One of my favorite sights (and sounds) of spring is my first Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) of the season. I’ve always found them elegant-looking, with a sleek, slaty body, jaunty black cap and rusty patch under the tail. 

It’s the time of year when more of us are spending time outdoors, watching and photographing birds. It’s also a good time to review the principles of ethical birding. 

After snow flurries and a couple of cold snaps this past month, here are a couple things local birders are looking forward to in April.

My favorite birding spot is Veterans Memorial Park in Woodbridge. I keep coming back for the surprises that appear around every bend in the trail.

As spring arrives in northern Virginia, we’re looking forward to Birdathon 2026, our biggest and most FUN fundraiser of the year!

“Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada” or “Old-Sam-Peabody-Peabody” – no matter which phrase you associate with the song of the White-throated Sparrow, northern Virginia residents can expect to hear it throughout the coming months as these little birds sing of their return from breeding grounds in Canada.

On Saturday, October 4, 22 birders awoke before sunrise, loaded into vans, and began our journey from Northern Virginia to Cape May, NJ, our eyes set on this faraway destination perfectly aligned with the Atlantic Flyway, one of the four “avian superhighways” in North America.

The Board Birders started their Birdathon at 6:00 AM at Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve. Read about their Birdathon adventure and find out how many species they saw!

Some history and background on a favorite birdwatching locale for many northern Virginians as Huntley Meadows celebrates its 50th year.

I started birdwatching during my freshman year but was lucky enough to be living then in Zimbabwe, home to hundreds of species of birds, ranging from the tiniest sunbirds to the flightless guinea fowl and several species of elusive turacos.

Avian influenza has been around for centuries in many strains, but the strain making the news as bird flu is a “highly pathogenic avian influenza,” caused by the H5N1 virus. It’s being found in both wild birds and domestic fowl and, less commonly, in mammals, even humans.

As spring arrives in northern Virginia, we’re looking forward to Birdathon 2025, our annual event where teams collect pledges from friends and family and then record how many species they can identify during any 24-hour period between April 19 and May 18.

We’ll have a full report on the results of this year’s Birdathon at our June 2 Audubon Afternoon and Annual Meeting.

South Arlington birders were thrilled last year when Common Ravens, which had been haunting the Long Branch Nature Center area, built a nest on a Route 50 abutment where the roadway crosses the W&OD Trail. So, they were doubly pleased when the Ravens returned this year to the same nest.

Birdathon, ASNV’s annual birding competition and fundraiser, is coming soon.

Read this account of a 2023 Birdathon team’s long but rewarding day of birding through some of northern Virginia’s best birding locations.

On the weekend of October 7-8, 24 birders traveled with ASNV to Cape May, New Jersey, a prime spot for birders, for an adventure witnessing fall migration.

Most American birdwatchers are familiar with eBird and Merlin, products developed and managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and launched in 2002 and 2021, respectively. But have you heard of Birda?

This spring Arlington residents who have not spent enough time further away to observe the breeding and nesting cycle of the Common Raven had a rare treat.

Birdathon helps ASNV continue to support outdoor education, citizen science and habitat conservation, and encourages people to plant native plants and foster native wildlife.