Winter Irruptions

Photo: Snowy Owl, Bernard Friel/Audubon Photography Awards

Summer Delehanty

If you didn’t know any better, you could mistake her for a plastic takeout bag, washed up on the Reagan National Airport (DCA) boat ramp alongside other bits of garbage. But this splash of white was no piece of trash. At the start of the new year, a Snowy Owl caught a flight to the north side of DCA, where she lingered for about a week. Birders could glimpse her from Gravelly Point, where often only her head was visible above the dirt, or attempt to see her from across the Potomac at Hains Point using a spotting scope. Though she’s since moved on, this winter is what’s known as an “irruption year” for Snowy Owls – so you can expect the occasional sighting much further south of their typical range. 

Snowy Owl, Peter Agnes/Audubon Photography Awards

An “irruption” is a large-scale movement of birds to a new area, somewhat similar to migration. However, unlike regular fall and spring migrations, irruptions are typically driven by resource availability (such as food scarcity) and thus occur more randomly, with some winters seeing big irruptions and others seeing none at all. In the case of Snowy Owls, recent research cited in Audubon Magazine reports that these influxes occur after baby booms in the Arctic, spurred by increases in prey. These young, healthy owls head south the following winter in search of a place to stay, while many adults remain in their preferred Arctic habitat. Snowy Owls favor wide, open landscapes that resemble the tundra, such as agricultural fields, beaches, and even airports, which is how one ended up at DCA in northern Virginia. 

Because irruptions are irregular, they’re often hard to track and predict. Thanks to Project SNOWstorm, a long-running research project tracking Snowy Owls across North America via solar-powered GPS transmitters, we now know how extensively a single owl can travel. The same individual might spend one winter in Virginia and end up in Montreal the next, so there’s no telling where any singular owl might be. In what might be the world’s largest dataset on Snowy Owl movement, this project has tracked more than 115 birds across 17 states and provinces. Interactive maps and tagging stories are available on the Project SNOWstorm website.

Pine Siskins and American Goldfinch, Joanie Christian/Audubon Photography Awards

Though perhaps the most popular, Snowy Owls aren’t the only species to irrupt. Other birds, especially those that depend on cone-bearing trees in northern forests, follow similar boom-and-bust patterns tied to food supply. Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, and Common Redpolls move south en masse when food is scarce in boreal forests, and Cornell's All About Birds predicted this winter to be a big one for all three on the East Coast. Early sightings in fall found them as far south as West Virginia, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, respectively. Forecasters estimated this past winter would be the biggest flight year since 2020-2021. Winter finches are easily enticed by a full bird feeder, but you can also keep an eye on nearby sightings with an eBird account.

Even familiar backyard birds like chickadees, Blue Jays, and Red-breasted Nuthatches show irruptive behavior, moving south after poor breeding seasons or food shortages. The moving northern populations often intermingle with resident flocks and can appear at feeders in higher numbers. Though more subtle than a Snowy Owl perched at an airport, these movements reflect shifting resources and serve as a reminder of how interconnected different regions are. A changing climate can alter snow cover, prey adaptability, and forest productivity in increasingly unpredictable ways, affecting the intensity and frequency of irruptions. Suitable habitat and food sources don’t only support regular winter residents – they also offer refuge for species displaced from the North.

For birders, irruption years offer rare opportunities to see species far from home, often in unexpected places. However, it’s important to remember these journeys are driven by necessity, and these visitors can be especially vulnerable if they’re young or hungry. The warmest welcome we can give them is to maintain a respectful viewing distance and protect the landscapes where they temporarily reside. 

Summer Delehanty is a product designer with a passion for birdwatching.

Updating the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas

Photo: Baltimore Oriole, Mark Boyd/Audubon Photography Awards

Glenda C. Booth

Reprinted from DWR’s Virginia Wildlife, January/February 2025

Breeding bird atlases have a long history in the United States, where they are typically conducted at the state level. Like road atlases, at their core they are centered around maps, but the maps relate to the geographic distribution and abundance of breeding bird species—that is, where they are found on the landscape and in what numbers. Last fall, a website was published describing the results of the Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas (Atlas), a five-year survey that served as a follow-up to the First Atlas (1985-1989). This Second Atlas was a product of a partnership among the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO), and the Conservation Management Institute (CMI) at Virginia Tech.

Ashley Peele, PhD, an avian ecologist now working for the Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture, served as the Atlas Coordinator, recruiting, training, and guiding volunteers to collect bird data according to Atlas guidelines. Nearly 1,500 volunteers contributed to the Atlas between 2016 and 2020, making it one of the largest citizen-science projects in the state. This effort involved groups like bird clubs, Audubon chapters, Master Naturalists, outdoor organizations, wildlife biologists, college students, and others. “Without the volunteer component, this project is one that could never have been carried out by Virginia’s natural resource professionals alone,” said Sergio Harding, a DWR nongame bird conservation biologist.

How They Did It

Red-winged Blackbirds, Ken Lassman/Audubon Photography Awards

Atlas surveys took place within Atlas blocks, using the same statewide block grid as the First Atlas. Each quadrangle within the U.S. Geological Survey’s topographic map series for Virginia was subdivided into six blocks of approximately 10 square miles in area. Volunteers recorded as many species as possible within a block, entering their observations into a customized Virginia Atlas portal of the popular online eBird application.

While the peak breeding season for many migrant birds is typically May to July, volunteers surveyed for breeding birds throughout the year. In the late winter and early spring, for example, birds like owls, hawks, and falcons begin breeding activity. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) courtship can start as early as December in Virginia. Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) typically start nest building in rookeries in February in the state.

Eastern Bluebirds, Mark Boyd/Audubon Photography Awards

“Breeding bird atlas surveys collect behavioral information, unlike other bird surveys that typically only identify and count numbers of species,” remarked Peele. This helps to distinguish birds that are breeding from those that are migrating through or finishing their winter stay. Volunteers reported evidence of breeding, using standardized breeding codes, based on behaviors they observed for each species within a block. Individual observations of birds were then categorized as representing possible, probable, or confirmed breeding. Examples of breeding behaviors include singing, copulation, carrying nesting material, incubating eggs, and feeding young. 

Atlas Highlights

The total number of species with breeding evidence was 205 for the Second Atlas and 203 for the First. For confirmed breeders only, the totals were 196 for each Atlas. Austin Kane, the Managing Editor of the Second Atlas, who works with Virginia Tech’s Conservation Management Institute, cautioned, “It is important to note that although the number of confirmed breeders stayed the same, their composition changed slightly between Atlases.” These changes reflect changes to Virginia’s avifauna over the past 30 years, with some breeding species having been gained and others lost:

• Eight species were confirmed as breeding that were not detected during the First Atlas: the introduced Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) and Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), as well as Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis), Merlin (Falco columbarius), Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) and Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris).

• Two species that bred during the First Atlas were not detected at all during the Second Atlas. Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) is believed to be extirpated across the eastern United States. Bachman’s Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis) breeds more regularly south of Virginia and has not been documented in the state since 2003.

• Five additional breeders during the First Atlas were reported without breeding evidence during the Second Atlas. They include Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors), Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca), Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) and Sedge Wren (Cistothorus stellaris).

• Certain species saw their distribution diminish within the state. This includes Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa), American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata) in the Coastal Plain and Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“The second Atlas gives us a more detailed picture of where breeding birds are distributed across Virginia and how that has changed since the mid-1980s,” said Peele, who coordinated the data collection and analysis component for the second Atlas. “These data provide a quantitative way to evaluate how bird populations have shifted over the last 40 years.”

The Atlas website features over 200 individual Species Accounts of game and nongame birds. For species with sufficient data, they provide maps of breeding distribution and of changes in distribution between Atlases, based on predictive models; breeding evidence maps based on data collected by volunteers; maps of predicted abundance; population estimates and population trends; and a summary of relevant conservation efforts. The maps are complemented by interactive maps and by a narrative providing interpretation.

