for conserving, connecting, and e Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries does ot long after moving to our farm in the Blue Ridge the chances were slim, the muddy silt along the edge of the creek protecting our wildlife resources. not assume responsibility for any change in dates, regula- Mountains of southwestern Virginia, my husband might bear witness to our visitor. After walking only a short dis- tions, or information that may occur after publication. and I were paid a late winter visit by a bobcat. We tance, we were delighted to see what were clearly the paw prints e Department of Game and Inland Fisheries shall afford were getting ready for bed when a series of short, high-pitched of a bobcat! Unlike the tracks of coyotes or dogs, feline tracks to all persons an equal access to Department programs and N MISSION STATEMENT facilities without regard to race, color, religion, disability, yowls broke the quiet of the night. We get coyotes and foxes rarely show claw marks because their claws are retracted except national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, hunting through the fields and up in the surrounding hills at when climbing or pouncing on prey. There are also distinct Conserve and manage wildlife populations and habitat for the benefit of present and future generations. Connect political affiliation, or veteran’s status. If you believe that you people to Virginia’s outdoors through boating, education, fishing, hunting, trapping, wildlife viewing and other have been discriminated against in any program, activity or night so we are used to hearing the ‘call of the wild,’ but this was differences in the heel pad. The front of the feline heel pad has wildlife-related activities. Protect people and property by promoting safe outdoor experiences and managing facility, please write to: Virginia Department of Game and the first time we had heard the caterwauling of a bobcat seeking two lobes, the canine has one; the rear of the feline pad has three human-wildlife conflicts. Inland Fisheries, Attn: Executive Director’s Office, P. O. Box 90778, Henrico, VA 23228. a mate. We listened, hoping to hear it again, but after that one lobes, the canine has only two. www.dgif.virginia.gov outcry the night went still. After that night, we didn’t hear the bobcat again. Although The next morning, we walked down to the creek behind the we maintain our property to benefit wildlife, bobcats prefer to not house. Snow from a few days earlier had melted, and although share their living space with people. Our shy visitor had probably
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 5 VOLUME 80 NUMBER 1 picked up the scent of humans and dogs Bobcats have evolved to live in a wide reported in Falls Church, Great Falls, and may be only once in a lifetime that you set seeing eight to ten times better than we scarce, a bobcat can go several days and retreated to the thousands of acres variety of lush as well as marginal habitats. McLean. Seldom seen, bobcats sleep in eyes on this feline phantom. do). Large, tufted ears capture the slightest without eating and uses caches to store of deep woods behind us that are part of Found in Mexico, the United States, and hollow trees, thickets, or rocky crevices. sound or movement. Sharp, retractable leftover food to be consumed later. the George Washington and Jefferson Na- Canada, they are able to live in deserts, Being nocturnal, they prowl for food at A Fierce and Wily Predator claws and chisel-like incisor teeth are le- While attacks on humans are rare, tional Forests. mountains, forests, farms (mixed with night when their prey are most active and Bobcats are masterful hunters, relying on thal weapons. Their muscular build makes there was a bobcat attack on a Blue Ridge woods), swamps, brushland, and even their chances of coming into contact with secrecy and surprise to track down and them good climbers, and strong rear legs hiker at Virginia’s Humpback Rock in Au- Masters of Adaptation urban and suburban settings, as long as people are reduced. capture their prey. Although they some- enable them to jump a six-foot fence. Ex- gusta County in July, 2016. The Richmond One of the most secretive and fascinating they can find food and dens to raise their Although bobcats have expanded times venture out in the daytime, they are treme physical prowess has allowed these Times-Dispatch reported that the bobcat mammals in the commonwealth, the young. Superior adaptability makes Lynx their range to include every county in much bolder under cover of darkness. forest hunters to flourish as dominant pounced on a man in his early 30’s who was bobcat is named for its short, “bobbed” tail. rufus the most widespread wildcat in the state, that doesn’t mean you’ll likely Hunting alone, they are patient and tena- mammalian predators. able to fight back as his hiking companion Smaller than its northern cousin, the lynx, North America. see one on your next trek into the woods. cious killers, tracking their prey primarily Bobcats hunt cottontails, voles, sprayed the cat with bear spray, causing the average bobcat tom weighs 20 to 25 In recent decades, bobcats in Vir- While a human’s field of vision is 180 de- by sight and then by sound. After zeroing groundhogs, squirrels, mice, and also it to flee. Since bobcats typically hunt at pounds (but can weigh up to 40 pounds). ginia have been increasing in number grees, the feline’s field of vision is 200. This in on a rabbit or rodent, the cat fixes its ground-nesting songbirds, ruffed grouse, night, and this attack happened in broad Females are smaller, averaging 15 pounds. and expanding their geographic range. gives them an advantage over their prey gaze on the animal, crouches low while and wild turkeys. This fierce carnivore can daylight, the cat was suspected of being Their mottled coloring—tawny with black With more bobcats and populations more and also explains why bobcat sightings slowly maneuvering closer until the prey is take down prey weighing up to eight times rabid and the man underwent a series of spotting, black-tufted ears with black widespread than at any time in recent are so rare. They see you long before you within striking distance, then rushes in for its own body weight. Though rare, they rabies shots. ruffs of hair extending down the side of history, some have even found their way see them. Bobcats are so stealthy and well the attack and makes the kill with a bite to have been known to take down adult deer In an August 2017 incident, a bobcat the head resembling sideburns, distinctive into suburban neighborhoods. In 2017, camouflaged that the chances of getting the nape of the neck or head. and will kill fawns when available. Attacks attacked an 82-year-old man in King Wil- white patch on the back of the ears, and an Arlington woman videoed a bobcat more than a fleeting glimpse are almost When the sun goes down, bobcats on small dogs and domestic cats are rare liam County who also successfully fended black-tipped tail—gives these hunters the in her backyard, confirming reports infinitesimal. My cousin, a retired game start their nightly rounds—and they are but do occur. Bobcats will occasionally off the cat and was taken to the hospital for protection of built-in camouflage. Disap- that bobcats live along the Potomac warden and veteran hunter, told me that equipped for success. Pupils that widen to kill small livestock such as sheep, goat, treatment. Traps set by officials to capture pearing into its natural surroundings, the River corridor on the outskirts of the even with a trained eye, perseverance, and maximize light reception give them supe- and poultry. They also scavenge carrion, the animal were unsuccessful. There was bobcat is a nearly invisible, silent stalker. nation’s capital. Sightings have also been a healthy measure of woodsman’s luck, it rior night vision (in low-light conditions, including deer carcasses. If food becomes no indication of what provoked the attack; however, Furbearer Project Leader Mike Fies, with the Department, believes the cat was rabid. Fies says most bobcat attacks on humans are by rabid cats. “Since 2001, I’ve documented nine bobcat attacks on humans, all of which were suspected or confirmed rabies cases,” he reports. Still, says Fies, the incidence of rabies in bobcats is low, with an average of 1.6 confirmed cases per year over the last ten years. At the national level, mountain lions and wolves are the only predators of adult bobcats (although young bobcats may be taken by owls, eagles, foxes, and coyotes). With no confirmed sightings of either of these larger predators in the state over the past 100 years, the bobcat is—along with black bears and coyotes—an apex predator, making management of its pop- ulations important in relation to overall ecosystem function and biodiversity. The primary causes of adult bobcat mortality are human related and include hunting, trapping, and collisions with vehicles. On the plus side for the species,
Left: Using a snow bank for cover, this bobcat watches for a meal. Photo © Bill Lea
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selective timber harvesting in recent years has benefitted bobcats and other wildlife. Removing larger trees opens the forest VIRGINIA BOBCAT HARVEST canopy, letting in sunlight that stimulates STATEWIDE (1977-78 to 2017-18) the growth of understory plants that pro- 2200 vide shade, hiding places, and food used by 2000 • • prey species. 1800 • • • • 1600 • • A Conservation Success Story vest • 1400 Back in the 1970s, 40 states had no bobcat • • • • • protections and bounties were common. 1200 • • • • Today, most states, including Virginia, 1000
otal Bobcat Har • • T 800 have bag limits on hunting and trapping Bill Lea • • • © • • the cats. As a result, bobcat numbers have 600 A “bobbed” tail is what gives this elusive cat its name. • • • • • nearly tripled nationwide since the 1980s 400 • • • • • • • • • • to as many as 3.6 million, according to 200 • a 2010 study in the Journal of Fish and 0 Wildlife Management—the most recent 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 11 13 15 17 Season national survey. The authors of the study concluded that in the past several decades bobcats represent a real wildlife conser- Lorem ipsum vation success story, having reached the point that their populations are growing or 2017-18 Bobcat Harvest
stable across their range. Rob Sabatini K ©
Mirroring the national trend, Vir- FREDERIC The adaptable bobcat is not afraid of water and doesn’t have any problem swimming when CLARKE LOUDOUN ginia reflects a similar increase in bobcat AH ARLINGTON moving through its territory. > - 5 PRINCE ARREN W FA FAIRFAX numbers from the mid-1980s through the UQUIER WILLIA >5 - 1 SHENANDO AHANNOCK M 1990s, followed by a leveling off period PAGE RAPP ROCKINGHA >1 - 15 ST after the year 2000. “Based on population MADISONCULPEPER AFFORD M KING survey data, their numbers have been >15 - 2 GEORGE HIGHLAND GREENE ORANGE NIA WESTMORELAND AUGUSTA SYLVA fairly stable over the last decade,” says Fies. >2 - 3 SPOT ALBEMARLE RICHMON NORTHUMBERLAND BATH CAROLINE There have been some moderate short- >3 - 4 LOUISA ESSEX KING AND QU D KING ANNA LANCASTE MACK Y UV GOOCHLAND HANOVER term fluctuations, most likely caused by FL WILLIA >4 NELSON MIDDLESEX R ACCO ROCKBRIDGE M EE changes in habitat, particularly the matu- ALLEGHAN M N T HENRI AMHERST POWHATAN NEW GL MA BUCKINGHA C TH OUR O KENT OUCESTER ON ration of large areas of forestland, which T EW TE JAMES CRAIG APPOM CHARLES S BO AT CHESTERFIELD CITY CITY TOX CUMBERLANDAMELIA YORK reduces food sources for their prey species, RO NEWPORT ORTHAMPT GILES N AN BEDFORD PRINCE PRINCE NEWS BUCHANAN MONT OKE EDWARD GEORGE DICKENSON CAMPBELL AY HAMPTON he adds. GOMER TTOW SURRY TAZEWELL BLAND Y NO DINWIDDIE PORTSMOUTH In the 2017-18 harvest season, PULASKI CHARLOTTE ISLE OF NORFOLK WISE WIGHT VIRGINIA FRANKLIN A LUNENBURG SUSSEX RUSSELL WYTHE FLOYD ANI TON hunters harvested 768 bobcats and trap- V SMYTH HALIFAX CHESAPEAKE BEAC CARROLL TSYL MECKLENBURG H pers took 590. Licenses are required to LEE SCOTT WASHINGTON SOUTHAMP SUFFOLK PIT GRAYSON PATRICK GREENSVILLE hunt or trap bobcats, and kills must be HENRY BRUNSWICK reported to DGIF by telephone or the In- ternet within 24 hours. Many bowhunters also report sightings of bobcats (as well as turkey, grouse, and other species) during distribution across the state as a conservation victory. “When I coming from the woods, maybe 100 yards off. Truthfully, I the deer bowhunting season, which adds first joined the Department in 1983, we had bobcats in the moun- couldn’t summon the courage to go into the woods alone to inves- to the knowledge base used by wildlife tains and a few in the Dismal Swamp. There were very few in the tigate, but it was enough for me just to know they’re around. 1 managers to determine specie numbers Piedmont Region and none in the Coastal Plain. Now, although and distribution. populations are still low in the Coastal Plain, we have bobcats in
Fies believes the current population Pusser Todd every county of the state,” he says. © Jo Ann Abell has been writing about wildlife for 20+ years. in Virginia to be very healthy and sees the Being on top of the food chain in Virginia, the primary causes of bobcat mortality are human During a recent walk on a neighboring farm, taking in She lives on a farm in Lexington with her husband, three steady increase in bobcat numbers and related and include hunting, trapping, and collisions with vehicles. over 300 acres of trees and fields, I heard the yowling of a bobcat dogs, chickens, and honeybees.
