Do you have a favorite spot to bird that you’d like to share with others? Consider leading a winter or spring walk there for ASNV.
3 Billion Birds
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.
Birdathon Winners Visit Oak Spring
Winning Birdathon teams traveled out to the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Upperville, Virginia on September 17 to view some rare books, including a John James Audubon folio, and the grounds of the estate of Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, who designed the White House Rose Garden.
Youth Education Mini-grants
Wolf Trap First-Time Campers Program offers Birding
Each spring and fall Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts hosts two campouts for Fairfax County 5th and 6th grade students sponsored by Friends of Wolf Trap. The campouts give young people an opportunity to develop meaningful connections to the natural world, learn outdoor skills, make new friends, and have fun.
Volunteer: Bird-safe Buildings
National Audubon has asked its members to advocate for the federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act NAS Bird Safe Windows, and ASNV wants to address the issue on a local level. If you have expertise in architecture, city planning or bird-safe building measures, the Advocacy Committee would like to hear from you.
Twelve Things You Should Know About Owls
Citizen Science at ASNV
On September 22, ASNV awarded James (Jim) Waggener National Audubon Society’s prestigious Great Egret Award in recognition of his outstanding citizen science contribution. Jim is only the second person from ASNV to receive this award. He is a naturalist, who began the Occoquan Monitoring Program 30 years ago after retiring from foreign service.
New Partnership with Green Muslims
The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia is happy to highlight a new partnership: Green Muslims is a volunteer-driven 501(C)3 headquartered in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area that is working to connect Muslims everywhere to nature and environmental activism.
Birds of the Month: Albert and Wisdom
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s most quoted (and misquoted) poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” tells the story of a sailor who shoots a friendly albatross, cursing himself and his crew. As punishment, he is forced to wear the bird around its neck, making the albatross a symbol of his burden and regret. Good omens in life and bad omens in death, albatrosses have become symbols of both good and bad luck. Fittingly, while some real albatrosses have been fortunate, others have had tough luck.
Reflections on Hog Island Audubon Camp
Spending six days on Hog Island, Maine was one of the most meaningful, educational experiences I have ever had. From the moment we stepped off the boat from the mainland, we were immersed in a rich environment of natural wonder, forming new relationships, and inspired by the passion and knowledge of the camp staff and our fellow educators who arrived from all over the country.
Save the Date for the Big Sit!
Bird of the Month: The Pfeilstorch
Planting Hope: Engaging Faith-based Communities in Plants for Birds
Blowing Smoke for a Prize-winning Shot
Bird of the Month: Brown-headed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbirds love cows. True to their name, they can often be found alongside herds of cattle or horses, eating insects that much larger animals flush from the grass. Historically, Brown-headed Cowbirds followed bison herds across the Great Plains, but the spread of livestock farming has expanded their range across North America.
Bald Eagles Down in the Dumps?
Audubon At Home Certification
The Audubon at Home program is happy to announce that the Reston Association's Central Services Facility (CSF) has achieved certification as a Wildlife Sanctuary. The site includes a native plant garden that serves as a demonstration site to educate Metro developers on how native plants can be integrated into areas near Metro stations.
Recovery of the Peregrine Falcon – A Conservation Success Story
In July, 2015, two Peregrine Falcon chicks were found on Market Street in Reston Town Center (RTC). They were taken to the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia and safely released into the wild. No one realized Peregrine Falcons nested in Reston but the chicks prompted a discovery that two adult peregrines were nesting in RTC.