The website also includes a guide to reading the Species Accounts and sections on Atlas methodology and results. The website will be expanded in early 2026 with additional results, content on analytical methodology, information on Virginia’s geography and habitats, and a section on the role of the Atlas in bird conservation.

Eastern Kingbird on nest, Dixie Sommers

Why is the Atlas Important?

As a centralized source of information, the Atlas website is an educational resource for people to learn where breeding birds in Virginia are found and in what numbers. But most importantly it is a conservation tool. As Kane noted, “[The Atlas] is a statewide effort that, when paired with the results of the First Atlas, shows where our birds occur on the landscape and how that has changed over time, helping us understand the health and status of their populations and providing an important tool for conservation. When we know where they are, we can better protect them.”

Atlas data can inform decision-making by policy makers, land planners and natural resource professionals. For example, DWR used Atlas results to fill in data gaps during its update of the list of avian Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the 2025 Virginia Wildlife Action Plan. Distribution data can help target potential new habitat projects, and abundance maps can aid in identifying areas with larger or smaller concentrations of priority bird species for conservation work. For landowners, Atlas information on the timing of breeding activities by different species can help guide land management. For example, knowing when to avoid tree work and field mowing can minimize impacts to nesting birds.

Changes in the distribution of species reflect habitat changes, climate change impacts, and many other factors. Ultimately, having a good grasp of changes in bird populations and on their underlying causes is key to being able to conserve them. As Peele noted, “Some population declines happen quietly and we learn too late.”

Glenda C. Booth, a freelance writer, grew up in southwest Virginia and has lived in northern Virginia more than 30 years, where she is active in conservation efforts.

The Depths of Winter: What's a Gardener to Do?

Photo: Invasive English Ivy with new year snow, Ian Paterson via CC BY-SA 2.0

Eileen Ellsworth

February is a daunting, cold month for sure. But winter dormancy is for plants, not humans, and February can be the perfect time to plan additions to your native plant garden. It is also a great time to remove some invasive, non-native species.

First, planning the spring garden. Native plants can be expensive, especially if you’re looking to cover a large area. Starting plants from seed has probably occurred to you, but it won’t happen without some advanced planning. It isn’t easy to grow native plants by sowing seeds directly in the ground, as explained more fully on the Plant NOVA Natives website. Growing them first in pots may be advisable. Also, many seeds require cold-stratification, or exposure to cooler temperatures for a specific period, before they can germinate. A popular alternative is to buy flats of small landscape plugs, which are easy to handle and cost-efficient.

Supplies are high and demand is low for both seeds and plugs at the moment. Here is a handy list of local and somewhat-local sellers. Not all of them accept orders in February, but their websites provide contact information for direct inquiries.

Plug Sellers

• Nature by Design

• Watermark Woods 

• Earth Sangha 

• Mid Atlantic Native Plant Farm

Seed Sellers

• Nature by Design

• Watermark Woods

• Hillhouse Farm and Nursery

You can also order seeds and plugs from mail-order sellers.

Next, removing invasives. If you were determined to remove some invasives this fall but never got to it, there is good reason to do it now when there are no leaves, no ticks, cooler temperatures, and less poison ivy. The Plant NOVA Natives website can help you prioritize your efforts. Here are a few examples of invasive species that are found in many people’s yards.

Amur Honeysuckle: This woody, non-native invasive degrades native environments by rapidly forming dense thickets that shade and choke out native plants. Here is a link to a YouTube video on how to identify it in winter. Smaller specimens are easy to dig or pull up at the root, but larger ones require a more heavy-duty tool, like a weed wrench, to pry them out. 

Burning Bush: Once a darling of local landscapers, this shrub is now considered a high-threat invasive in Virginia. It tolerates deep shade and adapts to many soil and light conditions. Small specimens come up easily with a shovel or fork, and larger ones with a weed wrench. If it’s too big to pry out at the root, cut the stem near the ground and immediately apply a concentrated herbicide such as triclopyr or glyphosate, ideally within 15 minutes to ensure absorption. Tips on herbicide use can be found on the Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM website.

Autumn Olive: This ubiquitous, woody invasive shades out native plants while changing the chemistry of the soil around it with nitrogen-fixing root nodules. This adaptation gives it a big advantage, allowing it to thrive in poor soil while aggressively invading new ground. Once established, it prolifically produces seeds that birds eat and spread widely. The removal advice provided above for burning bush also applies here. Cut stumps of Autumn olive can vigorously resprout, which can be avoided by using the cut-stump method described above.

English Ivy: Conveniently, this tree-killing vine stays green in the winter and so is easy to spot. Cut the vines at the base of trees (using loppers or a saw to cut the thicker vines), then create a bare ring around the tree by cutting the vines again further up, which severs the root connections. The vine above will simply die and dry out over time. Never try and remove the upper portion of the severed vines, as pulling them down can damage the tree.

Oriental Bittersweet: This highly invasive vine is often found tightly twined around trees, shrubs, and fences. Females in winter have distinctive berries that look like bright yellow capsules that split to show the red berries within. Smaller specimens can be pulled or dug up at the root, which has a distinctive orange hue. You can cut larger specimens near the ground and treat them with herbicides as described above.

There’s no need to waste a cold winter day if biodiversity is calling! Order some plugs of native flowering perennials. Remove an invasive shrub or vine. It all adds up to a splendid, bee-buzzier, bird-happier native space. 

Our 2026 Scholarship Winner

Photo: Atlantic Puffins, Walker Golder/Audubon Photography Awards

This summer NVBA is sending Carrie Lombardi, science coach at Arlington’s Barrett Elementary School, to “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week” at National Audubon Society’s Hog Island Camp in Maine. Carrie has been an educator for over 15 years, primarily in upper elementary grades. Her interest in science began early in her career at Burgundy Farm Country Day School, where she experienced the value of outdoor education and began incorporating nature-based learning into science lessons.

Carrie has been at Barrett Elementary for the past four years where, as science coach, she collaborates with teachers across grade levels to strengthen science instruction. She also teaches Project Discovery, a hands-on science lab, to fourth- and fifth-grade students, where students engage in inquiry, experimentation, and observation.

Outside of school, she is a mom to three girls, ages 13, 11 and 9. With her husband and girls, she enjoys traveling and exploring national and state parks, which she reports has reinforced her belief in the importance of learning through real-world and outdoor experiences. 

She is looking forward to her time at Audubon’s Hog Island Camp and bringing back what she learns to her colleagues and students.

The 2026 Audubon Photography Awards are now open!

Photo: Pileated Woodpeckers, Wayne Wetherbee/Audubon Photography Awards

Attention photographers! National Audubon Society kicked off its 17th annual photography awards on January 15. The contest is open for submissions of photographs and videos until Wednesday, March 4, at 12 p.m. (noon) U.S. Eastern Time. 

The Grand Prize winners will receive $5,000 and a voyage to Antarctica. Youth entrants can win a trip to Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine. There also will be prizes for the best visuals featuring migratory birds, landscapes and native plants that birds rely on, female birds, and conservation challenges. Winning photos and videos will be published in the Fall 2026 issue of Audubon magazine and on the Audubon website.

Complete rules and tips for capturing the perfect moment are available on the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards page.

A Closer Look: Nature All Around Us, February 2026

Photo:  Tree Cattle, Judy Gallagher

Judy Gallagher

February 2026

It's challenging to find insects at this time of year. Many insects overwinter as eggs or pupa, and the ones that overwinter as adults are typically in hiding, trying to keep warm underneath bark or leaf litter. But I saw several adult barklice recently on a warm January day. They had likely just emerged from a protected spot. Barklice are members of insect order Psocoptera, which also includes booklice and parasitic lice.  

Booklice are wingless and are usually found inside homes, where they feed on mold, fungi, grains, insect fragments and starchy materials like glue in the binding of books. They are found in moist environments, and rarely survive when humidity is less than 50%. They are not harmful to humans. 

Parasitic lice, as the name implies, are parasites that feed on blood and other secretions of warm-blooded hosts like mammals and birds. 

