By Elaine Callahan Autumn has arrived, and all bird-nesting activities have ceased. Thankfully. “You’ll miss them when they’re gone,” my husband said one morning, as I ducked down to take a peek at the ledge on the front porch, covered with mud, plastic tape, and an assortment of sticks and moss. When the pair of little, dark-headed birds kept insistently trying to glue gobs of red mud … [Read more...]

By Charles Crenshaw The Crenshaw family, the Dickerson family and the Seamonds family have a lot of history at Broadus Wood High School. Until 1906, there were three one-room schools near the village of Earlysville. They were Sandy Bottom, Longwood and Happy Hollow. My grandfather, Charles Crenshaw, attended Sandy Bottom. If there was farm work to be done, it came first, not school. It was … [Read more...]

Frequent contributor, Sherman Shifflett, is writing a book about his father, Harvey Shifflett. Below are a few excerpts from his upcoming book.   Dad kept an inordinate number of roosters. One day mom asked him why he kept so many roosters. He replied, "I don't want the hens to suffer."   When Dad went to bed, the entire family had to turn in. One night I told him, "You're … [Read more...]

By Sherman Shifflett   During the 1940's-50's, wild honeybees were plentiful. They could be seen in pastures with clover, flower gardens, orchards, or anywhere there was available nectar. Creeks and water holes were other places the bees frequented. Dad was always able to find "honey trees", where the wild honeybees built their hives. I remember one occasion in Covesville when Dad … [Read more...]

From Sherman Shifflett   This story came from a gentleman who runs a 2,000-acre corn farm near Barron, Wisconsin, not far from Oshkosh. He once flew F-4Es and F-16s for the National Guard and participated in the first Gulf War. Here is his account about two eagles and three crows:   I was planting corn to finish a field before the next morning when I witnessed “The Great … [Read more...]

Deborah Gillespie of Bluefield sent this amazing photo to CvilleBuzz. It was taken on June 12 by a friend of hers, about a mile northeast of the Gillespie Home. Those familiar with Princeton will recognize the area as behind Durr's Pond on Athens road. Got any pictures you’d like to share? Send them to CvilleBuzz.com. … [Read more...]

From VDGIF Research Although they are found statewide, coyotes are a relative newcomer to Virginia. Coyotes are native to the plains of the Midwest, but they eventually arrived in the western mountains of Virginia during the late 1970’s following a well-documented eastward expansion. Coyotes prefer hilly terrain with open or brushy habitat, but they are also a highly adaptable species. Their … [Read more...]

Tips from Bob and Doris Huff   I did a little tongue in cheek piece last week on boiling eggs – the easy part. The hard part? Peeling them - at least some times. It’s common knowledge that a non-fresh egg peels easier, it tightens up inside with age and the shells come right off. But sometimes you don’t have any week-old eggs – you have to use what you’ve got. I’ve read lots of … [Read more...]

By Tommy Lawhorne   The first year of the South River Fly Fishing Expo was a success and planning is underway for a bigger and better Expo next year.  Next years dates are already set for April 22nd and 23rd. The water levels are great in the Southern portion of the Shenandoah National Park and are returning to normal on the South River. Larger nymphs and streamers have been the go … [Read more...]

Eds. Note: There have been numerous, reported sightings of mountain lions by seemingly reliable witnesses, yet the Game Department claims there are no mountain lions in Virginia. Below is a recent article from VDGIF? We report, you decide.   More and more images appear as photo attachments to emails claiming to have been taken in Virginia. With some detective work, they are often … [Read more...]