Hi Howard,
I was in that area one time years ago, with Charles Smith, biologist for
Fairfax County. He told me that Sully Woodlands had the highest concentration
of ticks they had measured, anywhere in the County. To measure it in any given
location, they put down a square white cloth, wait for some definite period of
time, pull it up off the ground, and count the ticks on the cloth. (My rough
recollection, of what he told me.)
He said the lowest count was in the Huntley Meadows area, and highest was at
Sully Woodlands.
I went into the lower meadow there once in May, where the stream crosses
Pleasant Valley Road, and spent 15 minutes there before coming back out to the
car. I picked 15 ticks off my pants and shirt sleeves during that time.
Steve Johnson
- only one tick attached in 2017, so far -
Fairfax, Virginia
On Apr 14, 2017, at 7:27 PM, Howard Wu wrote:
Hi, all:
I made another (and probably final, for the season) trip to Sully Woodlands
today. After about one hour of searching, I finally spotted the bird. Not
only that, since it perched on a tree near the dirt road that dissects the
field, I had the best viewing to date.
Another amusing thing is that I think that I have circumstantial evidence
that Killdeers visited this place -- because I picked up their calls from a
Norther Mockingbird's songs! I also saw a procession of Wild Turkeys.
The ticks were abundant and ferocious -- I was vigilant and picked off 4
from my clothes and body. I immediately took a thorough shower after
getting home. For this reason, I may just not go there for a while ...
For pictures and more narrative, see my rolling log here:
http://www.travelerathome.com/2016_10_shrike/2016_10_shrike.html
Cheers,
Howard Wu
Herndon, VA
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