Corrupt Barklouse (Polypsocus corruptus) on my thumb, showing its small size. Photo: Judy Gallagher

But this article is about barklice. There are more than 300 species of barklice in 26 families in North America. They are detritivores, feeding on fungi, algae and lichens, contributing to the recycling of organic material. Barklice normally don't damage the plants they live on, although an Australian species' nymphs bore holes in wood instead of living in existing burrows. Barklice tend to be small and inconspicuous. They have chewing mouthparts and a sort of slender rod extending from the jaw that helps brace the barklouse while it is scraping up its food. Unlike their parasitic cousins that have legs suitable for gripping their host, barklice have legs that are adapted for jumping. Most adult barklice have wings and have two wing-coupling mechanisms, one that joins the forewing and hindwing in flight, and one that keeps the wings in place when the barklouse is resting.

F-winged Barklouse (Graphopsocus cruciatus) with silk. Photo: Judy Gallagher

Some species produce silk from glands in their mouths, and a species that is found in the southern U.S. can swathe large trees with its silk. Some local species produce silk, but not in that volume. The web protects the barklice from predators while feeding, and does not damage the tree. Some barklice species eat the silk when the need for it is done. 

Shaggy Barklouse family - Teliapsocus conterminus female with eggs. Photo: Judy Gallagher

Most barklice lay their eggs in small crevices in bark or on foliage, but there are at least two species that have live young. Barklice aren't known to guard their eggs, but the picture above makes me wonder if some do. Eggs and other life stages can be parasitized by tiny wasps. 

Some barklice species reproduce asexually (parthenogenesis), and the resulting young are genetically the same as the adult female. Most species also reproduce sexually, and male barklice sometimes do a courtship dance, making sounds with their legs to attract a female. 

Barklice undergo incomplete metamorphosis. The young look much the same as the adult, except they don't have wings or reproductive structures. They usually shed their external skeletons about six times before becoming a reproductive adult. 

If you look closely at the rear end of the barklouse in the above photo, you can see a yellow hairy anatomical feature called a sensorium or sense cushion. Scientists theorize that the sensorium may be used to detect wind currents, which might help the barklouse when in flight. 

Tree Cattle. Photo: Judy Gallagher

A Common Barklice family species, Cerastipsocus venosus, forms herds on smooth-barked trees. The adults have wings, and the nymphs have distinctive yellow and black striped abdomens. They are commonly called Tree Cattle. 

Outer Barklice family species Ectopsocus californicus. Photo: Judy Gallagher

Outer Barklice have been found in bird feathers, leading scientists to theorize that they may disperse by hitch-hiking rides on birds. 

Lizard Barklouse family species Valenzuela flavidus. Photo: Judy Gallagher

There are a number of other barklouse families including Ancient Barklice, Hairy-winged Barklice, Narrow Barklice, Fateful Barklice, Loving Barklice, and the intriguingly named Lizard Barklice and False Lizard Barklice, which aren't closely related. I couldn't find information on why the family names are so unusual, but the Lizard Barklouse above does not resemble a lizard. 

I hope you've learned a little about these intriguing creatures and have enjoyed my louse-y pictures. Sorry, I've never been able to resist a good pun

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View more of Judy’s articles on A Closer Look: Nature All Around Us (formerly Observations from Meadowood).

Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac: Tree and Shrub Pruning that Won't Harm Birds

Photo: American Robins, William Harris/Audubon Photography Awards

Julie Udani

Pruning can be essential to the health of a tree or shrub. 

We prune trees to remove dead or diseased branches or to prevent disease by opening up the interior of the plant to allow for airflow. A large limb stretched over a utility line or rooftop can be pruned away to remove a potential hazard. Pruning can be good for the tree and good for us, but it isn’t always good for birds. Done wrong, it can disturb nesting sites, remove protective cover and prevent plants from flowering or fruiting.

Here are a few tips for bird-friendly pruning this winter and spring:

Don’t prune during nesting season. 

Great Horned Owls, Tracey Kidston/Audubon Photography Awards

In Northern Virginia, nesting generally begins in mid-March for our year-round species. We want to prune most of our trees in late February anyway, because we need to do it while they are dormant. One exception is spring-blooming trees and shrubs. If those are pruned too early, it might remove flower buds. Not only does that make the plant less attractive to us, but it means no nectar for pollinators and no fruit later in the season for the birds. Spring blooming shrubs and trees should be pruned immediately after flowering, but look carefully for nests before doing any work. If you find one, do not move it, and reschedule your pruning. The Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia website has good information on when and how to prune your trees if you have to delay pruning.

Don’t prune too much.

Sometimes we need to remove interior branches to allow air to flow through a shrub or tree in order to prevent fungal diseases. Just remember that birds need some of those internal branches and leaves for habitat and protection from weather and predators. As a rule, don’t remove more than necessary for the health of the plant. While some shrubs can be trimmed all the way to the ground and come right back, most trees and shrubs can’t lose more than about a quarter of their mass at one time.

Don’t be too neat.

Leave some litter on the ground and don’t remove dead trees entirely. Birds use twigs and small branches to construct their nests. Some birds are ground-dwelling and appreciate a nice brush pile. If you need to remove a dying tree, consider leaving a safe portion of the trunk standing (called a “snag”). Snags attract many different insects to break down the tissue of the tree and can be vital sources of food for birds. Chickadees have been known to nest in snags as short as four feet tall. If you can’t leave it standing, a log left to rot on the ground can be almost as beneficial.

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Catch up on past Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac articles here.

Letter to Our Members

Photo: Pileated Woodpecker, John Troth/Audubon Photography Awards

Amanda Robinson

Reflections on My First Year at NVBA

A year ago, I joined NVBA as Executive Director. I knew I was joining an organization with a strong legacy built by dedicated volunteers over many years, but I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. What I found exceeded every hope: a community that welcomed me warmly and showed me what it looks like when people truly care about birds and their environment.

The best part of this year has been meeting all of you. I've loved getting to know the patchwork of individuals and other organizations in northern Virginia that are passionate about conservation. A lot of my work this year has involved building internal systems—the kind of behind-the-scenes work that isn't glamorous but that makes everything else possible. I've been inspired by our volunteers who give so generously of their time, and by members who stop me at events to share a recent sighting or a favorite birding spot. These connections are the heart of NVBA, and building relationships across our community has been the most rewarding part of stepping into this role.

We had some wonderful wins this year, too. Birdathon brought out more teams than we've ever had, which is a testament to your enthusiasm and competitive spirit. We brought back our bird guide training program and trained 20 new bird guides this fall, including our first ever youth bird guide! We held a wildlife rehab event to give bird lovers and local rehabbers hands-on experience with birds. We also held our first annual calendar photo contest, where we learned lots for next year and enjoyed seeing the over 80 submissions from folks across the region. You can still buy your calendar here! 

We also welcomed our new Community Engagement Coordinator this year. She has been instrumental in coordinating the many events NVBA supports annually and helping us reach even more people across northern Virginia. We already have over 40 events planned in 2026 - thanks McKenzie! Each of these milestones reflects what's possible when a passionate community comes together.

As I look toward year two, I'm excited to build on this momentum. We're planning our second annual regional symposium, we'll have another strong Birdathon season, and we’ll be doing some really great work with Stretch Our Parks and other major NVBA programs. I'm especially excited to grow our diversity and new birder initiatives—creating more opportunities to welcome folks who are new to birding and help them discover the joy of getting outside with binoculars in hand.

Thank you for making my first year so meaningful. I'm grateful to be part of this community, and I can't wait to see what we accomplish together in the year ahead.

Perspective on the Dreaded Spotted Lanternfly

Photo: Adult Spotted Lanternfly, Cbaile19, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nicole Patrick

Since the spotted lanternfly first made its presence known in Virginia in 2018, we have been faithfully stomping, squashing and squishing the invaders, which the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources describes as a “vampire in a black tuxedo, white shirt, and red bowtie.” The now infamous invasive species has made its home throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic and is present in at least 19 U.S. states.

