NVBA News Blog
American Robin. Photo: Mick Thompson/Audubon Photography Awards
Welcome to the blog for Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, a wealth of resources about northern Virginia birds, wildlife, habitat conservation and restoration, native plants, wildlife-friendly gardening, advocacy and more.
Monday Mystery - November 28
Monday Nature Mystery continues! Read on to learn who correctly identified our last mystery.
Our Very Necessary Insects
People spend more time trying to kill insects than trying to save them, University of Delaware entomologist Douglas Tallamy told a Zoom gathering of 300 on September 25.
Keeping our wooded areas beautiful
If your community owns some wooded common land, or if you yourself own a wooded property, you may have noticed that the woods around here have been slowly changing, and not for the better.
Spend Some Time with the Bird Migration Explorer—You Won’t Be Sorry
Fall migration through northern Virginia is by no means over, but the numbers of birds traveling to, as well as passing over and through, our area is on the decline. Some of us may now stop obsessively checking BirdCast daily to see what we may anticipate passing through overnight.
Christmas Bird Count
The 123rd Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will take place between this December 14 and January 5, 2023.
Autumn Acoustics and Great Horned Owls
Autumn is in full swing. November and December are the best times to enjoy the beautiful sound of hooting, especially from Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus).
Up-close and Personal with Jumping Spiders
Arachnophobes beware! This article is not for you. But if there ever were a spider that could charm its way into your heart, a jumping spider would be a likely candidate.
Monday Mystery - October 31
Monday Nature Mystery continues! Read on to learn who correctly identified our last mystery.
The View from Hawk Mountain: Highlights from the ASNV Day Trip with Dr. Tom Wood
Fourteen participants met up at the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Visitor Center to witness and learn about a migration hawk watch.
Committing to Diversity, Inclusion, and Access
The COVID pandemic and our resultant programmatic pause allowed ASNV to reflect and act on how we engage with all communities in Northern Virginia.
Plant NOVA Trees – One Year On
September marks the first anniversary of the launch of Plant NOVA Trees, a regionwide effort by over a hundred local organizations and thousands of individuals to promote native trees and shrubs in Northern Virginia.
Proposed Alpine-X Indoor Ski Resort Detrimental to Grassland Bird Habitat
People don’t typically think of landfills as birding hotspots, but southeastern Fairfax County’s Lorton I-95 Landfill Complex is one.
World Shorebirds Day
World Shorebirds Day, an event sponsored by the Shorebird Conservation Society, was September 6th. Around this time people around the world celebrate the planet’s shorebirds, including by participating in the Global Shorebird Count.
Wildlife Rescue
Do you know what to do if you find an injured wild animal? When ASNV receives calls about injured or orphaned birds, we refer the calls to the Wildlife Rescue League.
Monday Mystery - September 26
Monday Nature Mystery continues! Read on to learn who correctly identified our last mystery.
Turn Your Lights Out to Protect Fall Migrants
Fall migration is expected to peak from September 15 to November 3 in the northern Virginia area. You can help protect the hundreds of millions of birds that are expected to fly over our area by turning off or dimming non-essential lighting during critical migration periods.
UPDATED: How to Set Up a Mosquito Larvae Trap and New Mini Trap
Just updated with questions and answers and new photos! Here’s an effective alternative to harmful mosquito spraying, as suggested by Doug Tallamy. Jill Spohn takes us through the steps of building your own mosquito larva traps at home.
Reports from Hog Island Educator’s Week
ASNV issued grants to send two teachers to Educator’s Week at Hog Island, Audubon’s Camp in Bremen, Maine. Here is what they had to say about their visit, the week of July 17.
Welcoming Visitors with Native Plant Landscaping
The big signs that welcome visitors to neighborhoods are usually framed by conventional ornamental shrubs, grasses, and annual flowers. Last year, Northern Virginia communities were invited to apply for matching mini-grants to spruce up their entranceways using only Virginia native plants.
You Can Help Stop the Spread of Invasive Plants
What do English ivy, barberry, butterfly bush, and mimosas (the tree, not the drink) have in common? You can find them in most Northern Virginia neighborhoods, and you can buy them at many local nurseries, garden shops and big box stores. But they are all invasive plants in Northern Virginia.