January 2021

Photo: Camilla Cerea

Tom Blackburn

As the holiday season draws to a close, an annual holiday tradition also is coming to a close – the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Since 1900, when 27 birders conducted 25 surveys and tallied 96 species, the CBC has grown in 2019 to 81,601 people who participated in surveys in 2646 count circles and tallied 672 species and nearly 43 million birds. You can learn more about the history of the CBC and the bird population statistics here.

ASNV has sponsored the Manassas-Bull Run CBC for 37 years. Our survey covers a 15 mile diameter circle around Centreville, VA.  In 2019 137 birders participated in our chapter’s CBC, more than all but 46 of the 2646 CBCs. We counted 86 species and more than 20,000 birds. Six other CBCs include portions of the ASNV service territory: Washington DC, Seneca, Fort Belvoir, Central Loudoun, Nokesville and Brooke. That gives our members a nearly-unparalleled opportunity to participate in the annual bird counts. Some of ASNV members participate in as many as four CBCs each year. 

ASNV has a long tradition of community science. In addition to the CBC, we participate in the Winter Waterfowl Count and the Great Backyard Bird Count each February, the World Migratory Bird Count in May and the Northern Virginia Bird Survey in June.  ASNV also conducts weekly butterfly and dragonfly surveys each April through October within the 15-mile diameter count circle around Occoquan National Wildlife Refuge established by the North American Butterfly Association (NABA); and year-round natural resource surveys in the same area.   

The CBC and other community scientist-driven surveys are vitally important in gathering knowledge about the status and health of wildlife. The data compiled through these surveys and through the 100 million bird sightings reported each year through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird program have helped professional ornithologists and other biologists to fully understand changes in populations of wildlife and recommend actions to protect vulnerable species. The data compiled by volunteer birders have, among other things, helped to document the loss of nearly three billion birds in North America since 1970.   

If you would like to join the army of community scientists who are working to document wildlife populations in Northern Virginia, look for information about upcoming surveys on the “Get Outside” menu on our website. Some of our surveys have been curtailed or restricted to previous participants due the pandemic, but we’ll restart them as soon as the public health situation improves.  

December 2020

Photo: Cedar Waxwings, Donald Metzner/Great Backyard Bird Count

Tom Blackburn

By now you should have received a letter or an email asking you to support ASNV with a donation during our Annual Appeal. If you’ve already responded, thank you! For those of you who haven’t, please make a generous contribution to continue protecting birds and the environment.

ASNV increased its advocacy efforts in the past year, working to protect bird habitat throughout Virginia. We also opposed the spraying of insecticides that kill insects essential for young birds; advocated for bird-safe building design; and supported clean energy legislation in Virginia.  

Our education programs went online in the spring, resulting in a significant increase in the number and diversity of people who attended our classes. We presented more than 50 hours of classes this year, many of them free. We also made grants to support student conservation-oriented projects in local area schools. We believe that encouraging students to gain knowledge and enthusiasm for nature is essential to helping them become active stewards of our environment.  

Our citizen science programs improved knowledge of bird and insect populations, helping researchers understand how to protect our changing environment. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, we conducted a Christmas Bird Count, a Winter Waterfowl Count, an International Migratory Bird Count and regular surveys of butterflies and dragonflies.  

Our Audubon at Home program provided advice to homeowners and property managers on how to make habitat improvements that attract wildlife. Volunteer AAH Ambassadors visited over 100 properties and certified 1,217 acres as Wildlife Sanctuaries. We also helped present a conference on native plants to landscape professionals; co-hosted a webinar on native plants with our partner, Green Muslims and expanded the Audubon at Home program into parts of Rappahannock and Fauquier Counties.  

Most of our efforts are fueled by donations and volunteer hours from individuals. You can read more about the work we did together in fiscal 2020 in our Annual Report. Please join our efforts by giving to our Annual Appeal. You can donate online or send a check to ASNV, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston VA 20190.

Together we can help birds thrive and work to improve the environment we all share!

