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Quick Links
In This Newsletter
Join Jim Waggener in his ongoing natural resource surveys at two of Northern Virginia's best birding spots. Surveys alternate between Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area on Mason Neck. From April through October, surveys are conducted primarily for butterflies and dragonflies at those two locations and two others—Occoquan Regional Park and Julie J. Metz Memorial Wetlands Preserve.
More information is available on the ASNV website.
Questions? Contact Jim for more details.
Meadowood on Mason Neck
(7:30 a.m. - noon)
Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge
(7:30 a.m - noon)
Butterfly and Dragonfly Surveys
(will resume in April 2020)
Take Action: Virginia Legislature Is Considering Many Bills – How to Speak Up
The Virginia General Assembly is now in session and considering several thousand bills. In the conservation area, there are bills addressing tree preservation, climate change, energy conservation, plastic pollution, water quality and more. Many committees are headed by Northern Virginians this year.
State legislators need to hear from their constituents, to know they care.
Here are some resources on the Virginia General Assembly website to assist you:
Know who your Senator or Delegate is and how to contact them. You can find yours by using Who's My Legislator. In addition, a biographical page on each delegate and senator is on the General Assembly's homepage.
Using the Legislative Information System, you can track legislation and review committee agendas prior to a meeting.
The Lobbyist-in-a-Box allows you to select bills that are important to you, and send you updates as the bill moves through the legislative process.
Other Actions
Many state legislators are having town meetings during the session. Check with yours, show up, ask questions and advocate.
The Virginia Conservation Network (VCN), of which ASNV is a member, monitors and advocates for conservation bills. Visit www.vcnva.org.
Take Action Against Increased Feral Cat Populations
Your State Legislators Could Act on a Bill Soon
Email and Write to:
- Delegate David A. Reid (D-Ashburn), the patron of House Bill 1727 (introduced January 17, 2020), at [email protected] and Pocahontas Building, 900 E. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219.
Oppose House Bill No. 1727: It would exempt volunteers and sponsors of trap, neuter and return (“TNR”) programs that promote feral cat colonies from current laws on animal cruelty and abandonment. It also would exempt feral cats released in TNR programs from any local licensing requirements.
Under TNR programs, people release unowned cats into the environment. The cats do not have owners, homes, veterinary care or consistent food. Releasing unowned cats into the environment promotes feral cat colonies.
Points to Make in Opposing TNR Programs and H.B. 1727:
- Feral cats are bad for human health. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warns that feral cat colonies harbor diseases, including those that can be transmitted to humans.1 These include bartonellosis, toxoplasmosis, plague, endo-and ectoparasites, feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukemia virus, and rickettsial diseases. TNR programs typically vaccinate feral cats against rabies, but do not recapture and revaccinate after their initial trapping. According to CDC, “Maintaining adequate rabies vaccination coverage in feral cat populations is impractical, if not impossible.” Cats can spread toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease of special risk to pregnant women, who may transmit it to their unborn children. An outdoor Toxoplasma-infected cat that is shedding the parasite in its feces contaminates the soil or water, transmitting the parasite to other animals and to humans.
- Feral cats kill billions of birds and other wildlife. Legalizing TNR programs results in large feral cat colonies that kill native birds and small mammals. Cats are a leading cause of declines in bird populations, second only to habitat loss. An estimated 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion small mammals are killed by cats annually in the United States.2 Feral cats are responsible for two thirds of those deaths. Cats have contributed to at least 63 vertebrate extinctions worldwide.3 Cats are an invasive exotic species that did not evolve in Virginia and do not belong in the wild. Free-roaming cats are the number one source of direct, human-caused mortality for birds according to the Department of Interior’s State of the Birds report (2014). Even well-fed cats continue to hunt wildlife because their instincts program them to do it.
- Living outdoors is bad for cats. Indoor cats live longer and healthier lives safe from the dangers of automobiles, predators, and diseases. Even if they are fed, they do not receive regular veterinary care. Encouraging feral cat colonies is inhumane.
- Trap-Neuter-Release does not reduce feral cat populations. Scientific studies show that TNR for the most part does not, and cannot, reduce feral cat populations despite claims by TNR proponents that it does.4 Between 71% and 94% of cats in a population would have to be neutered to stabilize or bring about a decline, which is not possible unless the population is small.
The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia opposes TNR programs because of their disastrous effects on native birds and wildlife, as well as their threat to human health. TNR is not scientifically based and is inhumane to cats as well as wildlife.