The damage spotted lanternflies can do to native plants is well-documented; they feed on a wide variety of our native species, including grapevines, fruit trees and hardwood trees, and they have few natural predators. To date, Fairfax County has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to control the spread of the spotted lanternfly by targeting its preferred host, the invasive Tree of Heaven. But is the thinking around how to approach this widely-decried pest beginning to shift?

Spotted Lanternfly nymph. Photo: WanderingMogwai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Smithsonian Entomologist Greg Ose reports that he and his team receive a high volume of reports and questions related to spotted lanternfly activity and their ongoing presence in our area – but, he says, they are no longer a cause for alarm. In November 2025, Ose wrote in an article in the Smithsonian Gardens newsletter that he expects the spotted lanternfly to “drift into obscurity,” hopefully becoming simply another garden “nuisance.” 

Further, while “not easily containable, [spotted lanternflies] are treatable and in severe cases, select treatments are warranted.” Ose’s recommendations? Regular inspection and prevention (e.g., removal of Tree of Heaven), destroying egg masses, and yes – squishing and swatting adults when they appear in your garden. To destroy egg masses, Ose recommends using a stiff card to scrape egg cases into a plastic bag filled with a little hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol, then throwing the bag in the trash.

Spotted Lanternfly egg sac. Photo: aberkov, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Importantly, he notes that pesticides available to treat spotted lanternflies also will kill other insects, including pollinators and would-be predators. According to Ose, the risk of harming these beneficial species is not worth it. And you should never, ever use sticky glue traps, which may unintentionally ensnare birds and other wildlife. There are other ongoing control efforts available to monitor and manage the presence of the lanternfly, including public education campaigns and non-chemical removal. 

Even more promising, potential new natural predators, such as bats, are emerging. Birds also can play a critical role in helping us control the spread of spotted lanternfly populations going forward. Evidence suggests that birds could become a significant natural predator – with a little encouragement. Using iNaturalist, community scientists have logged observations of more than 33 different species eating the lanternfly. Some of the best ways to help birds along are well-known to us: provide water for drinking and bathing, nesting sites and native plant species. 

Invasive plant removal also has a part to play in ongoing management of the lanternfly. The aforementioned Tree of Heaven is known to make the lanternflies taste bitter to birds; removing the invasive tree may make the lanternfly a more appealing food source to birds and other native predators. 

Perhaps, then, the best thing we can do going forward as stewards of our native environment is to educate ourselves and others. While spotted lanternflies are not to be ignored, it is time to stop panicking and start directing our efforts toward supporting the native species that can have a meaningful impact on lanternfly populations.

Learn More:

Spotted Lanternfly, Fairfax County Public Works and Environmental Services, available at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/trees/spotted-lanternfly 

Greg Ose, “Garden Foe: The Spotted Lanternfly,” Smithsonian Gardens, Nov. 24, 2025, available at https://gardens.si.edu/learn/blog/garden-foe-the-spotted-lanternfly/ 

Carlyn Kranking, “Birds Are One Line of Defense Against Dreaded Spotted Lanternflies,” Audubon Magazine, Sept. 17, 2021, available at https://www.audubon.org/magazine/birds-are-one-line-of-defense-against-dreaded-spotted-lanternflies 

Tree of Heaven, Blue Ridge Prism Fact Sheet, available at https://blueridgeprism.org/factsheets

Nicole Patrick, an enthusiastic birder and writer, is a  lifetime northern Virginia resident.

NVBA’s Advocacy Committee and the Busy Season Ahead

Photo: Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0

Connie Ericson

I have been active in NVBA’s advocacy committee since 2018 when I joined the board. I had just retired and had not been active in any of the organization’s many projects. But when a board member asked for a volunteer to draft a letter to the National Park Service about a planned activity along the GW Memorial Parkway that could potentially disturb Bald Eagles, my hand shot up. Over the years my participation has waxed and waned, but there’s always something the committee needs help with. With the 2026 Virginia General Assembly about to convene on January 14 for a fast-moving two-month session, the committee needs many volunteers to make sure its voice is heard. 

There’s more information below on how you can help, but first, here’s a little perspective on the scope of the committee’s activities. 

Much of the work of the committee naturally focuses on local issues within NVBA’s geographical area, such as urging local officials to (i) take conservation into account when proposing and developing bike paths, (ii) support more preservation and restoration of land, (iii) encourage responsible dark sky lighting practices, (iv) prevent encroachment of development on nature reserves like Occoquan Bay NWR, (v) negotiate with Dominion Energy for streetlights that minimize light pollution, and much more. Whenever possible, NVBA will join with other organizations to increase the potential impact of our efforts.

Sometimes the committee will take a stand on issues relevant to the larger area, particularly when there’s a troubling environmental or conservation impact. A current example is helping reverse the serious decline in Ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay and addressing the menhaden reduction fishery operations in Virginia.

The committee will also comment on some federal regulatory and legislative issues, such as recent proposals to reduce the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. In those efforts NVBA often partners with National Audubon, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Focus on the 2026 General Assembly

And, there are state-level actions, which affect northern Virginia and the rest of the Commonwealth. In the regulatory arena, NVBA is promoting building code amendments to require bird-safe windows. The committee has already been taking action in advance of the upcoming session of the General Assembly. The committee cosponsored a workshop on the menhaden/Osprey problem and hosted a free online seminar with Delegate Kathy Tran, who spoke on how to be an effective advocate. You can view the recorded seminar here. 

Because the General Assembly session is only two months long, bills move quickly, and we have to act fast when bills we support or oppose are scheduled for action. We would love to have your help. We anticipate advancing positions on invasive plants, menhaden fishing, data centers, much-needed funding for state parks and other protected lands and waters, retaining the Clean Economy Act, tree preservation and more. To learn more about anticipated bills and their need, visit The Virginia Conservation Network's "Our Common Agenda.”

If you can help, send an email to advocacy@nvbirdalliance.org with your name, email address and telephone number, and we will send you an email with some suggested talking points when action on an issue is required. Because time will be short, make sure you know in advance who your Delegate and Senator are and how to contact them. You can get that information from the Virginia General Assembly website on the Who's My Legislator page. Also, many state legislators have town meetings at home during the session and that is a great, nearby opportunity to advocate for sound conservation policies.

Let’s all do what we can in 2026 to help birds, other wildlife and the environment!

Feeding Birds in Winter

Photo: Red-bellied Woodpecker, Steve Donovan/Audubon Photography Awards

Annette Skye

We can help our bird friends survive winter weather by providing them both food and water, particularly in urban and suburban areas where native habitat may be scarce. If your yard is already a wildlife sanctuary, providing supplemental food and water can make it even more attractive to winter birds. Careful preparation, maintaining your equipment and selection of nourishing food all are key to ensuring a successful and healthy feeding station.

Keep It Clean!

Northern Cardinal, Angela W/Audubon Photography Awards

If you have stored feeders since last winter, make sure you give them a good cleaning before filling them. This will ensure you aren’t transferring any bacteria from remnants of food that may have been sitting in the feeder for months. According to National Audubon’s 11 Tips for Feeding Backyard Birds, uneaten seed can be a source for deadly mold. You can clean birdfeeders with dish soap, although some authorities suggest an additional decontamination with a 10 percent solution of non-chlorine bleach. Cornell’s Winter Bird Feeding pamphlet suggests using a weak bleach solution if there’s evidence of disease in your yard. Always make sure the feeder is completely dry before filling it, to avoid mold growth.

After that initial cleaning, clean the feeders again at least every two weeks, and, unless snow prevents it, clean up seed waste under the feeders often. If you use already hulled bird seed you may avoid some of the mess. Discarded seed and seed waste can get moldy even in winter, and birds droppings can contaminate fallen seed under feeders. 

Pick High-Quality, High-Energy Food

Although inexpensive wild bird seed blends available in many stores may be tempting, it pays to spend a little more money for quality food. Cheaper blends often include filler grains such as red milo, which birds by and large will not eat. The food is wasted, and, when birds fling it to the ground to get to something they prefer, the waste grains and seed can attract pests as well as make it more difficult to keep the feeding station clean and free of mold. There are a variety of high-quality mixes to meet specific aims, such as avoiding mess or attracting certain kinds of birds. See Mixology: Breaking Down 5 Common Birdseed Blends. 