8 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 9 The Cobbs built a large hotel, com- Alexander Hunter The plete with a ballroom, dining facilities, If Nathan Cobb and his family are respon- and even a bowling alley. They also built sible for launching the era of the gunning additional lodges, including one called the clubs, then Alexander Hunter could be Baltimore Lodge, a New York Lodge, and charged with aiding and abetting. For a a Virginia Lodge. They built dwellings for man who worked for 40 years in the Gen- hotel staff, residences for the Cobb family, eral Land Office in Washington, Hunter By Curtis J. Badger and barns and pastures for livestock. was a prolific writer. He was born in 1843 Nathan died in 1881 at age 84, and and grew up on Abingdon Plantation, Pioneers his passing was noted with respect by the which now is the site of National Airport. maritime community. A three-masted Hunter served in the Confederate Army schooner was commissioned to be built during the Civil War and wrote several These five shaped the history and culture of wildfowl hunting in Virginia. in his memory and given his name. The books about his experiences, but he is best 167-foot Nathan F. Cobb was launched in known for The Huntsman in the South, a Rockland, Maine, in 1890 and soon began collection of stories that capture what life shipping freight among East Coast ports. was like on the barrier islands during the The Cobb Island Hotel continued to era when waterfowl hunting was gradually operate after Nathan’s death, but coastal evolving from subsistence to sport.
Courtesy of The Barrier Island Center The Barrier Courtesy of storms seriously damaged the old resort, Many of Hunter’s stories depict a Nathan F. Cobb is credited with the Eastern and it went through a series of owners certain tension between local people on Shore’s first gunning clubs. and operators. The end finally came late the islands, who viewed the fall arrival of in 1896 when a hurricane raked the East waterfowl as vital to their winter diet, and in the surf and in winter to hunt countless Coast. The hotel was damaged beyond visiting sportsmen, who felt that hunting waterfowl. repair, and local newspapers reported that should be practiced with certain limita- But the Cobbs in those days were the furnishings were sold at auction for tions and manners, perhaps reflecting mainly known for salvaging ships. This $850, thus bringing an end to a colorful era their European roots. Hunter certainly was some thirty years before the U. S. of Virginia history. placed himself in the second category. Life-Saving Service was formed, so the But the storms of 1896 had other Hunter comes across as a bit of a snob Cobbs provided a vital service to mariners. victims as well. A square-rigged schooner and a dandy in much of his writing, but If a ship went aground, the Cobbs would bound for New York loaded with lumber rescue the crew and then bargain with the and cross ties capsized off the coast of owners for salvage rights to the cargo. The Georgia in a northeaster in early De- Cobbs had a reputation for being shrewd cember. The cook and a shipmate drowned when it came to salvaging goods, but they when they were swept overboard, and the never charged a fee for saving a life. Indeed, ship drifted southward for four days before the Cobbs were known for feeding and coming to rest on a sandbar off Ormond clothing the unfortunate crew members Beach, Florida. and treating them just as graciously as they In a tragic coincidence, the schooner did paying guests in their quickly growing Nathan F. Cobb perished along with the resort. hotel its namesake had built more than a undreds of men and women have left their mark on Nathan F. Cobb By the time the government estab- half-century earlier. Fittingly, local folks the history of wildfowl hunting in Virginia, including Nathan Cobb and his family moved from Massachusetts to lished a lifesaving station on the island in salvaged the remains of the Nathan F. Cobb biologists, lawmakers, and dedicated citizen scien- Northampton County in 1837 and settled near the village of the 1870s, the Cobbs’ hotel business was and built a cottage on Ormond Beach with Htists. But a group of five pioneers stands out as having set lasting Oyster where they opened a small store. In December 1838 Na- flourishing. Hunters would come in winter lumber taken from the ship. The wooden trends that over the years have become cultural benchmarks that than applied to the county for a license to operate a tavern and sell for the excellent waterfowl hunting, and in ship nameplate Nathan F. Cobb was hung define the sport. spirits, and in March of the following year he bought Great Sand spring they would return to hunt migrating over the fireplace. The Cobb Cottage still Our pioneers comprise a very diverse group. Most of these Shoal Island, an 88-acre barrier beach east of Oyster. shorebirds. The summer brought families stands at 137 Orchard Lane and is part of men were well known Americans in the 19th and early 20th centu- Nathan and his three sons soon began construction of a small who came to enjoy the cool ocean breezes. the Ormond Beach Historic Trail. ries, nationally recognized public figures when they were at the residence on the island, and from there they operated a business Courtesy of The Library of Virginia The Library of Courtesy of peak of their careers. Unfortunately, that is not so much the case salvaging ships and hunting wildfowl. The Cobb family con- Left: At the time, there wasn’t much thought on limiting the harvests of waterfowl and shore- Author Alexander Hunter wrote about the today. The passage of time has clouded many of their accomplish- structed additional living quarters on the island, and soon they birds. This photograph of a 1890 market duck hunt is a great example of nationwide harvests. Shore’s sporting life, helping to popularize ments, so perhaps it is time to re-introduce them. were entertaining guests who would come in the summer to bathe Photo courtesy of Ken Barnes. hunting as a growing hospitality industry.
10 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 11
Act of 1918. Shiras used photography to stretches from the Back Bay area of Vir- him with a lifelong need to succeed. He was in 1905 he left Elmington to return to New Epilogue document the lives of shorebirds on the ginia south into Knott’s Island, N.C. and an award-winning debater in college, won York, and eventually to California where The Cobb Hotel was swallowed up by the barrier islands and developed techniques built a three-story Colonial mansion with election to the North Carolina legislature he became a film producer. He wrote the Atlantic well over a century ago, but the to photograph birds in flight. In many 37 rooms. He and a neighboring lodge before he was of voting age, and then set screenplay for D.W. Griffin’s landmark Cobb legend lives on, primarily through of the photographs taken on the island, owner, William E. Corey, president of U.S. off on a meteoric career as a preacher and silent film, Birth of a Nation, based on his decoys and other artifacts. Decoys made Shiras used carved decoys to lure birds to Steel, began a European style program of lecturer that made him nationally known. novels. by Nathan Cobb, Jr. are especially de- within camera range. raising game birds and releasing them into Dixon was a lanky man with angular fea- Dixon made a lot of money and he sirable, selling at folk art auctions for Shiras’s work with the camera gained the wild. tures and stood well over six feet tall, so he enjoyed spending conspicuously. While at astounding sums. A swimming goose national attention when it appeared in Na- Knapp’s interest in wildfowl conserva- must have been an imposing figure in the Elmington, He went through a number of decoy sold a few years ago for $457,000, a tional Geographic magazine. Seventy-four tion led him in 1930 to launch a foundation pulpit or behind the lectern. yachts, the last being the 80-foot schooner running curlew for $390,000. of Shiras’s photographs were published in dedicated to the well-being of waterfowl. Dixon had a large congregation at 23rd Dixie, built by E. J. Tull of Pocomoke City, Their chronicler, Alexander Hunter, is the July 1906 issue, and National Geo- He called the foundation More Game Street Baptist Church in New York City, Maryland. Dixon and Knapp became noted among collectors for The Huntsman graphic later published two chapters of Birds in America, and he published More but he chose to live in Virginia to be near friends and hunting partners and shared in the South. The original 1908 Neale George Shiras / National Geographic Creative George Shiras / National Geographic
© his Revels Island photos in the 1935 two- Waterfowl, a booklet that outlined a plan the Chesapeake Bay and barrier islands. a passion for waterfowl and conservation. volume is difficult to come by, but there George Shiras helped lay the groundwork volume classic, Hunting Wild Life with to protect waterfowl populations. Knapp He bought a spacious home on the bay in Dixon bought a lot on Cobb’s Island and are recent reprints, and print-on-demand for the Migratory Bird Law of 1916 and the copies are available. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Camera and Flashlight. His work helped realized that it would be necessary to pro- Cape Charles in 1894, not long after that built a cottage there, and he and Knapp make Americans aware of the folly of al- tect habitat, especially in breeding areas, railroad town was founded. He spent the hunted with friends along the Carolina The wildlife photography of George he gives us the best window we have to lowing shorebirds to be killed as they were to ensure the long-term sustainability of week there with his family, then took the coast. In 1917 Dixon bought a marshy is- Shiras was trend setting at the time, and this era of the sporting life. Hunter wrote mating and nesting, and he was among the waterfowl. train to the city on Friday to deliver his land bordered by Back Bay and Currituck was intended to document animal be- many articles for national magazines first to persuade Congress to outlaw the Knapp’s foundation in 1935 was in- sermon. Dixon had always wanted an im- Sound from the Roper Timber Company. havior. Today, his stark black and white such as Forest and Stream, and he helped practice. corporated as Ducks Unlimited, which posing Virginia plantation, and in 1899 he The island had a boarding house where images are shown in art galleries. An exhi- popularize the concept of hunting as an became the world leader in wetlands con- moved from Cape Charles to Elmington, Roper’s timber crew lived, and Dixon bition of Shiras’s work was shown in 2016 arm of a burgeoning hospitality industry. servation. His lodge on a marshy island in a 500-acre spread in Gloucester with a 32- converted this into a hunting lodge. Two at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature Hunter was so prolific he frequently pub- Currituck Sound is gone now, but in 1960 room mansion built by the Tabb family. years later Dixon sold the island to his in Paris, and a companion book, George lished items under a pseudonym to avoid the 8,320 acres surrounding it became You don’t afford imposing Virginia friend Knapp, and it became the core of his Shiras – In the Heart of the Dark Night, was appearing to dominate a publication. The home to Mackay Island National Wildlife plantations on a preacher’s salary, and by Knott’s Island compound. published. pseudonym was “Chasseur,” which means Refuge, a preserve visited annually by tens this period in his life Dixon had added the Dixon wrote an autobiography, The Joseph Knapp’s conservation work hunter in French. of thousands of ducks. title “novelist” to his list of credentials. The Life Worth Living, while living at Elm- lives on through Ducks Unlimited, the Leopard’s Spots was published in 1902, and ington, and it paints a picture of a man most successful wetlands preservation George Shiras Thomas Dixon The Clansman came out three years later. fully satisfied with his situation in life. organization in America. A foundation George Shiras was a lawyer from Pitts- Thomas Dixon and Joseph Knapp were The books made Dixon a wealthy man, and Dixon took delight in being a country formed by the Knapp family is still sup- burgh whose father was a U.S. Supreme friends, and they had a great deal in farmer and exploring the Chesapeake in porting good works. Court justice. Shiras was born in 1859 and common. There were also great differences various sailing craft. Chapters on brant As for Thomas Dixon, he seemed to grew up hunting and fishing, mainly at his Courtesy of Ducks Unlimited in their lives. Dixon and Knapp were chil- hunting on the seaside of the Eastern have found himself when he published Joseph Knapp is considered the father of family’s summer retreat in the Marquette Ducks Unlimited. dren of the Civil War, born a few months Shore and shooting curlew over decoys on The Life Worth Living in 1905. He had his area of Michigan. As a young man, Shiras apart in 1864. Dixon’s father