Parking: Free shuttle service will be available as the Lockheed parking may be at capacity.
Guests with an ADA parking sticker should pull up to the main park entrance and a staff member will direct you to ADA parking.
Groveton Elementary School :(Free shuttle service)
6900 Harrison Ln, Alexandria, VA
Transportation schedule:
Departures begin at 11:30 am and run every 15 minutes.
Birdathon, Cinco de Mayo edition!
The 2026 birdathon at Huntley Meadows Park will be held on May 5. Teams of birders will scour the park from before dawn to try to find every possible species. This annual fundraiser supports the natural-resource summer interns at the park. And you can participate—without having to get up at 0-dark-30.
Simply click on the donate link below. to make a donation or a pledge. You can donate a set amount, or, if you want to increase the pressure on our intrepid birders, by pledging an amount per species that they encounter (typically around 90 species).
Fairfax County Spring Watershed Cleanup
April 4 - May23
Saturday, May 23
Huntley Meadows Park—9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Alexandria
Saturday, April 4
Ossian Hall Park—10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Annandale
Saturday, April 11
Merrybrook Run Stream Valley—9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Herndon
Sully Historic Site—9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Chantilly
Saturday, April 18
( waitlist only) Riverbend Park—9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Great Falls
Sunday, April 19
Lake Accotink Park (second clean up)—9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Springfield
Saturday, May 2
(waitlist only) RoundtreePark—10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Falls Church
Saturday, May 9
Frying Pan Farm—9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Herndon
President's Message
From the Boardwalk
By Liz Train
Photo courtesy Ben Jesup
Spring has arrived in the Huntley Meadows wetlands with fits and starts. The parking lot fills up early, the board walk is full of photographers, families, and birdwatchers.
Since our last newsletter, the intrepid Monday Morning Bird Walk participants have hiked through snow and ice in freezing conditions in contrast with other balmy spring mornings. The weekly bird counts are up to over 50 species now as reported by Nancy Vehrs, who leads the group. The group noted first of season sightings of Blue Gray Gnatcatchers, Palm Warblers and Greater Yellowlegs as well as the arrival of two Great Horned Owlets. The weekly walks now begin at 0700 every Monday.
This long-running project dating back to the park’s establishment, has been contributing detailed bird observation data that supports numerous ongoing research including the impacts of climate change, habitat loss, insect decline and pesticides on bird migratory patterns, breeding success and other behaviors. No registration is required and participants meet up in the visitor center parking lot. We are grateful to Nancy Vehrs and all the regulars who come out early and faithfully record this important observation data. No registration is required and participants meet up in the visitor center parking lot.
Environment for the Americas Annual Bird Conservation Campaign. The 2026 theme for the Environment for the Americas campaign is “Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter!” It emphasizes the importance of public participation in bird conservation. From backyard counts to international surveys, community science provides critical data on migration, populations, habitat use, and threats to birds— helping guide conservation action across flyways. Learn more about World Migratory Bird Day at www.migratorybirdday.org. We are grateful to Nancy Vehrs, and our participating Monday morning bird walk participants for contributing Huntley Meadows data to this global effort.
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Monday Morning Birdwalks
Want to learn more about the birds in Huntley Meadows Park? Bring your binoculars and join our Friends of Huntley Meadows Park (FOHMP) weekly Monday Morning Bird Walks. Meet in the visitor center parking lot (3701 Lockheed Blvd (7 AM, April - September). No registration required. Keep checking our website for scheduled birding and wildlife program walks:
Huntley Meadows Park Events and Programs.
Wildlife Sanctuary Program
Photo Teri Genberg
Backyard habitats provide safe corridors for birds and other wildlife to move between the larger natural areas such as Huntley Meadows Park. Get involved and count the birds in your back yard to contribute to this community science data project. Then visit Huntley Meadows to see what other birds you can attract by improving your habitat. Need help getting started to improve your backyard habitat? Request a free visit by a trained Wildlife Sanctuary Program (WSP) Ambassador from our partner organization, Northern Virginia Bird Alliance (NVBA).
Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas
The long-awaited day has finally arrived – the Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas website is now live! You can find the link to a description of its current content and a peek at what is to come in this update.
You all will note many familiar names as contributors, compilers, and volunteers to include members of our Friends group and regular Monday Morning bird walk group: Kurt Gaskill, Larry Cartwright, Harry Glasgow, Joann and Powell Huitton, Ben Jesup, Cathy and George Ledec, Sally Lindfors, Betsy martin, Tom Nardone, Greg Butcher and Linda Fuller and others!
Celebrating 50 Years
Compiled by Carolyn Gamble
An interview project by Pax Linson
The Friends of Huntley Meadows Park Have Joined the Bird Safe NOVA Campaign
More than one billion birds die each year from human-made causes. Even though Huntley Meadows Park does not have lights and buildings that pose threats to birds, the threats that the birds face elsewhere in northern Virginia and beyond have a direct impact on our park’s population of birds. The FOHMP have joined the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, Nature Forward, DarkSky NOVA, DarkSky Virginia, Friends of Dyke Marsh, and Friends of Little Hunting Creek in a partnership, Bird Safe NOVA, which will work to reduce the devastating toll that our built-up environment has on birds
Lights Out for Birds
Bird Safe NOVA Campaign
Humans Can Shape the Land Over Time
By: Celia Boertlein
Photo credit: Suzanne Lepple.
Sunday, May 5 dawned as a drizzly day, but it still attracted over 300 visitors to Huntley Meadows Park for our premier annual event, “Wetlands Awareness Day.” This year’s theme was “Humans can shape the land over time.” The 4-hour event featured a presentation by Secret Gardens Birds and Bees, who shared their wildlife education program/exhibit with live birds of prey. Hidden Oaks and Hidden Pond Nature Centers brought a fascinating selection of their live reptiles and amphibians to see. Interactive displays and activities were spread along the mile and a half of walking trails through forested and open wetlands, which included the wetland boardwalk and wildlife observation tower.
Family and friends came to learn all about wetland ecology, local history (both natural and human) and the importance of wetlands for both wildlife and water quality. Many visitors took advantage of the shuttle buses running every half hour to and from Groveton Elementary School and the Park.
The Friends of Huntley Meadows Park (FOHMP) co-sponsored the event, while Wegmans provided FOHMP with a substantial gift card to cover much of the cost of food provided to the volunteers and staff. Special guests included FCPA Executive Director Jai Cole and Fairfax County Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk. Many thanks to all who made this event possible. None of this could have been possible without the support of 22 volunteers, members of 25 outside organizations, 16 Huntley staffers and 17 other Fairfax County Governments staff members.
Who We Are
The Friends of Huntley Meadows Park was founded in 1985 and is a nonprofit organization of individuals dedicated to the protection of Fairfax County's premier wetland wildlife sanctuary.
FOHMP was organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes and operates under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Monday Morning Birdwalk
The Monday Morning Bird Walk is sponsored by the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park and takes place every Monday at 7 a.m. April-September and 8 a.m. October-March. Following the walk, members of the group gather at the nearby Denny's for breakfast and to compile the morning's bird list. All are welcome.
Recent Visits and EBird Lists of Birds
Birders meet in the parking lot at the Park's entrance at 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA. Questions should be directed to Park staff during normal business hours at (703) 768-2525.
Friends of Historic Huntley
Friends of Historic Huntley is a non-profit citizen group committed to working with the Fairfax County Park Authority to assure the preservation, restoration and appropriate use of Historic Huntley and to enhance the public’s knowledge of the site and the broader historic development of the neighborhood.
FOHH Website
Join FOHH
Newsletter
Huntley Meadows
Volunteer of the Year
At the Volunteer Recognition Ceremony, held on Saturday, October 25, and sponsored by the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park, our very own, Liz Train, President of FOHMP, was the recipient of the Annual Ken Howard Volunteer of the Year award.
