Discussion with David Bulova, VA Secretary of Natural and Historic Resource
This special discussion with Secretary Bulova shares the administration’s emerging priorities and strategies for wildlife conservation, habitat restoration and resilience across the Commonwealth, with a particular focus on northern Virginia and bird conservation.
Photo: Baltimore Orioles, Eric Nie/Audubon Photography Awards
Original program date: June 2, 2026
Join us for a special conversation with Virginia Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources David Bulova, a longtime Northern Virginia environmental leader and member of Governor Spanberger’s cabinet. Secretary Bulova will share the administration’s emerging priorities and strategies for wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, and resilience across the Commonwealth, with a particular focus on Northern Virginia and bird conservation. This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from one of Virginia’s top environmental leaders about the future direction of conservation policy in our region.
The Well-Rounded Birder: Reimagining Birding for This Moment with Jason Hall
Watch the recording of this presentation by Jason Hall, founder of the In Color Birding Club, in celebration of Black Birders Week! Jason will focus on how birding can be a joyful, inclusive space for everyone right now, and what that means for expanding access and community in the field today.
Photo: Green-winged Teal, Krisztina Scheef/Audubon Photography Awards
Original program date: May 26, 2026
Join us for a virtual presentation by Jason Hall, founder of the In Color Birding Club, in celebration of Black Birders Week! Jason will focus on how birding can be a joyful, inclusive space for everyone right now, and what that means for expanding access and community in the field today.
About the Speaker:
Over the years, Jason Hall has turned a love of birding into something much bigger: a movement rooted in community, curiosity, and joy. A son of Southern California and an adopted son of Philadelphia, Jason is the founder of the In Color Birding Club (ICBC), a nonprofit creating welcoming, joyful entry points into birding for people who have not always felt included in outdoor spaces.
Through ICBC, Jason and his board partner with local organizations across the Philadelphia region to bring people closer to nature. That looks like bird outings that center connection, buses that get public school students into green spaces, classroom supply scholarships for teachers, and community food drives that give back in meaningful ways.
In 2024, Jason teamed up with Dexter Patterson to launch the Bird Joy Podcast, a vibrant space where birders of all backgrounds can explore the stories, ideas, and everyday magic that make birding such a powerful connector.
Outside of birding, Jason works as an Executive Director of Large Molecule Analytical Sciences in the pharmaceutical industry. He lives in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.
Reducing Bird Collisions: Practical Solutions for Building Glass and Light
Find out how important it is to reduce outdoor lighting, particularly during bird migration, and make buildings safer for birds.
Photo: Purple Martins, Keith Kingdon/Audubon Photography Awards
Original program date: April 15, 2026
ZOOM PASSCODE: nKyn03#q
Find out how important it is to reduce outdoor lighting, particularly during bird migration, and make buildings safer for birds.
Over 100 million birds will migrate through northern Virginia in this spring, and eighty percent of our migrating birds travel at night. They use a variety of cues to keep themselves on track, including the stars. For that reason, excessive lights at night can be deadly for them. Some birds crash into buildings at night, injuring or killing themselves, and others can be distracted from their migration routes, flying around lights and wasting the energy they need to reach their destinations. During daylight, birds mistake reflective glass surfaces for open space, fly into them and die. Over 1 billion birds die from building collisions in the United States each year.
Hear from our speakers Joelle Gehring, the Acting Assistant Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Program, and Jo Anna Lutmerding, a Biologist, also with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Join them to learn how outdoor lights affect bird migration and birds’ health and reproduction throughout the year and how you can make buildings and houses safer for birds.
Note that this is a recorded Zoom meeting and you will need the passcode to view: nKyn03#q
Effective Advocacy in Virginia with Delegate Kathy Tran
Learn how to be a more effective advocate through this dicussion with Honorable Kathy Tran, Representative for Virginia District 1.
Photo: Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0
Original program date: December 16, 2025
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.
Spectacular Spiders with Judy Gallagher
Spiders capture our imagination in a way most insects don’t. From Spiderman to spooky Halloween spiders, they're everywhere in our popular culture. However, most of us don't know much about these spectacular creatures or the important roles they play in our ecosystems and daily lives.
