Much to See, Hear and Feel on Ecology Walk
Nature enthusiasts engaged all of their senses on the June 29, 2024, ecology walk led by Charles Smith along the Haul Road trail.
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September 13, 2026 Bird Walk Canceled
Because the National Park Service will close the south George Washington Memorial Parkway on Sunday, September 13, until 10 a.m. for a race, FODM must cancel the bird walk for that morning.
The Butterflies and Dragonflies of Dyke Marsh
The year 2025 marked the tenth year that a dedicated group of FODM volunteers collected data on butterflies and dragonflies in Dyke Marsh and the Belle Haven Marina. In 2025, they documented 25 butterfly species and 17 dragonfly species.
FODMer Has Produced Bird Videos in 2026
FODMer Bill Young, a knowledgeable birder and videographer, has shared three of his videos about birds with us – videos about thrushes, woodpeckers and herons.
At least two species of thrushes breed in Dyke Marsh: the Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) and American robin (Turdus migratorius). Spring migrant thrushes include the Swainson's thrush (Catharus ustulatus), the hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) and the wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina).
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| Hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus). Photo by Bill Young |
Woodpeckers documented in Dyke Marsh include the pileated (Dryocopus pileatus), red-bellied (Melanerpes carolinus), hairy (Leuconotopicus villosus) and downy (Dryobates pubescens).
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| Pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). Photo by Bill Young |
Herons observed in Dyke Marsh include the great blue (Ardea herodias), the great egret (Ardea alba) and the least bittern (Botaurus exilis).
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| Great egret (Ardea alba). Photo by Bill Young |
Here are links for the videos on YouTube:
Eastern Thrushes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k8bAn9T164
Eastern Woodpeckers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBexechgta0
Honoring FODM's 50th Anniversary
On July 13, 2026, Virginia’s Eighth District Congressman Don Beyer commended the Friends of Dyke Marsh for 50 years of volunteer work to preserve and restore Dyke Marsh. Here we share his statement from the Congressional Record.
Virginia’s Amazing Vultures
Contrary to the image in many Americans’ minds, vultures are beautiful, social, curious birds, Heather Shank-Givens told a 70-person, overflow crowd on March 8, 2026, at the Huntley Meadows Park Visitor Center.
FODM Volunteers Tested Water Quality
On April 8, 2026, FODM volunteers again conducted biological water quality sampling in an unnamed creek, nicknamed “Quander Creek,” that flows into Dyke Marsh from the west, the organization’s eleventh year of this project.
Restoring Dyke Marsh by Planting Native Plants
On April 18, 2026, 25 volunteers planted around 200 native plants in Dyke Marsh, a joint project of the Friends of Dyke Marsh and the Sierra Club Great Falls Group. The two organizations partnered and successfully received a grant from the national Sierra Club to fund the project.
Taking on Never-ending Trash, Again
The Friends of Dyke Marsh partnered with the National Park Service and participated in Clean the Bay Day, on May 2, 2026, a day when over 2,300 volunteers collected trash from the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Nature’s Puzzle Talk Inspires Attendees
Eighty FODMers and friends learned how many “pieces” of nature are interconnected in a Zoom talk titled “Nature’s Puzzle” by Alfonso Abugattas on May 13, 2026.
The Sad Story of “Our” Beloved Haul Road Trail Bald Eagles
In early May, 2026, our dedicated bird observers discovered that the Haul Road Trail bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nest, which had two eaglets this spring, had partially collapsed.
Beavers Building a Dam in Dyke Marsh
On June 7, 2026, around 6:35 a.m., near low tide, FODMer Todd Kiraly observed two beavers approaching a dam in Dyke Marsh south of the Haul Road Trail. From a kayak positioned roughly 30 feet from the dam, he watched the beavers for about 10 minutes as they engaged in maintenance behavior, transporting mud and woody material to reinforce the structure.