was a fire Smith Island are like opening a time cap- dreamed-of Virginia plantation and his took up photography and soon began using Joseph Knapp and brimstone Baptist preacher; Knapp’s sule. Alexander Hunter was a more prolific wealth and fame, and he and his wife and hunting techniques to capture wildlife on Early wildlife conservation efforts were pi- mother, Phoebe Palmer Knapp, was a pro- writer, but Hunter tended to embellish and two sons seemed to enjoy exploring the film. In 1894 he joined the Revels Island oneered by private citizens, many of them lific composer of hymns, the best known of exaggerate. Dixon writes with simplicity, Chesapeake and hunting on the barrier Shooting Club, an association of wealthy wealthy owners of coastal gunning clubs which is Blessed Assurance. strength, and clarity. He was a good story islands. But perhaps because of the poverty northern businessmen who owned sev- in Virginia and North Carolina. Joseph Knapp grew up in an affluent house- teller. that defined his youth, the life worth living eral thousand acres along the coast of the Knapp was a New Yorker whose father, hold in New York City, a child of privilege Dixon was still a young man when was still not quite enough. Dixon always Eastern Shore near Wachapreague. Shiras Joseph Fairchild Knapp, was a founder of and private schools. Dixon grew up dirt he wrote The Life Worth Living, and you needed more, and he ended up with less. 1 built a house on Revels Island and spent Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. poor in Shelby, North Carolina, a child would think that at age 40 he would have many springs photographing migrating The younger Knapp followed his father whose formative years were colored by come to terms with his needs, but in 1905 Curtis J. Badger has written widely about the shorebirds. in the life insurance business and also be- the poverty of Reconstruction. Dixon had Dixon was on the move again. He sold El- natural and human history of the coast. His most recent book, Letters Home, written with Shiras was elected to Congress in 1903 came involved in publishing. But Knapp’s little formal schooling but educated him- mington, returned to the city, and renewed his wife Lynn, is a collection of letters written by and served for only one term, but during true passion in life was waterfowl hunting, self through a fiercely disciplined reading the search for fame and fortune that was family members during the post-Gold Rush days
his two years in office he helped lay the and he realized that to have a sustainable program. He was accepted into Wake Digital HistoryVirginia Center for sparked years earlier on a dirt poor farm. in California to family back home in Va. © groundwork for conservation legislation population of game birds, conservation Forest College in 1879 at age 15. Novelist Thomas Dixon (L) and Captain Jack Dixon made a fortune and spent it all. He that would be part of the Migratory Bird and propagation were necessary. In 1919 Dixon was a brilliant young man Andrews of the Life-Saving Service pose after returned to North Carolina where he died Law of 1916 and the Migratory Bird Treaty he bought a remote tract of land that whose hard scrabble upbringing branded a shorebird hunt, Cobb’s Island, c.1890. virtually penniless in 1946 at age 82.
12 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 13 f oad or K R es e t h r t
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By Dan Bieker
t’s 7 a.m. on a chilly December We’re not naive; nest boxes alone will trunk, or outbuildings if relatively free of morning and as I pull into his not save the kestrel. Reasons for their de- human activity. The Strike Force endures driveway, birding buddy David White cline are many and not fully understood, mud, manure, barbed wire, ticks, chiggers, Icomes limping out. but nest boxes can help boost populations and livestock of questionable tempera- “How’s that sciatica?” where natural cavities are scarce. Other ment, but we carry on! “Tolerable” he mutters. “Let’s go, we’re factors include a shift to more monocul- At another stop, an interested but cau- burnin’ daylight.” ture farming, competition from European tious farm lady worries kestrels will eat her So we’re off: two grizzled foot soldiers starlings, and the ever-present threat from cat. “No,” we explain, “they won’t eat your headed down the road with a truckload pesticides. The neonicotinoid family of cat, your chickens, or your poodle. Kestrels of kestrel nest boxes, two by fours, lad- insecticides is especially concerning, as ev- are small, about the size of a blue jay, and ders, screw guns, hammers, and the smell idence continues to mount on the harmful eat mostly mice and voles as well as lots of of fresh coffee wafting through the cab. effects of these chemicals. “Neonics,” as insects.” Today it’s just two of us, half of the Virginia they are called, can dramatically reduce “Wonderful” she smiles in relief. Society of Ornithology’s (VSO) Kestrel the quantity and diversity of insects, and “Have at it!” Strike Force. Our mission: to erect as many kestrels are voracious insect predators. Primarily denizens of farmland, kes- nest boxes as we can before dark. If we’re Luckily, the four-wheel-drive truck trels are the most colorful of all raptors, lucky, maybe ten. is up to the challenge as we slog through with males sporting striking blue-gray It’s all part of the VSO’s initiative to a slimy stew of mud and manure on an wings and females a rich, tawny brown install nest boxes for the American kestrel Orange County cattle farm, scanning for all over. Like their cousin the peregrine (Falco sparverius sparverius) in suitable fence posts. Mounting boxes on fence falcon, kestrels are sleek, agile, and incred- habitat throughout the state. No doubt posts avoids having to dig a hole and set a ibly powerful for their size. Look for them about it, this little falcon is in trouble. Ac- separate post (an unappealing proposition patrolling over pastures or sitting patiently cording to the North American Breeding for us). Actually the box is attached to 12- on utility wires, ready to pounce on what- Bird Survey—a massive data collection foot, treated two by fours fastened into a ever small critter lands in their sights. effort overseen by the U.S. Geological ‘T’, then raised and screwed to a fence post. Besides small mammals and insects, they Survey—kestrel numbers in the U.S. have We can also place boxes on trees if they’re also prey upon lizards, frogs, snakes and— declined by half since the late 1960s. in open fields and have an unobscured rarely—small birds.
Left: A male kestrel perches on top of a chosen nest box awaiting approval from his mate. Photo© Maslowski Productions. Top: Male kestrels are the most colorful of Virginia’s raptors. Photo © Bob Schamerhorn.
14 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 15 Typically a male will scope out nesting sites during the (and farmers) gradually die away and development creeps farther winter, attempting to lure a female. As cavity nesters, kestrels into the countryside, kestrels and other species are being squeezed are quite adaptive! They will nest in abandoned squirrel cavities, out. Their decline closely mirrors the demise of other open country cracks in barns and other buildings, even high up in the metal and grassland species, such as bobwhite quail, upland sandpiper, pipe openings of electric transmission towers. Fortunately for our grasshopper sparrow, and loggerhead shrike. While many factors purposes, they take readily to nest boxes. are at play, habitat loss is major. Kestrels are also under attack from Our boxes are built with northern white cedar, which is the air. Fledglings are especially vulnerable to Cooper’s hawks. For incredibly light, durable, and weather resistant. Panels on the side this reason it’s best not to place boxes along woodland edges, where allow access for cleaning and research purposes. Kestrels are quite Cooper’s hawks like to patrol. messy, though it doesn’t seem to bother them much, and once a Our next stop is a remote backroad cattle farm that even Google box is inhabited it tends to be used year after year. One box in a Maps apparently has not found. No fence posts here, so we scan for long-term VSO study was claimed 15 years in a row, with debris trees, settling on a lone standing poplar. After a few branches are accumulating within inches of the entrance hole, and was still pruned away I mount the box on my shoulder and shinny up the being successfully used. Kestrels do not build any nest inside their ladder, while my trusty cohort stands comfortably on terra firma box; a few inches of added wood chips, however, affords some barking out orders. “A little higher … more left … no!, more right!”
padding and helps nestle the eggs. It’s a juggling act, with one hand holding the box while fumbling Pusser © Todd Three to five eggs are typically laid, starting in March or April. with screws and a drill in the other. Funny how the wind blows Kestrels are cavity nesters but loss of habitat makes holes difficult Kestrels are attentive parents, with each partner taking on specific twenty miles an hour faster and ten degrees colder fifteen feet up a to find. This older chick calls to a parent from its nest cavity. roles. Most of the brooding is done by the female while the male ladder. brings food, especially closer to hatch time. Incubation takes Keeping tabs on our more than 450 boxes scattered around LEARN T TO MO about a month, and the chicks spend another month in the nest the state is beyond the capability of the volunteer strike force, so AN RE before fledging. landowners are encouraged to report on activity with their boxes. W ? At our next stop, David spies a female kestrel atop the bare One monitoring project is ongoing, however, in Highland County, branches of a walnut tree. What better sign! It takes about 15 which hosts over 70 boxes. The effort is headed by local resident Patti VSO minutes to assemble the two by fours, attach the box and predator Reum, who along with Mary Ames has been a dedicated strike force Conservation Committees Kestrel Project: guard, and screw the assembly securely to a fence post. Sometime member since its inception. Using a wireless inspection camera that during the operation she has flown off. We can only hope she’ll can peek into the boxes with minimal disturbance, Patti and other www.virginiabirds.org/ news/2018-kestrel-project
© Maslowski Productions © Maslowski return and take up residence before her primary nemesis appears. volunteers monitor boxes during the breeding season. Highland -update Female kestrels are in charge of most of the brooding, keeping chicks Starlings! Those pesky, introduced freeloaders have dis- County is a stronghold for kestrels, with plenty of open country and secure, warm, and fed with food brought by the male. rupted so many of our native cavity nesters. One has to respect livestock operations. Over 70 percent occupancy by kestrels has their tenacity, but on a practical level they spell trouble. “Skags,” been observed in the boxes monitored there. as country folk are fond of calling them, As natural nesting cavities become scarce and competition will eat anything and nest in just about increases, the VSO’s nest box project will hope- any hole. A kestrel can whip the tar out fully provide more opportunities for kestrels to of a skag if it chooses, but once a starling raise their young. An equally important facet has taken up residence in a box it’s less of the project is landowner education. Prop- likely that a kestrel will do so. We’re not erty owners are encouraged to preserve brushy shy about informing landowners that it’s areas, keep old fencerows in place, leave dead perfectly legal to ‘dispatch’ starlings at any trees standing, and think hard about elimi- time, or to at least remove the eggs and nating pesticide use. nest if they’re willing to access the box. Few birds possess the tenacity, fascinating Other species are more welcome, espe- antics, and colorful appearance of the Amer- cially screech owls—since kestrel boxes ican kestrel. An icon of American farmland, are ideally suited to these diminutive they symbolize our country’s rural heritage raptors. Native bluebirds, flickers, red- like no other species. Hopefully they will con- headed woodpeckers, and tree swallows tinue to be an integral part of our rural land- are also welcome inhabitants. scape, something our children and grandkids Kestrels are most definitely birds of can continue to enjoy down the road. 1 open country, and the rural backroads of the Piedmont, Shenandoah Valley, and Al- Dan Bieker is an assistant professor of natural sciences © Todd Pusser © Todd
© Maslowski Productions © Maslowski legheny Highlands are where most of Vir- at Piedmont Virginia Community College and vice Growing chicks need more food so the female assists in the hunt, here with a mouse. ginia’s kestrels reside. As old farmsteads president of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Kestrels are often seen hunting from fence posts and telephone wires along rural roads.