Photo: Jumping Spider, Judy Gallagher
Original program date: October 28, 2025
Spiders capture our imagination in a way most insects don’t. From Spiderman to spooky Halloween spiders, they're everywhere in our popular culture. However, most of us don't know much about these spectacular creatures or the important roles they play in our ecosystems and daily lives.
This webinar will take you on a journey through the incredible world of spiders. NVBA Board Member and insect expert Judy Gallagher will present photographs and her personal insights on these often-misunderstood marvels.
Whether you're facinated, spooked, or completely unaware of spiders, this is a great opportunity to view them in a new light!
Virtual Symposium on Spatial Approaches to Priority Setting in Conservation
This webinar provides examples for GIS applications in different settings (all on locations in NOVA) and offers participants an opportunity to learn from these examples, ask questions and build relationships with other organizations that could help them better achieve their goals.
Photo: Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Judy Gallagher
Original program date: October 15, 2025
Federal, State and local government authorities charged with conservation of our biodiversity and natural resources have limited means, which forces them to prioritize their interventions. The same applies for NGOs, foundations and private organizations that are active in conservation. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are an important tool for spatial targeting of conservation efforts. However, using GIS effectively is not a trivial undertaking.
This webinar provides examples for GIS applications in different settings (all on locations in NOVA) and offers participants an opportunity to learn from these examples, ask questions and build relationships with other organizations that could help them better achieve their goals.
Our target audience includes professionals and volunteers working in government or non-governmental roles focusing on conservation who have an interest in how GIS analysis can help in developing conservation priorities and strategies. In-depth knowledge of GIS tools and applications is not required. Students of environmental sciences (or similar fields) with an interest in GIS are welcome.
Author Talk: Birds of the Tropical Andes with Michael Parr
Michael Parr, president of American Bird Conservancy and author of several bird guides and articles, discusses his newest book, Birds of the Tropical Andes.
Photo: Birds of the Tropical Andes, courtesy of Princeton University Press
Original program date: September 24, 2025
Michael Parr, president of American Bird Conservancy and author of several bird guides and articles, discusses his newest book, Birds of the Tropical Andes. This gorgeous photographic guide is dedicated to the birds of the tropical Andes that contribute to the abundance of biodiversity in the region.
This event is part of NVBA's Hispanic Heritage Month programming. While free to attend, any donations will go directly to supporting supporting new and diverse birding programmin in Northern Virginia!
Building Back Bird Diversity: Best Management Practices that Really Work!
Join us for Justin Proctor’s presentation on bird-friendly best management practices to apply across rural, suburban, and urban landscapes.
Graphic: Evan Barrientos/Audubon
Original program date: December 17, 2024
Join us for Justin Proctor’s presentation on bird-friendly best management practices to apply across rural, suburban, and urban landscapes. His talk explores strategies, technical assistance, and cost-share programs that can greatly simplify and accelerate your adopting and putting into effect practices that increase habitat and biodiversity on your property. Specific practices to be covered include how to convert lawns into functional grasslands, transitioning to zero emission landscaping equipment, reducing and refining landscape management, dark skies lighting, and many more.
Justin Proctor is a conservation biologist with the Smithsonian's Virginia Working Landscapes program. He is based in Front Royal, VA. He coordinates the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative, working to assist producers and landowners in adopting a suite of best management practices for bird conservation on their landscapes. Justin has spent 15+ years working in the fields of science, education, and conservation, affording him opportunities to conduct ornithological research across the western hemisphere. Justin is excited to be a part of an initiative that takes science and turns it into action that benefits biodiversity, landscape resiliency, farmer livelihoods, and local communities.
Strengthening Bird Habitats and Coastal Resilience in Panama
Join us for a presentation by Julio Montes de Oca and Adriana Moreno on Audubon Americas’ work supporting bird conservation in Panama.
Photo: Harpy Eagle, Keith Freeburn/Audubon Photography Awards
Original program date: October 29, 2024
Although it is only about three-quarters the size of Virginia, Panama has recorded more than 1,000 bird species. Each year millions of migratory shorebirds fuel their journeys across this narrow isthmus that connects the continents, making this small country tremendously important to migratory avifauna. Panama Bay alone hosts a third of the global population of Western Sandpipers, a fifth of the world’s Semipalmated Plovers, and dozens of other North American migratory bird species.