1 A.D.Roebling, D. Johnson, J.D. Blanton, M. Levin, D. Slate, G. Fenwick, and C. E. Rupprecht. 2014. “Rabies prevention and management of cats in the context of trap, neuter, vaccinate, release programs” Zoonoses Public Health 61(4): 290-296.
2 S. Loss, T. Will, and P. P. Marra. 2015. “Direct mortality of birds from anthropogenic causes.” Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 46:99-120.
3 S. Loss and P. P. Marra. 2017. “Population impacts of free-ranging domestic cats on mainland vertebrates.” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 15(9): 502-509.
4 P. Foley, J. Foley, J. Levy, and T. Paik. 2005. “Analysis of the impact of trap-neuter-return programs on populations of feral cats,” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 227(11):1775-1781.
On Saving Caterpillars
By Katherine Wychulis
Dr. Doug Tallamy, author of the groundbreaking “Bringing Nature Home,” has weighed in on Fairfax County’s insecticide spraying program which targets the native fall cankerworm (a moth) caterpillar, also referred to as the inchworm.
Since 2000 and in several other years, Fairfax County has sprayed thousands of acres with insecticide targeting this caterpillar. The insecticide is deadly to all exposed butterfly and moth caterpillars.
Dr. Tallamy points out that insects are declining everywhere they are being measured, and a major cause is the misuse and overuse of insecticides. Migrating and resident songbirds are also in rapid decline, and they depend heavily on caterpillars for re-fueling or for feeding chicks.
Dr. Tallamy says that because “birds are such important predators of caterpillars, bird declines create a negative feed-back loop that encourages cankerworm outbreaks.” Natural conditions will eventually bring insect populations under control but spraying disrupts these cycles and causes outbreaks to be prolonged.
Audubon has been working since 2013 to end this wasteful and harmful county program.
Read Dr. Tallamy’s letter here.
E-Activist Network
Volunteers Needed
The National Audubon Society invites all Auduboners to join its e-activist network. When you subscribe to the Society’s newsletter, you'll receive alerts about important congressional actions and information about how you can affect legislation by contacting your members of Congress.
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Virginia Just Paved Over the Largest Seabird Nesting Colony in Virginia
The Gulls, Terns and Black Skimmers Still Need Your Help!
We reported last month that we needed your help in writing to save Virginia’s imperiled shore birds. Please continue to urge responsible action by the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide nesting habitat for shorebirds displaced by the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT) project.
Virginia has paved over South Island, an artificial island that has been nesting habitat for seabirds for forty years, and is now home to the largest seabird nesting colony in Virginia. The action is part of the expansion of the HRBT. We don’t dispute the need for the expansion project, but are angry that Virginia is not taking steps to provide a substitute nesting area for the 25,000 gulls, skimmers and terms that will start arriving shortly (in March and April).
In a letter to the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) reports that construction of a new island is under review, but “will not be undertaken directly in association with the HRBT Expansion.” Several historic colony sites in Virginia have been completely lost, and allowing years to go by before constructing a substitute habitat for the important South Island nesting area is irresponsible. The colony needs a nesting location now or workers on the HRBT Expansion Project are destined to violate the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), as William H. Leighty explains in a thoughtful article on the HRBT project. Returning birds will try to nest on the site and, in the absence of a permit for an “incidental” take, any action to harass or remove the birds will be a direct violation of MBTA.
State action is needed right now. Virginia should act to create an alternative nesting island, the solution proposed by the VSO and the American Bird Conservancy. Because such a project cannot be approved and completed before this year’s nesting season, Virginia should direct the VDOT to allow birds to continue their nesting at the current South Island location until the alternative is available.
Please write to Governor Northam, Matthew Strickler, the Secretary of Natural Resources, and Stephen C. Brich, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation. Please email or write to:
The Honorable Ralph S. Northam, Governor
Post Office Box 1475
Richmond, VA 23218
Email Governor Northam
Matthew J. Strickler
Secretary of Natural Resources
Post Office Box 1475
Richmond, VA 23218
[email protected]
Stephen C. Brich
Commissioner, Department of Transportation
1401 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
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President's Corner February 2020
By Tom Blackburn, ASNV President
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were enjoying breakfast when we heard a loud thump at our large dining room window. We’d heard that sound before, so we went outside to see if we could find the injured bird that had hit the window. We couldn’t find it, but that didn’t mean that the bird had survived. In many cases, a bird that hits a window dies shortly afterwards due to injury to its brain or body. In fact, most birds that are killed by window collisions are not found. They fly off and die later or are quickly scooped up by alert predators.