November 2020

Photo: Neabsco Creek Boardwalk

Tom Blackburn

Each fall, I gravitate toward wetlands for my outdoor time. The green, gold, tan and brown of the late-season vegetation offset by the blues of wild asters and the white clouds of cattail fluff can be captivating, particularly on a sunny morning or afternoon. 

You don’t have to travel far to experience the beauty of wetlands. Northern Virginia is home to more than 10 of these unique ecosystems. While Huntley Meadows is justifiably famous for the variety of its birdlife, Julie J. Metz Neabsco Creek Wetlands Preserve is also worth the trip. The Preserve, which is part of Neabsco Creek Regional Park in Prince William County, is unique in Northern Virginia because it was created by Wetland Studies and Solutions, a for-profit company, as a wetlands mitigation bank. Developers buy credits from wetland mitigation banks to compensate for the impact of development on wetlands elsewhere. Creation of a large wetland mitigation bank also consolidates the wetlands into a larger complex, rather than creating small, fragmented wetlands that are not as hospitable to wetland birds and other wildlife. Birders have recorded more than 215 species at Julie Metz.

Wetland ecosystems are a vital part of the environment. They reduce flooding and erosion by storing rainfall and providing buffers against storms, and they capture sediment and store more carbon than other ecosystems. Tidal wetlands are also important “nurseries” for fish and provide food and livelihoods for millions of people worldwide. Wetlands are the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems and are host to millions of migrating birds each fall and winter.  

However, wetlands are increasingly vulnerable. The degradation and destruction of wetlands is occurring more rapidly than any other ecosystem due primarily to climate change, urbanization and pollution. The Global Wetland Outlook prepared by the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, reports that the world is losing wetlands three times faster than natural forests.

Get out and enjoy a nearby wetland this fall and winter! But remember that the price of enjoying these unique habitats is continued vigilance and support. You can help by making a donation to ASNV during this season’s Annual Appeal, by joining a Friends group associated with a wetland and by making sure your local and state governmental officials know how important the wetlands are to you and the environment.

October 2020

Photo: American Goldfinch, Hazel Erikson

Tom Blackburn

Goldfinches always make me smile. The male birds’ bright yellow plumage and black wings with white racing stripes liven up our garden as the flowers are starting to fade away. Goldfinches are the circus acrobats of our garden as they balance on our coneflowers while pulling them apart to reach the seeds. Then they launch into bouncy flight, calling on each upward swoop, like children at the crest of each roller coaster rise. 

At this time of year, Northern Cardinals often look scruffy as they molt. Scarlet Tanagers have turned from bright red to dirty yellow, if you can find them at all. Warblers have turned from spectacular to confusing and European Starlings have shed their iridescent feathers for spotted winter coats. I find their cast-off feathers in the yard. However, goldfinches breed later than other songbirds to take advantage of midsummer and early autumn seeds. As a result, they are still exuberantly yellow well into fall. 

I still remember flocks of thirty or more brilliantly-colored goldfinches swooping onto our lawn when I was growing up. It was almost as exciting as the day I saw my first Indigo Bunting shining in the afternoon sunlight. However, there aren’t as many goldfinches as there were when I was a child. The now-famous study documenting the loss of 3 billion birds found that there are 35% fewer birds in the finch family than there were in 1970. It’s likely that there is an even greater decline in goldfinches as compared to 60 or so years ago, when I remember seeing their flocks in the yard. 

Would you like to encourage goldfinches to visit your yard?  Unlike most songbirds, goldfinches eat seeds almost exclusively. They love zinnias and coneflowers, and we never regret watching them remove flower petals to get at the seeds. Among native plants: sunflowers, thistles and milkweed are favorites. If you have a bird feeder, be sure to stock it with sunflower and Nyjer seeds. The goldfinches will thank you with their bright colors and enthusiastic habits. 

September 2020

Photo: Bald Eagles, Randy Streufert

Tom Blackburn

“It is not only a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is also a crime.” With those words, referencing Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a federal court judge has invalidated a U.S. Department of the Interior memorandum that eliminated more than 100 years of protection for migratory birds. Prior to the DOI memorandum, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 had been interpreted as making it illegal to take actions that resulted in the killing of birds. The memorandum would have applied the law only to actions that intentionally killed birds. The court’s decision ensures that environmental disasters such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which killed more than 1 million birds, will continue to be subject to penalties.    