Black oil sunflower seeds will attract a large variety of birds. They are easy for birds to crack open and provide high-energy, oil-rich meat. Some kinds of food are preferred by different birds. Cracked corn, peanuts, Nyger seed, safflower seed, millet and suet all have their fans. To attract a variety of birds, provide a variety of foods. See Who Likes What: The Favorite Birdseed of Feeder Regulars and Rarities. Suet varieties can include peanut butter, insects and berries to attract different birds as well. And, if you don’t have a feeder, suet balls and seed wreaths are readily available options during winter.

Provide a Clean, Heated Water Source

Birds appreciate a source of clean, unfrozen water in winter, for drinking and bathing. If you have a bird bath, a bird bath heater will help to prevent the water from freezing over. Be sure you only plug a heater into a ground-fault interrupted circuit to prevent shorts. If you don’t have a grounded outdoor outlet, a National Wildlife Federation Blog suggests buying several heavy-duty plant saucers so that you can replace frozen baths with fresh ones each morning. See Don't Forget Water for Birds in Winter. Of course, it’s just as important to keep bird baths clean as it is feeders. Change the water daily and clean the bird baths completely at least every two weeks, following the same guidelines as for cleaning feeders.

Pine Siskin, Christopher Baker/Audubon Photography Awards

Be Wary of Predators

Flocks of birds in your back yard may attract predators. It’s not uncommon for a Cooper’s Hawk to stake out a yard with bird feeders. If you notice repeated predation, take the feeders down for a while to encourage the hawk to look for another source of food. Do the same if a neighborhood cat stakes out your feeding station. 

If you take care and follow a few simple rules, you can enjoy watching birds from the warmth of your home, even when the weather is frightful!

Annette Skye is an avid gardener who enjoys birdwatching.

A Closer Look: Nature All Around Us, January 2026

Photo:  Lovebugs, Judy Gallagher

Judy Gallagher

January 2026

My late husband Jimmy and I used to travel to north Florida in late May each year. We had to carry an ice scraper and windshield washer fluid so we could periodically pull over and scrape insects called Lovebugs off the windshield. Lovebugs, so called because they are typically found in copula, were so numerous that we couldn't wait until we stopped at a gas station to clean the windshield. Lovebugs have even been known to make cars overheat when radiators become clogged with them. 

Lovebugs. Photo: Judy Gallagher

Despite the name, Lovebugs are flies, not bugs, and they are a species in the March Fly family. Lovebug adults only live for a few days, and they are in tandem for the majority of their short adult lives. They are attracted to chemicals found in automobile exhaust, which explains why they are so numerous around roads. Lovebugs are not originally native to Florida, but they spread quickly due to lack of natural control mechanisms. They are now less common in Florida than they once were because natural controls, mostly fungi, have expanded to help with the overpopulation. 

Dark Autumn Bibio (male). Photo: Judy Gallagher

We don't have Lovebugs here in northern Virginia, but we have other species in the March Fly family (Bibionidae). Like Lovebugs, March Flies are medium-sized, with slender black, brown or rusty bodies, thick legs and relatively small eyes. The rear legs are long and hang loosely when in flight, so it's pretty easy to recognize them while flying. 

Common names like March Fly can be confusing. In Australia, members of fly family Tabanidae are called March Flies. We call them Horse Flies, and they aren't closely related to our March Flies. 

Our species are mostly seen in late autumn or early spring, and the fly family is named because a lot of them make an appearance in early March. It's easy for them to find a mate because they emerge en masse and they complete their life cycle before many predators come out. But I did see one, the Dark Autumn Bibio, near the end of November, which was the inspiration for this month's column. Male Dark Autumn Bibios are known to swarm, but, unlike Lovebugs, they aren't attracted to automobile exhaust and don't mess up cars.

Dark Autumn Bibio (female). Photo: Judy Gallagher

Dark Autumn Bibios are sexually dimorphic. The male and female are easy to distinguish because the male is dark (as suggested by the common name), but the female has a red thorax and red on its legs.

Not all March Flies have sexually dimorphic coloring, but all March Flies have eyes that are easily distinguished by sex. Female eyes are smaller than male eyes and are separated from each other as seen above. 

Lovebug male. Note the dividing line near the bottom of the compound eye. Photo: Judy Gallagher

The male's eyes are large and touch each other, and each male eye is divided into upper and lower parts that have different visual properties. The larger divided male eyes may help them to see other males above and below them in a mating swarm. 

Dilophus species feeding on nectar. Photo: Judy Gallagher

March Fly larvae are usually found in grassy areas. They feed on plant material, sometimes scavenging dead vegetation like decaying wood, and are often found in compost. Like Lovebugs, other March Fly adults don't live very long, and many adults don't eat. But those that do usually rely on nectar. The adults can be good pollinators, and some are the primary pollinators of various orchid species. Larvae help form and accumulate humus in soil. According to an old (1904) publication by the British Museum of Natural History, chickens love to eat March Fly larvae. 

My holiday present to myself, a March Fly preserved in amber. Photo: Judy Gallagher

There are only about 700 March Fly species worldwide, but they are the most common flies in the fossil record. It's less than a week before Christmas as I write this column, and I decided to see if there were any affordable March Fly fossils available. I am happy to report that I will soon be the proud owner of a March Fly preserved in amber. Happy New Year to all of you, and to me! 

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View more of Judy’s articles on A Closer Look: Nature All Around Us (formerly Observations from Meadowood).

Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac: Love Our Mighty Oaks

Photo: Swamp Chestnut Oak, Betsy Martin

Eileen Ellsworth

Native species of oak trees are abundant across our region. Northern Red Oaks and White Oaks in particular are among our most dominant keystone species, contributing to the ecosystem in ways that are mighty indeed.

Doug Tallamy has written and spoken extensively about oaks. Like all large canopy trees, they scrub air-borne pollutants, capture carbon dioxide, provide oxygen and shade, manage stormwater runoff and produce life-supporting leaf litter. But oaks are noteworthy in their ability to nurture insects – a form of life that E. O. Wilson called “the little things that run the world.” Without caterpillars, there would be no terrestrial food webs. Pause for a moment to take that in.

Tallamy estimates that oak trees are hosts for hundreds if not thousands of species of caterpillars. A full third of our native moths depend on oaks to reproduce. He estimates that only 14% of native plants produce 90% of caterpillar food, which is the reason he considers oak trees to be “keystone” to biodiversity. Caterpillars eat the oak leaves, and birds feed the caterpillars to their nestlings – many thousands of them during just one breeding season. If you want to attract a wider diversity of nesting birds on your property, plant an oak.

Oak trees provide food for wildlife in winter as well. Many small birds such as chickadees, titmice, and Golden-crowned Kinglets can be seen flitting through the canopy on the coldest days of the year. What are they doing? To find out, Bernd Heinrich, a research scientist and biology professor at the University of Vermont, examined the crops of Golden-crowned Kinglets in Maine, in January. He discovered they were filled with geometrid moth caterpillars, commonly known as inchworms. Remarkably, these caterpillars produce a kind of antifreeze that enables them to survive freezing cold temperatures. Even in the dead of winter, our native oaks support caterpillars that drive the food web.

Oaks also drop fat- and protein-rich acorns, of course, and many tons of them during a “mast year.” A single oak can produce up to 3 million acorns during its lifetime. Squirrels, deer, and chipmunks all eat acorns, as do many species of birds such as Wild Turkeys, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, flickers, titmice, towhees, Wood Ducks, and Blue Jays.

Blue Jay with acorn, Seth Honig

Jays of all kinds enjoy a particularly ancient and beneficial relationship with acorns. They cache them. A single jay will fly up to a mile to bury an estimated 4,500 acorns each fall, only remembering where 1 in 4 are buried. They are therefore planting 3,300 oaks a year, turning oak trees into the “fastest moving” deciduous trees in the world.

