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** December 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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** Northern Saw-whet Owl, Carolina Sanabria
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The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD, hosts a Project Owlnet bird banding station as part of a project studying Northern Saw-whet Owl migration. I was allowed to participate as a volunteer last year, which gave me a truly memorable experience, seeing the Northern Saw-whet Owl for the first time.
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** Mystery Arlington Bird Carried Disease First Found in Alaska
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** Red-breasted Nuthatch with deformed beak, Alaska Science Center, USGS
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An enigma alighted on an Arlington birdfeeder in late July, a sparrow-sized bird with an inverted feeding style and a prodigious beak almost as long as its brown and white body. Who was this strange visitor?
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More News
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** Prepare for the Next Virginia General Assembly: Two Programs on Advocacy
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** VA State Capitol, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA-3.0 ([link removed])
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Advocating for your legislative priorities can be intimidating. NVBA is offering two programs that will help demystify the process and provide an advance look at legislation that will be introduced in the 2026 Virginia General Assembly.
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** Back for the Holidays: The White-throated Sparrow
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** White-throated Sparrow, Ashrith Kandula/Audubon Photography Awards
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“Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada” or “Old-Sam-Peabody-Peabody” – no matter which phrase you associate with the song of the White-throated Sparrow, northern Virginia residents can expect to hear it throughout the coming months as these little birds sing of their return from breeding grounds in Canada.
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** How Birds Survive the Winter
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** Mourning Dove, Danny Brown/Audubon Photography Awards
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How do our feathered friends survive winter? They have two options: migrate south to warmer temperatures or adapt to the winter weather.
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Monthly Features
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** A Closer Look: Nature All Around Us
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** Cynapid Wasp gall on Pin Oak , 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: Use - and lose - Nandina
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** Nandina, Emóke Dénes, CC BY-SA 2.5 ([link removed]) , via Wikimedia Commons
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It’s a beautiful plant - evergreen, red berries, soft foliage - but evil lurks in its heart. Nandina, a.k.a. Heavenly Bamboo or Nandina domestica, is a woody shrub native to Asia. It is not a true bamboo but, just like its namesake, it is a real problem in the landscape.
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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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** Virginia Conservation Network General Assembly Preview
Graphic courtesy of Virginia Conservation Network
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Join us at our offices in the Reston for a General Assembly Preview Watch Party to prepare for the upcoming General Assembly. We’ll provide breakfast, followed by a streamed presentation from experts across the Commonwealth, and an in-person discussion about local issues.
You can register for the General Assembly Previewhere ([link removed]) .
When: Saturday, December 6, 9:00 AM - noon
Where: National Wildlife Federation Building, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA
Suggested Donation: $20
MORE INFO ([link removed])
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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
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** Effective Advocacy with Delegate Kathy Tran
Virginia State Capitol Building, Wikimedia user Skip Plitt via CC BY-SA 3.0 ([link removed])
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Do you want to learn how to be a more effective advocate? Join NVBA and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy ([link removed]) for a virtual program with the Honorable Kathy Tran, Representative for Virginia District 18 and Majority Caucus Chair for the Virginia House of Delegates.
When: Tuesday, December 16, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Online
Fee: FREE
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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 requested for NVBA-sponsored walks to help our walk leaders prepare and communicate with participants.
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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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