The lawsuit that led to the court’s decision was brought by the National Audubon Society, among other plaintiffs. It is a reminder that Audubon chapters, including ASNV, are not simply organizations of bird watchers. Women established the first Audubon Society at the end of the 19th century to stop the killing of egrets for their plumes and to protect birds from market hunting for food. We have come a long way from the days when hundreds of millions of Passenger Pigeons were killed, leading to their extinction; and the days when millions of songbirds, and particularly robins, were killed for food. Advocating to protect birds and the environment is still a core mission of all Audubon Society chapters. 

Most of ASNV’s advocacy efforts focus on environmental issues that affect Northern Virginia and matters of statewide importance, but we also urge Virginia legislators to take action on Federal environmental issues. Most recently, we helped draft a joint letter from the National Audubon Society and other Virginia Audubon chapters urging the Governor and the General Assembly to preserve budgetary language providing for compensatory mitigation in connection with actions that cause harm to birds or other wildlife. We also urged the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to support provisions for natural landscaping at county facilities and we are working on letters urging Virginia senators and representatives to support Federal legislation to reduce the amount of pollution from plastics.  

Protecting the environment requires constant vigilance. The loss of 3 billion North American birds in the last 50 years, nearly 30% of our bird population, is stark evidence of the importance of environmental advocacy. ASNV is committed to its mission – to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

August 2020

Photo: Red Crossbills, Brenda Frank

Tom Blackburn

In July and August, there’s not as much new or interesting in the birding world as there is during the rest of the year. Most birds have nested, their young have fledged, there’s less bird song in the morning and fall migration is several weeks away. Normally, this is when my wife and I head out for a vacation, but two trips never got beyond the planning stage due to the pandemic. Seriously in need of a get-away without compromising our health, we packed a lunch and drinks and headed out for a socially-distanced day trip to the West Virginia border to search for birds we’d not seen before – Red Crossbills.  

Red Crossbills are my new favorite bird – at least for this month. Aptly named, their mandibles cross at the tips. They feed primarily on the seeds in pinecones, and their bills have evolved to maximize the efficiency of their foraging. They insert their partially opened bill between the scales of the cone, then close it, forcing the scales apart, and use their tongue and bill to pull out the seeds. Much like the Galapagos Finches, Red Crossbills have evolved into several “types” with different bill sizes based on which species of conifer is prevalent in the area where they live. 

Red Crossbill, Brenda Frank

Red Crossbills breed primarily in Canada, the Rockies and the Northwest, but range maps show three small regions along the Appalachians where they are found year-round. We headed for the closest spot where they are seen regularly, Briery Branch Gap, wondering whether a 5 ½ hour round trip would be productive. We didn’t have to wonder long. As we pulled off the road, we saw our first crossbill singing in a tree. In the next hour, we watched as many as 28 birds at a time – reddish males, yellowish females and sparrow-striped juveniles – flying from tree to tree, then gathering in a dense mass on the ground to eat grit from the road to aid their digestion. Their chatter and songs were almost continuous. Once we’d had our fill of crossbills, we walked forest roads searching for other birds, then had a relaxed lunch in the forest.  

The pandemic will be with us for a good while, but you can still manage to change your routine without having to worry about infection. You can explore significant portions of 6 states within 120 miles of Northern Virginia and still get home in time for dinner. So, get out and enjoy nature – and stay safe! 

July 2020

Photo: Bay View Trail at Mason Neck State Park, VA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation

Tom Blackburn

The covid-19 pandemic had the unexpected result of showing people how important outdoor spaces are for easing the stress of lost jobs, closed schools and worries about infection. But there was another side to the sudden enthusiasm for nature. One Northern Virginia park that remained open had five times its normal number of visitors in April and May. Another local park experienced ten times the number of visitors they had planned on. The number of people venturing into the outdoors for exercise and solace, although soothing and stress-releasing for them, has conversely contributed to more stress on the parks. 

