Archive for the ‘The Great Outdoors’ Category
Friday, February 3rd, 2012 by Katherine Jackson
 This week’s Beach Report is courtesy of ShoreLines blogger and Virginia Beach Walking Tour Guide Katherine Jackson, author of Walking Virginia Beach.
A Whale of a Walk
I can’t make any promises, but I’ve heard that beach walkers at the North End of Virginia Beach have been spotting humpback whales offshore. That’s right, whales off the coast of Virginia! According to a recent newspaper article, Winter Wildlife Boat Trips, sponsored by the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, are reporting record numbers of whale sightings, especially in the waters off Ft. Story. You can see a portion of the ocean at Ft. Story from the beach at Eighty-ninth Street. Humpback whales are described as graceful acrobats that perform dazzling acts such as slapping their flippers and tail on the water; “spy hopping,” which means raising a third of their body above the water to look around like a periscope; and “breaching,” which means launching their entire body out of the water.
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Tags: humpback whales, walking in Virginia Beach, whale watching in Virginia Beach, Winter Wildlife Boat Trips
Posted in Living the Life, The Beach Report, The Great Outdoors
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 by Sherry Friel
If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches; for the Creator, there is no poverty. Maria Ranier Rilke
 I’ve always loved poetry. As an undergraduate at Old Dominion University, I tried my hand at writing a few poems, but the results were pretty embarrassing. Eventually I gave up trying to write in stanzas and focused instead on courses in journalism and technical writing. Such training served me well, but I can’t seem to shake that longing to write in the vein of Emily Dickinson or Mary Oliver. Over the years I have read poetry that caused the hair on my neck to stand on end and my ears to tingle. If it’s a particularly good read, my whole body goes completely cold! For me, good poetry taps something deep and inexpressible and I am grateful to have encountered such moving works.
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Tags: First Landing State Park, outdoor experiences in Virginia Beach, photographing nature
Posted in Living the Life, The Great Outdoors
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 by Katherine Jackson
For a solitary stroll in nature, check out Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge at the south end of Virginia Beach. You won’t encounter many people, but during the winter months, approximately ten thousand migratory waterfowl, such as ducks, snow geese and tundra swans, fly into the area. It’s a sight to see. Add more than three hundred species of avian residents, including endangered species such as piping plover, peregrine falcon, and bald eagle, and the refuge becomes a bird watchers’ paradise. Through management of dikes and water impoundments, the refuge provides sustenance for the traveling flocks. To accommodate the wintering waterfowl, the trails along the dikes are closed to pedestrians from the first of November until the end of March. However, adjacent to the Visitor Contact Center, three short trails remain open throughout the year.
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Tags: Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, bird watching, trail walking in Virginia Beach, walking in Virginia Beach
Posted in Beaches, Living the Life, The Great Outdoors
Friday, January 6th, 2012 by Teresa Diaz
 A Humpback whale playing off Cape Henry, Virginia Beach, VA Happy New Year! 2012 is definitely off to a exciting start in Virginia Beach. The weather took a little dip mid-week but we’re expecting 63 degrees and sunny skies for the next few days – the perfect time for an outing to the Oceanfront, a hike in one of our parks or a peaceful bike ride out in the county. However, if you’re looking for a truly unique Virginia Beach experience, look no further than right off our coast. This week, the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team confirmed that there are four humpback whales in the waters off the Cape Henry Lighthouse!
Note: The photos appearing with this blog were taken this week and are courtesy of the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.
One of the larger species of baleen whales, adult humpback whales range in length from 39 to 52 ft. and weigh approximately 79,000 lbs. Although they can seem imposing, whales are often referred to as “gentle giants.” To give you a better idea of their immense size, look at this Wiki sketch comparing this mammal to an adult human:
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Tags: Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Whale Watching, Winter Wildlife Boat Trips
Posted in Fishing, Living the Life, The Beach Report, The Great Outdoors
Sunday, January 1st, 2012 by Mike Halperin
 - Photo courtesy of George Poveromo
Happy New Year from Virginia Beach!
Word is clearly out about jumbo stripers in Virginia Beach. Not only are big bass here but so are big-time fishermen. George Poveromo, editor of Saltwater Sportsman Magazine, recently taped a television show here about our fabulous winter bass fishery. According to Poveromo, “Virginia Beach’s winter run stripers come big and generally plentiful…”*
In his March 3, 2012, television special Poveromo will share precisely how and where he fished to capture the monster bass he found in Virginia Beach waters.
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Tags: bass, blue marlin, bluefin tuna, bluefish, blueline tilefish, Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Fishing, Flounder, striped bass, Tautog, Virginia Beach, white marlin
Posted in Fishing, Living the Life, The Great Outdoors
Friday, December 30th, 2011 by Sherry Friel
Natural Photographer and blogger Sherry Friel shares insight about the joy she experiences while capturing wonders of nature in Virginia Beach.
An Indescribable Peace at Bayville Farms Park
 Photo credit: Sherry Friel
I had suffered a great personal loss around the time my husband presented me with a new digital camera for Christmas. So while I was excited about receiving such a thoughtful present, it stayed in the camera bag for some time before I finally decided to venture outdoors with it. Maybe it was the cold weather, winter blues or gray skies, but I just wasn’t immediately inspired to attempt anything beyond pictures by the Christmas tree.
After the holidays, my friend Beth and I gathered the kids and headed out to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. We were chatting about cameras and photography when we suddenly realized we had the same model Nikon. Figuring we could learn from each other about settings and some of the more technical aspects of photography, we planned an outing dedicated to capturing some highlights of the winter season. Now, I am a big baby when it comes to wintery days. In fact, I am writing this blog seated in front of a toasty fire wearing a sweater, fleecy jacket, jeans, and thick wool socks. It’s not that cold, but I’m not taking any chances. So on the frigid January morning of our walk through Bayville Farms Park, I bundled up in a long wool coat, hat, scarf, and wind-resistant gloves.
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Tags: Bayville Farms Park, outdoors in Virginia Beach, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
Posted in Living the Life, The Beach Report, The Great Outdoors
Friday, December 23rd, 2011 by Katherine Jackson
This week’s Beach Report features Walking Tour Guide Katherine Jackson as she chronicles a lovely winter walk in Virginia Beach.
Winter Walking
 Photo credit: Katherine Jackson
Although the weather is a bit cooler now, it’s still plenty warm for walking, especially when you choose a path that’s sheltered from the wind. A paved, shared-use path tucked behind the Cape Henry Plaza on Shore Drive is a good place for an afternoon walk. Along with a handful of other walkers and runners, I started from the shopping center parking lot and headed east. The first part of the trail passes through backyards and side-yards in several neighborhoods. In addition to the chrysanthemums, pansies, and late season roses in residents’ gardens, holiday decorations and wreaths were fun to see. After seven tenths of a mile, the path narrows and enters the woods in First Landing State Park.
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Tags: Chesapeake Bay, First Landing State Park, longhouses, walking trails in Virginia Beach, winter fun in Virginia Beach
Posted in Living the Life, The Beach Report, The Great Outdoors
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