Photo: Dickcissel, Justin Griggs/Audubon Photography Awards
Libby Lyons
Grasslands are one of the most threatened bird habitats in northern Virginia and across the country. In the last few years NVBA has been working both to conserve these areas and also to facilitate access to these habitats for birdwatchers.
One place where we have been doing both is at Fairfax County’s I-95 landfill. Although that location has been closed to birdwatchers since October 2025, NVBA has arranged a special visit on Saturday, May 9 at 7:00 am to allow our birdwatching community access to this unique site.
This outing will provide the opportunity to see grassland bird species found in few places in northern Virginia. Among the species we might see are Grasshopper Sparrows, Dickcissels, Eastern Meadowlarks, and American Kestrels. Bobolinks are a long shot, but at this time of year they’ll still be in migration and so frequenting large meadow patches.
Grassland birds are thriving on this landfill because Fairfax County has intentionally taken the bird-friendly step of creating a 50-acre no-mow zone on closed parts of the landfill. Not mowing these areas between March and September for the last two years has increased the chances of grassland birds successfully raising young on the landfill. In fact, NVBA and landfill staff have documented pairs of grasshopper sparrows during the last two springs and pairs of dickcissels in 2025. Alas, the grass was too thick to find nests, but seeing pairs during the breeding season suggests birds are likely to have bred there.
Eastern Meadowlark. Photo: Mary Ellen Cross/Audubon Photography Awards
The May 9 outing will begin at 7:00 am with a short safety briefing at the landfill office, 9850 Hagel Road, Lorton, VA. The group will then travel via carpool and stop at about a dozen spots around the landfill. We will watch for grassland birds but also hope to see many species that use meadow edges and nearby forest habitat. The visit also will allow us to see the “no-mow” zone and to observe how birds might be using the habitat around the recently constructed 28-acre solar farm on the landfill.
Space is limited so please sign up soon. To participate, you must register both on NVBA's Eventbrite site – and also on the Fairfax County Volunteer System. Registration on the Fairfax County site is fast and easy, and requires that you fill out a liability waiver and sign a code of conduct document. On May 9, please bring proof of your Fairfax Volunteer registration, which will be the confirmation email you receive, either in print form or on your phone.
Safety precautions:
All participants must attend the brief safety presentation at the start of the event.
All participants must wear high-visibility safety vests. Please wear one if you have one. Otherwise, one will be provided.
Please wear closed-toe shoes/boots.
There are ticks at the landfill, so please take appropriate precautions.
If you can’t make this trip and are interested in seeing grassland birds, I suggest you visit meadows around Sully Woodlands in Centreville or Manassas National Battlefield Park in Manassas. Both of these locations show multiple sightings on eBird of grassland birds in recent years.