The decline of our older oaks that has been going on for decades came to a head a few years ago. (See Chamberlin, Oak Decline in Virginia.) The early wet weather in 2018 and 2019, followed by summer heat and drought and winters with unusual temperature swings, stressed many tree species, but especially oaks. The combination opened the door to ambrosia beetles and other pests. Many mature oak trees died across the region. As our older oaks die off, it is important that we actively replace them with young ones.

Red-headed Woodpecker, Gary Robinette/Audubon Photography Awards

The single best way to turn your yard into a sanctuary for wildlife is to plant an oak, making sure to pick a spot where it can grow unimpeded by powerlines above ground and waterlines and other infrastructure below ground. Based on research by Tallamy and his colleagues, we tell clients that 70% or more of the plant material in a yard should be native for the yard to support wildlife effectively. A single oak can meet that standard as it grows. 

When you plant a single oak tree, or spare an existing one, you will help capture carbon, protect water quality, protect insect populations, and support birds and other wildlife. You can use the Plant NOVA Natives plant finder app to find an oak (or other native tree or plant) suitable for the conditions in your yard. 

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Catch up on past Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac articles here.

Letter to Our Members

Photo: Northern Saw-whet Owl, Carolina Sanabria

Carolina Sanabria

My Owl Encounter

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD, hosts a Project Owlnet bird banding station as part of a project studying Northern Saw-whet Owl migration. I was allowed to participate as a volunteer last year, which gave me a truly memorable experience, seeing the Northern Saw-whet Owl for the first time. The owls migrate from mid-October through late November. 

Northern Saw-whet Owl. Photo: Carolina Sanabria

This was my first experience with bird banding, although I had read about it and understand its importance to conservation. See Tove Danovich’s June 24, 2025 essay on bird banding in the Washington Post. The banders open up mist nets and set up an audio lure at sunset. They take them down at midnight unless an owl is present. We checked the mist nets hourly, and explored the outdoors while we waited, listening to animal calls and observing insects. We also completed an owl puzzle and shared snacks. Most nights we didn't catch any owls, but it was still time well spent in good company. 

It wasn't until our last check of the nets that I finally saw two Northern Saw-whet Owls. Immediately, my tiredness from staying up went away! The banders carefully removed the owls from the net and took them back to the center to collect data, such as the bird’s weight, size and age. One of the tools the banders use is an ultraviolet blacklight. When shined on the underside of the owl’s wings, the visible fluorescent pigments help to determine its age. Fortunately, the two young owls were in healthy condition. Near the end of the process, I was able to hold the smallest owl and feel how light it was. Just seeing its striking yellow eyes and feeling its soft plumage was almost unreal. We finished that successful night watching the owls take flight once they were released. 

I was able to participate in the project through the sponsorship of one of my ecologist role models. As many have done for me, I aim to connect people with opportunities to learn about the environment. This is essential, particularly given how easy it is to feel disconnected from nature in a fast-paced society that is increasingly focused on technology. There are plenty of joys to be found in nature and sharing it with others is special. 

Volunteering has allowed me to explore new places, connect with others and expand my learning, whether it’s removing invasive plants, identifying stream critters or setting up camera traps to monitor wildlife. I enjoy staying active and going outdoors to observe the nature around me. Contributing to the health of the environment that we all share is how I want to continue spending my time.

Carolina Sanabria is a long-time NVBA volunteer who began serving on the board in 2025.

Mystery Arlington Bird Carried Disease First Found in Alaska

Photo: Red-Breasted Nuthatch with deformed beak, Alaska Science Center, USGS

Brad Scriber

An enigma alighted on an Arlington birdfeeder in late July, a sparrow-sized bird with an inverted feeding style and a prodigious beak almost as long as its brown and white body. Who was this strange visitor? 

White-breasted Nuthatch with avian keratin disorder in Arlington. Photo: Chris Traugott

Thanks to a local network of experts, the bird, photographed by Chris Traugott, was quickly identified as a White-breasted Nuthatch, but there was more to this bird’s story. 

Its manner of feeding matched the behavioral profile of a nuthatch, but its Cyrano-sized beak didn’t match the silhouette of one. 

Almost certainly, this bird was suffering from avian keratin disorder (AKD), a debilitating condition marked by distorted and hyperextended bills in a variety of birds. 

Biochemist Joseph DeRisi, reviewing a photo of the bird, called it “classic AKD, although the only way to know for sure is to get a sample.” 

What DeRisi would look for in a sample is the genetic signature of the Poecivirus, a member of a large group of viruses that includes polio and the common cold. DeRisi was involved in a 2016 study led by Maxine Zylberberg, a fellow biologist at the University of California, San Francisco, which found a likely connection between this newly discovered virus and the beak deformities. In this and follow-up work with a larger sample, Poecivirus was present in every bird with an abnormal beak, but only in a small fraction of healthy birds.

The research, a collaboration between the U. S. Geological Survey, the California Academy of Sciences, and UCSF researchers, used advanced genetic sequencing to identify the virus. Previous research had ruled out many known bird diseases as well as bacteria, fungi, trauma and other possible drivers of the disease.

Avian keratin disease was first spotted in the 1990s among Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) by USGS researchers in Alaska. Red-breasted Nuthatches are among the species most frequently reported with AKD in Alaska. The disease has since been identified in thousands of individual birds across more than 80 species including hawks, crows and jays. The disorder has spread to the East Coast and parts of Europe. 

Danielle Gerik, a biologist at the USGS Alaska Science Center says the disorder has been circulating in Virginia for more than two decades. “The earliest record we have in Virginia is of a Northern Cardinal and House Sparrow in 2001,” she says. “There are other reports of affected White-breasted Nuthatches in this region.”

The USGS researchers have been tracking reports of beak deformities since AKD was first described. Bird-spotters can report cases and send photos to the USGS at this link.

John Tracey, State Wildlife Veterinarian with Virginia’s Department of Wildlife Resources says AKD is on their radar, but confirming individual cases is not easy. “We don’t often get to see birds that are in good enough shape to pursue diagnostics,” he notes. 

Even if an intact specimen were to be submitted to the state, there are no off-the-shelf tests for the Poecivirus. Collaboration with national and regional labs is required.

A few years ago, an alert from the Sandhills area of North Carolina about AKD in the Red-cockaded Woodpecker got Tracey’s attention. In an endangered or threatened species such as this, "any bottlenecks are potentially worrisome,” he notes.

Malformed, oversized and disfigured beaks that cross or curve in odd ways result from rapid growth in the rhamphotheca, a keratin sheath that sits atop the jawbones. This untamed keratin makes essential tasks like preening and foraging extremely difficult for birds with AKD. Imagine trying to button your shirt or pick up an almond with foot-long fingernails.

Afflicted birds make do as best they can. Gerik says her colleagues at the USGS “commonly hear of birds with elongated beaks turning their heads to pick up seeds because they're unable to perform normal foraging behaviors. It’s quite impressive all the ways birds adapt their behaviors to deal with having a beak deformity,” she adds.

Notwithstanding such striving, it’s a serious and often deadly barrier to survival. “A bird with such a deformed beak will be unlikely to feed well,” says UCSF’s DeRisi. 

Researchers are working to understand how exactly the disease leads to deformed beaks, which sometimes develops in birds born with normal bills. They are also looking for certainty about how it spreads. 

Gerik notes that even if some cause other than Poecivirus is uncovered, cleaning birdfeeders can help prevent the spread of disease in general. She recommends cleaning feeders in diluted bleach at a ratio of one unit of bleach to 32 units of water.

More tips on keeping your feeders free of disease can be found here.

Brad Scriber is a freelance writer based in Arlington.

Prepare for the Next Virginia General Assembly: Two Programs on Advocacy

Photo: Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0

Tom Blackburn

Advocating for your legislative priorities can be intimidating. NVBA is offering two programs that will help demystify the process and provide an advance look at legislation that will be introduced in the 2026 Virginia General Assembly.