This was the last straw for us, so I went off to learn what I could do to protect against bird-window collisions. But first, I got a stepladder and climbed up so I was even with the middle of the window to see what the birds see. It was amazing. There in the middle of the house was an inviting scene with bushes, trees and sky – all reflected perfectly in the window. No wonder the birds fly into it!
We settled on Acopian Bird Savers as a deterrent to bird-window collisions. This is a series of dark cords spaced 4 inches apart and suspended from above the window so they hang down to the bottom. You can buy them or make them yourself very easily. The 4-inch spacing is important since birds will be tempted to fly through the open spaces if they are any larger. They don’t interfere with our view; we tend to look right past them.
There are lots of other ways to protect against bird-window collisions. The American Bird Conservancy has a good list of resources on how to stop birds hitting windows. And it’s important. Bird-window collisions kill as many as one billion birds per year – 44% of them from hitting residential buildings.
You can learn even more about preventing birds from hitting your windows at a special program co-sponsored by ASNV and the Walker Nature Center. It will be held at the Walker Nature Center, 11450 Glade Drive in Reston, on March 19. For more information on the event read our article, "How to help Birds Avoid Window Collisions"
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ASNV Supports Outdoor Lighting Changes
ASNV submitted a letter to the Fairfax County Planning Commission supporting a proposed zoning ordinance amendment on outdoor lighting. The proposed amendment follows the recommendations of the American Medical Association and the International Dark Sky Initiative by proposing a maximum Correlated Color Temperature of 3000 K for all outdoor lighting except for sports fields. Low color temperature is important for both people and wildlife. High color temperature lights have adverse effects on circadian rhythms.
ASNV also supported proposals to reduce maximum lumens for outdoor lighting of single-family dwellings and motion-activated security lights and to set a 10:00 p.m. cut-off for residential outdoor playing field/court lighting. Bright lights adversely affect sleep patterns of birds and other wildlife, causing increased stress and lower reproductive success.
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Upcoming Events, Workshops and Classes
Rally for a Tally: Waterfowl Count
Dates: February 8 & 9, 2020
Volunteer teams will survey the Potomac River from Algonkian Regional Park in Loudoun County south to Quantico Marine Base in Prince William County. Several important inland ponds, lakes, and marshes are included in the survey. To register contact Larry Cartwright: [email protected] or [email protected].
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Winter Birds with Larry Meade
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2020
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Location: National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190
Field Trip: Saturday, March 7, TBD
Cost: $30 member / $40 non-member
March can offer spectacular birding, marking a transition between winter and spring. Many of our winter birds, such as waterfowl and sparrows, are still around, but they are joined by early migrants returning to breeding territories. In this workshop, we will discuss birds that occur here at this time of year, with a special focus on species that are migrating into our region and their arrival dates. An ancillary field trip offers a chance to encounter many of these birds in their natural settings.
Larry Meade, ASNV Education Committee and President of Northern Virginia Bird Club, will lead.
Register here.
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Ornithology Topics: Avian Biology, Spring Session
(The Study of Birds)
Instructor: J. Christopher Haney Spring 2020
[email protected]
Dates: Tuesdays, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
March 24 – May 5, 2020
Location: National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190
Cost: $250 members, $275 non-members
Join Dr. Chris Haney for a new class, “Ornithology Topics: Avian Biology, Spring Session.” There is no prerequisite for this course and it does not repeat our fall session of Ornithology but offers all new material.
This course is designed and presented at an introductory, university level in 6 parts, with each classroom session 2 hours long. Ornithology Topics: Avian Biology will feature major underpinnings to ornithology within the fundamental context of U.S. national history. Topics covered in Part 2 of this class will encompass: bird song; avian diet and foraging; mate selection and social behaviors of birds; breeding biology (incubation, chick-rearing, post-natal care); bird populations; and avian conservation and sustainable management. Instructional presentations will include PowerPoint slides, auditory or video supplements, and some in-class participatory exercises. Each night’s classroom lecture will be made available to all participants in PDF format by the following day.
