As Halloween approaches, one decoration deserves to stay on the store shelf: synthetic spiderwebs. While these stretchy strands might seem like harmless fun, they're creating a serious threat to birds in our communities

NVBA has launched a campaign to prevent bird deaths, citing a National Audubon Society study that found a 30 percent drop in bird populations in North America since 1970, which means more than one in four birds or three billion birds have been lost since then.

Billions of birds die each year from human-made causes. NVBA, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, Nature Forward, DarkSky NOVA, DarkSky Virginia, Friends of Dyke Marsh, and Friends of Little Hunting Creek have formed a partnership, Bird Safe NOVA, in an effort to reduce the devastating toll on birds from excess light and window collisions.

New year’s resolutions about more exercise and a better diet are traditional for this time of year, because those actions can help us live better, happier lives. But another way to improve your quality of life is by helping the birds.

Oakton High school student and passionate birder, Elliot Frank was concerned about how to reduce the high number of bird fatalities caused by window strikes. He decided to tackle the issue for his Eagle Scout project.

A little over two years ago, Aventon Holdings I, LLC approached neighboring communities in the Mount Vernon District in Virginia to get residents’ input on what kind of development they envisioned at Aventon’s proposed building site.