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Quick Links
In This Newsletter
Due to the ongoing covid-19 situation, all of the general wildlife and butterfly/dragonfly surveys in this series are suspended until further notice. While chances of transmission may seem slight for outdoor programs like this, it is only prudent to avoid any undue risks until data indicate it is safe to proceed. I will be giving as much notice as possible regarding resumption of the survey schedule.
In the meantime, any findings you may have from your individual outings in the survey circle would be appreciated. Take very good care of yourselves. Looking forward to seeing you all in the not too distant future.
Jim Waggener
Observations from Meadowood
Judy Gallagher
In an example of convergent evolution, Monarchs and Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars have both evolved to be able to eat and process the toxins in Milkweed leaves. They sequester the toxins which gives them some protection from being eaten by birds. Although both caterpillars are fairly common, they aren't usually seen munching on the same leaf. Yet, here they are together at Meadowood's Pollinator Garden, competing for food.
This beautiful insect is a Velvet Ant, so called because of its dense hair. It isn't really an ant, and you wouldn't want to pet its velvet coat. It's a female Mutillid wasp, seen recently at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Its other common name is "Cow Killer" as its sting is reputed to be bad enough to kill a cow. While the adult females don't have wings, the males do and look so different from the females that entomologists didn't realize that they were the same species until they saw the wasps mating.
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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President's Corner October 2020
Goldfinches always make me smile. The male birds’ bright yellow plumage and black wings with white racing stripes liven up our garden as the flowers are starting to fade away. Goldfinches are the circus acrobats of our garden as they balance on our coneflowers while pulling them apart to reach the seeds. Then they launch into bouncy flight, calling on each upward swoop, like children at the crest of each roller coaster rise.
At this time of year, Northern Cardinals often look scruffy as they molt. Scarlet Tanagers have turned from bright red to dirty yellow, if you can find them at all. Warblers have turned from spectacular to confusing and European Starlings have shed their iridescent feathers for spotted winter coats. I find their cast-off feathers in the yard. However, goldfinches breed later than other songbirds to take advantage of midsummer and early autumn seeds. As a result, they are still exuberantly yellow well into fall.
I still remember flocks of thirty or more brilliantly-colored goldfinches swooping onto our lawn when I was growing up. It was almost as exciting as the day I saw my first Indigo Bunting shining in the afternoon sunlight. However, there aren’t as many goldfinches as there were when I was a child. The now-famous study documenting the loss of 3 billion birds found that there are 35% fewer birds in the finch family than there were in 1970. It’s likely that there is an even greater decline in goldfinches as compared to 60 or so years ago, when I remember seeing their flocks in the yard.
Would you like to encourage goldfinches to visit your yard? Unlike most songbirds, goldfinches eat seeds almost exclusively. They love zinnias and coneflowers, and we never regret watching them remove flower petals to get at the seeds. Among native plants: sunflowers, thistles and milkweed are favorites. If you have a bird feeder, be sure to stock it with sunflower and Nyjer seeds. The goldfinches will thank you with their bright colors and enthusiastic habits.
By Tom Blackburn, ASNV President
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Fall Events, Workshops and Classes
Author Event: The Bird Way with Jennifer Ackerman
Online: October 15, 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Fee: $10/members $15/non-members
Limit: 300
Join us as we welcome author Jennifer Ackerman to discuss the much anticipated follow up to The Genius of Birds. NPR’s “SCIENCE FRIDAY” picks The Bird Way as one of “The Best Summer Science Books of 2020”: “Ackerman brings scientific research alive with personal observations of colorful and fascinating birds, from the kea parrot to the raven to the brush turkey, among others. By showing how each species communicates, plays, parents, works, and thinks, she reminds us that "there is no one way to be a bird.” To order a copy of her book visit our website and don’t forget to register here for the lecture.