As we transition to Phase Three of reopening in Virginia, please “give back” to parks and other outdoor spaces so they can continue to provide the benefits that are so important to us. Good environmental stewardship involves more than simply following the "Leave No Trace" principles of outdoor activity. It also includes taking action to improve our environment. State and county budgets have been hard-hit by the economic downturn caused by the virus. It is inevitable that park budgets will be substantially affected, making it even more important for all of us who enjoy the outdoors to do our part to sustain and improve it. Here are a few things you could do as a steward of the environment:

• Take a small bag with you when you hike, paddle our waterways or birdwatch, and pick up trash as you go.  The Cache In Trash Out initiative of the geocaching community is a great example of how to leave nature better than you found it.  

• Volunteer to help at a local park. You can plant native plants, remove invasive species, restore trails that were damaged by heavy usage or take on jobs that the parks no longer have the financial resources to perform.  Fairfax County’s Opportunity Search page currently lists more than 300 volunteer opportunities, most of them in county parks. You can also find opportunities to volunteer on the websites for Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William Counties, as well as the websites for other counties and cities. Most of these jobs can be done while maintaining social distancing.     

• Donate to nonprofit organizations that help protect and enhance the environment. Donations are a great way to help if you can’t get out and do “hands on” work.  

Taking care of yourself and others in our community is the most important effort during the pandemic.  But if you can also help to sustain and improve our environment, please do your part to help. Taking care of nature is everyone’s responsibility.  

June 2020

Photo: Yellow Flag Irises, Tom Blackburn

By Tom Blackburn

Last week, I decided to change my exercise routine by taking my kayak to Mason Neck State Park. But when I got into the boat my workout plans faded away, overwhelmed by the quiet beauty of a cloudless, balmy morning.  

Paddling slowly gave me an opportunity to fully experience my surroundings. The Osprey platform by the Visitor Center was empty.  This year, as happened in the two previous years, a pair of Canada Geese fought off the Ospreys and hatched a brood of goslings 60 feet above the ground. The geese are gone, of course; the young left the platform just a few hours after hatching for the hazardous trip to the ground. But by then it was too late for the Osprey to nest there. However, Osprey were nesting on several platforms in nearby Belmont Bay.

As I quietly made my way along the shoreline, a Bald Eagle flew up from a nearby log, carrying a fish; I had disturbed his breakfast.  Later, I watched a Great Blue Heron point its bill skyward, the better to let its morning catch slip down its throat. Hundreds of tiny fish rippled the water ahead of me, some taking briefly to the air to escape my boat. I watched a Green Heron land on the bank of Kane’s Creek and immediately melt into the shadows of the grasses along the shore.  Painted turtles completely covered some of the half-submerged logs, warming up in the morning sun. Early-season dragonflies zipped above the water.  

Painted Turtles, Tom Blackburn

Flowering plants also caught my attention.  Yellow flag irises are not native, but they have been in the area for more than 200 years, and they are spectacular on the edges of the park’s ponds. The golf ball-sized yellow blooms of spatterdock (a type of water lily with leaves standing well above the surface of the water) brightened their green leaves in the creek. And on the shore, I spotted early mountain laurel blooms.  In another week they will turn the hillside a delicate pink.  

Over the years in the park, I have watched fawns timidly venture to the water’s edge for a drink; a group of fox kits pounce into each rain puddle as they walked down a path followed by the vixen, while the male watched warily from the bushes; heard coyotes howling from the woods; surprised a Longnose Gar in the shallows; and been shepherded out of the creek by a beaver that repeatedly slapped its tail to  show its irritation at my presence.  Each time, I was moving slowly and observantly instead of focusing on getting from one place to another.  I am constantly reminded that in nature it’s not necessarily about the destination – it’s about the journey. I hope that you have opportunities to quietly observe the natural world and that it eases your mind and restores your soul, as it does for me. 