General Assembly Preview: Saturday, December 6 

We are preparing for Virginia’s legislative session by partnering with the Virginia Conservation Network, the largest conservation advocacy organization in Virginia, to host a General Assembly Preview Regional Watch Party. Join us at our offices in the National Wildlife Federation Building, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive in Reston on December 6, from 9:00 AM to noon. You’ll learn about the environmental legislation we expect to see in the upcoming General Assembly session. We’ll provide breakfast, followed by a streamed presentation from experts across the Commonwealth, and an in-person discussion about local issues.

You can register for the General Assembly Preview here. We suggest a $20 ticket price to support this event and our environmental advocacy efforts. If cost is a barrier, please use the promo code “VCNREST2025” during registration for a free ticket. 

Can’t attend in person? You can still register to stream presentations virtually from 9:15 AM-11:00 AM to hear all speaker presentations.

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Effective Advocacy with Delegate Kathy Tran: Tuesday, December 16

When: Tuesday, December 16, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Online
Fee: FREE

Delegate Kathy Tran. Photo: courtesy of Delegate Tran.

Do you want to learn how to be a more effective advocate? Join NVBA and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for a virtual program, “Effective Advocacy in Virginia,” with the Honorable Kathy Tran, Representative for Virginia District 18, and Majority Caucus Chair for the Virginia House of Delegates.

The recent November 4 election determined who will be the Governor of Virginia for the next four years, as well as all 100 representatives to the Virginia House of Delegates, each serving a two-year term. The Virginia General Assembly will convene for a sixty-day session on January 14, 2026. This is an excellent opportunity for you to work to enact legislation that supports and protects the environment. Consequential issues also are before our local governments, including modifications to the master plans of Fairfax and Prince William Counties, decisions on data centers in Loudoun and Prince William Counties, and much more. Delegate Tran will provide advice on how to advocate before the General Assembly and local governments, making your efforts to lobby elected officials more effective.

We’ll conclude the evening with an opportunity to sign up for alerts on important pending legislation to support communications with your elected representatives. 

This event is FREE and open to the public. You can register for this program here.

Tom Blackburn is Chair of NVBA’s Advocacy Committee, and a past President of NVBA.

Back for the Holidays: The White-throated Sparrow

Photo: White-throated Sparrow, Ashrith Kandula/Audubon Photography Awards

Summer Delehanty

“Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada” or “Old-Sam-Peabody-Peabody” – no matter which phrase you associate with the song of the White-throated Sparrow, northern Virginia residents can expect to hear it throughout the coming months as these little birds sing of their return from breeding grounds in Canada. As winter encroaches, White-throated Sparrows fly south into the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast of the United States, with some also staying in coastal California. Although they are present year-round in the Northeast, that region’s summer residents head south and are replaced by northern populations.

White-throated Sparrow, Charles Carlow/Audubon Photography Awards

While most birds only sing during the breeding season, relying on chirps and other short calls to communicate the rest of the year, White-throated Sparrows sing year-round, at any time of day. Their whistled song is roughly four seconds long with even notes that can either rise or fall in pitch. Though commonly ending in three syllables, a different two-syllable “dialect” first appeared in British Columbia in 2002. See How a White-Throated Sparrow's New Tune Went Viral. The Rocky Mountains were initially predicted to confine this dialect to the West Coast. However, miraculously, the song had traveled clear to Quebec in less than 20 years, an unusually quick uptake of a new singing pattern for a bird. Biologists used geolocators to track the wintering behavior of different White-throated Sparrows, finding that an overlap in Western and Eastern populations in Texas allowed the song to spread to impressionable baby sparrows of the East. Any doublet-ending singers in Virginia can be traced back to this first variation in British Columbia. 

Though both sexes of White-throated Sparrow sing, some individuals are more likely to sing than others, and it depends on the color of their eyebrow stripe. In fact, other behavioral differences are observed not only between sexes, but between individuals with different color stripes. The classification is subtle: all White-throated Sparrows sport the same general appearance, with the tell-tale white throat, yellow lores, and black-and-pale facial markings. The difference is in the color of the pale stripes on the face. “White-striped” birds have white markings, the same color as their throat, while “tan-striped” birds are noticeably drabber. White-striped males are more aggressive and sing the most, while tan-striped females will rarely sing. Regardless of sex, tan-striped individuals are more likely to engage in parental care of their young. Interestingly, White-throated Sparrow individuals almost always mate with a bird of the opposite color morph. Their courtship patterns are complicated, with both types of males preferring white-striped females, and both types of females preferring tan-striped males. This mismatched pairing allows both stripe types to persist.

White-throated Sparrow, Dawn Phillips/Audubon Photography Awards

With such interesting songs and color variations, it’s no wonder that White-throated Sparrows are a fan-favorite, declared “one of the continent's best-studied and most familiar songbirds” by Cornell’s Birds of the World. Even if you’ve never seen one, they shouldn’t be hard to find. White-throated Sparrows congregate in most woods and brushy areas, including neighborhoods and tree-lined sidewalks. When in flocks, like other sparrows, they will often emit high-pitched “seep” calls, though their bold black-and-white facial patterns are hard to mistake for anything else. These birds aren’t picky with their friends; pay attention to the flocks they congregate in and you may also find a Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Carolina Wren or other small passerine. 

Though widespread and abundant, White-throated Sparrows are especially vulnerable to window collisions as they migrate through urban and suburban areas. This species has been dubbed a "super-collider," with Chicago Bird Collision Monitors recording over 4,000 individuals in a 5-year period, nearly two times as many birds as the second most common species. Because they migrate at night and rely on stars to navigate, light pollution in cities can cause them to become disoriented. It’s been suggested that their tendency to call to one another while migrating actually causes more collisions, as one confused White-throated Sparrow can lead others astray. 

Collisions don’t only happen with skyscrapers during peak migration. Studies on college campuses, like the University of Washington, have found collisions around mid-sized buildings year-round, with an uptick during winter months in that region. Reducing unnecessary light pollution at night, keeping shrubbery away from windows and treating large and reflective window facades with vinyl patterns are all effective ways to reduce collisions for birds like the White-throated Sparrow. 

In cold weather and dark evenings, this bird’s cheery song makes it a welcome winter resident in Virginia. Listen for their whistled tune this holiday season. By the time they’re heading back north, the canopy will be alive with spring birdsong again. 

Summer Delehanty is a product designer with a passion for birdwatching.

How Birds Survive Winter

Photo: Mourning Dove, Danny Brown/Audubon Photography Awards

Jessica Pavlick

How do our feathered friends survive winter? They have two options: migrate to warmer temperatures or adapt to the winter weather. Some birds fly south to warmer temperatures and more plentiful food. Those that live in mountains can move to lower elevations. Those who choose to stay adapt to winter months through behavioral and physical changes, showing how extraordinary they are!

Winter adaptations include:

Fluffing up to increase body heat. Birds can fluff up their feathers to keep warm air near their bodies (like a warm down coat). Fluffing up creates hundreds of air pockets between their feathers that trap heat, increasing natural insulation. (Andrew del-Colle, "How Do Birds Cope With Cold Winter Weather," Jan. 24, 2024) Birds also can grow extra feathers for thicker insulation. (Laura Carberry, "Let's Go Birding -- Brrr . . . Birding Behavior in Winter," Dec. 9, 2020) 

Huddling up. During cold nights, birds huddle up together to increase warmth through community. According to Carberry, “Golden-crowned Kinglets will roost together with 4 or more of their friends to survive the cold winter nights. Other birds like Black-capped Chickadees and Eastern Bluebirds will find cavities or nest boxes to huddle together at night.”

Slowing metabolism. Similar to a short-term hibernation, torpor is when a bird at rest slows its metabolism below its normal level, sometimes well below. They can do this for a few hours at a time, usually at night. (Ivan Phillipsen, "How Birds Get Through the Winter," Jan. 24, 2021)

Storing Food. During the fall, it’s typical for birds to store food from feeders. They carry food to hide for later when resources are scarce. According to Del-Colle, “a single chickadee can store up to 80,000 seeds—and remember where they all are.”

