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.

Governor Northam’s commitment to help the 25,000 migratory birds whose nesting area on the South Island was displaced by the expansion of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel has resulted in significant action in the past few weeks.

While in-person Audubon at Home Ambassador visits are paused you can still plan for spring planting with information on our website Native-only plant vendors in our area will be taking orders in advance and arranging for curbside pick-up.

ASNV member Randy Streufert has won the Grand Prize in the National Wildlife Federation’s “Garden for Wildlife” photo contest. Randy’s photo of a Prothonotary Warbler cooling off in water was the top photo out of nearly 5000 submissions from all over the world.

If you missed the 19 March webinar on bird-window collisions, you may watch a recording of it here. Collisions with windows are the third greatest cause of death for birds in the United States, after habitat loss and predation by outdoor cats.

Although Audubon at Home has discontinued client visits, we encourage you to consult with us about how to create wildlife habitat.

Audubon at Home encourages you to check out our new interactive map on our Certified Wildlife Sanctuaries webpage.

Every year, the Youth Education Committee of ASNV sponsors a mini-grant program to support teachers, schools, and non-profit organizations in youth-oriented education about birds and the environment. The committee is proud to announce three recipients ($500 per grant) in 2020.

ASNV’s Youth Education Committee is thrilled to announce Phoebe Riegle as the 2020 recipient of our Hog Island Scholarship. Each summer, ASNV offers a full scholarship and transportation to “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week” at National Audubon Society’s Hog Island Camp in Maine.

The 2020 ASNV Birdathon Competition is POSTPONED. We hope to reschedule for Fall 2020.

In 2018, Reston became part of the worldwide Biophilic Cities Network. To help residents identify specific actions that will protect Reston's natural resources, Reston Association's Environmental Advisory Committee is now deploying a Reston Biophilic Pledge.

In January, thirteen ASNV participants traveled to Colombia for a birdwatching tour. Gerry Abbott, chairman of the ASNV adult education committee, worked with Holbrook Travel for travel and tour arrangements. The successful trip oversold immediately.

Audubon at Home ambassadors gathered on February 1 for their annual – and delicious – brunch, at which AAH co-directors and county coordinators updated them on the program's progress over the past year. It has now been 10 years since AAH first certified a Wildlife Sanctuary, as of the brunch, the program has certified 683 properties on over 6300 acres.

The 38th Annual Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count on December 15, 2019 had the highest total of participants yet at 137 and counted over 20,000 birds of 86 avian species. The conditions were favorable, so there were many more walking miles than during the saturated conditions on last year’s count.

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

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.  

Save the Date!  On March 21st, Betsy Martin of The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia’s Audubon at Home Program and Linda Beaty of Plant NOVA Natives will join forces to provide a special program on how to make your yard more attractive to wildlife.

The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (ASNV) is sponsoring a mini-grant program in 2020 to help teachers, schools, and non-profit organizations educate youth about birds and the environment. ASNV anticipates awarding three mini-grants, up to $500 each.

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.

A team brings at-risk Peregrine Falcon chicks from bridge nest sites in eastern Virginia to Virginia’s mountains, once part of their historic range. They hope the birds will imprint on the park's cliffs and return as breeding adults.