Join us for a presentation by Julio Montes de Oca and Adriana Moreno on Audubon Americas’ work supporting bird conservation in Panama. Audubon America has been working in Panama since 2006. Its most recent focus has been a collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank and Panama Audubon Society on the “Blue Natural Heritage Project,” a project supporting carbon capture, biodiversity, human well-being, and coastal resilience. The project aims to elevate the importance of Panama’s coastal mangrove ecosystems and related wetlands, the carbon they sequester, and the biodiversity and livelihoods they support.
Learn How to Protect Northern Virginia's Birds
Watch this recorded program to learn more about the dangers our birds face from window collisions and other man-made hazards and what you can do to make their lives less risky.
Photo: Purple Martins, Keith Kingdon/Audubon Photography Awards
Original program date: October 9, 2024
Over 100 million birds migrate through northern Virginia each spring, and 160 million migrate through each fall. Their journeys are perilous because they can be attracted to and disoriented by brightly lit buildings and crash into them or waste precious energy flying around the lights.
Birds that live here risk colliding with glass and other reflective surfaces, and light pollution disrupts their feeding, sleeping and reproduction, as well as that of the plants and insects on which they depend.
NVBA has established a partnership with Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, DarkSky Virginia, DarkSky NOVA, Nature Forward, the Friends of Dyke Marsh and the Friends of Little Hunting Creek to initiate a Bird Safe NOVA campaign. Watch this recorded program to learn more about the dangers our birds face and what you can do to make their lives less risky. Our speakers include Greg Butcher, the recently retired Migratory Species Coordinator for U.S. Forest Service’s International Programs; Christine Sheppard, the American Bird Conservancy’s Bird Collisions Campaign Director; and Laura Greenleaf, the volunteer leader of DarkSky Virginia.
Lunch & Learn: Birds of South Africa with Andrew de Blocq
Join us for a virtual trip to South Africa, where you can immerse yourself into the splendor and beauty of birds of South Africa!
Photo: Carmine Bee-eater on a Kori Bustard, David Russell/Audubon Photography Awards
Original program date: January 31, 2024
Imagine waking up tomorrow in South Africa - you look outside your window and you see a completely foreign bird - mainly green plumage, with metallic, purple-blue back, upper wings and upper tail, and crimson primaries visible in flight. It has a prominent, white-tipped crest, white markings around the eyes, red eye rings, and a short, red bill. You would be seeing the Knysna Loerie!
Join us for a virtual trip to South Africa, where you can immerse yourself into the splendor and beauty of birds of South Africa! Our speaker, Andrew de Blocq, will be speaking to us from South Africa to cover some of the area’s species, taking special note of some of the more sought-after birds to get excited for! These include some spectacular and charismatic species like the Secretarybird, Knysna Turaco, Kori Bustard, Cape Vulture, Southern Ground-hornbill, Lilac-breasted Roller, African Jacana, and the national bird of South Africa, the Blue Crane. Andrew also will talk about BirdLife South Africa and its conservation work.
Federal and Local Bills that Protect Birds with ABC's Steve Holmer
Join Steve Holmer, Vice-President of Policy for American Bird Conservancy, for a discussion of opportunities to advance bird conservation through advocacy.
Photo: U.S. Capitol Building, Photo by Wikimedia user Raul654
Original program date: December 5, 2023
Overuse of pesticides, urban sprawl, habitat destruction, and invasive species all are major threats to birds in the Western Hemisphere. Birds also die from collisions with windows and predation by cats. Join Steve Holmer, Vice-President of Policy for American Bird Conservancy, for a discussion of opportunities to advance bird conservation through advocacy. Steve highlights pending federal bills and regulations, as well as legislation in Virginia that citizens can support to better protect the birds they love.
American Bird Conservancy is a national non-profit membership organization with the mission of conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas.
