A few weekends ago, J., A., and I visited the newly opened Pleasure House Point Natural Area in Virginia Beach after reading about it -- and seeing gorgeous photos of it -- on the Tidewater Gardener's blog. James wanted to check out the kayaking potential; Anouk and I were so sick of being cooped up in the house that we would have gone anywhere.

Pleasure House Point is located just south of the Chesapeake Bay, part of the Lynnhaven River watershed, and is one good thing to come out of the recent recession. The area was originally designated to become high rise condo buildings, but because of foreclosure, found its way into the hands of Virginia Beach City, the Trust for Public Land, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, who worked to preserve it. But for the walking/running trail that's been put in, the 118 acres of marshes, and maritime forest are now one of the largest parcels of undeveloped land along the Lynnhaven River.

We had an excellent time on our walk. The skies were blue, the water and the sun were working together to offer some serious sparkle, and the path (at an estimated 1.5 miles or so?) was easy enough for Anouk to keep up. At every turn we found something new to investigate, from fallen trees determined to become driftwood to fish leaping out of the water to dozens of clams sitting just beyond the little waves of the beach. We also came across three separate groups of birdwatchers (the Audubon Society has compiled a list of the many types of birds you can find at PHP).

We were also excited to watch some of the construction going on at the environmental education center that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is building nearby. I read online that it's going to offer tons of community outreach, and as we're big CBF fans, we can't wait to blog about all of it. :)

And because of the eensy weensy beach, I think we can technically cross off one of our new year's resolutions?

A few Saturdays ago, Anne and I took a trip to the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary in Norfolk for the first time and loved it. You can click over to My Active Child to read more about our visit.

Happy Wednesday!

The flu is stalking our household. It got me first, and then Anouk. (J., for the moment, has been spared.) We've been spending a lot of time indoors, naturally. One of the best ways we've found to pass the long hours is to sit in front of our picture window and watch the robin redbreasts who have started congregating in our front yard as we get closer and closer to spring. Last week, we put together some simple bird feeders to make the place a little more comfortable for them. Old toilet paper rolls covered in peanut butter, rolled in birdseed, and strung from the branches of our little maple = bird paradise.


Over the past few months I've been reading a lot about ways to provide kids with a real link to the scientific community, and I think citizen science initiatives are a great way to get started. One such initiative is eBird, an online tool launched by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society to track bird sightings. Bird populations are currently declining all over the world, and the eBird stats collected by birdwatchers help scientists and researchers track the rise and fall of species and give them an idea about the abundance of different birds in different areas.

A. has taken to standing at the door to keep watch over our birdfeeders -- every time she sees a little feathered friend come into view, she calls out, "Bird!" and we rush to the window to gather our stats and write them down: what type of bird (we use Cornell's bird ID tool if we're not sure), how many, and what they're doing. Every few days, we upload our data to eBird. Real science, used by real scientists, and kids can participate in it in a real way. I find that (really) very cool.


As far as our birdfeeders go, they've been pretty successful. In addition to our robins, we've spotted a couple of beautiful cardinals and several amusingly persistent grackles. And a ton of squirrels -- it's too bad they don't also have a tool for tracking squirrel populations. Our backyard squirrel stats could give scientists enough info to keep them going for years.

What about you? Do you think your kids would enjoy using eBird? (You can click here to set up an account). What kind of birds can you see in your yard?

This past weekend, to celebrate the return to sunshine after a very waterlogged week, James, Anne, and I made a road trip across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to visit Kiptopeke State Park on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Kiptopeke is famous for its beaches -- which front on the Chesapeake Bay -- and its birds -- the area serves as one of the nation's most important migratory bird study sites. In fact, the park has a little bit of a bird theme: each of the trails that wind through the woods is named for one of the birds that can be found making their home at the park: Warbler, mockingbird, osprey, peregrine falcon, raptor, and bald eagle.

The trails are a nice mix of terrains, from sand to gravel to boardwalk, and most are an easy walk for kids of all ages (ranging from .2-1.5 miles). Additionally, many of the boardwalk trails (including the one leading to the beach) are handicap accessible.

This was Baby A.'s first hiking experience in which she would be expected to ACTUALLY WALK as opposed to being carried on our backs, so we wanted to make sure that we kept things pretty easy for her little legs to handle. We decided to make a loop: take the Wood Warbler trail to the beach, and the Peregrine falcon boardwalk back to our car: all in all, about five blocks' worth of walking. I am forever grateful to the kind and gentle soul who thought to reinforce the raised boardwalk trail so that no toddlers could slip through the cracks. But I do kind of want to give the guy who decided on all the stairs a piece of my mind. Because you know A. had to climb each and every one of them herself and wouldn't accept any help, no sirree.

No, dada! I do it!

By far, the best part of Kiptopeke was the beach. It was so pristine and remote, acres of pale sand stretching up to the pine forest. The water that lapped up into the little coves was so clear and clean that we could see the sandy bottom, and the sand was littered with beautiful razorback clam shells and shark's purses. Anne collected so many of them that by the time we got back to the boardwalk, our pockets were full.




Besides the beach and the overlooks, Kiptopeke offers a fishing pier, boat ramp, and bike trails, as well as camping and lodge facilities for overnighters (including several yurts -- awesome!) And because we were there late in the day, we got to see one of the best sights the park has to offer: the sun sinking right down into the Chesapeake. Definitely a beautiful thing to behold after all those days of rain.

Click here for more information on visiting the park, including a trail map.




Have you ever been to Kiptopeke? What was your favorite part?