16 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 17 Fishing season is almost here! a Pre-Season Checklist Fishing Pre-Season Check List Story and photos by David Hart January 1, 2019 1) Get a sheet, cover table, dump out tackle box. 2) Clean lures with soapy water, paper towels.
3) Set aside lures that need hook replacement and/or sharpening. Locate hook sharpener. Throw out unusable lures . . .REALLY! 4) Sort lures, flies, and hooks by size, style, and/or purpose. Create species specific tackle boxes for smallies, muskie, big catfish, and trout. 5) Do I need any more hooks, weights, lures?
6) Grab reels and plan on new line for all. Decide type and test for each.
7) Check out up-coming fishing/outdoor shows for new gear. (Look for new boat, don’t tell wife!) 8) Check DGIF website for fishing info. Renew licenses & subscription to Virginia Wildlife magazine!
9) Old boat & motor; change oil, check spark plugs, fuel lines, hoses, electrical. Replace fire extinguisher & flares. Are life jackets in good shape? Trailer lights o you hear that? That’s the sound of spring creeping Spring Cleaning work? Registration up-to-date? (look for new boat!) up on you. There may be a blanket of snow on the What started out as a museum-quality display of lures, hooks ground and a brisk wind rattling your windows and other gear turned into a jumbled mess of tackle at the end Dtoday, but before you know it, birds will be singing, trees will of the fishing season. Yeah, your tackle box is a disaster, isn’t it? be blooming and the fish will be biting. Yep, fishing season is The perfect time to clean it up and organize that mess is today. right around the corner. Will you be ready? Spread an old sheet across your kitchen table, grab all your With a little effort and a few hours here and there, you fishing gear from the garage and get to work. can get a jump on the upcoming fishing season and have all Wipe down dirty lures with a paper towel dipped in warm, your gear in working order when that first mild day calls you soapy water. Replace rusted or broken hooks and toss lures outside. Here’s a checklist of things you can do to get ready. beyond repair in the trash. Sharpen dull hooks and organize (cont. pg 20)
18 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 ♦ 19
INFORMATION ON UPCOMING SHOWS LICENSES & Richmond Fishing Expo WHERE TO FISH www.richmondfishingexpo.com Department of Game and Virginia Fly Fishing Festival Inland Fisheries www.vaflyfishingfestival.com www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing www.gooutdoorsva.com Western Virginia Sports Show www.westernvasportshow.com NEW! Find Wildlife VA: Fishing Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat Show http://vafwis.dgif.virginia.gov/ www.vaboatshow.com findwildlifeva Bass Pro Shops annual Spring Fishing Classic www.basspro.com/shop/en/ fall-and-springclassics
Pulling out last season’s lures can be time consuming now, but well worth the effort come Organize and replace weights and hooks before the season gets into full swing. fishing season.
them by size, style or purpose in separate online, there’s no better time to restock Go Surfing state. Both maps also show state roads your boat anywhere, as well. Check the engine or anyone over 14 years old oper- compartments in your tackle box. Sepa- your tackle box than right now. You may When that first mild day calls you out and public land boundaries. grease in the wheel bearings and add ating a personal watercraft. rate lures by style, size, and species of fish be able to get those lures or even a new of the house, where will you go? A wild While you are on the website, don’t more if needed. Inspect the tires. Are they catch. An organized tacklebox will rod and reel for the best price of the year trout stream deep in the mountains? forget to renew your fishing license. You they dry-rotted or worn? Replace them Set Some Goals help you spend more time casting and thanks to pre-season sales. A bass-rich tidal river? Maybe catfish can even sign up for a new feature that before your first outing of the year. Bored with the same waters and the less time searching. or crappie in one of Virginia’s reser- allows you to auto-renew your license The trailer’s lights might need some same fish? Then, make plans to try some- Strip last year’s monofilament off Showtime! voirs? The good news is that there are when it is set to expire. You will never work, too. Check the bulbs and replace thing new. Whether your goal is to catch your reels and fill the spools with fresh, Before you start shopping, spend a day at hundreds, even thousands of choices have to worry about forgetting your li- them if needed. Inspect the wiring. different species of fish, travel to remote new line, but make sure you match that one (or all) of Virginia’s outdoors shows scattered across the state. Even better? cense again. Blown bulbs are often a result of elec- corners of the state or try an entirely new new line to your reel size and the fish you that cater to hunters, anglers, and boaters. The DGIF’s website can help narrow trical shorts, which can be caused by method of fishing, make a vow to spend plan to catch. Eight-pound test, for in- You will not only get to see the latest tackle that search before you pull out of your Tend Your Boat wires rubbing against the trailer. Don’t more time on the water this year. stance, is a good all-purpose line for me- and gear on the market, you can get some driveway. It not only has regulations for Whether you pull a sleek new fiberglass wait until you get pulled over by a law en- Set aside days to explore new lakes, dium-action spinning reels and such fish of the best deals of the year. Local and every game fish species in the state, it is bass boat, a well-worn johnboat or you forcement officer to find out your lights float a new river, or fish a trout stream as crappie, smallmouth bass, and trout. national experts conduct seminars on filled with useful information to make throw a kayak on top of your car, there is aren’t working properly. that you’ve always wanted to fish. Don’t Twelve or 14-pound mono is great for Virginia waters and techniques that will your fishing season a productive one. no better time to get your watercraft in Fire extinguishers can lose pressure, let anything come between you and those baitcasting reels and most largemouth help you catch more and bigger fish. You One of the most helpful tools is a new proper working order than right now. A even if they have never been used. Check plans. bass fishing applications. can even join local fishing clubs and meet interactive map that helps you find fish- thorough cleaning is always a good idea yours and replace it if necessary, and in- Even better, set a goal to introduce others who love to fish as much as you. able waters throughout the state. Hun- before the season starts. spect life jackets for wear. two or three or even five new people to Stock Up The Richmond Fishing Expo and dreds of lakes, rivers, and streams and So is some general maintenance. How about the registration? Any fishing. Invite a neighbor or co-worker As you clean and straighten your tackle, Virginia Fly Fishing Festival is held in the species of fish most common in each Change the oil in your outboard, check boat that is equipped with a motor, no to a favorite water and teach them how to make notes on what you need for another Doswell at the state fairgrounds in Jan- are highlighted through clickable icons. the spark plugs and inspect the fuel line matter the size of the boat or the size or catch their very first fish. productive season. Are you low on cer- uary; the Western Virginia Sports Show Search by species, body of water or just and other hoses. Replace them if they are type of motor, must be registered with Before you know it, fishing season tain types of hooks or weights? Did you takes place in Fishersville in February; poke around the map to find new places worn or cracked or take your motor to the DGIF. Either way make sure yours is will be here. Are you ready? 1 run out of a specific lure that caught a lot and the Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat to fish. It includes public access points on an authorized service center if you want up-to-date or register your boat through of fish last year? Shop now before your Show is held in Virginia Beach in early major rivers, public lakes and the top spe- to leave it to a professional. Don’t wait. the Department’s website. You can also David Hart is a full-time freelance writer and photographer from Rice. He is a regular con- cies in each. An interactive trout fishing favorite lures sell out. Whether you visit February. Bass Pro Shops holds its an- Once boating season gets started, boat take a boater’s safety course online. It is tributor to numerous national hunting and a local tackle shop, a big-box retailer nual Spring Fishing Classic at its Ash- map also lists stocked, special regulation, repair shops can be backed up for weeks. now mandatory for anyone operating fishing magazines. Contact him at hartfish1@ like Bass Pro Shops or buy your gear land store in the late winter, too. and wild trout waters throughout the Inspect the trailer before you tow a boat with a 10 horsepower or larger gmail.com.
20 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 ♦ 21 The
January 1, 2019 GIFT that gives all year. DONE Wife found Fishing Pre-Season Check List sheet with rust on it...need to 1) Get a sheet, cover table, dump out tackle box. buy new sheet 2) Clean lures with soapy water, paper towels. 3) Set aside lures that need hook replacement and/or . sharpening. Locate hook sharpener.Keep jitterbug Throw Dad outgave me in 1968 unusable lures...REALLY!
Need: Puff Daddy, 4) Sort lures, flies and hooks by size, style, and/or10 & 12 (5 each), purpose. Create species specific tackle boxes for various nymphs, smallies, muskie, big catfish, and trout. Latest muskie lures? 5) Do I need any more hooks, weights, lures? Need: Team Catfish 8/0 Double Action circle hooks, Bank sinkers, 4 - 10 oz
6) Grab reels and plan on new line Take for reels all. up to local tackle shop for Decide type and test for each. spooling new line. More tippets!!!
7) Check out up-coming fishing/outdoor shows for new gear. (Bought new boat, don’t tell wife!) Check Virginia Wildlife magazine's, "Out & About" for latest show 8) Check DGIF website for fishing info. Renew licenses & subscription to Virginia Wildlife magazine! Add trout license and National Forest permit to auto renewal 9) Old boat & motor; change oil, check spark plugs, fuel lines, hoses, electrical. Replace fire extinguisher & flares. Are life jackets in good shape? Trailer lights work? Registration up-to-date? (look for new boat!)
Sell old boat, buy new gear for new boat! Take wife out to her favorite restaurant.
