2024 Educator Scholarship Application Now Open

Photo: Atlantic Puffins, Walker Golder

Bill Burton

Each year ASNV offers a full scholarship to Sharing Nature: An Educator's Week at Hog Island Audubon Camp in coastal Maine. Hog Island Audubon Camp has offered environmental education programs for adults, teens, families and conservation leaders since 1936. While there, educators learn interdisciplinary hands-on methods and approaches to environmental education while immersed in the natural world--read about the 2022 recipients' experience here.

The applicant must be a public classroom teacher, specialist or school administrator in the ASNV chapter territory, which encompasses all of Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford Counties (excluding Dulles Airport in Fairfax County), and portions of Fauquier, Loudoun, Rappahannock and Spotsylvania Counties. Independent cities in that area include Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Leesburg, Manassas and Manassas Park. The maps on our website provide additional detail.

Educator’s Week in the coming year is July 14-19, 2024. To apply, please complete the online application and submit two letters of recommendation no later than February 28, 2024. Please see the application for additional details, including post-camp requirements.

President's Corner

Photo: Tundra Swan illustration, John James Audubon

Libby Lyons

Looking back across the last year, I saw ASNV came out of the pandemic energized and ready to take on some big challenges. To counter the threat of continued massive losses of birds from North America (estimated at 3 billion, or one in four, since 1970), of rapid urban development in northern Virginia, and of climate change, we have developed our Stretch Our Parks initiative.

We also are adopting a proactive approach to our mission of engaging all northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. Our recently hired Volunteer Coordinator is increasing our volunteer engagement, we are reaching younger audiences with our NextGen Birders for Conservation events, and we continue to reach out to all communities in our chapter territory through our diversity and inclusion initiatives, which are now featured on our website. 

It is in this context of how we fulfill our mission, today and for years to come, that we now consider whether to change our organization’s name. John James Audubon’s vast contributions to American ornithology are well known. In recent years, however, it has come to light that, like some others of his era, he was a slave owner and collected skulls for another’s eugenics research, practices that are now universally condemned. He also copied another artist’s drawing of a bird that did not exist, using it to promote his own publication -- scientific fraud by any era’s standards.

ASNV, like many other Audubon chapters, has embarked on a process to decide whether to keep the Audubon name. The National Audubon Society in March of this year decided not to change its name, but is allowing its many chapters to decide for themselves. 

Our Board of Directors will make this decision – and it is a complex one. More background information is available in this essay on the Audubon Name, and in this series of Frequently Asked Questions. On the one hand, some feel that changing the name will help remove the taint of racism associated with Audubon. And as Christian Cooper wrote in the Washington Post, we can’t adequately protect birds and other wildlife from the immense challenges ahead without the participation of non-Whites, a large and growing part of the population. Having a name that honors Audubon could deter such participation; this is especially relevant for northern Virginia, a part of the country that has recently become a majority-minority region. 

On the other hand, Audubon did make significant contributions to ornithology, art, and natural history. Changing our name could weaken the Audubon “brand recognition.” A name change could alienate some members and also would be expensive, draining funds away from important conservation work.

Because we are a membership organization and have long benefited from your generous involvement and support, we are now in a listening and learning phase. We ask for your input – please use this link to take our brief survey. We also will consult other groups in northern Virginia communities that are not well-represented in our membership and other Audubon chapters around the country.

We look forward to hearing from you – about the name change issue – and about other suggestions that you have to help us protect the birds and nature that we all treasure.

The Audubon Name

Photo: Common American Swan, Courtesy of the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, Montgomery County Audubon Collection, and Zebra Publishing

The National Audubon Society (NAS) was named after John James Audubon in recognition of his contribution to the natural history of North America. Historical reviews of his legacy have in the past several years shown light on more troubling aspects of his life. What NAS has concluded following its own review of that history is that being a slave owner was only one of Audubon’s many transgressions, noting that he was "a complex and troubling character who did despicable things even by the standards of his day."

Out of concern that continuing the Audubon name could undermine the society’s mission, NAS undertook a year-long process to determine whether to remove Audubon from its name. In March 2023 NAS decided not to change its name but indicated that its chapters were free to do so. At its May meeting, ASNV’s board formed an ad hoc committee to develop and implement a process for making a decision about this important issue. We thank you for your patience as we set about this process.