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Events, Workshops and Classes (continued)
Little Brown Jobs: Workshop with Larry Meade
Online: October 22 , 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Fee: $15
Limit: 300
Register
Have you been wondering about all those “little brown jobs” in your backyard? Could you use a little help distinguishing between the House Finches and the Pine Siskins? Song Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows? This workshop will concentrate on identification skills for some of the finches, sparrows, and other similar birds in our region, including both residents and migrants, just in time for the arrival of our cold weather birds.
Instructor: Larry Meade, a member of the ASNV Education Committee, is president of the Northern Virginia Bird Club and a former board member of the Virginia Society of Ornithology. He has served as a sector leader for a number of years for several local Christmas Bird Counts and is an avid nature photographer.
Join Project FeederWatch: Learn how with Greg Butcher and Dixie Sommers
Online: Thursday, October 29, 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Fee: FREE
Limit: 300
Register
Project FeederWatch is the easiest citizen science you will ever do! From the comfort of your home, you simply count the winter birds that visit your feeders and report your data to Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
This FREE workshop will cover a bit of the history of Project FeederWatch, its purpose, tips for identifying birds, and the protocols to be followed while counting.
Instructors: Greg is the Migratory Species Coordinator for U.S. Forest Service International Programs. He is a Ph.D. ornithologist who has worked for the National Audubon Society, American Birding Association, Partners in Flight, Birders World magazine, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Greg is a recognized public speaker and interpreter for bird conservation and ecology worldwide. He welcomes the opportunity to contribute to Audubon's environmental mission at the local level.
Dixie Sommers has been an Audubon member since 1986 and became a serious birder after moving back to the Washington area from Ohio in 2006, adding to her long interest in nature photography and travel. She is an avid e-bird user and enjoys using photography to help learn the birds, and sharing her photos on www.ddpix.smugmug.com.
In addition to favorite places in Virginia, her recent birding travels include Colombia, Tanzania, Texas, California, and Mexico. She is also a board member for the Virginia Society of Ornithology and the Friends of Dyke Marsh. Dixie lives in Alexandria, Virginia and retired from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics after a long career of counting jobs and workers. Now she counts birds!
Birds and Culture with Bill Young
Online: November 16, 17, 23, 24, 30; December 1, 7:00 to 8:00 PM
6 one-hour sessions
Fee: $40
Limit: 300
Register
 Birds have inspired the imaginations of people from prehistoric times to the modern era. They have influenced the development of human language, religion, music, literature, art and many other areas. Birds and Culture will examine these relationships in a 6-part course. Birders of all skill levels will be able to understand the content.
Instructor: Bill Young is a writer who lives in Arlington. He is the author of The Fascination of Birds: From the Albatross to the Yellowthroat. He is the co-creator of the MPNature.com website, which contains information about birds, plants and other aspects of natural history at Monticello Park in Alexandria. Bill also makes nature videos, and his YouTube channel has had over half a million views.
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ASNV Online Programs
Missed one of our programs?
We’ve moved our classes and workshops  to an online format due to the pandemic. We will provide recordings of as many of these events as possible and make them available here, both to keep our members and community engaged while staying at home and to develop an ongoing collection of educational resources. Check back often, as we will add videos and resources as we receive them. Please enjoy!
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ASNV Praises Aventon Holdings I, LLC
for Bird-friendly Development Project
Jessica Bigger
A little over two years ago, Aventon Holdings I, LLC approached neighboring communities in the Mount Vernon District in Virginia to get residents’ input on what kind of development they envisioned at Aventon’s proposed building site. The developer is planning to erect a seven to eight story apartment building at the south end of Huntington Metro Station. “The developer came in with the approach of asking “How can we make this community better,” noted Cathy Ledec, a longtime conservation activist and a director on the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia Board.
 Ledec, who lives in the Mount Vernon District, worked with Aventon to provide guidance on encompassing bird-friendly design elements into the apartment building’s exterior. Each nearby neighborhood set up committees and met with Aventon representatives and its consulting firms multiple times over the past two years to contribute their thoughts and ideas for the project prior to Aventon submitting a proposed building design plan.
