Understanding White-throated Sparrow Breeding Codes
This one-hour virtual course explores one of North America’s most fascinating songbirds: the White-throated Sparrow.
Photo: White-throated Sparrow, Dawn Phillips/Audubon Photography Awards
Original program date: March 20, 2026
This one-hour virtual course explores one of North America’s most fascinating songbirds: the White-throated Sparrow. While it may look like an ordinary backyard bird, this species has a truly unusual breeding system. Want to learn more? Join this class, taught by Professor Kiersten Newtoff, to explore their evolution, behavior, and more.
This course is not intended to teach sparrow identification; instead, it focuses on the science behind one of the many birds you can observe in this region.
About the professor:
Kiersten Newtoff (MS, Marine Biology) is an associate professor of biology at Montgomery College, a community college in Maryland. Her master's thesis examined mercury distributions in pelican colonies in North Carolina and she worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center using satellite imagery to answer ecological problems. Over the past several years, she has been teaching her students about the local avifauna, which led to the development of the campus nestbox trail where 300 + fledglings have called Montgomery College their home. Kiersten is working on her PhD in Biology at UMBC to better understand the impacts of urbanization on Eastern Bluebird reproductive success. She also holds a Master Banding Permit to assist with her research. When she’s not working on teaching or research, she can be found doing yard work, playing boardgames (like Wingspan!), or crafting up a fun cocktail.
2026 Bird of the Year Webinar: Woodpeckers with Matt Felperin
Join NVBA and special guest Matt Felperin for a virtual event on National Bird Day (January 5th) to celebrate our 2026 Bird of the Year, the Pileated Woodpecker. Matt’s presentation also includes lots of information on our other native woodpeckers.
Photo: Pileated Woodpeckers, Anne Bielamowicz/NVBA Photo Contest
Original program date: January 5, 2026
Join NVBA and special guest Matt Felperin for a virtual event on National Bird Day (January 5th) to celebrate our 2026 Bird of the Year. After a brief discussion on why NVBA chose the Pileated Woodpecker as our inaugural Bird of the Year, Matt will expand the conversation to woodpeckers as a whole. His presentation will include fun woodpecker facts, identification tips, where to find woodpeckers in Northern Virginia, and conclude with time for questions!
2025 Backyard Bird ID Workshop - Get Ready for Birdathon at Home!
Join us for an exciting backyard bird identification workshop, where we’ll dive into the fascinating world of local birds and seasonal visitors!
Photo: Eastern Towhee, Calli Cook/Audubon Photography Awards
Original program date: March 20, 2025
Join us for an exciting backyard bird identification workshop, where we’ll dive into the fascinating world of local birds and seasonal visitors! Whether you’re watching from your window, patio, or garden, you’ll gain the confidence to identify and appreciate the birds around you.
During this workshop, we’ll cover:
Common backyard bird species you’re likely to see year-round
Migratory warblers that might pass through your yard this Spring
Essential birding tools—from field guides to apps and binoculars
How to use Merlin to identify unfamiliar birds
How to use eBird to report birds you observe
Tips for creating a team and participating in Birdathon
This event is perfect for those looking to compete in the Backyard Birdathon category of Birdathon, our Spring Fundraiser, where you create a team to count as many unique species as you can in one day!
This is also a great opportunity for Wildlife Sanctuary Program participants to brush up on how to identify the Sanctuary Species that visit their yards. You need to document 10 sanctuary species to get your certification! Board Member Betsy Martin will join us to speak about that program and how we can all make our yards friendlier to birds.