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** October 2025
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** NVBA ([link removed]) HOME ([link removed]) ([link removed]) DONATE ([link removed]) JOIN ([link removed])
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** A Letter to Our Members
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** Yellow-eared Parrot, León Felipe Jimenez/Audubon Photography Awards
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One of the perks of editing the Potomac Flier is access to National Audubon Society’s photo archive, which includes years’ worth of images from the photography awards.
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** Birding is for Every Body: Birdability Week, October 20-26
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** Birdwatching from a wheelchair, USFWS Headquarters, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
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Have you ever paused to think about how many people might want to join us in birding but can’t?
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More News
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** My Time at Hog Island Camp
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** Atlantic Puffins, Michael Schmitt/Audubon Photography Awards
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Hear from NVBA's 2025 Hog Island Scholarship winner Deborah Hammer, Autism and Low Incidence Speech Therapist at Arlington County Schools.
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** Help Our Migrating Songbirds
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** Common Yellowthroats, Gary Robinette
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We’re in the middle of fall migration season. For birdwatchers, fall migration can be challenging because the warblers are drabber, but, of course, it’s even more challenging for the birds!
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** Be Very Brave: Plant a New Native Shrub This Fall
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** Native shrubs, Margaret Fisher
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So, it's the right time of year to plant, and native plants are easier to find than ever before. But . . . something is still stopping you. Hmm. What could that be?
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** Remember to Vote for Conservation
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** Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikipedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0 ([link removed])
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It’s important to keep up with the actions (or inaction) of our federal lawmakers, but it’s equally important to take care to vote for conservation in the upcoming Virginia races.
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Monthly Features
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** A Closer Look: Nature All Around Us
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** Long-legged Fly with prey, Judy Gallagher
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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.
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** Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac: It's Time for Goldenrods
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** Goldenrod blooming in Fairfax County, Famartin, CC BY 4.0 ([link removed]) , via Wikimedia Commons
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One hallmark of autumn is the appearance of goldenrods along roadsides and in wild spaces; however, until recently, goldenrods have rarely been used deliberately in gardens.
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**
Upcoming Classes and Events
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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.

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** Birdability Webinar with Executive Director Cat Fribley
Boardwalk, SmellyPumpy via Pixabay
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Birding is for everybody and there are many practices that can make it truly accessible for all. Join NVBA and our local partner, DC Bird Alliance, to learn about inclusive birding practices from the Executive Director of Birdability, Cat Fribley (she/her).

When: Thursday, October 2, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Virtual
Fee: FREE

MORE INFO ([link removed])

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** 2025 Fall Field Trip to Cape May
Birders at Avalon Seawach in Cape May, NJ. Photo: Andreana Lin
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Join experienced guides Tom Wood, Herlitz Davis and Judy Gallagher for an overnight trip to Cape May, NJ where fall migrants flock together on their journeys south to their wintering grounds. Cape May’s peninsula is perfectly aligned with the Atlantic Flyway, one of the four “avian superhighways” in North America, making Cape May famous for its numerous fall migrants. Spots are limited and sold on a first come first serve basis.

When: Saturday, October 4 - Sunday, October 5
Where: Cape May, New Jersey
Fee: $319.20

MORE INFO ([link removed])

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** Wildlife Rehab Bird Education Day with A.E.R.O.
Rescued Barred Owlet, Jill Sphon
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Want to be prepared the next time you find an injured or lost bird? Join NVBA and our partners, A.E.R.O. (Animal Education and Rescue Organization) and the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, for an afternoon of lessons on bird rehabilitation

When: Sunday, October 5, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Where: National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA
Fee: $15; FREE for active local rehabbers, apprentices and caregivers

MORE INFO ([link removed])

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

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** Wildlife Sanctuary Presentation Hosted by the Native Plant Circle
Certified Wildlife Sanctuary
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Are you intrigued by observing wildlife in your own yard? Do you want to contribute to the environmental health of our planet? If so join us to learn about the Wildlife Sanctuary program and how you can transform your yard to create habitat, attract beneficial wildlife, and get your yard certified as a Wildlife Sanctuary. You’ll learn about habitat best practices and receive tips to help you select native trees and plants that suit the conditions in your yard.

When: Saturday, December 13, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Where: Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, 1909 Windmill Lane, Alexandria, CA 22307
Fee: FREE

MORE INFO ([link removed])

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** Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count
Carolina Chickadee, Jeff Drake/Audubon Photography Awards
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The Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be on Sunday, December 14. The center of the 15-mile diameter count circle is near the intersection of Routes 28 & 29 in Centreville. Birders of all skill levels are needed.

When: Sunday, December 14,, 2025, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Where: Centreville, VA
Fee: FREE

MORE INFO ([link removed])

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** Bird Walks
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Birding, Camila Cerea


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