Required textbook: Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure and Function, 1993, Procter and Lynch, ISBN-10: 0300076193
Optional textbook: Handbook of Bird Biology (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), 3rd edition, 2016, Lovette and Fitzpatrick, ISBN-10: 1118291050
Recommended supplement: The National Geographic Society’s Field Guide to the Birds of America, The Sibley Guide to Birds, or a similar guide for field identification
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Upcoming Events, Workshops and Classes (continued)
 SCHEDULE
Classroom 1, March 24: Avian vocal behavior; bird song, including the form and diverse functions of bird calls.
Classroom 2, March 31: Bird diets; avian nutrition, food acquisition, and foraging styles.
Field Trip 1, date TBD: Saturday field trip for late waterfowl or distinctive avian habitats (likely March 28 or April 4).
Classroom 3, April 7: Avian mate selection and social behaviors; how birds “learn” from other birds.
Classroom 4, April 21: Bird breeding biology, including the incubation of eggs, chick-rearing, and post-natal care.
Classroom 5, April 28: Avian demography; the ecology of bird populations; how bird numbers are counted, analyzed, and applied.
Field Trip 2, date TBD: Saturday field trip for spring migrant songbirds (likely May 2).
Classroom 6, May 5: Bird conservation: threats, challenges, and responses for avoiding avian extinctions.
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Bird Photography Workshop
Instructor: Stan Bysshe
Date: Thursday, April 23, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Location: National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190
Field Trips: Sunday, April 26th and Sunday, May 3rd - Locations to be determined
Cost: $75 members/$85 non-members
Join Stan Bysshe in a crash course on Bird Photography.
 Have you noticed how many birdwatchers are carrying cameras into the field these days? Camera gear has become better and lighter allowing birders to carry binoculars as well as cameras on field outings. Some birders are using cameras to document bird sightings while others aim for artistic challenges. Whatever your intention, join us for a classroom session on bird photography followed by two field trips to practice techniques on how to capture bird images. This course will also cover how to enhance, share and store images. It’s appropriate for all skill levels but it would best if you were familiar with your camera prior to the course and field trips.
Stan Bysshe has been a photography enthusiast most of his life. He lived in the Caribbean for a few years and specialized in underwater photography. Now back in the USA, Stan enjoys bird and mammal photography. He prefers being outdoors watching and learning about birds and other subjects in hopes of catching that special image.
His work has been featured in several Curacao tourist and dive publications. His images have also been featured in the North America Nature Photography Association Expressions publication, Outdoor Photographer and at Nature Visions Photo Expo. His photo of a tree was the cover of the Fall issue of Outdoor Photographer.
Stan is the Past President of the Northern Virginia Photographic Society, a large camera club where he was reminded weekly of the breadth of photographic talent in our area. He especially enjoys mentoring new members.
Register here.
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BIRDING BY EAR
The early bird gets the worm and maybe lucky enough to hear the enchanting call of the Eastern Whip-poor-will! We’ll be up and in the field before sunrise to spend the morning learning bird song on the trails with expert Greg Fleming.
Some basic birding knowledge is a prerequisite. Bring a hearty snack, we'll take a break at Leesylvania State Park before finishing up our tour in southern Fairfax County searching for Grasshopper Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks.
This class will fill  up quickly!
Instructor: Greg Fleming
Location: Prince William Forest Park Triangle, VA
Date: Sunday, April 26
Time: 5:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Limit: 15
Fee: Members $50, Non-members $60
Instructor Bio:
Greg is a wildlife biologist who has spent most of his career performing bird surveys on eight different military installations in the Eastern and Central U.S. He has recorded 780 bird species in the ABA area and over 1,600 in North America, including the first ever sighting of Cinnamon Teal in Virginia, a feat that earned him recognition by the Virginia Society of Ornithology. Throughout his career, he has had a primary interest in habitat management for at-risk birds, as well as other wildlife.
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ASNV Accepting Applications Now for Educator Scholarship
 Each summer Audubon Society of Northern Virginia offers a full scholarship and transportation to “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week” at National Audubon Society’s Hog Island Camp in Maine. Next year’s session is July 12-17, 2020 and will feature workshops on educational techniques, a boat trip to the restored Atlantic Puffin and Tern colony on Eastern Egg Rock, intertidal explorations, and hiking through Hog Island's unspoiled spruce-fir forest.
Applicants must be classroom teachers, specialists, or school administrators working in: Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, or Stafford counties, or Alexandria, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park cities.
Application Deadline: February 14, 2020
Scholarship Announcement: March 16, 2020
Link to scholarship application: https://www.audubonva.org/hog-island-scholarship
Questions: [email protected]. For further information about this session at Hog Island, visit https://hogisland.audubon.org/sharing-nature-educator-s-week.