See a National Audubon Society Award-Winning Photograph by a Local Birder

Photo: Greater Prairie Chicken, Amiel Hopkins/Audubon Photography Awards

Saturday, March 4, 1-3 PM

Greater Prairie Chicken, Amiel Hopkins/Audubon Photography Awards

Please join us at the Huntley Meadows Park Visitor Center on Saturday to view the winning photographs and videos from National Audubon Society’s 2022 photo contest.  Among the photos you’ll see is an image of a Greater Prairie-Chicken, pictured above, taken by Amiel Hopkins, a member of the NoVA Teen Birding Club. Amiel’s photo won the Youth Honorable Mention award. ASNV will lead bird walks through Huntley’s stunning wetlands at 1:30 and 2:30, and refreshments will be served.

Huntley Meadows Park is located at 3701 Lockheed Boulevard in Alexandria.

Audubon’s 2022 Photography Awards

Photo: White-tailed Kite, Jack Zhi/Audubon Photography Awards

Prepare to spend some time in front of your computer or on your phone looking over Aubudon’s 2022 Photography Awards, both still photos and videos. Audubon announced the top eight winners earlier this summer. But there’s more. Audubon released an additional file of 100 photos and videos from the nearly 10,000 entries from almost 2,500 photographers and videographers. You can view the collection here. Be sure to read the “behind the shot” stories that accompany the winners and other entries. They demonstrate the wide variety of techniques the photographers use and the lengths they go to for the perfect shot. 

White-tailed Kite, Jack Zhi/Audubon Photography Awards

What Do We Do About John James Audubon?

Photo: Great Egret, Adrian Brandon

Drew Lanham writes about the complexities of J.J. Audubon and his history of white supremacy in the spring issue of Audubon Magazine. As we commemorate Black Birder’s Week 2021, this article offers so much for all of us, and especially birders, to think and “grapple with” now . 

“The founding father of American birding soared on the wings of white privilege. The birding community and organizations that bear his name must grapple with this racist legacy to create a more just, inclusive world.”

Great Egret, Adrian Brandon

Capturing the Natural Beauty of Birds

Photo grid: Natalie Robertson

Lisa Mackem

Bird and native plant photographers should consider entering the 2021 Audubon Photography Awards. Next year will be the contest’s 12th year. Winning photos are featured in  Audubon and Nature’s Best Photography magazines and showcased in Audubon Photography Awards exhibitions hosted by Audubon chapters and centers nationwide. Walker Nature Center in Reston has presented three exhibitions of winning photos and last year Huntley Meadows Park also presented the show. Even though the 2020 award winners will not be exhibited this coming winter, you can take a virtual gallery tour here. 

The 2020 contest entry period ran from January 13 through April 6, 2020, and the 2021 contest entry period will probably be similar. Judges awarded six prizes to photographers including: Grand Prize ($5,000), Professional Prize ($2,500), Amateur Prize ($2,500), Youth Prize (six days at Audubon’s Hog Island Audubon Camp), Plants for Birds Prize ($2,500) and the Fisher Prize ($1,000). Introduced in 2019, the Fisher Prize recognizes an image that is as artistic as it is revealing, and the Plants for Birds Prize honors the top photo that illustrates the crucial relationships between native plants and birds. All photos were judged for technical quality, originality, and artistic merit.

In 2019, amateur photographer Kathrin Swoboda won the grand prize for her photo of a Red-winged Blackbird seemingly blowing smoke rings (actually vapor rings) in Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, VA. The contest attracted 2,253 entrants from throughout the U.S. and Canada that year. Swoboda had not intended to enter the contest, but had posted her picture on the Facebook site “Birds of Eastern US”, and someone suggested that she enter. In an interview for The Potomac Flier, Swoboda recommended that to take better bird pictures, “Focus on one bird or species and get to know their nature story.” 

In 2020, nearly 1,800 photographers entered the contest, representing all 50 states, Washington D.C. and 7 Canadian provinces. The grand prize photographer, professional photographer Joanna Lentini, captured a Double-crested Cormorant diving toward a sardine swarm in Los Islotes, Mexico. Audubon featured the other category winners and honorable mentions along with Ms. Lentini’s article, “How to Snap Amazing Photos of Birds Underwater.”

The Audubon Photography Awards are open to all U.S. and Canadian residents (excluding residents of Quebec) who are at least 13 years old as of the date of their submission. Audubon encourages and enforces ethical bird photography, and photos that do not adhere to Audubon’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography will be disqualified. Official rules for the 2020 Audubon Photography Awards are likely to continue for the 2021 contest. 

