Eric Sumner, Farm Mechanic at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon, holds up twin lambs born Sunday, Feb. 25. These babies, like one born Saturday, March 3 during the high-impact windstorm that hit the region, will stay indoors for a few weeks before going out to pasture. Photo by Mercia Hobson.
Mother Nature hurled a powerful windstorm at the local area Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 5, as Winter Storm Riley wreaked havoc. The National Weather Service DC/Baltimore reported Dulles Airport had winds gusting to 50 mph or more for 16 hours, a rare occurrence created by the intense low-pressure system offshore.
The sustained wind storm downed trees and power lines in the Reston/Herndon area and beyond, leaving 192,000 Dominion customers, the majority of them in Fairfax County, without power.
Yet, Mother Nature showed her gentler side Saturday, if only for a moment. Shortly after noon, with winds still howling, twin lambs were born at Frying Pan Farm Park, Kidwell Farm in Herndon. The ewe instinctively turned and licked her newborns. Within minutes after hitting the straw, one lamb stood up on its wobbly legs, teetered a bit and made its way to the ewe. The second lamb died shortly after birth.
Like twins lambs born six days earlier on the farm and doing well, the surviving lamb will stay indoors for a few weeks before going out in the pasture with its mother. Another baby lamb was born on Sunday to a third ewe.
Kidwell Farm Park is part of Frying Pan Farm Park. It is a working demonstration farm located at 2709 West Ox Road. The park offers a look at life, a step back in time to experience how farm life was during the 1920s through 1950s.
The park is open daily dawn to dusk; Kidwell Farm is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the park is free. Some activities such as wagon rides, the carousel (opening mid-April) and special events have a fee.
For more information about upcoming events and the farm animal babies birthing schedule visit fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fryingpanpark.