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Youth Education Mini-Grants
 The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (ASNV) is sponsoring a mini-grant program in 2020 to help teachers, schools, and non-profit organizations educate youth about birds and the environment. ASNV anticipates awarding three mini-grants, up to $500 each.
Funding may be used to support Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs), professional development, field trips, speakers and admission fees, equipment, transportation, trees, plants, etc. All projects must include an educational component.
You must complete the project and submit a one-paragraph summary and photos by December 31, 2020. Your summary and photos will be used in the ASNV newsletter, blog and on the website.
Click here for more information.
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National Audubon Photography Award Winners Show comes to Northern Virginia
Join ASNV at Walker Nature Center in February and Huntley Meadows Park in March for the best avian photography of 2019.
In celebration of the natural connection between birding and photography, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia will co-host the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards Traveling Exhibition with Walker Nature Center in Reston between February 5 and February 26, 2020 and again with Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria between March 4 and March 25, 2020. Visitors of all ages will enjoy a display of the winning photos and learn more about our local birdlife in Northern Virginia.
 In the 10th year of the contest, winning photos and honorable mentions were selected from 2,253 entrants from all 50 states, Washington D.C. and 10 Canadian provinces and territories. The 2019 Grand Prize Winner is a photograph of a Red-winged Blackbird taken by Kathrin Swoboda in Huntley Meadows Park.
New this year, the judges introduced the Plants for Birds Prize and the Fisher Prize. The Plants for Birds Prize was awarded to the highest scoring photograph submitted in the Plants for Birds Division, featuring birds and plants native to the area the photo was taken. The Fisher Prize was awarded to the photograph depicting the most creative approach to bird photography across all divisions: Professional, Amateur, Youth and Plants for Birds.
Walker Nature Center will host an Open House on Sunday, February 9, 2020 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Visitors can view the exhibition, watch birds from inside the nature house or outside on guided bird walks and take part in bird-related activities for all ages.
The center will also host three short documentaries for their Birds on Film Night, Friday, February 21, 2020 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Birds of May (2017)
This film explores the growing debate over the environmental impact of oyster farms in Delaware Bay, an important stopover site for Red Knots and other threatened shorebirds.
Bluebird Man (2014)
The film focuses on the efforts of 91-year-old Alfred Larson, who has been monitoring and maintaining over 300 nest boxes for bluebirds in Idaho for 35 years. He’s 96 now and still at it! Nature Center staff will also talk about Reston’s Bluebird Box Trail program.
Birders (2019)
Bird watchers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border share their enthusiasm for protecting and preserving some of the world's most beautiful species.
Huntley Meadows Park will host an Open House on Sunday, March 8, 2020 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. with activities in the Visitor’s Center and guided bird walks in the park.
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Don’t Forget the Great Backyard Bird Count
Friday, February 14 – Monday February 17, 2020
 GBBC provides a snapshot of where birds are in real time. It’s spontaneous; unlike Project FeederWatch, you’re not restricted to your own backyard or to a particular feeding area, and there is no commitment to 2 specific days every week for 5 months. You can count anywhere during the 4 count days for as little as 15 minutes or as long as a walk through a park.
Bird enthusiasts of all ages count birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are ranging. Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.
Now, in its 23rd year, more than 160,000 people of all ages and walks of life worldwide join the count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. Join in and contribute to bird conservation.
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 Lecture and Book Signing with Dr. Doug Tallamy
Along with the Prince William Wildflower Society, a chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and Audubon at Home will be sponsoring an author lecture by renowned entomologist and ecologist Dr. Doug Tallamy on Sunday, February 23, 2020 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Manassas Park Community Center. Dr. Tallamy, the author of Bringing Nature Home, will have his new book available for signing. Entitled Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard, it will be available from Timber Press as of February 4, 2020.
To read more about Dr. Tallamy, click here.
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Bringing Peregrine Falcons Back to Virginia’s Mountains
 National Park Service biologist, Rolf Gubler, will give a talk on March 1, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. about the Peregrine Falcon restoration project at Shenandoah National Park.
A team brings at-risk Peregrine Falcon chicks from bridge nest sites in eastern Virginia to Virginia’s mountains, once part of their historic range. They hope the birds will imprint on the park's cliffs and return as breeding adults. This project boosts mountain peregrine populations and aids in the survival of bridge nest peregrine chicks where fledging is often difficult due to insufficient updrafts.
