Help Us Help Birds!
At Northern Virginia Bird Alliance (NVBA), volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Guided by our mission to engage all Northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of all, we rely on passionate individuals to bring this vision to life. Whether you’re an experienced birder, a nature enthusiast, or someone who simply loves being outdoors, there’s a place for you at NVBA.
To our current volunteers — thank you! Your time, energy, and commitment makes a real difference. We deeply appreciate all that you do to support our mission through bird conservation, education, advocacy, and more.
All scheduled one-time volunteer events are listed on our website calendar. Below, you’ll find an overview of NVBA’s recurring and ongoing volunteer opportunities, along with details on how you can get involved and start making a difference today!
Recurring Volunteer Opportunities:
Become a NVBA Bird Guide: Help us inspire others to discover and enjoy the incredible birds that call Northern Virginia home! Our chapter bird outings are typically hosted monthly, with opportunities to meet more frequently depending on community interest and guide availability. New guides will begin with a brief training session to receive the information and materials needed to lead walks confidently and successfully. To promote inclusive birding, we want to emphasize that birding is a hobby for everyone, and we encourage our guides to lead in ways that reflect their own style and interests. Some outings follow a more traditional “Audubon” format. As such participants are usually calm, quiet, and wake up early in the morning to join. Other outings are more social and flexible, allowing participants to mingle and move at their own pace. Whichever style you prefer, we’d love to have you join us in leading others into this amazing hobby with so many benefits. Email our Community Engagement Coordinator, McKenzie, at mckenzie@nvbirdalliance.org to get started!
Remove Invasive Plants at Powhatan Springs: Join our Stretch Our Parks program to keep this park progressing towards a native habitat that's conducive to our local flora and fauna.These events are hosted on "regular" fourth Wednesdays from 3-5pm, volunteers must register through the Signup Genius page linked here!
Dominion Hills Area Recreation Association (DHARA) Restoration Effort: Come help work on this Stretch Our Parks initiative where NVBA, ARMN, and the Tree Stewards of Arlington and Alexandria have been collaborating with Dominion Hills Area Recreation Association (DHARA) to restore the natural habitat on the property. These events are hosted on Sundays between 2-4pm, volunteers must register through the Signup Genius page linked here!
Invasive plant removal at Lockwood/Elmwood Housing Complex: Here, our Stretch Our Parks program has partnered with Lockwood/Elmwood senior housing complex to restore habitat in and around parks to improve and expand habitat for birds and other pollinators and wildlife. Participants meet on Wednesday mornings and must register through the Signup Genius page linked here!
Hidden Oaks Nature Center Fall Migratory Bird Counts: Hidden Oaks Nature Center is looking for volunteers to join their Park Volunteers to help assess birds that are passing through the park. Your help will support Hidden Oaks in making educated management decisions as they work to create their interpretive plan! Bird Counts will take place from 8:00 - 9:00 AM every Saturday through the end of fall migration, volunteers can register here if interested. Any questions can be directed to Eren Edwards at Megan.Edwards@fairfaxcounty.gov!
Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities:
These opportunities are not regularly scheduled but are essential to maintaining and advancing NVBA’s mission. Below, you’ll find descriptions of our ongoing volunteer projects. Unless otherwise noted in the description, volunteers can get started with any of the following opportunities by completing our Volunteer Intake Form where you can select the project that interests you!
Help us write our monthly newsletter, the Potomac Flier: We need your interest in birds, habitat and conservation, coupled with your willingness to write some general interest articles for us. If you like exploring topics of interest to birdwatchers—whether they be about particular birds and their behavior, habitat, local birdwatching hotspots, recent scientific developments, challenges to birds’ survival, best conservation practices or current advocacy opportunities—please contact our editor, Connie Ericson, and let her know you are interested in helping us out.
Help Us Go Viral: We have so many exciting things happening at NVBA — and we need your help sharing them with the world! Join our communications team to create social media posts, infographics, and other digital content that highlights our programs and events. These tasks can be done virtually from home!
Help Us Survey Northern Virginia: Join experts and partner organizations to survey the birds, butterflies, and dragonflies of Northern Virginia! These counts take place at varying intervals throughout the year — some occur weekly or monthly, while others are special annual surveys. All are open to participants of any experience level.
Data Analysis: Over the years, NVBA and our partners have collected a wealth of valuable species observation data. We’re looking for those with experience to help transfer this data from paper to digital format to share it with scientists and conservation organizations.
Support our Wildlife Sanctuary Program: Use your skills to help us visit properties and advise property owners on native plantings and habitat improvement that benefits birds. Certified Virginia Master Gardeners or Naturalists are especially helpful to this program’s success.
Attend Outreach Events: Help NVBA educate the public and spread our mission at local outreach and tabling events. Volunteers engage with community members, share information about birds and conservation, and represent NVBA’s mission more broadly.
Become a Bird Advocate: Speak up for birds and help advance NVBA’s mission! Represent us at community events, public meetings, or local government boards and committees. Advocates play an essential role in ensuring that bird conservation is part of local decision-making.
Bird Box Installation: Assist NVBA in installing, maintaining, and monitoring bird boxes throughout Northern Virginia. These boxes provide safe nesting spaces for local species and help us gather valuable data about local breeding populations.
Fundraising: Our volunteer opportunities and free community events are made possible through generous funding and donations. If you have experience in fundraising—or ideas for potential partnerships or opportunities—we’d love to have you join us!
Not sure where your skills fit best?
Click here to complete a volunteer intake form. NVBA staff will review your responses and help match you with programs, projects, or events that align with your background and passions. Also, subscribe to our newsletter, the Potomac Flier, or follow us on social media @nvbirdalliance to stay informed on what’s coming up and other opportunities that fit your schedule or interests.
Volunteer News
