View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]


** September 2025
------------------------------------------------------------


** NVBA ([link removed]) HOME ([link removed]) ([link removed]) DONATE ([link removed]) JOIN ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]


** A Letter to Our Members
------------------------------------------------------------


** Tennessee Warbler, Ben Cvengros/Audubon Photography Awards
------------------------------------------------------------

Fall migration is starting! I saw that someone had reported a Tennessee Warbler in northern Virginia just the other day, which got me musing about this migration season -- the challenges the birds face, how to make it safer for migrating birds and how to enjoy the spectacle of migration.
Read more > ([link removed])
[link removed]


** Hispanic Heritage Month and the World of Birds
------------------------------------------------------------


** Resplendent Quetzal, Charles Gangas/Audubon Photography Awards
------------------------------------------------------------

From September 15 to October 15, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States.
Read more > ([link removed])
o Lea más > ([link removed])
More News
[link removed]


** Expanded Polystyrene Foam Now Banned in Takeout Containers in VA
------------------------------------------------------------


** Scavenging Gull, Chris Downer / Mallaig
------------------------------------------------------------

If you have ever participated in a trash cleanup along a shoreline, creek or road, you’ll undoubtedly have come across pieces of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), popularly known by one of its brand names, Styrofoam.
Read more > ([link removed])

[link removed]


** Ospreys May Be In Trouble Again
------------------------------------------------------------


** Osprey Nest at Belle Haven Marina, Glenda C. Booth
------------------------------------------------------------

This year has brought some troubling signs for these impressive birds.
Read more > ([link removed])


[link removed]


** Pollinator Pathways: Connecting Your Yard to the Bigger Picture
------------------------------------------------------------


** Graphic by Carly Parker
------------------------------------------------------------

Is it possible to reconnect isolated fragments in our urban, suburban, and rural settings to benefit pollinators and the creatures that depend upon them?
Read more > ([link removed])


[link removed]


** Biodiversity or Mosquito Fogging: You Can't Have Both
------------------------------------------------------------


** Asian Tiger Mosquito, Judy Gallagher
------------------------------------------------------------

Some of our neighbors turn to commercial-grade mosquito fogging, persuaded by marketing claims that the product is both effective and “safe.” But a closer examination of these claims reveals an ineffective process that is devastating for native bees, butterflies, fireflies, moths, and a plethora of other beneficial insects we work so hard to attract with native plants.
Read more > ([link removed])

Monthly Features
[link removed]


** A Closer Look: Nature All Around Us
------------------------------------------------------------


** Horse Fly eyes, Judy Gallagher
------------------------------------------------------------
Judy Gallagher is an NVBA board member and a regular surveyor of local wildlife who also captures photos of what she sees, in particular the less common species.
Read more > ([link removed])


[link removed]


** Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac: Growing VA Native Plants from Seed
------------------------------------------------------------


** Milkweed Seeds, Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 ([link removed]) , via Wikimedia Commons
------------------------------------------------------------

Fall is coming and gardeners’ thoughts may turn to collecting seeds for planting next spring.
Read more > ([link removed])


[link removed]


**
Upcoming Classes and Events
------------------------------------------------------------

We have some exciting classes and events coming up, both virtually and in-person! Click any event to learn more and register. You can also check our ([link removed]) calendar ([link removed]) for our full schedule of events.

[link removed]


** Fall Butterfly Identification with Larry Meade
Variegated Fritillary, David Illig
------------------------------------------------------------

Larry Meade will walk us through the butterfly common species in our area and help us differentiate some of the trickier look-a-like species. Participants are encouraged to register for the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) Count to be held on Saturday, September 13, 2025. See below (NABA Butterfly Count) for more information and a registration link.

When: Tuesday, September 9, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Where: Virtual
Fee: FREE

MORE INFO ([link removed])

[link removed]


** Birds in Watercolor: Barred Owl with Ronna Fujisawa
Barred Owl, Ronna Fujisawa
------------------------------------------------------------

In this online class, students of all levels (beginner to expert) will paint a portrait of a Barred Owl, learning how to mix neutral colors, as well as techniques of layering colors to create various feather patterns. Your instructor, Ronna Fujisawa of Salty Water Art, will be your guide through the step-by-step process.

When: Wednesday, September 10, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Where: Virtual
Members: $22
Non-members: $33

MORE INFO ([link removed])

[link removed]


** NABA Butterfly Count
Variegated Fritillary, David Illig
------------------------------------------------------------

The Butterfly Count is an ongoing program of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA). Its aim is to census butterflies across North America (United States, Canada, and parts of Mexico) and publish the results. Volunteer participants are assigned to teams to survey locations within a 15-mile diameter count area in a one-day census of all butterflies seen within that circle.

When: Saturday, September 13, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Rain date September 14)
Where: To be announced
Fee: FREE! NVBA is covering the $3 per participant donation this year.

MORE INFO ([link removed])

[link removed]


** Virginia Wildlife Action Plan 2025 with Jeff Trollinger
Golden-winged Warbler, Arni Stinnissen/Audubon Photography Awards
------------------------------------------------------------
Learn about the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Wildlife Action Plan 2025 from Jeff Trollinger, who has a long career working with or for DWR. Jeff’s presentation will identify some of the 89 avian species of greatest conservation need identified in the plan and provide some examples of how the plan has resulted in successful conservation actions.

When: Tuesday, September 16, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Virtual
Fee: FREE

MORE INFO ([link removed])

[link removed]


** Alliance Afternoon: Amazing Insects
Splendid Tiger Beetle, Judy Gallagher
------------------------------------------------------------

Join us September 21 at our quarterly Alliance Afternoon to learn from NVBA Board Member and insect expert, Judy Gallagher, all about these important creatures that form the foundation of food webs that sustain the birds around us!

When: Sunday, September 21, 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Where: National Wildlife Federation Building, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190
Fee: FREE

MORE INFO ([link removed])

[link removed]


** Virtual Symposium on Spatial Approaches to Priority Setting in Conservation
Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Judy Gallagher
------------------------------------------------------------

The symposium is designed for a target audience that includes conservation professionals and volunteers working in government or in non-governmental roles who are interested in how GIS analysis can help them in developing conservation priorities and strategies.

When: Wednesday, October 15, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Where: Virtual
Fee: FREE

MORE INFO ([link removed])

[link removed]


** Bird Walks
------------------------------------------------------------
Birding, Camila Cerea


Check our Bird Walks page ([link removed]) for upcoming walks! Registration is no longer required for NVBA-sponsored walks.
[link removed]


** Conservation Counts
------------------------------------------------------------
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Rusty Moran

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.

Read more > ([link removed])

National Audubon Society Action Network

The National Audubon Society invites all Auduboners to join its action network ([link removed]) . 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.
Too many emails? Now you can update your profile ([link removed]) to let us know how often you'd like to receive email communications from NVBA.
[link removed]

============================================================
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2025 Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, All rights reserved.
You subscribed to this list when you joined the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance directly, joined the National Audubon Society and live in the Northern Virginia area, are an NVBA volunteer, or asked to receive our email updates.

Our mailing address is:
Northern Virginia Bird Alliance
11100 Wildlife Center Drive
Ste. 100
Reston, VA 20190
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.