Audubon Afternoon: Birds and Urban Noise with Dr. David Luther
Urban environments are among the most highly modified habitats on the planet. Dr. David Luther’s research has focused on how human activity has modified habitats and altered ecological processes around the world.
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. David Luther
Original program date: June 6, 2021
This program begins with ASNV’s annual membership meeting from 2021.
Urban environments are among the most highly modified habitats on the planet. Dr. David Luther’s research has focused on how human activity has modified habitats and altered ecological processes around the world. Acoustic communication is a critical component of reproductive success in many species. His lab at George Mason University studies how human noise affects the behavior and survival of a diversity of birds species.
Due to some technical difficulties during the presentation, some of the bird vocalizations are hard to hear. You can listen to them clearly here.
Audubon Afternoon: John Magee
Join us as we welcome John Magee, award winning landscape designer and host of The Native Plant Podcast.
Photo: Rain garden, John Magee
Original program date: March 21, 2021
Join us as we welcome John Magee, award winning landscape designer and host of The Native Plant Podcast.
John Magee has been designing and building landscapes in the Washington DC Metro area and beyond for the past 25 years. After receiving his B.S. degree in Agriculture from the Ohio State University and spending a few years training and showing horses, he settled into the industry as the General Foreman of Pennsylvania’s highest award-winning landscape firm. While in Pennsylvania, he became a volunteer at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and not only did he meet his wife there, but he was introduced to habitat gardening and the use of native plants in the landscape. He now operates his own award-winning design firm (Magee Design) in the beautiful countryside of Middleburg, VA where he also enjoys kayaking and taking long walks with his wife and dog. He created and hosts the “Native Plant” podcast and hosts and produces the “Protecting what Matters” podcast in partnership with the Department of the Interior’s “National Invasive Species Council” Secretariat.
Audubon Afternoon: Dr. Sahas Barve
Join us as we’ll learn how birds stay warm in cold weather and extreme elevations. Dr. Sahas Barve is an avian evolutionary ecologist and currently a Peter Buck Fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History where he studies how birds stay warm in the high Himalayas.
Photo: Dr. Sahas Barve, Jennifer Renteria
Original program date: January 17, 2021
Join us as we’ll learn how birds stay warm in cold weather and extreme elevations. Dr. Sahas Barve is an avian evolutionary ecologist and currently a Peter Buck Fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History where he studies how birds stay warm in the high Himalayas. He is also an avid birder and hopes to see 6000 bird species by the time he is 60. Learn more about him here.
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.
Spring Warblers
Warblers are some of the most challenging birds to identify - they are often small and fast moving with distinctive but easily confused calls and songs. This 4-part webinar presented by Bill Young will help you learn warbler plumages, behaviors and vocalizations.
Photo: Cape May Warbler, Bill Young
Original class dates: April 15, 16, 22 and 23, 2020
Get ready for spring by learning about the largest and most colorful family of birds who visit the Washington area.
Warblers are some of the most challenging birds to identify - they are often small and fast moving with distinctive but easily confused calls and songs. This 4-part webinar presented by Bill Young will help you learn warbler plumages, behaviors and vocalizations. Click the class title below to view and listen to each presentation.
Class 1 - Plumage and Behavior, Part 1
Learn about the appearance of the 30+ species of warblers who visit during the spring.
Class 2 - Plumage and Behavior, Part 2
Learn about the behavior of the 30+ species of wood warblers who visit during the spring.
Class 3 - Vocalizations, Part 1
Most warblers are heard before they are seen. Learn how to identify their vocalizations so that you will be better able to find them in the field.
Class 4 - Vocalizations Part 2
Most warblers are heard before they are seen. Learn how to identify their vocalizations so that you will be better able to find them in the field.
About the Instructor
Bill Young is a writer who lives in Arlington. He is the author of The Fascination of Birds: From the Albatross to the Yellowthroat (Dover, 2014). He is the co-creator of the MPNature.com website, which contains information about birds, plants and other aspects of the natural history at Monticello Park in Alexandria. Bill also makes nature videos, and his YouTube channel has had over half a million views.
Intro to Bird Feeders
Join NOVA Parks Roving Naturalist Matt Felperin and learn all about bird feeders!
Photo: Blue Jay at feeder, courtesy of DWR
Original program date: April 29, 2020
Looking for a new hobby? Want to observe wildlife from the comfort of your home? Join NOVA Parks Roving Naturalist Matt Felperin and learn all about bird feeders! Discover how to set up a feeder, make your own, and what species of birds might visit them! Click here to watch the video.
Create Helpful Habitat
Looking for a reason to get out into nature? How about making your property more wildlife-friendly by adding plants native to Virginia?
Photo: Butterfly garden, Elaine Mills
Original program date: April 22, 2020
Looking for a reason to get out into nature? How about making your property more wildlife-friendly by adding plants native to Virginia? Find out why this is important during our webinar hosted by ASNV’s Audubon at Home program. This webinar was recorded on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2020, and is also is in celebration of our partnership with Green Muslims during National Arab-American Heritage Month.
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.”