With help from the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, neighbors and other advocacy groups, Aventon incorporated environmental and bird-friendly design elements into the building plan from the beginning. “In some cases, developers will try to add these elements after a building is designed, but if you incorporate it into the building design from the get go, it’s much easier rather than adding these elements as an afterthought,” said Ledec.
The Aventon is the second project in Fairfax County with a proffer that includes bird-friendly design elements as a key component of the building plan. A proffer is an agreement between the county and the developer in which the developer agrees to minimize the impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods and the county by providing funds for amenities such as road improvements, schools, parks and more. The first Fairfax County project known to include bird-friendly design in the proffer is One Tysons East, which will be built across from the McLean Metro Station.
The Aventon property abuts Mount Eagle Park, which includes a heavily treed conservation area. The apartment building will sit at the top of a hill that is a migratory bird hotspot. So it was a priority for the developer to create apartments that would fit well with the surrounding environment, rather than be an obstacle. Anyone living on the east side of the apartment building will have a gorgeous view of the park, and on a clear day, residents who live on the top floor will likely get a view of the Potomac River and beyond.
Along with where the building will sit on the property, Aventon included several bird-friendly elements to the apartment building’s exterior, including reduced use of reflective glass surfaces, shading and recessed balconies. The developer has also committed to using native plants for landscaping. This will become an extension of habitat for forest-based birds, providing them food and cover.
It is estimated that between 300 million and one billion birds die each year from colliding into buildings in the United States alone. Glass windows and night lighting are the biggest culprits. Because most windows are reflective, the birds see the reflected sky or landscape and do not realize they are flying into a structure until it is too late. Lighting at night can disorient birds, also causing fatalities.
“From the very beginning our focus has always been about birds,” stated Aventon Holding I, LLC attorney Mark Viani, at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting on July 28, 2020. “Our building is designed to create readily visible obstacles to birds to prevent them from flying into things, and take advantage of all the features that you would normally find that were bird friendly.”
The updated design impressed Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck. During that same meeting Storck commended the developer for working with the community and coming up with an architecturally tasteful building. “This is a long-standing opportunity for development, and I think this project is a great improvement from the original,” commented Storck.
The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) has developed guidelines for developers to incorporate bird-friendly design elements into their architecture. “You can no longer put  a building up without thinking about how that building fits with its surrounding environment. The building and the natural environment have to be considered together; not be treated separately. We recognize birds are a part of our environment around us, and we don’t want to put up structures that are deadly to them,” added Ledec.
Slowly cities and counties across the country are recognizing how important it is to protect our birds and are passing laws to require developers to design buildings that minimize bird collisions. Madison, Wisconsin passed its Bird-Safe Glass Ordinance in August of this year, which is the first bird-friendly ordinance in the state. In July 2020, Howard County became the first county in Maryland to pass an ordinance mandating developers to include bird-friendly design standards in their building plans. Even New York City has updated their building code to require that any new development install bird-friendly glass windows. This bill was adopted in June 2020.
Since 2008, Fairfax County has required all of its public buildings to be LEED-certified to meet certain environmentally-friendly building code standards. The County describes its Green Building Policy as including bird-friendly design as a sustainable initiative. These standards currently do not apply to non-government buildings, but environmental and bird advocates would like to see those standards extend to private development.
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development is in the process of updating the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code [13 VAC 5-63]. Tom Blackburn, ASNV President, on behalf of ASNV’s 4,500 members, sent a letter to the Department of Housing and Community Development on June 26, 2020 recommending the department add bird-friendly design standards to its statewide building codes.
As more conservation groups work with cities and counties across the country to implement bird-friendly building code standards, there are several developers who are taking the initiative to add those elements as part of their building design. Ledec and other bird advocates praise Aventon for their initiative to include bird-friendly design features in the Huntington Metro Station apartment building and its property. “It’s a really important concept that buildings include bird-friendly design elements early on in the project. Aventon’s apartment building not only is intended to be bird-friendly, but also has added tasteful design features that will make it a nice addition to the community,” concluded Ledec.