 Peregrine Falcons were used for hunting or falconry as early as 2000 B.C. in China and Egypt and in World War II, both the British/U.S. and the German armies had a falcon corps to intercept their opponent’s homing pigeons. Peregrines are found in rural and urban environments and on every continent except Antarctica.
This free, public meeting will be at the Mount Vernon Government Center 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, near U.S. 1 and a mile from the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
The Friends of Dyke Marsh are sponsoring the program. Cosponsors are the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and the Northern Virginia Bird Club. This is a free program and registration is not required.
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How To Help Birds Avoid 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). Peer--reviewed conservative research estimates that about one million birds collide with windows every day—the annual estimate is 365-988 million.
To learn about this threat and how to help mitigate it at your home, Reston Association and the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia have invited Peter Saenger, President of Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, and Leigh Altadonna, President of the Wyncote Audubon Society to speak at the Walker Nature Center at 7 PM on March 19. 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 and have developed a “Bird-Window Collision Toolkit” which is being used by other Audubon groups.
For background on the situation with birds in Reston, see the Birds chapter in the Reston Annual State of the Environment Report.
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 Creating a Wildlife Sanctuary on Your Property: The Audubon at Home Program
Save the Date! On March 21, Betsy Martin of The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia’s Audubon at Home Program and Linda Beaty of Plant NOVA Natives will join forces to provide a special program on how to make your yard more attractive to wildlife. The program, which is being presented in partnership with the Friends of Mason Neck State Park, will be held at 2 p.m. at the Jammes House in the Mason Neck State Park. Registration for the program will open on March 1.
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Bird Walks
Clark’s Crossing, near W&OD Trail, Vienna, VA
Sunday, February 16, 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.
NOTE: Corrected Date
Kris Lansing leads this walk sponsored by ASNV. The trail has good sparrow habitat and is along easy terrain.
Getting there: From I-66, exit to Nutley Street, North (Route 243). Go about 1 mile and turn right to go north/east on Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) toward Vienna. In 1.3 miles turn left onto Beulah Road. In 1.6 miles turn left onto Clarks Crossing Road and meet in the parking lot at the end of the road.
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Reston Lakes Tour, Reston, VA
Sunday, February 23, 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Weather permitting (i.e., the lakes are not all frozen!)
NOTE: Corrected Date
We’ll meet and then drive to the various Reston lakes to check for waterfowl at a number of locations. Let’s hope for open water this year! Sponsored by The Reston Association, the Bird Feeder of Reston and ASNV.
Getting there: Take Reston Parkway north from the Dulles Toll Road and turn right on Baron Cameron Avenue. Meet in the parking lot for the tennis courts on Village Road, north of Baron Cameron Avenue.
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We Could Use Your Birding Skills!
Do you have a favorite spot to bird that you’d like to share with others? Consider leading a winter or spring walk there for ASNV. Leaders don’t have to be perfect birders—it’s a group effort. Prime responsibilities are setting the date and meeting place, guiding the route, and helping new birders locate the sightings. Call or email to discuss:
Contact Jean Tatalias at [email protected] or 703-281-6099.
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Recurring Bird Walks
Several parks in the area have established year-round weekly bird walks. These walks are not run by ASNV, but may be of interest to ASNV members. They can be found here.
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WE NEED YOUR HELP!
ASNV is primarily a volunteer-driven organization. We rely on people like you to carry out most of our organization’s functions.
If you would like to volunteer your time to help support birds and the environment, check out the following opportunities. If you are interested, please send me an email at [email protected] and if you have other ideas about projects you’d like to undertake, let me know about those too.
Volunteer Coordinator: We need an enthusiastic person to help us manage our volunteers. You would keep a roster of volunteers, publicize volunteer opportunities in our newsletter and website, coordinate the volunteers’ activities, and help ensure that their volunteer experiences are good ones.
Speaker: We receive requests from time to time for speakers who can talk about birds, wildlife, habitat, and conservation. Let me know if you would like to join our Speakers Forum. ASNV can provide some training, access to photographs from the National Audubon Society website, and an already-prepared slide show of common birds that you can use or modify to suit your preferences.
Public Events Representative: ASNV attends festivals and conferences, where we set up a table with information about our organization and items to purchase such as hats and books. We also have a wide variety of children’s activities. You would pick up materials for the event from the National Wildlife Federation building in Reston and be our representative to the public, discussing ASNV’s mission and current activities and encouraging people to join.
Thanks!
Tom Blackburn
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