2019 Virginia Wildlife Calendar www.shopdgif.com
22 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE Virginia's Most Mysterious Birds By Glenda C. Booth
n the dead of winter 2015, people The Owl Mystique see a few additional species, but there’s lined up spotting scopes all day The over 220 or so owl species in the never been a statewide survey of all spe- long just north of Reagan National world have intrigued people for mil- cies, says Jeff Cooper, a biologist who Airport’sI runways, transfixed by a snowy lennia. At times called “ghost birds,” specializes in raptor research for the De- owl (Bubo scandiacus) patiently perched owls are largely nocturnal and to some partment. Surveying owls is challenging. under arriving and departing planes. people, seem mysterious, stealthy, and Most are excellent at camouflage and Others stood for hours in JC Penney’s even spooky. They hoot, hiss, howl, primarily active at night. Springfield Mall parking lot where an- wail, yowl, and scream. To the Romans, other snowy owl sat on the roof for hours, owls presaged death. For the Greeks, Special Characteristics mostly immobile and unfazed by the owls portended military victory. Owls Owls have several special features or local “paparazzi.” are common nursery rhyme themes adaptations. Their satellite-dish-shaped In 2013-14, Virginia had what re- and school mascots. “Owls are icons for face funnels sound to their asymmetrical tired biology professor Clair Mellinger everything from potato chips to cigars,” ears, positioned to help determine where calls “a snowy owl invasion.” Snowies Virginia expert John Spahr says. sound is coming from. With supersensi- were recorded all over the state in “num- tive hearing, owls can pick up the sounds bers not seen in a century or more,” ob- Basics of prey rustling on the ground or a mouse served Bryan Watts. The year 2013 was Owls live on all continents except Antarc- digging under two feet of snow. “like a tsunami” that gave Virginians “an tica and are found in many habitats: sub- Unlike most birds with eyes on the adrenalin rush,” he observed in a William urbia, forests, farms, high desert steppes, sides of their heads, owls have large eyes and Mary College Center for Conserva- the tropics, and polar regions. The elf that face forward, like human eyes, and tion Biology blog. Ornithologists call this owl (Micrathene whitneyi) in the western probably ten times better. Their tube- phenomenon an irruption. United States weighs around 1.5 ounces; shaped eyes help them see faraway ob- Few people see owls in their life- the Eurasian or European eagle owl (Bubo jects. Owls have nictitating membranes times, so to see a bright, white Arctic bubo) can weigh up to 9.3 pounds. that help block dust. To see at their sides, bird in Virginia is a thrill for birders and Four owl species regularly nest in owls must swivel their heads, and most non-birders alike. Colin Surovell, then Virginia. Short-eared and northern saw- can turn their heads 270 degrees. age nine, marveled, “That snowy owl was whet owls, common winter residents, are Owls have comb-like, primary flight way cooler than a crow.” also known to breed in the state. People feathers on their large wings’ leading
© Ann and Rob Simpson
24 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE Bill Lea Bill Lea Bill Lea Shutterstock Shutterstock Ann and Rob Simpson © © © © © © Eastern Screech Owl Barn Owl Barred Owl Great Horned Owl Short-eared Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl
edges enabling silent flight and stealthy done nocturnal surveys and monitored Cooper surveyed barn owls for many from their “bars” or striped plumage. they’ve been called the “tigers of the sky” call sounds like sharpening a saw blade approaches. Their talons are curved and nest boxes in Highland County for about years in central Virginia and says they Around 21 inches in length and a as their deadly grip can sever the spine of on a whetstone; hence their name. They sharp, adapted to seize and squeeze prey. five years to understand the relative are relatively common in Orange and little over a pound, they are one of the any prey. are highly nocturnal and masters at Their leg and foot bones are especially distribution of the red and gray morphs. Culpeper counties. He installed nesting few owls that people see during the day, hiding from view. stout for landing hard on prey. He estimates that in Virginia around shelves in barn silos, monitored the birds’ but generally, they roost during the day Short-eared Owl The northern saw-whet is one of the An owl’s beak curves downward, un- 60 percent are red and 40 percent, gray. activity, and banded chicks. Cooper dubs and hunt at night. They tend to be in Short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) are most understudied birds in the state, like most other raptors with protruding “These projects have yielded hundreds of them “wacky birds,” because they can older forests but are highly adaptable to uncommon to rare in Virginia, but are says Dr. Ashley Peele, coordinator of beaks. Mice, shrews, voles, and small birds encounters with this attractive little owl have young at any time of year. varied habitats, including mixed forests known to breed here. They are most Virginia’s second Breeding Bird Atlas. are their most common prey. Adults eat and have given me some insights into the While some nest in natural cavities and disturbed areas. They appear to be often seen outside the breeding season, Jay Martin of the Blue Ridge Discovery their prey whole and regurgitate indigest- how, what, when, and where of searching in hollow trees or in river banks, like very tolerant of people.“Barred owls are in places like the UVA’s Blandy Experi- Center concurs: “Not a lot is known about ibles, like bones and feathers, as a pellet. for this species and potential breeding those of the Rappahannock River’s Fones the opportunists of the owl world,” wrote mental Farm in Boyce, in Tazewell, Cul- it in this range, this far south.” Virginia’s They can tear large prey apart, gulp down documentation,” he offers. Cliffs, Cooper says that barn owls are Leigh Clavez in The Hidden Lives of Owls. peper and Orange counties and at DGIF’s Wildlife Action Plan lists them as a Tier I, pieces, and take pieces to nesting owlets. almost solely dependent on artificial Saxis Wildlife Management Area, among Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Barn Owl structures. These can include barns, Great Horned Owl others. Their small ear tufts are often in- To better understand this little Virginia’s Owls Barn owls (Tyto alba) have a distinctive, abandoned buildings, church steeples, Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) visible unless alarmed. Heavily streaked gnome of a bird, several Virginians are Eastern Screech Owl heart-shaped face, earning this species the bridges, and tunnels. Traditionally, have no horns, but with long feathered overall with a whitish face and yellow eyes banding saw-whets. Martin is surveying The eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) nickname “monkey owl.” They have a white “barns were easy for them,” but today tufts on their heads, an intimidating outlined in black, they are 13-16 inches the saw-whet population on Whitetop is one of the most common owls seen in underside, long legs, and several calls—a Cooper is seeing older silos with an open stare, and hooting voice, this is the owl long and weigh seven to eight ounces. Mountain and Mount Rogers, in coor- Virginia, “ubiquitous,” reports Spahr, bark, hiss, and click trill. They weigh about ledge at the top being replaced with tank- every schoolchild would likely draw if They prefer open areas like marshes, dination with DGIF and the U.S. Forest adding, “not that they are that easy to see.” a pound and are 16 inches long. type silos without ledges. Because of their tasked. meadows, and fields and hunt during Service. He gathers field data to eke out They are 8.5 inches in length and weigh Barn owls usually hunt over open declining population, the state lists the Among owls, they are big ones, at daylight flying low over the ground. the differences in forest types between around six ounces. Masters of disguise, fields at night. According to Cornell Uni- barn owl as a “Tier III, Species of Greatest 22 inches in length and three pounds in occupied and unoccupied habitat. He is the owls’ plumage blends in with the tree versity’s All About Birds, “The barn owl has Conservation Need” in its Wildlife Ac- weight. Considered to be widespread, Northern Saw-whet Owl also mapping breeding and wintering bark of the holes and hollows of trunks excellent low-light vision and can easily tion Plan. great horned owls prefer undisturbed Several Virginians are studying the state’s ranges. “The northern saw-whet owl is where they spend much of the day. Some find prey at night by sight. But its ability habitats and forests, but are also found most elusive owls. Northern saw-whet the perfect charismatic species to inspire are reddish brown, while others are gray. to locate prey by sound alone is the best of Barred Owl in wetlands, grasslands, and other semi- owls (Aegolius acadicus) are Virginia’s a broad range of people to appreciate the If you think you hear a horse whin- any animal that has ever been tested. It can Barred owls (Strix varia) are more heard open habitats. Because they have excel- smallest breeding owl. At seven to eight biodiversity of the Blue Ridge,” he argues. nying in the spring, it’s likely screech owls catch mice in complete darkness in the lab than seen, known for their haunting, bari- lent night vision and are superior hunters inches in length and weighing two to five Liberty University’s Dr. Gene pairing up, says Spahr. Their name comes or hidden by vegetation or snow out in the tone night call, “who cooks for you, who (they can take large raptors, skunks, ounces, they have bright yellow eyes and Sattle has banded over 400 migrating from their screeching call. Spahr has real world.” cooks for you-all.” They get their name rabbits, snakes, and even porcupines), a cat-like face. The male’s shrill breeding saw-whets near Lynchburg, and Clair
26 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 27 MORE INFORMATION The Global Owl Project, www.biologicaldiversity.org Owl Research Institute, www.owlresearchinstitute.org Project Owlnet www.projectowlnet.org All about Birdhouses www.nestwatch.org © Maslowski Productions © Maslowski © Bob Schamerhorn Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas, Owls live among us whether we know it or not. Here, an Eastern screech owl sleeps camouflaged in a suburban neighborhood tree. Owls, such as this barred owl, are the only birds with silent flight making them adept hunters. http://amjv.org/vabba/getting-involved
Mellinger, a retired Eastern Mennonite the southern limit of where it winters in rodents. Some rodenticides can interfere University biology professor, has banded the East. It is an extremely secretive bird, with blood clotting and cause victims to over 1,700 saw-whets moving through highly nocturnal, and picks roosts hard bleed to death. At the Wildlife Center Virginia since 2001. His team catches to find.” of Virginia, screech owls are the most from 50 to 300 birds every November in Long-eared owls are around 14 common injured owl brought in, but the Rockingham County, with a five to ten inches in length and weigh from 7 to 15 center also gets barred, barn, and great percent recapture rate. ounces. Their populations have fallen an horned owls. In 2017, of 1,208 intakes, ten These biologists are analyzing mi- estimated 91 percent in North America percent were owls. gration timing, differences in magnitude since 1970, reports Partners in Flight. And there’s the information gap. Peele of flights among years, and differences in puts it this way: “Nocturnal species are a timing and movement among age and sex Challenges perpetual challenge for bird conservation. classes. “The exciting part is that there are Habitat loss and fragmentation and Many volunteers may not feel comfortable a lot more owls around than we thought,” human encroachment are the leading walking a trail or driving rural roads at says Mellinger. threats to owls. The habitats of mice, voles, night to listen for owl hoots or whip-poor- and other small prey—typically meadows, will cries. This means that, at any given A Rare Visitor fields, and grasslands—are vanishing. time, our understanding of the current At the Blandy Experimental Farm in Climate change is altering habitat, ranges, distribution and status of owls, nightjars, 2015, Judy Masi heard some “little birds and migration timing. or American woodcocks is incomplete going crazy,” says her husband, Dr. David Owls can be injured or killed as they at best.” She invites help in filling in our Carr, Blandy Director. Carr soon learned navigate the human-modified landscape. knowledge of what she calls, “Virginia’s that the birds were aroused by an unex- Many fly low over roadways or catch prey most mysterious bird species.” 1 pected visitor, a long-eared owl (Asio on roadsides, risking collisions with ve- otus) perched in a dense arborvitae near hicles. Because they hunt at night, they a building. The “Blandy” owl, presum- are hard for drivers to see. Owls can also Glenda C. Booth, a freelance writer, grew up in ably the same bird, returned the winter of collide with fences and become tangled Southwest Virginia and has lived in Northern Pusser Todd © 2016-17. “It is extremely rare to find this in the wire. They can die from ingesting Virginia over 30 years, where she is active in One of an owl’s challenges is crossing roadways hunting for prey. Here, Gary Williamson, a retired state park ranger, holds a great horned owl bird in Virginia,” explains Carr. “We’re at poisons used to kill rats, mice, and other conservation efforts. that didn’t make it. It is illegal to collect road kills of owls so, unless they are still alive and need to go to a rehabilitator, please leave them.
