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** Monday Nature Mystery and the Weekly Bird Word
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03/10/25
We are pleased to announce the winner of our most recent Monday Nature Mystery, Eric Anderson! (Please email your snail mail address to
[email protected] (mailto:
[email protected]?subject=Monday%20Nature%20Mystery%20Winner) )
Congratulations to Eric for identifying this Canada Goose (Branta canadensis). According to All About Birds ([link removed]) , at least 11 subspecies of Canada Goose have been recognized, although only a couple are distinctive. In general, the geese get smaller as you move northward, and darker as you go westward. The four smallest forms are now considered a different species: the Cackling Goose.
Thanks again for playing everyone! Download iNaturalist to view and post nature mysteries near you.
Last Week's Mystery: Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) Photo: Neal Tollisen/Audubon Photography Awards
Starting this week, we have a new type of post that goes out on Monday (or occasionally on Tuesday) - the Weekly Bird Word. This will be your update on upcoming birdy activities, exciting ornithology vocabulary, bird facts and more.
This week’s Bird Word is Air Sacs. According to Cornell’s Bird Academy ([link removed]) , air sacs are thin-walled, transparent sacs extending from the mesobronchi or the lungs to different regions of the body; they act as bellows to bring air into the body and store it until expiration. They are found only in birds. So birds can breathe twice as efficiently as mammals! Wow.
Image: C. Abraczinskas, CC BY 2.5 ([link removed]) , via Wikimedia Commons
** More in Birdy News:
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* Yes, you can paint birds. Sign up ([link removed]) for our Birds in Watercolor class on Wednesday.
* Plan your own BIG DAY: Birdathon ([link removed]) information is now back on our website, start thinking about which of your friends would want to bird all day (or all morning) with you! Consider doing a Birdathon at Home to see the bird biodiversity that your yard supports. (Tip - plant more natives this Spring to attract more birds!)
* Extra time this Spring? Volunteer! Join us in-person on March 23 to learn how you can volunteer! Meet fellow birders and make lifelong friends, while helping birds. Volunteer Fair will be after our Alliance Afternoon speaker. Sign up here ([link removed]) .
* The nice weather is back! Give your thanks by pulling out invasives with Joan Haffey, Bill Browning and other friends. See times on our SOP page here ([link removed]) (scroll down to Upton Hill - Bluemont Park corridor).
* Join us March 11 to learn about Ospreys ([link removed]) !
* Get a refresher on Backyard Bird ID ([link removed]) on March 20.
* Check out our calendar ([link removed]) for all the upcoming events.
See you out there,
-Northern Virginia Bird Alliance
Enjoy this email? Please consider supporting NVBA so we can continue to bring you educational (and fun!) programs like this.
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