May 2020

Photo: Northern Mockingbird, Laura Sprinkle/Great Backyard Bird Count

While working in my garden the other day, I simply had to stop and listen to the chorus of birdsong coming from a nearby tree. In rapid succession, I heard the “peter, peter, peter” of a Tufted Titmouse, a Northern Cardinal’s “cheerily, cheer-up,” the “teakettle, teakettle” song of a Carolina Wren, and assorted chip notes that I couldn’t place – followed by what was unmistakably the ring of a cell phone. A Northern Mockingbird that has taken up residence in one of our trees was treating me to its repertoire of borrowed songs. It was as if an entire symphony was being played by a single instrument.  

As the pace of life slows down, I’m not only paying more attention to the mockingbirds’ songs. I was pleased to see a pair of them contest with a swarm of Common Grackles to visit our suet feeder. I don’t think I had noticed mockingbirds coming to the suet feeder before. And has that Red Fox I saw patrolling our yard the last two mornings been here all spring? Recently, I heard a Barred Owl’s “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?” in a nearby yard. Did it just arrive in the neighborhood, or have I simply not been at home to listen to it?  

Certainly, the Stay-At-Home order in effect for Virginia has caused disruptions to most of us, ranging from inconvenience to serious economic hardship. But there can be benefits from the restrictions, ranging from finally finding the time to upgrade the garden to simply relaxing and paying more attention to the nature that surrounds us. In the last two weeks the dominant color of the trees has turned from brown to green, bees have begun visiting the spring flowers and birds everywhere are carrying nesting material. So, if you’re bored, going stir-crazy in the house or simply need some “alone time,” go outside, take a slow walk around the block and really pay attention to what you see and hear. There’s lots going on right now; all you have to do is take the time to appreciate it.   

April 2020

Photo: Prairie Warbler, Will Stuart

By Tom Blackburn

It’s hard to write about anything other than Covid-19 at this juncture, so I’m taking this opportunity to discuss what ASNV is doing as a result of the outbreak and what you can do while we are all at risk.  

Basic ASNV Operations  ASNV Staff are working from home until further notice. Our Board of Directors and committees conduct meetings by telephone. We are answering voice mail, responding to emails and conducting routine business. Please feel free to contact us about ASNV business in the same way as you have done before. 

Classes and activities  We have canceled upcoming classes, bird walks and surveys and postponed client visits by our Audubon at Home Ambassadors.  Given the rate at which new infections are occurring, it’s quite possible that we won’t resume these activities until the fall.  We are investigating whether we can offer classes and activities online and will let you know if we do.  

What can you do while restrictions on activities are in effect?  

• Start a list of the birds you see in your backyard. This is a perfect time to start a yard list just as spring migrants are heading our way. You can get help identifying birds using the free Merlin Bird ID app and the free Audubon Bird Guide App.   

• Take the opportunity to watch the birds more closely.  Put up a bird feeder to attract them to your yard, then watch them as they court, mate, incubate eggs, feed their young and teach them to survive on their own.  

• Contribute to citizen science databases by sending your bird sightings to eBird and your wildlife and plant sightings to iNaturalist. iNaturalist will help identify what you see, just take a photo and submit it.

• Brush up on your birding skills.  If you have a Cornell Lab of Ornithology account, eBird has fun quizzes that allow you to practice identifying birds by sight and by sound.  Purchase one of Cornell Lab’s 15 excellent on-line courses; you can use them with no time limit.

• Improve your yard’s attractiveness to wildlife by planting more native plants. You can get information on what to plant on ASNV’s Audubon at Home pages and the Plant NoVa Natives website.

• Get involved in our advocacy efforts.  We’ll continue to monitor and take action on issues that affect birds, other wildlife and our environment.  Send us an email at info@audubonva.org if you have a concern you’d  like us to look into or you would like to help out.  

Above all, stay healthy!  Please follow the latest guidelines on how to minimize your chance of catching the virus.  

February 2020

Photo: Indigo Bunting, Art Fox

By Tom Blackburn

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were enjoying breakfast when we heard a loud thump at our large dining room window.  We’d heard that sound before, so we went outside to see if we could find the injured bird that had hit the window.  We couldn’t find it, but that didn’t mean that the bird had survived.  In many cases, a bird that hits a window dies shortly afterwards due to injury to its brain or body.  In fact, most birds that are killed by window collisions are not found.  They fly off and die later or are quickly scooped up by alert predators.  