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How to Prevent Bird Window Collisions: Watch this Video
Oakton High school student and passionate birder, Elliot Frank was concerned about how to reduce the high number of bird fatalities caused by window strikes. He decided to tackle the issue for his Eagle Scout project. With the help of ASNV mentors and his fellow scouts, Elliot produced an informative and engaging video on bird-window collisions that he has offered to ASNV. The video outlines various techniques for homeowners to make their windows bird-safe. You can watch it here or click on Elliot's photo.
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Prepare NOW for the November 3 Election
Conservation Policies at Stake
Virginians will elect a U.S. President, U.S. senator and all members of the U.S. House of Representatives on November 3, 2020. There will also be two state constitutional amendments on the ballot, one of which addresses the redistricting process. Some advocates say that the proposed amendment is designed to end partisan gerrymandering, but others argue it will not achieve that goal.
Localities may have other issues on the ballot. Fairfax County voters, for example, will vote on four bonds, including a parks bond.
Check with your local elections board or the Virginia Department of Elections to find out what will be on your ballot.
Request Your Absentee Ballot Now
Because of the health risks posed by the coronavirus, officials are expecting heavy absentee voting this year, by mail and in person. You can request an absentee ballot now and will receive it around 45 days before the election. Many localities have in-person absentee voting before Election Day, which has already started. Check with yours.
October 13 is the deadline to register to vote in Virginia.
It’s never too early to get involved. Many conservation policies are at issue in this election.
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Prepare now for Virginia’s 2021 Legislative Session
Local Governments Preparing 2021 State Bills
The Virginia General Assembly will hold its regular session in January and February 2021. Currently, local governments are preparing their requests for the legislature. If you want your local, elected governing board to promote or endorse a bill, now is the time to let them know.
For the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, for example, here is the schedule:
- The Board of Supervisors will meet three times this fall – September 22, October 27 and November 24 – to discuss and develop the Board’s 2021 legislative program.
- The Board will hold a public hearing on the draft legislative program on November 17 and will vote to adopt or not adopt it on December 1.
The Virginia Conservation Network is preparing proposals at this time. Topics will likely include native/non-native plants, litter, clean energy, water quality, tree preservation, plastics and others. To read the 2020 proposals for the General Assembly, visit http://www.vcnva.org/our-common-agenda/.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation offers Webinar
“Influencing our Elected Officials: How to Amplify your Voice”
Wednesday, October 21, 12:00 to 1:00 PM
The Foundation describes the webinar as follows:
Following up on September’s How Does Virginia Protect its Waterways? webinar, we will explore proven techniques to make the most of your advocacy efforts in Virginia. You’ll learn why some activities are more successful than others (hint: it’s the story, not the stat!). We’ll discuss why some letters-to-the-editor get published over others, as well as when to meet with your legislator and how to prepare for the meeting. We will examine the full spectrum of ways you can educate and inform elected leaders, from petitions and phone calls to in-office visits and social media posts, and show how to be an effective advocate — even with limited time.
This webinar is timed to provide you with new ideas and sharpen your skills in advance of the 2021 General Assembly session. Whether you are brand new to citizen lobbying or a seasoned advocate, we aim to provide a fresh, contextual look at how all Virginians can make a difference in the new year.
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HAPPY AUTUMN
Deidra Bryant
Depending on where you live, you might start to notice a drop in temperature as the foliage from your shrubs and trees starts to change color. Cool breezes are also starting to pick up, leaving stray twigs and small branches on your lawn. Many special techniques, some borrowed from traditional gardening and some unique to habitat gardening and landscaping can be employed by backyard bird watchers to enhance a property for use by birds. Brush pile composition is one of them!