Great American Outdoors Act Will Become Law

Photo: Golden-winged Warbler, Michael Stubblefield

By Lisa Mackem

In a rare show of bipartisan support, the Great American Outdoors Act passed in both Congressional houses with a large margin. Republican Senator Cory Gardner sponsored the bill, along with 59 cosponsors. Both Virginia senators supported the bill. The Act has been called one of the most important environmental bills in history. 

Sarah Greenberger, senior vice president for the National Audubon Society’s conservation policy, said that the bill will help protect birds, improve parks, and create jobs in every state and will provide permanent, mandatory funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at the authorized amount of $900 million annually at no additional taxpayer cost. It will also direct up to $9.5 billion over five years to the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy funds to help address huge backlogs in maintenance needs.

Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) Federal Legislative Director Anders Reynolds called the Great American Outdoors Act “a huge step in the right direction…but only a first step. Properly maintaining our parks and preserving public lands is vital for our environment and for the economic health of local communities that depend on outdoor tourism.”

President Trump has expressed support for this bill and is expected to sign it into law. A signing date has not yet been set. 

Birding while Black: Understanding our Different Experiences

Photo: Camilla Cerea

Resources from National Audubon

David J. Ringer, Chief Network Officer for the National Audubon Society, shared these resources with Audubon chapters around the county. We think they offer a helpful introduction not only for our ASNV board but for anyone who wants to better understand how the outdoors and specifically birding, is not equally safe and welcoming for everyone, especially for people of color.

• Read, watch, and share these pieces about birding while Black:
  What White Birders Can Learn From Amy Cooper About Their Own Racism by Hannah Waters
  Corina Newsome and the Black Birders Movement from The New Yorker
  Jason Ward’s essay on how the woods can be perilous for Black people
  Journalist Brentin Mock’s interview on birding as a Black man
   

• Buy copies of these books and have discussions with your chapter board:
  Caroline Finney’s Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors
  Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s How To Be an Antiracist
  Dr. J Drew Lanham’s The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature 

Audubon Statement on Incident in Central Park’s Ramble

Photo: Wood Thrush, Will Stuart

National Audubon Society issued a statement about the incident in Central Park’s Ramble that occurred when Christian Cooper, who is black and a board member of New York City Audubon Society, asked a white woman to put her dog on a leash. Read the statement here.

Take a Virtual Tour of the 2019 National Audubon Photography Awards

Photo: Audubon Photography Award Winners

In celebration of the natural connection between birding and photography, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia co-hosted the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards Traveling Exhibition with Walker Nature Center in February and again with Huntley Meadows Park in March. Sadly the exhibition is now closed to the public but you can take a virtual tour and learn about the stories behind the photographs here.

Hog Island Scholarship Application Deadline Extended!

Photo: Atlantic Puffins, Kevin VandeVusse/Audubon Photography Awards

Each summer Audubon Society of Northern Virginia offers a full scholarship and transportation to “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week” at National Audubon Society’s Hog Island Camp in Maine. This year’s session is July 12-17, 2020, and will feature workshops on educational techniques, a boat trip to the restored Atlantic Puffin and Tern colony on Eastern Egg Rock, intertidal explorations, and hiking through Hog Island's unspoiled spruce-fir forest. 

Applicants must be a public classroom teacher, specialist or school administrator in the ASNV chapter territory. Counties: Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford.  Independent cities: Alexandria, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park.  

We have extended the application deadline to March 1, 2020.   

A link to the scholarship application can be found here. 

If you have any questions please email: youtheducation@audubonva.org

For further information about this session at Hog Island, please visit their website by clicking here or watch this great video.

The scholarship announcement will be on March 16, 2020.  Thanks for spreading the word in your school district, and we look forward to receiving applications from your schools!

New Year’s Resolutions for the Birds

Photo: Eastern Bluebird, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Finches, Theodore Lawrence/Great Backyard Bird Count

By Lisa Mackem 

For the past few months the Potomac Flier has featured several articles on the immense loss of North American wild birds and how individuals can take steps to reverse this trend.  The November Potomac Flier article “Three Billion Birds,” shared 7 Simple Steps to help birds published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute. The 7th step, “Watch Birds, Share What You See” encourages birdwatching and citizen science. Data collected through simple observation can have profound results.