Indigo Bunting, Art Fox

This was the last straw for us, so I went off to learn what I could do to protect against bird-window collisions.  But first, I got a stepladder and climbed up so I was even with the middle of the window to see what the birds see.  It was amazing.  There in the middle of the house was an inviting scene with bushes, trees and sky – all reflected perfectly in the window.  No wonder the birds fly into it!  

We settled on  Acopian Bird Savers as a deterrent to bird-window collisions.  This is a series of dark cords spaced 4 inches apart and suspended from above the window so they hang down to the bottom.  You can buy them or make them yourself very easily.  The 4-inch spacing is important since birds will be tempted to fly through the open spaces if they are any larger.  They don’t interfere with our view; we tend to look right past them.      

There are lots of other ways to protect against bird-window collisions.  The American Bird Conservancy has a good list of resources on how to stop birds hitting windows.  And it’s important.  Bird-window collisions kill as many as one billion birds per year – 44% of them from hitting residential buildings.  

You can learn even more about preventing birds from hitting your windows at a special program co-sponsored by ASNV and the Walker Nature Center.  It will be held at the Walker Nature Center, 11450 Glade Drive in Reston, on March 19.  Put it on your calendar!  We’ll have more information on the event as we get closer to the date.  

January 2020

Photo: Common Mergansers, Gail Norwood/Audubon Photography Awards

By Tom Blackburn

We’ve already had our first snowfall of the season, and it’s getting colder, but that’s not a reason to stop going out to see birds. This is a great time to look for the winter waterfowl that are migrating to our area from colder areas to the north and west.  

Waterfowl are one bright spot among all the disturbing news about the loss of bird populations. Waterfowl populations have increased by 50% over the last 50 years, thanks to funding under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and matching grants from conservation groups. 98 percent of the purchase price of Federal Duck Stamps is used to help acquire and protect wetland habitat and purchase conservation easements for the National Wildlife Refuge system.  

What can you see if you venture out to the Potomac River, wetlands such as Huntley Meadows or sheltered areas like Pohick Bay Regional Park? Look for Northern Pintails, the most elegant of all ducks, with long necks, pointed upturned tails and beautiful gray, white and brown coloring. Male Ruddy Ducks are easy to spot, with blue bills and chestnut-colored bodies. Northern Shovelers, named for their broad, spade-shaped bills, are distinctive with green heads, black backs, white chests and reddish-brown flanks. The large white patch on the head of the male Bufflehead, plus its dark back and white lower body, make this small duck easy to see. Female Common Mergansers and Hooded Mergansers look like they’re having a bad hair day, with ragged red or brown crests.  

Lots of other waterfowl spend their winters here. You can find American Black Ducks, Redheads (the birds, not the humans!), Canvasbacks and Ring-necked Ducks, American Wigeons, Green-winged Teal, Gadwalls and scaup.  

Tundra Swans are wintering in the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, and you can see thousands of Snow Geese at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and other areas along the Chesapeake. Watching a huge flock of Snow Geese fly up from the marsh and circle, as they do every 20 or 30 minutes, is simply awe-inspiring.  

Do you want to learn more about the waterfowl that you can see this winter? Come to “Winter Waterfowl of the Potomac,” our next Audubon Afternoon, at 2:30 PM on Sunday, January 12, 2020. Take a look at our website for more information about this Audubon Afternoon and our free Winter Waterfowl Workshop and field trip. 

December 2019

Photo: Sunrise, Chelsea Weithman

By Tom Blackburn

In late November and early December my mailbox is filled with requests from charitable organizations. Some days there are so many, I’m tempted to ignore them all. But I try not to because sadly, charitable donations have declined over the past several years. Without funding, charitable organizations cannot do the work that is critical to protecting birds and the environment.    