Audubon Afternoon: Restoring Migratory Bird Wintering Habitats in Latin America and the Caribbean with Marci Eggers
Marci Eggers is the Director of Migratory Bird Habitats in Latin America and the Caribbean for the American Bird Conservancy (ABC). In this role, she oversees ABC’s efforts to protect and restore priority landscapes that migratory birds depend on in their non-breeding grounds.
Photo: Marci Eggers
Original program date: March 12, 2023
Watch this recording of our live Audubon Afternoon for a presentation by Marci Eggers, “Restoring Migratory Bird Wintering Habitat in Latin America and the Caribbean.” Marci Eggers is the Director of Migratory Bird Habitats in Latin America and the Caribbean for the American Bird Conservancy (ABC). In this role, she oversees ABC’s efforts to protect and restore priority landscapes that migratory birds depend on in their non-breeding grounds. ABC works in collaboration with ranchers, farmers, and local communities that depend on the health of the natural environment for their livelihoods. ABC also works on innovative finance solutions to advance migratory bird conservation.
World Migratory Bird Day Workshop: Lights Out for Birds
In the workshop, Greg Butcher shares simple steps that everyone can take to reduce light pollution and help birds.
Photo: Miguel Eduardo Matta Pereira / World Migratory Bird Day
Original program date: May 5, 2022
World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is May 14, 2022. This year’s campaign highlights the impact of light pollution on migratory birds with the theme “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night.” Join us on May 5 for a WMBD virtual workshop led by Greg Butcher, ASNV Vice-President and Migratory Species Coordinator for U.S. Forest Service International Programs.
In the workshop, Greg shares simple steps that everyone can take to reduce light pollution and help birds. Most bird migration in the Americas occurs at night, with birds using stars and the moon to guide them. Urban and suburban lights increasingly outshine or lessen natural light sources, confusing the migrating birds. That confusion can slow or misdirect birds in the middle of an already strenuous journey. People are the source of this light pollution and people can take action to reduce it.
Audubon Afternoon: Dr. Amanda Gallinat
Dr. Amanda Gallinat is an ecologist who studies how environmental change affects plants, birds and their interactions. Her recent research focuses on the effects of climate change on the timing of seasonal biological events in the northeast.
Photo: Hermit Thrush, Jeremiah Trimble
Original program date: September 13, 2020
“Climate Change and its Effect on Food for Migrating Birds”
Dr. Amanda Gallinat is an ecologist who studies how environmental change affects plants, birds and their interactions. Her recent research focuses on the effects of climate change on the timing of seasonal biological events in the northeast, including fruit ripening and bird migration, and how these climate-driven changes alter food availability for birds in autumn. Amanda's research incorporates the historical field notes of Henry David Thoreau, long-term bird banding records, museum specimens and field observations. Her work has been featured by National Audubon, The Wildlife Society and American Scientist. Amanda has a B.A. from Carleton College and a PhD from Boston University. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Utah State University.
Window Collisions
Collisions with windows are the third greatest cause of death for birds in the United States, after habitat loss and predation by outdoor cats.
Photo: Bird-friendly windows, National Audubon Society
Original program date: March 19, 2020
Collisions with windows are the third greatest cause of death for birds in the United States, after habitat loss and predation by outdoor cats. Peer-reviewed conservative research estimates that about one million birds collide with windows every day—the annual estimate is 365 to 988 million.
To learn about this threat and how to help mitigate it at your home, Reston Association and the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia invited Peter Saenger, President of Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, and Leigh Altadonna, President of the Wyncote Audubon Society, to speak on March 19, 2020 via webinar. They lead a Pennsylvania-based Bird-Window Collision Working Group that includes the Acopian Center at Muhlenberg College, Audubon Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley and Wyncote Audubon Societies. Their group has developed a “Bird-Window Collision Toolkit” which is being used by other Audubon groups.
Note that after introductions, the webinar describes how this toolkit can be used to educate others; basic information on how and why birds collide with windows then follows.
Also, this page from Pennsylvania Audubon features "how to" videos on installing solutions to prevent collisions. If you do install materials, the Bird-Window Collision Working Group would welcome your completing a survey on what you did--the survey link is also on the Pennsylvania Audubon page under “Record how you are protecting birds at your own home or place of work.”