28 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 29 Manage F iven its grand scale and im- the Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance, and land. These projects will be on a land- posing features, it would be state chapter leaders of such organizations scape-wide basis and involve the purchase easy to think that a forest’s as the Quality Deer Management Associ- of trees, seeds, fertilizer, and equipment. Gmost sublime state is as old growth. This ation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Projects will benefit not only deer but also may be a reason that various groups have, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and many other species of wildlife. O for the past four decades or so, lobbied Ruffed Grouse Society. “Last year we were also able to pur- against any timber cutting in the George Richard Sprinkle, president of the chase a grain drill from funding that our Washington and Jefferson National For- VBHA, believes a real need for the coali- western VDHA Chapter strongly sup- ests (GWJNF). But we understand today tion exists. “One of the biggest wildlife- ported. The drill is being used by the DGIF that, scientifically, many species of wildlife related problems right now is the increase to establish wildlife food plots on state (including some three dozen species of of bear/human conflicts in neighborhoods WMAs and national forest lands. With R songbirds along with many game animals) and even urban areas and in areas near or our newly formed foundation in place require young forests for all or part of their adjoining the national forest,” he says. “The it’s our hope that more equipment can be lives. bears do not have enough hard or soft mast purchased in order to continue expanding That and the fact that many species of food in the national forest because of the this effort.” trees (Virginia pine, for example) don’t live lack of young forests and oak regeneration. Mike Donahue, a biological techni- E long enough to become old growth, or they “So they are forced to leave the na- cian for the GWJNF, believes that more provide little food for wildlife even if they tional forest in the summer to look for soft young forests would benefit such creatures do subsist for decades (maple, poplar, ash). mast foods such as pokeberries, huckle- as songbirds and butterflies as well. “Dis- A paucity of young forest stands has caused berries, and blackberries. And in the fall turbances from natural causes (including a serious decline in songbird, deer, turkey, and winter, the bears often leave as well beavers, ice and other weather-related and grouse numbers on the GWJNF and because of the lack of acorns and other events) plus fire, disease, and tree-fall gaps S the suppression of next-generation oaks hard mast. If we had more young forests create openings in the forest canopy where entering the ecosystem. in our public lands, we’d have fewer bear/ young forests begin to regrow,” he says. Enter conservation organizations and human conflicts on our private lands.” “Grazing, timber harvest, and Wayne Thacker of Bumpass who together Denny Quaiff, who directs the controlled burning can mimic natural have formed the Virginia Wildlife Habitat VDHA, agrees and says his organization disturbances and may serve the needs of Coalition, which advocates for more young has become active on the public land hab- many open-habitat species. A number of T forest regeneration on public land being itat front. “After months of hard work, we disturbance-dependent species and com- created through sustainable timber har- have formed the Virginia Deer Hunters munities inhabit these openings or the vests. Members of the coalition include the Educational and Habitat Foundation. edges around the openings year-round. heads of such organizations as the Virginia Money donated to this foundation will be “These openings serve as ideal nesting Deer Hunters Association (VDHA), Vir- tax exempt and go toward scholarships and habitat, cover, foraging areas, and nectar S ginia Bear Hunters Association (VBHA), habitat improvement projects on public sites for a host of species. Forest birds
Top: Each spring tropical migrants, such as this yellow warbler, arrive in Virginia looking for nesting habitat. Photo© Shutterstock. A black bear and for Diversity By Bruce Ingram her cub depend on open foraging areas for food. Photo © Paul McCroskey. Blackberries are a great food source. Photo © Bruce Ingram.
30 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 31 The Coalition noted the importance of a consistent message and involve- “All representatives of our member organizations are ment in forest planning on the part of hunting organizations Clockwise, top: Wayne Thacker notes working hard to support their own organizational mission, in collaboration with the USFS/GWJNF and any stakeholder the lack of undergrowth in this area of and the coalition represents solid agreement across all orga- structures.” the Jefferson National Forest. Photo nizations on the importance of a habitat mosaic on Virginia’s As coalition chair and spokesman, Thacker represents the © Bruce Ingram. Whitetail deer, photo public lands,” says Wayne Thacker. “We got our start in Spring group in various efforts, which include presentations, letters © Ryan Yoder; chipmunk with acorn, photo © Paul McCroskey, all benefit 2015 during a meeting with then GWJNF Supervisor, Tom to Congress, serving on the GWNF Stakeholder Steering from young forest habitat. Speaks. Committee, representing the coalition in some national “Several hunting conservation organizations participated forest meetings, and anything having to do with timber har- with other forest users in the GWJNF Stakeholder Collabo- vest and related data. rative that worked together to provide input on the Forest “The coalition functions like a bunch of folks sitting by the Plan Revision and recognized the need to continue. More fire. We come and go, tend our individual business, and work concerned preservationists wanted to save all the trees by together toward increased active management on Virginia’s ending all commercial logging on all public land. Speaks public land,” he explains.
such as thrushes, tanagers, and warblers Altogether, some 117,500 acres will be is often the number of folks to get things actually need the habitat young forests and positively impacted. done. USFS staff positions have declined open woodlands provide to survive. The Objectives include: restoring the significantly over the last decade, meaning abundant insects and berries produced health and diversity of fire-adapted forests there are fewer folks to help plan and ad- in young forests help newly fledged birds and rare plant communities; enhancing minister projects of all kinds. This includes quickly grow and fuel up for a successful habitat for declining early succession timber projects as well as recreational southward migration in autumn.” species and those of greatest conservation projects. It’s also worth noting that acreage Donahue adds that young forests are need; improving the function and connec- burned on national forests has increased as also important to animals often thought tivity of streams, which will benefit brook timbered acreage has decreased.” of as woodland dwellers. Black bears use trout and rare fish and mussel species; and Wayne Thacker believes that as people woodlands, but they also frequent young providing resilient ecological systems ca- better understand the benefits of more forests to gorge on berries, consequently pable of overcoming the negative effects of timber management, they’ll also under- building up fat reserves before hibernating climate change. stand why creating different age classes of in their winter dens. Small mammals like forest makes the GWJNF a more healthy mice, squirrels, rabbits, and bats also use Hope for the Future and resilient landscape, better able to fend young forests to find meals. Butterflies DGIF’s Deer Project Coordinator off disease. and other pollinators benefit greatly from Nelson Lafon believes the message that “The coalition advocates for all types open, treeless early successional habitats, more young forests are needed is finding of habitat in the GWJNF from young where they can find the nectar of wild- followers. forests created by timber cutting and pre- Habitat Challenges biologist, Steve Capel, reminds folks that timber harvest flowers. In short, different species need “It’s worth noting that public pres- scribed burns to mature forest,” Thacker The GWJNF consists of some 1.8 million acres, primarily in does not reduce forest acreage; it simply rejuvenates forest young growth open areas with thick escape sure or litigation isn’t necessarily the concludes. “We feel a mosaic of habitat Virginia but with parcels in West Virginia and Kentucky. The to a younger age. Clearcutting is typically only a small fraction cover nearby along with older growth for main reason for reduced timber sales on types is best for wildlife.” 1 Forest Service’s own goal for this national forest is to create of timber harvests. Shelterwood and selective cuts are also mast—a mosaic of diversity. national forests anymore,” says Lafon. “In 3,300 to 6,400 acres of early successional habitat annually needed. Older, closed canopy growth is not adequate for fact, it seems that stakeholder input into and ten times that every decade. In 2015, the forest in that the creation of thicket habitat, as no sunlight reaches the Specific Project forest management is less adversarial than Bruce Ingram’s latest book is Living the Locavore crucial 0-10 year range was only 32 percent of the minimum ground to stimulate growth of lush vegetation that provides The Virginia Wildlife Habitat Coalition is it was in the past. Part of the reason is the Lifestyle; for more information on this work and acreage and just 17 percent of the maximum. For the GWJNF protection and food. his river fishing and floating guides, go to https:// overall, just 0.6 percent of the forest was in forest 0-10 years very excited about the Lower Cowpasture success of the stakeholder collaborative, In short, regenerating young forests through sustainable sites.google.com/site/bruceingramoutdoors. of age and 1.6 percent in 0-20 years. Timber harvests on the harvesting helps protect the forest, creates wildlife habitat, Restoration and Management Project in where wildlife, timber, recreation, and GWJNF declined from about 6,000 acres per year in 1988 to and benefits local economies through job creation. For more the GWJNF. The project involves Douthat wilderness proponents work together. about 600 acres per year in 2017. information, go to The Young Forest Project:https://young - State Park, The Nature Conservancy’s “GWJNF staff are certainly supportive Retired DGIF and current Wildlife Management Institute forest.org. Warm Spring Mountain Preserve, and of increasing active management on our 77,700 acres in the national forest itself. national forests, but the limiting factor
32 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 33 EXPLORE ENJOY SAXIS WILDLIFE ◆ Beautiful tidal marshland MANAGEMENT AREA: ◆ Neotropical migrants ◆ Wading birds and waterfowl 5,578 acres in Accomack County to hunt, trap, fish, paddle, and watch wildlife
Meghan Marchetti / DGIF
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries maintains 44 management areas totaling more than 225,000 34 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE acres for a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities. For more information on how youJANUARY/FEBRUARY can visit our wildlife 2019 ♦ 35 management areas, go to: www.dgif.virginia.gov/wma. OUT & ABOUT
our state’s constitution that pretty much wind speed by 15 to 20 miles per hour. Outdoor states that it’s the Commonwealth’s duty to • Approximately 50% of Virginian’s Classics protect Virginia’s natural resources for the get their drinking water from under- benefit of its citizens. Groover’s compila- ground wells. by tion of facts, statistics and trends provide • One Hackberry tree, over a thirty year readers with a completely up-to-date, sci- period can remove 880 pounds of Beth Hester entific summary of the state of Virginia’s carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. environment, covering both manmade • Invasive snakehead fish have been Lynda Richardson / DGIF Richardson Lynda Youth Writing and naturally occurring challenges. It also found in Lake Anna. showcases the efforts of the many state • The August 2011 earthquake in Virginia Beach Winter Contests The Environmental Almanac of and federal organizations charged with Louisa County was a magnitude 5.8, Grab your laptop and get to work. Virginia, 2nd Edition monitoring, conserving, and promoting which was the largest since 1897. The Wildlife Festival The Virginia Outdoor Writers Richard S. Groover Virginia’s environmental health. tremors were felt in twelve states, and January 25-27, 2019 Association annually sponsors two 2017 Hanover Films & Communication The book covers a wide range of topics as far north as Canada. writing competitions for Virginia Photos, Maps, Infographics and There’s thought-provoking statistics high school students (grades 9-12) including: the condition of our precious Join Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation and the Virginia Illustrations wetlands, the impact of invasive species, aplenty, but this valuable resource can and undergraduate students virginiaenvironmentalalmanac.com cities with the worst air quality, how cli- help readers be more discerning when it Department of Game & Inland Fisheries for this free event attending a Virginia college or (804) 381-1968 mate change influences weather patterns, comes to understanding environmental where you can see and learn about winter wildlife all around university. Awards are offered a listing of significant earthquakes in Vir- issues. Aware of the politically conten- Virginia Beach. Vendors, workshops, live animals, children’s for winning entries. “To the end that the people have clean air, ginia, and the state of our flora and fauna. tious currents of discussion surrounding activities, and raffles as well as local food trucks. www.vowa.org pure water, and the use and enjoyment for ecological concerns, Groover focuses on Whether you’re a data fiend, or simply Deadline: February 1, 2019 recreation of adequate public lands, waters, someone who’s interested in Virginia’s hard science, and lets the growing body of For more information:www.vabeach.com/virginia-beach- and other natural resources, it shall be the environmental status, there is something research speak for itself, while reminding events/fairs-festivals/winter-wildlife-festival policy of the Commonwealth to conserve, of interest for everyone. us that crucial scientific data should never develop, and utilize its natural resources, Here’s just a sampling of the inter- be ‘disappeared’ from public view for op- its public lands, and its historical sites and esting factoids present in every chapter: portunistic reasons. Groover cites a Cree buildings. Further, it shall be the Common- • The Chesapeake Bay could lose 50- Indian prophecy: “Only when the last tree wealth’s policy to protect its atmosphere, 80% of its tidal wetlands due to sea has been cut down, only when the last river lands, and waters from pollution, impair- level rise in the 21st century. has been poisoned, only when the last fish The Great Backyard ment, or destruction for the benefit, enjoy- • A one degree Fahrenheit rise in ocean has been caught—only then will you find ment, and general welfare of the people of temperature can increase a hurricane’s that money cannot be eaten.” Bird Count the Commonwealth.” – Section 1, Virginia Constitution February 15-18, 2019
Virginia is home to a number of significant January 18-20, 2019 natural wonders, including the Chesa- Meadow Event Park, Doswell, Va. peake Bay. It is also gifted with an unusually 2019 broad range of ecosystems and habitats, Friday: 9–7 many of which are under pressure from Saturday: 9–7 development, industrial and agricultural Sunday: 10–5 pollution, climate change, and invasive species. So it’s no wonder respected aca- Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as For more information: demic, aquatic ecologist, and award-win- 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. www.richmondfishingexpo.com ning filmmaker, Richard Groover saw fit to January 12-13, 2019 It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. end the introduction to his important, and www.vaflyfishingfestival.com Detailed instructions, bird lists, the 2018 summary, and more at: http://gbbc.birdcount.org well-researched book with that section of © Shutterstock on feeder bird / DGIF; Meghan Marchetti Kids,
36 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 37 Back Bay: Award-winning Short Film Chronicles Restoration of Historic Bass Fishery Have a Change of Due a Tax Refund? Address? Simply send it to us at least 8 weeks Please consider supporting essential research and in advance of the move. management of Virginia’s native birds, fishes, and Or call our subscription service at nongame animals. 800-710-9369. If you are due a tax refund from the Commonwealth of Virginia, simply mark the appropriate place on this year’s tax checkoff on the Virginia State Income Tax form. When Does My To make a cash donation directly to the Nongame Program, visit the Department’s Subscription Expire? website or mail a check made payable to Virginia Nongame Program.