As you open your mail and decide how to allocate your own donations, I hope you will keep Audubon Society of Northern Virginia in mind. ASNV is the primary bird and conservation-oriented organization in Northern Virginia.  For over 38 years, we have conducted citizen science surveys of birds, butterflies, plants and other wildlife. We’ve used our data to conserve habitat, advocate before state and local governments and educate our community about the wonder and importance of all native species – birds, insects, invertebrates, mammals and the plants they depend on. 

You might not know it, but most of ASNV’s work is conducted by hundreds of volunteers. Our ASNV community is made up of passionate nature advocates who conduct research, lead bird walks and field trips, teach classes and workshops and advise people on how to create wildlife-friendly habitat. You can read more about their efforts in our 2019 Annual Report.

We need your donation to support their work!

Please make a donation today to help Audubon Society of Northern Virginia continue the work that is critical to the future of our region and the Earth.  You can donate online or send a check to ASNV, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston VA 20190.  

It’s up to all of us to save birds and our environment.  You can help do your part by making a generous gift to ASNV. 

Let’s help birds thrive!

Thank you!

ASNV is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.  

November 2019

Photo: Tundra Swans, Randy Streufert

By Tom Blackburn

Each November I look forward to seeing some of my favorite birds – Tundra Swans.  More than 100,000 of these birds are just finishing their three-month migration from north of Hudson Bay in Canada to the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and the coast of North Carolina, where they spend their winters. A sizeable flock usually winters from November through February at the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Sanctuary just south of Lorton. You can see them from the Great Marsh and Marsh View trails but you’ll probably hear them before you see them. Their high, whooping calls are haunting and unforgettable.  

Tundra Swans eat submerged aquatic vegetation and soft-shelled clams.  2018’s extreme precipitation led to a significant decrease in the amount of submerged aquatic vegetation last winter.  Faced with reduced food supplies, many Tundra Swans moved further south to find more to eat. I hope more of them will spend this winter in our area.

November is also the time to prepare for the Christmas Bird Count, our nation’s longest-running citizen science bird survey. ASNV has conducted the count in the Manassas-Bull Run Sector for 37 years. In 2018, 115 volunteers counted over 13,000 birds. This year’s count will take place on December 15 and we need birders of all skill levels to help out. 

If you’re interested in the 2019 CBC, please join Phil Silas, our CBC compiler, who will lead a workshop from 1 to 3 PM on November 24 at the National Wildlife Federation Building, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive in Reston.  The workshop is free, but registration is required.  You can register, learn more about the Christmas Bird Count, and sign up to participate in the count at http://audubonva.org/christmas-bird-count/.  

Don’t forget that November 5 is Election Day.  All seats in the Virginia legislature are up for re-election, as well as other state-wide and county offices, including school board and county supervisor positions.  Bond initiatives are also on the ballot. Be sure to vote – critical issues are at stake. Our planet depends on you.

October 2019

Photo: Brown Pelicans, Syler Peralta-Ramos/Audubon Photography Awards

Tom Blackburn

When I first became interested in birds about 15 years ago, I was simply attracted by their diversity. But the more I observed them, the more I recognized what amazing creatures they are.

I continue to wonder:

• How can a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, weighing as much as a dime, fly 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico without stopping to rest or eat?

• How do three species of boobies – red-footed, blue-footed, and Nazca – exist on the small Galapagos Islands without competing for food and nesting territory?

• How do birds learn their songs? Do bad singers lose out in the mating competition?

• Did some species of manakins actually compromise their ability to fly when they evolved to make sounds that are more attractive to females?

I have found great enjoyment learning about birds but there’s been a depressing side to my education. People who have been birding far longer than I have, lament that there are so many fewer birds than there were in previous decades.

It turns out they are right.

A recent study in the journal Science, tells us that we have lost more than one in four birds in North America since 1970.

The loss of 2.9 billion birds has to be worrisome to anyone who cares about the future of our planet.

How can you help make our environment more bird-friendly?

• Begin by going to 3billionbirds and discover 7 Simple Actions you can take to help birds.

• Visit our website audubonva.org for ways to help ASNV in our efforts to stop bird declines.

• Become a better birdwatcher so that you can participate in citizen science efforts.

We need everyone who cares about birds to learn more and support all efforts to save them.