The National Audubon Society counts acting locally to save birds as one of its top wins for 2019. Audubon California protected 90% of threatened tri-colored blackbird colonies after Audubon Society members and their partners found nesting colonies in 15 different farms and four counties in the central valley. As a result, 2019 became a life-saving season for the species.

• Locally, ASNV provides many meaningful citizen science opportunities and welcomes participation from everyone. People who have never participated in a count or survey will be matched with more experienced volunteers who can teach tricks of the trade and help build skills that will increase bird-watching knowledge and enjoyment. January events include an Audubon Afternoon about winter waterfowl followed by a waterfowl count workshop later in the month. In early February, volunteer teams will survey the Potomac River and several inland ponds, lakes and marshes for the “Rally for a Tally” waterfowl count. For those interested in birding but looking for a place to start, ASNV and other bird-friendly organizations offer bird walks in local parks where beginners are always welcome. 

If you want to explore further, try one of Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s programs like eBird, Project FeederWatch, Christmas Bird Count, Breeding Bird Survey, or the International Shorebird Survey to record your own bird observations. Cornell also provides a free course in using eBird.

Bird populations need to be located, documented and protected. Fortunately, numerous opportunities to do that are easily accessible so everyone can help. Take advantage of them and make resolutions for the birds in 2020!

National Audubon Photography Award Winners Show comes to Northern Virginia

Photo: Red-winged Blackbird, Kathrin Swoboda/Audubon Photography Awards 2019 Grand Prize Winner

Join ASNV at Walker Nature Center in February and Huntley Meadows Park in March for the best avian photography of 2019.

In celebration of the natural connection between birding and photography, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia will co-host the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards Traveling Exhibition with Walker Nature Center in Reston between February 5 and February 26, 2020 and again with Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria between March 4 and March 25, 2020. Visitors of all ages will enjoy a display of the winning photos and learn more about our local birdlife in Northern Virginia.

In the 10th year of the contest, winning photos and honorable mentions were selected from 2,253 entrants from all 50 states, Washington D.C. and 10 Canadian provinces and territories. The 2019 Grand Prize Winner is a photograph of a Red-winged Blackbird taken by Kathrin Swoboda in Huntley Meadows Park. 

New this year, the judges introduced the Plants for Birds Prize and the Fisher Prize. The Plants for Birds Prize was awarded to the highest scoring photograph submitted in the Plants for Birds Division, featuring birds and plants native to the area the photo was taken. The Fisher Prize was awarded to the photograph depicting the most creative approach to bird photography across all divisions: Professional, Amateur, Youth and Plants for Birds.

Walker Nature Center will host an Open House on Sunday, February 9, 2020 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM. Visitors can view the exhibition, watch birds from inside the nature house or outside on guided bird walks and take part in bird-related activities for all ages. The center will also host an environmental film on Friday, February 21, 2020 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM.

Huntley Meadows Park will host an Open House on Sunday March 8, 2020 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM with activities in the Visitor’s Center and guided bird walks in the park.

3 Billion Birds

Photo: Songbird Decline, Chris Maynard

By Lisa Mackem

Wild bird populations in the continental US and Canada have declined by almost 30% since 1970, representing a loss of nearly 3 billion birds. This loss astounded Cornell Lab of Ornithology conservation scientist, Ken Rosenberg. Rosenberg led an international team of scientists from seven institutions in the analysis of population trends for 529 bird species. The journal Science published the study results in September. 

The scale of loss is unlike anything recorded in modern natural history. It includes hundreds of bird species across the continent. The research confirming these losses represents the most robust synthesis of long-term population monitoring data ever assembled for animals, said Adam Smith, a study coauthor and biostatistician for Environment and Climate Change Canada. “It’s safe to say that in the natural world, birds are the best studied group of wildlife species,” Smith said. “The data that exist for birds are just so incredible, from 50 years of the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the Christmas Bird Counters from 100 years ago, on to the eBirders of today,” said Smith. 

The study authors say that their work shows a pervasive loss in every North American biome. Forests have lost 1 billion birds and grasslands have lost 700 million, or 50% of their birds. The study authors identify habitat loss as a likely driving factor in these declines. More than 90% of the total bird losses (over 2.5 billion birds) come from 12 avian families, including common birds like sparrows, blackbirds, and finches. A Red-winged Blackbird was the subject of the winning 2019 Audubon photography contest photo. In the last 50 years, Red-winged Blackbirds lost 33% of their population – a severe and unsustainable loss. 