Sharing Food. A high bird body temperature (typically 105 degrees) means a high metabolism. Birds need high protein energy sources and they work together when they spot one! Birds look for insects, berries and seeds, and if they see a neighbor has found food, they will join in. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pamela Brown/Audubon Photography Awards

Birds’ adaptations are impressive, but we can still take action to help them in winter:

• Help with warm housing: Clean nest boxes so birds can huddle together. Check them for mice periodically. If you do not have natural nesting spots in your yard, consider purchasing a nest box or roosting box.

• Put up a bird feeder up and keep it clean and well stocked. Carberry’s article reports that birds watch each other and communicate where food sources are. 

• Consider feeding birds high-protein food. 

• Suet cakes are a high-protein food that you can provide for woodpeckers, nuthatches, Pine Warblers, chickadees and Tufted Titmice.

• Birds love peanuts, seeds, insects or berries.

• Attract bluebirds by offering mealworms.

• Finches love thistle feeders and Nyger seeds.

• Doves, sparrows and cardinals can enjoy millet and cracked corn.

• Use a platform feeder to keep birds safe from predators and cats. 

• Provide a bird bath and keep it heated and clean. Birds need a water source in the winter. 

Jessica Pavlick is a licensed psychologist and beginning birder who enjoys learning from nature.

A Closer Look: Nature All Around Us, December 2025

Photo:  Cynipid Wasp gall on Pin Oak, Judy Gallagher

Judy Gallagher

December 2025

Live insects are challenging to find at this time of year. But signs of them remain in the form of galls, a swelling growth of plant tissue. Galls can also be caused by viruses, fungi, bacteria and mites, but I'm only going to talk about ones that are created by insects. 

Elm Cockscomb Aphid Gall. Photo: Judy Gallagher

Insects that produce galls include gall wasps, gall midges, gall flies, leaf-miner flies, aphids, scale insects, psyllids, thrips, gall moths and weevils. 

Galls are basically plant tissue that grows abnormally as a result of chemicals in salivary secretions of insects, which cause increased production of plant growth hormones. The abnormal growth envelops the larva and provides a microhabitat until it is ready for adult life. The gall continues to grow as the larva grows inside it. Galls are usually formed during the growing season when plant cell division occurs quickly. At this time of year, I see old galls on fallen leaves.  

Gall-making insects have very specific plant preferences and even tissue preferences because their salivary chemicals must be able to stimulate that plant's genetic machinery, and each species' gall is unique. Galls can occur on leaves, stems and twigs, or on flowers or flower buds. Although they can be unsightly, insect galls rarely affect the general health of the plant.

Wool Sower Gall. Photo: Judy Gallagher

Some galls contain multiple larvae. The female Wool Sower Gall Wasp lays multiple eggs in one location, usually on a White Oak, although she can also use Chestnut Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak and Swamp White Oak. The adult female releases fluids that start the gall-making process.  When the eggs hatch, the larvae secrete chemicals that continue the process, and the resulting gall has many chambers, each containing one wasp larva. This wasp makes two types of galls.  Wasps that emerge from the Wool Sower Gall make inconspicuous stem galls, and the wasps that emerge from the inconspicuous stem galls make Wool Sower Galls. 

Cynipid Wasp (Zopheroteras guttatum) gall on Pin Oak. Photo: Judy Gallagher

This tiny and exquisite gall is formed by larva of another wasp, Zopheroteras guttatum, on Pin Oak. 

Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp gall. Photo: Judy Gallagher

Galls are a sort of nursery and provide some protection to the larva. But there are lots of predators who would like to eat tasty larvae, and the larvae can’t move around much due to the constraints of their gall. And there also are insects who eat plant tissue, and the larvae could be accidental victims if the plant tissue containing the gall is eaten. So the Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp has manipulated the genes of its host plant, a wild rose species, to produce a spiny gall that deters predators. To me, this is pretty incredible – a wasp larva secretes substances that force the plant to grow a nursery for it and protect it from predation! 

Other gall wasps create galls with concentrations of toxic tannins near the surface to repel predators, or force the gall to secrete sweet plant juices (phloem) to attract ants, bees or yellowjackets who defend their space from other insects. 

Ocellate Maple Gall Midge gall. Photo: Judy Gallagher

Here's a gall made by the Ocellate Maple Gall Midge, a small fly that, as the name suggests, produces galls on Maples. It also causes the leaf to develop rings of yellow and red, with Maple pigments normally only seen in the fall. Most gall-making insects leave the gall as an adult, but this midge leaves the gall as a larva and pupates in the leaf litter, where it remains until it emerges as an adult fly the following spring. 

Persimmon Psyllids mating. Photo: Judy Gallagher

Although I often see galls, I rarely see the adult insects of gall-making species. Most are quite small and not easily noticed, but I was fortunate enough to see these Persimmon Psyllids mating and, I think, laying eggs. Persimmon Psyllids are True Bugs, about 1/8 inch long, and the larval spit secretions cause Persimmon leaves to become stunted, twisted, and curled. The larvae live in pockets within the twisted structure. 

Soldier Beetle coming out of a Phylloxera gall. Photo: Judy Gallagher

I mentioned before that there are insects that like to eat the inhabitants of galls. I observed this Soldier Beetle going in and out of galls. I asked experts what was going on and they speculated that the Soldier Beetle was eating the Phylloxera larvae inside the gall. Insects are fascinating! 

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View more of Judy’s articles on A Closer Look: Nature All Around Us (formerly Observations from Meadowood).

Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac: Use - and Lose - Nandina

Photo: Nandina, Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Julie Udani 

It’s a beautiful plant - evergreen, red berries, soft foliage - but evil lurks in its heart. Nandina, a.k.a. Heavenly Bamboo or Nandina domestica, is a woody shrub native to Asia. It is not a true bamboo but, just like its namesake, it is a real problem in the landscape. 

Nandina, Emőke Dénes, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Nandina is invasive in Virginia. But that’s not the worst part. Those pretty Nandina berries are poisonous to birds. In 2009 the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine was asked to investigate the death of cedar waxwings that had been found in a backyard in Thomas County. The laboratory examined the birds and discovered that they had died of cyanide poisoning from eating Nandina fruit. The berries can contain cyanogenic compounds. Because cedar waxwings often eat large quantities of berries at a time, the Nandina is particularly deadly for them; but any hungry bird is vulnerable. Nandina is also toxic to dogs, cats, and other small animals. 

Let’s take advantage of the season and use the berries and branches in our holiday decor. The fact that this requires removing the berries - or even the whole shrub - is a bonus. (You’ll need to dig the rest of it out when the soil softens in the spring because they can resprout from the roots.) 

Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata)Paul R. Burley, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If you planted Nandina for the berries and are now feeling bitterly betrayed, there are several native alternatives. For example: Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata). It isn’t evergreen but it is spectacular when it drops its leaves and the generous clusters of red berries remain. The fruits can persist quite late before the birds eat them. That means more color for you in your landscape and a source of food for the birds at a time in winter when there isn’t much else available. Note that hollies are usually dioecious - that means plants are either male or female. Only the females produce berries but to get the berries you need to plant at least one male. Or switch to purple berries and plant Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) which is absolutely gorgeous in a fall border planted with goldenrods and asters. 

Inkberry (Ilex glabra), vastateparksstaff, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Doghobble (Leucothoe fontanaisiana), KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

For an evergreen Nandina replacement, there are dwarf cultivars of Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria ‘Bordeaux’ or ‘Nana’) that can give you red berries and evergreen foliage in a sunny spot. For shade, swap it for Inkberry (Ilex glabra) or Doghobble (Leucothoe fontanaisiana). If you liked the soft texture of the bamboo-like foliage, look to Coastal Doghobble (Leucothoe axillaris) for a taller swap, or one of our native evergreen ferns for something shorter. Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) and Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis) are evergreen and do just fine in regular garden soil. All of these options - except the Beautyberry - are also deer resistant.

So lose the evil Nandina. Cut it down - it makes a great holiday wreath. Just don’t put it where pets or children might eat the berries.

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Catch up on past Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac articles here.