Send to: DGIF Nongame Program, P.O. Box 90778, Henrico, VA 23228-0778. If you are uncertain when your / DGIF Meghan Marchetti Spike Knuth / DGIF Knuth Spike subscription expires look for the expiration date on your label in here’s a new video making the excellent bass fishery anglers once knew. the circled location on the sample rounds on YouTube. Thanks to the DGIF fisheries biologist Chad Boyce, shown. T efforts of Flymen Fishing Company in as- who is one of the experts featured in the sociation with passionate Tidewater-based film, attributes Back Bay’s decline to over- angler and guide Cory Routh, we have fishing, sedimentation, farm runoff and VIR0002235105/8#60 M/A19 PICS FROM THE FIELD # access to a film that you’ll want to share poor farming practices, artificial saltwater JOHN SMITH P.O. BOX 90778 with friends. Under 12 minutes long, the incursion, and the impact of herbicides. HENRICO, VA 23228-0778 film which recently won the 2018 Drake But thanks to a dedicated cadre of You are invited to submit one Magazine Award for Best Conservation conservation-minded anglers and vol- to five of your best photographs Fly Fishing Video, tells the story of Back unteers, many of whom formed the Back to “Pics from the Field,” Virgin- Bay, its heyday as a legendary largemouth Bay Restoration Foundation, the tide ia Wildlife Magazine, P.O. Box 90778, Henrico, VA 23228-0778. bass fishery and waterfowling destination, has turned. Back Bay is in the process of Send high-resolution jpeg, tiff, its decline, and its renewal. The video also healing. People are seeing the return of or raw files on a CD/DVD or features reminiscences and commentary wild turkey, important grasses are making flash drive and include a self-ad- by renowned sportsman Lefty Kreh, Walt a comeback, and judicious stocking of dressed, stamped envelope or other shipping method if you Cary of ‘Walt’s Poppers’ fame, and guide bass is boosting natural reproduction. The would like it returned. Also, Mike Smith. film’s ultimate message: “Protecting your please include any pertinent in- In 1979, writer Angus Phillips told of home waters starts with you.” formation regarding how and a day on Back Bay where his fishing party Don’t take my word for it. Watch the where you captured the image, what camera and settings you boated 54 bass using fly rods and minia- film, and share it on social media. Prepare used, and your phone number/ ture popping bugs. Some of the fish he to be inspired. email address in case we need 11th Annual determined were in the two to four pound –Beth Hester to contact you. We look forward range. Savvy anglers revered Back Bay for to seeing and sharing your work Virginia with our readers! its scenic vistas, wildlife variety, and great NASP State Tournament fishing. TO WATCH Walking around his Woodlake home in Chesterfield County,Joshua Burroughs, a commercial Then something started to happen— Go to www.ruthlessoutdooradventures. photography student at the Chesterfield Technical Center, spotted a beautiful barred owl “hoooo” March 9, 2019 or rather many things happened that in com and click on the YouTube link at the top of the posed quietly for a portrait. Joshua used a Nikon D800 DSLR camera, Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 Meadow Event Park landing page. Alternately, do a Google search, or lens, ISO 1600, 1/320, f/7.1. Way to go Joshua!! Keep up the good work! concert lead to a marked decline in water go to: https://youtube.com/user/ruthless- Doswell, Va. quality and wildlife habitat over time. These fishing and enter search term Back Bay. Enjoy! same problems virtually destroyed the
38 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 39 CONSERVATION “The greatest gift life has to offer is the opportunity to work hard AT WORK at work worth doing.” — Theodore Roosevelt Working for the DGIF is more a calling than a job.
One of the greatest things about working for Virginia’s wildlife agency is the passion and commitment shared by those who are drawn to a career at DGIF. Individuals possessing different talents and diverse backgrounds, who perform work that is varied and challenging—all join together to share one mission. Whether it be working to capture ducks in a swamp at midnight, assisting hunters and fishermen, or greeting visitors to the front desk at HQ, we all love what we do. At DGIF, we consider ourselves to be a family.
We thought you would like to meet some of our DGIF family and share in their passions both at work and outside of the DGIF / Hallacher Jason office. Starting with this issue, Conservation at Work will feature them in Virginia Wildlife magazine, Notes from the Field,and our blog. For more, go to: www.dgif.virginia.gov/atwork. We hope you enjoy meeting the faces of DGIF!
Karen Horodysky Fish and Wildlife Information Services Aquatic Biologist I grew up in a really developed part of Northern California, and my family—while they appreciated the outdoors—they weren’t particularly ‘outdoorsy.’ We didn’t fish, we didn’t hunt and we didn’t camp. I got into the fisheries profession partly because I loved science since childhood, but also because I was becoming aware that I loved nature and the outdoors. This is what led me I love to fly fish. It’s a way for me to get out into nature and connect with what I’m doing in my daily life. I also love to fly fish to the fisheries field, and now, to DGIF. because it’s a way to relax. You have to focus when you’re fly fishing—trying to read the water, decide what fly to use to catch I serve as a liaison between aquatic biologists and informa- fish—and not catch anything behind you when casting. I find by focusing like that, I’m not thinking about daily concerns or tion management, ensuring that our data is stored, managed, worries. I can just unplug and get away. shared and interpreted correctly. My job is great because while Virginia has a lot of diverse opportunites for fishing. You can ask yourself, what kind of experience do I want today and what I'm working on important projects in the office, I do get to go out species do I want to fish for? Then, you can and do it. It’s accessible, and it’s also really beautiful! in the field with the biologists to learn about what they're doing When I think about why I love the outdoors, I often think of a quote, which is the first line of Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County and what kind of data support they might need. Almanac. It goes, “There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.” I am one of those who cannot.