Brush piles are highly attractive to a wide variety of birds, as they increase moisture and add nutrients to the soil attracting invertebrates. As a result, expect sparrow and wren species to spend lon g hours exploring the tangles for their next scrap of food. As the name implies, brush piles can be a simple pile made up of all your tree and shrub trimmings, pulled weeds, fallen branches or dried tomato and cucumber vines from a vegetable garden. There is a simple construction technique for vastly improving the usefulness of a brush pile for a wider array of wildlife by creating more diverse openings under the pile. It can be as simple as piling your clippings in some out-of-the-way location at the back of the property. Or, it can be as complex as having a planned layering of long alternating rows of prunings and small branches. The best brush piles, from a wildlife perspective, are those that allow a honeycomb of open spaces inside among the various elements. Those become places where birds and other small wildlife can hide, rest and escape from predators.
To create your brush pile:
- Lay down a crisscrossing pattern of 5-inch diameter logs on the chosen spot as a base. You may also use a wooden pallet if you have one already.
- Mound all available sticks, limbs, vines and such, atop the second layer, allowing them to spill over the logs to the ground.
- Continue adding trimmings from your trees and shrubs to build up the brush pile. As each layer of larger branches or logs is concealed, put on another layer until your pile is as high as you’d like. The finished brush pile will look like a dry-land beaver lodge without the mud.
- If you have any clipped evergreen branches, you can place those on top to conceal the interior.
Your wildlife visitors will greatly appreciate your work of art throughout the fall and winter! Just make sure that your pile is far away from any sources of fire.
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Audubon at Home Certifies 87-acre property
Audubon at Home (AAH) resumed in-person visits to homes with masks and safe social distancing on July 1 and interest came roaring back. Since then AAH has had 63 requests with 47 visits reported. The most notable property to be certified is the JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary, an 87-acre property in Loudoun County near Lucketts which has been placed under a conservation easement by owner and Audubon at Home partner, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy (LWC).
Biologists from the Virginia Department of Conservation’s Natural Heritage program determined the property was a globally rare wetland, with 14 vernal pools that support large and rare amphibian populations, mature forest, meadow and grassland within a unique geologic setting in an area of karst limestone overlay. Challenges include non-native invasive plants such as autumn olive and missing understory due to deer grazing. Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is working in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District to develop a management plan for the property.
LWC Executive Director Michael Myers said, “LWC is proud to steward this globally rare wetland and we are glad the property is now permanently protected from future development through a conservation easement. The Audubon at Home Wildlife Sanctuary certification is a very welcome recognition of the significance of this property.”
Maybe you don’t have 87 acres of globally rare wetland habitat, but Audubon at Home is always eager to work with you to improve the wildlife value of your yard, HOA or other property, no matter how small. Even a patch of a few dozen square feet can help support wildlife. Fall is a great time to plan and plant. To request a free visit from an Audubon at Home Ambassador who can advise on native plantings and other habitat improvements, visit us here.
Leave the Leaves
Here’s a habitat tip for fall: Leave the leaves! Did you know that many beneficial insects overwinter in leaf litter? And that many birds forage for their meals in leaf litter, such as the beautiful winter visitor, the Hermit Thrush? Leaf litter decays into rich humus that enriches the soil and supports a rich web of life. So, don’t bag up those leaves in plastic bags and set them out at the curb—leave the leaves on the ground.
For more advice on enhancing the habitat in your own backyard, check out our website.
In photo, from left: Anne Owen, LWC Audubon Program Coordinator for Loudoun County, Sheila Ferguson, LWC volunteer and native plant guru, Betsy Martin, ASNV Board member and AAH Program Co-Director, and Michael Myer, LWC Executive Director- all temporarily mask less for the photo. Photo by Mike Sciotino, LWC Black Oak Committee member.
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Bird Walks
Becau se the number of attendees at walks is very limited to allow social distancing whenever possible, these walks are intended for inexperienced birders. You must wear a mask for situations where distancing on trails or from other walkers may not possible be. Registration is required; click the links below for more information and registration details. Once you have registered, the leader will tell you where to meet.
