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Brinkley Stewards At Work
Stewards at Ned Brinkley preserve have had several workdays over the last four months to get some invasive plant species there under control. We all realize that this is going to be a long-term project and will require more workdays and repeated attempts at removal. A number of us met in November and walked the…
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CCNAP Stewardship Report
March 22, 2025 Master naturalists perform stewardship duties at the Eastern Shore Natural Area Preserves that are open to the public. Volunteer Bob Suppa reports on his recent spring stewardship walk at the Cape Charles Natural Area Preserve. It was Saturday and a perfect third day of spring as the sun was shining, a few…
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Trees are Tree-mendous
I used to live next to a little patch of woodland. Recently, the land was sold and the underbrush and old trees were cleared. Here on Chincoteague Island, most undeveloped lots are getting cleared these days, even the lots that flood during heavy rains and king tides, demand for holiday and retirement homes is so…
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Do Waterfowl Need Raincoats?
Rain or snow, sleet or drizzle, no problem: waterfowl are built for foul weather. Their outer feathers have interlocking barbules that hold together like Velcro, blocking out wind and rain. They also secrete from special glands near the tail a waterproofing oil that coats their feathers while they are preening. And don’t forget the down,…
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Chincoteague Bird Walk Gets Them Asking for More!
“My ambition is to see a kingfisher. That would really make my day,” a beginner bird watcher said. And as if on cue, there was the distinctive rattle of a belted kingfisher. It flashed white and blue in the early morning sun, darted high above us and zigzagged over the top of some loblolly pines. We followed its…
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Bald Eagle Returns to Wild
Dr. Meg Gammage-Tucker pulled on a long leather falconer’s glove and pulled back the orange cloth printed with the word Freedom. The bald eagle batted its body against the sides of the crate. Gammage-Tucker slipped the latch. The door swung open. A white head. The bird reared upward inside the crate. The eagle lunged forward, head low, eyes fierce, dark brown body, broad wings bent high, then wings outstretched, he launched. His bright yellow talons almost grazed the ground, and the eagle…
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A View from the Course – Late October
Information is ridiculously easy to obtain. Which honeysuckles are native? What time is low tide tomorrow? What is the species name for cordgrass? To make information meaningful, though, we have to make it our own. We need to be active constructors of knowledge and not just passive consumers of data. We need to react and…
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Sleek Minks and Rolling River Otters
(Featured Image: Young mink on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge by Tom Koerner, USFWS) Minks and river otters are semi-aquatic mammals that live throughout our diverse Virginia, including our Eastern Shore natural areas. They are not uncommon animals, however they are not easily observed. These two members of the weasel family have streamlined long bodies and…
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How Flounder Eyes Evolved
One of the earliest criticisms of the theory of evolution was about flatfish eyes – how could one eye migrate to the other side of the head? Darwin tried to explain it, unconvincingly, and it’s still somewhat controversial. Evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne brings us up to speed in a recent blog. If flounder eyes…
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The Joy of Oyster Gardening
There are not many opportunities in this world to confidently say that an investment you make is both low cost, minimal time and effort, yet high reward and FUN! Well, in my experience I can tell you that perfectly describes oyster gardening. I have had the pleasure of being a foster parent to baby oysters…
Eastern Shore Master Naturalists
Managing and preserving the Eastern Shore of Virginia’s natural resources and natural areas through education, outreach, citizen science, and stewardship.