Birds are indicator species, serving as acutely sensitive barometers of environmental health. Their mass declines signal that the earth’s biological systems are in trouble. Other studies have documented similar losses in populations of insects, amphibians, and fish. A 2019 United Nations report warned that approximately one million animal and plant species face extinction – more than ever before in human history.

Fortunately, there is also good news. North American duck and geese populations have grown by 56% since 1970, largely due to US and Canadian laws protecting wetlands and collaboration with Mexico to safeguard migrating waterfowl. Conservation management became increasingly science-driven. Private philanthropy, especially by Ducks Unlimited, generated significant financial support for wetlands acquisitions. Raptor and turkey populations also have been restored. A current bipartisan measure in the US House of Representatives – the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act – would direct $1.4 billion in federal dollars to invigorate underfunded state and tribal wildlife conservation programs. Bird populations that have suffered devastating losses have enough remaining birds to spur a recovery if conservation measures are implemented soon. 

3 billion birds, co-sponsored by American Bird Conservancy, Audubon, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Georgetown University, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute published 7 Simple Steps to help birds: 

1. Make windows safer 

2. Keep cats indoor

3. Reduce lawn by planting native species 

4. Avoid pesticides

5 Drink bird-friendly coffee

6. Reduce use of plastics

7. Participate in birdwatching citizen science. 

Rosenberg warned that in 10 years, the current losses could be irreversible. The passenger pigeon was once the world’s most abundant bird, but people did not realize how quickly it was vanishing until it was too late. Meaningful action must start now.

You can participate in birdwatching citizen science by attending ASNV’s Project FeederWatch and Christmas Bird Count workshops this November – ASNV Workshops

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/vanishing-1-in-4-birds-gone/ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/opinion/crisis-birds-north-america.html https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/120

Blowing Smoke for a Prize-winning Shot

Photo: Red-winged Blackbird, Katharin Swoboda/Audubon Photography Awards

Local Photographer takes Grand Prize Photo in Huntley Meadows Park

By Lisa Mackem

This year’s annual Audubon Photography Awards contest attracted 2,253 entrants from throughout the U.S. and Canada. Kathrin (“Kathy”) Swoboda, of Vienna, VA, won the grand prize for her photo of a Red-winged Blackbird seeming to blow smoke rings. Kathy is an amateur photographer who started photographing birds about seven years ago in her backyard, which is beside a park. Her son created a professional-looking photography website for her, but she has never sold her photographs. Kathy originally did not plan to enter her prize-winning photo in the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards contest. Instead, she posted the picture on the Facebook site “Birds of Eastern US”, where someone suggested that she enter.

Kathy took her picture in Huntley Meadows Park, which she visits every year. She wanted to capture a bird’s backlit breath on a cold, sunny, early spring morning. The park is a 40-minute drive from her home, but “Huntley Meadows is fantastic,” says Kathy. “In the spring and summer, they have lots of birds, birdwatchers, and people taking pictures. The birds are probably tamer there than in other places because they’re used to seeing more people up and down the boardwalks.” Kathy arrived at the park at 7 am on the March morning when she took her winning photo. She slowly walked along the boardwalk, taking pictures of Red-winged Blackbirds. “A particular bird was very vocal – singing hard and long,” said Kathy. She focused on that bird, and for the first time, she saw the smoke rings. She took 26 shots of that bird, continually trying to get a better one. When the sun rose over the trees, Kathy could backlight the blackbird’s breath. The shadow of the woods behind the bird was an effective backdrop.

Initially, Kathy took photos with consumer-grade cameras. As she learned more about photography, she bought her current camera – a Nikon D500 with Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens. She explained that its features, including fast focus and large buffer, are ideal for bird photography, and let her shoot many images without pausing. “You can just keep going and going,” she says. She finds her subject and just lets the camera shoot. The camera took 30 shots for her winning photo. Kathy joined a camera club and entered a club competition to hone her photography skills. She is active on social media and at National Audubon’s request, is doing an Audubon takeover on Instagram. “Watch birds, learn all you can about them,” she says. “Focus on one bird or species and know their nature story. That makes for a better picture.”

A retired physician, married with three grown children, Kathy loves all birds.