If you cannot attend a walk for which you are registered, PLEASE cancel as soon as possible and notify the leader by email. If cancellations are at least 3 days in advance, we can fill the spot from the waiting list.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Southern Fairfax County
Wednesday, October 7, 8:00-11:00 AM
Leader is Dixie Sommers
Register
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Reston Area
Sunday, October 11, 8:00-11:00 AM
Leader is Robin Duska
Register
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Northern Prince William County
Sunday, October 25, 8:00-11:00 AM
Leader is Toby Hardwick
Register
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Reston Area
Wednesday, October 28, 8:00-11:00 AM
Leader is Joanne Bauer
Register
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Eastern Prince William County
Sunday, November 15, 8:00 -11:00 AM
Leader is Dixie Sommers
Register
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Southern Fairfax County
Tuesday, December 8, 7:30 AM-12:00 PM
Leaders are Larry Cartwright and Laura McDonald
Register
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Bird of the Month: Mr. House Finch You Are What You Eat
Jessica Bigger
Years ago, I remember sitting in a boat on an estuary in the Celestun Biosphere in Mexico, completely mesmerized by the vast flock of American Flamingos feeding on shrimp on the salt flats. They were magnificent, and the first thing I thought when I saw them, was how different they looked from the pink flamingos at the zoo. These wild flamingos displayed more of an orangish pink hue; due to the type of shrimp they consumed.
To see this amazing act of nature in flamingoes, you must visit Mexico, Central American, South America or the Caribbean. But you  can also witness this effect on plumage color closer to home. One bird in particular, the male House Finch, can range in color from yellow to bright red based on the food he eats. The fruits these males consume contain carotenoids, which directly contribute to how yellow or red their feathers become. Most male House Finches show off their red head, rump and headband, but if you look closely, some have a more orange or even yellowish hue. So, as the saying goes, “You are what you eat,” at least when it comes to the color of one’s plumage.
Eastern House Finches eat a variety of seeds and fruits, including mustard seeds, knotweed, thistle, mulberry, poison oak and more. They also forage in orchards eating cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries and blackberries. Bird feeders provide an additional supply of food, specifically black oil sunflower, millet, milo and some colorful dried fruits as well. The redder the fruit – the redder the bird.
Since female House Finches tend to select males that are bright red, research has shown that some males tend to be selective in the fruit and seeds that they eat. In a study back in 2009, researchers offered male House Finches different colored sunflower seeds. These males had a choice between green, yellow, orange and red colored seeds. Males tended to avoid yellow-dyed sunflower seeds and preferred the red and green ones. Males who are not as picky about what they eat may find it difficult to attract and court a female during breeding season.
Even though many male House Finches will prefer fruits that are red, sometimes there isn’t enough to go around. So, they eat what they can get. This may explain why in some areas there may be more yellow or orange-colored House Finches bopping around.
Surprisingly, there are many other local bird species whose color and brightness comes from the carotenoids they get from eating a variety of fruits and seeds. These include Northern Cardinals, American Goldfinches and yellow-hued warblers. However, unlike the House Finch, most of the fruits and seeds these guys consume may affect how dull or bright their plumage is rather than displaying a different shade of color.
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Monday Mystery continues
We are pleased to announce the winner of our Monday Nature Mystery, John Nolley!
We had some great guesses! John was the first to post the correct answer: Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata). According to All About Birds: Yellow-rumped Warblers winter across much of the central and southeastern United States, and they sometimes come to backyards if food is offered. To attract them, try putting out sunflower seed, raisins, suet and peanut butter. Find out more about what this bird likes to eat by using the Project FeederWatch Common Feeder Birds bird list.
Each Monday we’ll post a new photo and identify the previous week’s winner. They’ll receive an ASNV hat or tote bag. Here is this week’s mystery photo:
Do you know what bird this is? Post your guess (please list both common name and Latin name) on our Facebook page under Monday Nature Mystery.
Good Luck!
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