Photos by Meghan Marchetti / DGIF
40 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 ♦ 41 friends and family should stick to the same correction techniques. “One person out of every ten who praises your dog for jumping up can undo a lot of hard work,” Randall emphasized. More and more, dogs are treated like part of the family and, like the rest of the family, inconsistency in messages to family members can create problems. If the hunter in the family does not allow his or her mud covered dog to immediately hereas many of the com- One of the most interesting, and jump in a car and sit on the front seat after a W monwealth’s avian migrants puzzling, behavioral aspects typical of hunt but the family does not make that dog skedaddle south during September and nesting buteos is the placement of co- wait for approval before jumping into the October, enough feathered residents nifer branches or other greenery atop the car, that is a mixed message. You are asking endure the cold temperatures and in- structure. Some ornithologists consider or most of us in the sporting and are when given inconsistent commands. us dogs to figure things out for ourselves. clement weather to make wintertime such behavior a tangible signal to potential F hunting dog community, there are For instance, you train your dog to sit at If we are immediately praised, petted, and birding a worthwhile outdoor activity. nesters; another theory focuses on nest two halves to every year—hunting season the door and not rush into the house until hugged by the one who lets us just jump One species that can be observed year- concealment. Others hypothesize that the and fishing season. But some years are you have entered it. You then give it a com- in and sit on the front seat… then guess round is the handsome red-shouldered aromatic needles and leaves function to “Leap Years” and those have three seasons mand letting it know it is okay to come in. which thing we will choose. hawk. Although most birds of prey remain repel insects and ward off bacterial and a year. These are the years when, with a If the rest of your pack does not enforce Be consistent with a correction. Give relatively quiet outside of the breeding fungal diseases. On a personal note, sev- leap of faith, a human enters into PUPPY the same rules, you now have a problem. it once and then enforce a correction if period, this medium-sized raptor is vocal eral of the red-shouldered hawk nests I SEASON! As draconian as this may sound, this not obeyed. You will be happier. Your dog throughout the year—even on the coldest and snakes. When food sources become have observed over the years contained You cannot break down Puppy Season simple rule prevents your 90-pound Lab will know what is expected of it and, who of winter mornings. The raucous cries of a scarce, they often take advantage of road- branches of black cherry, the leaves of into a specific number of days or weeks from rushing in and knocking over your knows, your children’s behavior may show mating pair of red-shoulders riding late- killed wildlife—even whitetails. which contain a toxin called prussic acid— because these are times measured with a wife while she is carrying an armload of a marked improvement. morning thermals is a reliable harbinger As with other members of the hydrogen cyanide! Ask any farmer what plethora of emotions. Gazing into your happens if cattle consume the wilting groceries. Let this happen more than once Keep a leg up, of spring, too. Ironically, blue jays mimic broad-winged hawk family (the buteos) little, female setter puppy’s eyes, you see leaves of wild cherry. Perhaps there is more to your “Mrs. Lucky” and watch how fast Luke them in a manner that makes it practically red-shouldered hawks are monogamous. nothing but innocence and trust. There the family pet becomes “your dog” and impossible to differentiate between the April courtship includes shrill vocaliza- to this matter than meets the eye! is not a doubt in your mind that she will where the new sleeping arrangements will Luke spent many sunrises hunting up good passerine’s imitation and the call of the tions that echo across rural landscapes and Incubated by both sexes, the three to never deceive you by busting a covey while be for you and “your dog.” If your young stories with Clarke C. Jones, and thankfully, colloquial “hen hawk.” spectacular aerial performances; the male four white, splotched eggs hatch in about hunting with your friends. Nor would that son has never been taught to wait for you left us a cache of colorful tales. You can The red-shouldered hawk’s geograph- ascends hundreds of feet above the circling 30 days. Whether or not the entire brood German Shorthaired Pointer puppy start when leaving home and is allowed to rush learn more about Clarke and Luke at ical range stretches across the eastern female, folds his wings, and plummets into of down-covered chicks survives to fledge www.clarkecjones.com. hunting on its own and refuse to come to the car in the driveway, then do not be third of North America—from southern a stoop of blinding speed—passing precar- depends upon food availability. Because when called—not after having driven with surprised if, when leaving the local mall, Canada to Mexico. In addition, one of iously close to his mate. the female lays one egg every other day, you for over 1,000 miles to trudge across he rushes out to the car in the middle of a several recognized subspecies ranges from Nests are usually located in mixed and begins incubation before the entire grouse and woodcock country. busy parking lot. the coastal regions of northern California deciduous forests, either in the crotch of clutch is laid (resulting in asynchronous Mishaps can occur even after your As internationally known profes- south along the Baja Peninsula. Preferring a sizable hardwood tree or a tall, isolated hatching), older chicks have a size and pup has been professionally trained. How- sional trainer Ben Randall pointed out hardwood forests, edge habitats, wooded Virginia pine, as much as 60 feet above strength advantage over their siblings. ever, if you investigate the reasons for this in a recent British outdoor publication, river bottoms, and swamps, this keen- ground. Construction is a shared respon- Without sufficient food, the youngest birds insolence, you may find that it was not your inconsistencies in training lead to a eyed predator feeds primarily on voles, sibility, with the large structure a conglom- often fall victim to nature’s unmerciful dog that has betrayed you… it was your progression of the dog owner “giving in” rats, mice, and chipmunks. Studies have eration of sticks and twigs. The top layer laws of survival. own family. The problem is, you thought and not sticking to the rules of properly revealed that some species of hawks can is lined with moss and shredded bark. Come spring, if you go for a walk in you had bought and professionally trained set boundaries, such as jumping up on distinguish the ultraviolet (UV) light Rather than build a new platform each the woods and detect the piercing calls of the next inductee to the Bird Dog Hall of your guests with muddy paws no matter range, which is one reason red-shoulders year, red-shoulders are famous for refur- a pair of red-shoulders wheeling about Fame. But your family thought you were whether at home or in the field. sit tirelessly zeroed in on the grassy trails bishing facilities used the prior year. Great in the sky, pause to take delight in their buying them a pet. You expect your trained “Respecting space is one of the first frequented by small rodents; the mammals horned owls, which breed in February, are breathtaking courtship antics. hunting dog to follow commands by con- things I teach a young dog,” said Randall. regularly mark their paths with urine that notorious for adopting vacant hawk nests. ”I bet my wife a dollar I wouldn’t sistent enforcement and rewards. Your “A dog should grow to understand that absorbs UV. This luminescence provides As with many species, red-shouldered buy a new fishing rod. So, I get a family, maybe not so much. the area immediately around you is not new fishing rod, she wins a dollar, the hawks with an edge in locating prey. hawks can acclimate to human presence, A lifelong naturalist and wildlife photographer, Dogs are very observant and likely be- to be entered into unless you invite him Everyone is happy.“ Swift awing, Buteo lineatus opportunisti- even nesting in suburban woodlots and Mike Roberts enjoys sharing his knowledge come confused as to what their boundaries or her to do so.” Randall also stresses that cally preys on dove-sized birds, squirrels, backyards. with others.
42 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 43 2019 Annual Photography By Lynda Richardson Showcase Deadline: Monday, February 4, 2019 For more info: www.dgif.virginia.gov/ virginia-wildlife/photo-showcase-entry
DON'T MISS THIS GREAT EVENT!
A Christmas fern nestled in oak leaves is normally an image that would go unnoticed. The Zen of String guided me to this texture-filled image. www.naturephotographysummit.com
Now, “what do you smell?” The dis- study it more carefully. It looks beat up of string. I’m not seeing much but decide tinct musk of decomposing leaves is rich after the hot summer. Green fronds are to force myself to try for another hour. and heavy. It tingles in my nose feeling like torn and spotted in brown. But looking Exploring the decaying logs exposes a dark the beginning of a sneeze. Another smell closer I notice the way the leaves connect beetle sleeping peacefully. Moss covered could be pine but I’m not sure. I turn my to the center stem, how the tips of the rocks reveal intricate and contrasting tex- face towards the soft breeze and try to pick fronds droop down, the brown “fur” at the tures. As long as I am not in a hurry and A local high school student works on her String Challenge during a Virginia Outdoor Writers Association (VOWA) up anything else. Unfortunately, the cold base of the plant, and its dead remnants can remain “in the zone” this could easily sponsored writing and photography workshop at Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield. masks any other scents that I might sense. decaying away into the leaf litter. Where become a calming, hours-long endeavor. “What do you feel?” The ground is should I begin? I take in the sounds around me and now soft, damp, and cold. I can tell because For today’s challenge, I decided to definitely smell pine and it’s now my knees fter the craziness of the holidays I wildlife but I’m also looking for anything rocks. The string has set my objective. Now my jeans have soaked through with a chill use photography as my medium; a full- and elbows that are getting cold, wet, and want to get outside and do some- that catches my eye, for whatever reason. is the time to “Be Still.” that is a little annoying. With my eyes still frame Canon 5D Mark IV DSLR camera muddy. But I don’t care. As long as I can Athing. Whether it’s a walk along the river As I walk, several birds fly overhead, dark Sitting down at the outside edge of the closed I feel around me. Crunchy, brittle and one lens, a 16-35mm. I purposely push away the stressful thoughts of my or an exploration of a new location—I just against a gray sky. Most of the leaves have string circle, I cross my legs and close my leaves break apart loudly under my touch, did not choose a macro to force myself to busy life it is worth it. For me, learning want to be alone to give my mind a quiet disappeared from the trees except for a few eyes. I concentrate on my breath deeply a rock is cold and rough, the moss soft but dig deeper into my creative side. Since I to “Be Still,” is a meditative exercise that change of pace … and a challenge. crumpled holdouts. Continuing on I look taking air in, holding it, and breathing out, prickly, and the muddy ground clings to can only focus as close as 5 inches, it is a gives me permission to reconnect with Before venturing afield, I decide down and spot a lonely Christmas fern. It each to the count of four. As I begin to let my fingertips. challenge. the outdoors in such an intimate way that whether to bring a camera or a sketch pad peers from the rumpled forest floor, the go of the holiday chaos I first ask myself, Wiping my hands on my pants I sit Pulling the camera out of my back- it brings me peace. So, the next time you and colored pencils. My selection, stuffed most colorful of its surroundings. I spend “What do you hear?” Besides my breathing, back and take a few deep breathes before pack I begin taking a few pictures of the need a break from your chaotic life go back into a small backpack and slipped over my a few minutes staring at it and the area overhead a few leaves rattle against a slight opening my eyes. I am relaxed and ready. fern searching for its mysteries. I look to nature with a camera or sketchbook and shoulders, will also include a small ball of around it before I commit. When satisfied, breeze. Nearby, a Carolina wren startles me I push up on all fours and lean over the through the viewfinder trusting my in- don’t forget your string. string. the string comes out. as it belts out a long series of lyrical notes. circled area. What story is here to tell? My stinct of what makes an interesting image. Upon arrival to the destination, I Widely circling the fern with the string In the distance the honking of Canada other senses have already prepared me I shoot, and look, and think. Around 30 A former career photojournalist for 30+ years, begin down the trail with a slow “observers” I try to include a few decaying stumps, geese echo up from the river. And is that a but now I need to select something. The minutes later I decide it is time to change and now Zen String Master, Lynda is the art pace. My eyes sweep the surroundings for fragile dried leaves and moss covered train moving along the tracks mingled in? Christmas fern is still calling to me so I subjects and I look around the inner circle director for this magazine.
44 ♦ VIRGINIA WILDLIFE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 ♦ 45 fare game
“Behind every wild game dish is a story, an experience, the harvest, and the passion.”
Wood Duck Mac 'n' Cheese Recipe by Emily George • Photo by Meghan Marchetti
here’s more to hunting or fishing than pursuing a trophy buck or citation trout. It’s about sustainability, an appreciation for a rewarding day afield, and gathering around the table with family and friends. Full circle, DGIF wants Tto show that a challenging chase for harvested wild game is worthy of bringing from the field to the table. It’s the only way to appreciate wildlife for its existence, and to illustrate self-sustainability at its core. The fair chase is ultimately fare game. See more of our new fare game recipes in Virginia Wildlife each issue, or visit dgif.virginia.gov/faregame. Hunting and fishing have the purpose to connect people to their natural resources, protect game species for the future of 2018 sustainability, and to conserve these resources inhabiting the land and providing for the people of the Commonwealth. DGIF is the leader of conserving, protecting, and connecting these things to ensure that what is accessible now, is obtainable years to come. Limited Edition Virginia Wildlife DIRECTIONS INGREDIENTS Buck Knife 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 4-6 wood duck breasts featuring a ruffed grouse 2 Cook pasta according to directions in water or 1/2 water & 1/2 chicken stock. 1 box of elbow pasta by artist Spike Knuth 6 tbsp. butter 3 Cook breasts in skillet on medium-low heat and shred or slice the breasts as they 1-2 cups shredded cook. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. cheddar cheese 4 Remove breasts from skillet and melt the butter in the skillet. Add the flour and milk. 3 tbsp. flour Stir until it begins to thicken. Add the chopped garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and ½ cup milk cayenne pepper. (add more if mix begins to thicken too much) 5 Add the shredded breasts and stir until breasts are coated. Add chicken stock if mixture is too thick. Then, add mustard and red pepper flakes. chicken stock 6 fresh chopped garlic cloves 6 Add the cooked, drained pasta and stir until everything is coated in the flour mixture. Let cook for about 2 minutes on med-low heat. cayenne pepper (ground) red pepper flakes 7 Add the cheese slowly until it melts and covers everything in the pan. Let simmer for about 5 minutes on low, or until cheese is completely melted. 3 tbsp. honey dijon mustard salt & pepper 8 Add additional spices to taste. Stir everything together.
bread crumbs 9 Top mac ‘n’ cheese with bread crumbs and mix-up/push down the crumbs a bit to coat with cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve warm. Visit us online to shop clothing, gear, and much more! www.ShopDGIF.com Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries P.O. Box 90778 Henrico, Virginia 23228
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