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December 2021              ASNV HOME    DONATE    JOIN

President's Corner

Eastern Bluebird, Pamela Underhill/Audubon Photography Awards

One hundred million unowned cats in the United States kill 1.7 billion birds and more than six billion other small animals each year. For the past several months, I have participated in a state-mandated mediation group that is attempting to address the unowned cat problem in Virginia.

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2022 Scholarship Application to Hog Island Educator's Week Now Open!

Hog Island, Pheobe Riegle

Each year Audubon Society of Northern Virginia offers a full scholarship to Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week at Hog Island Audubon Camp in coastal Maine. Read on to find out how to apply!

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Annual Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count is December 19

Carolina Chickadee, Jeff Drake/Great Backyard Bird Count

Audubon Society of Northern Virginia’s Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count will be held on Sunday, December 19, 2021 with a preliminary online workshop on December 16. This count will be ASNV’s 40th year participating in a 122-year-old annual tradition of citizen science.

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ASNV News

2021 Hog Island Scholarship Recipient

Hog Island sunrise, Gretchen Linton

2021 Hog Island Scholarship recipient Gretchen Linton reflects on her time at Educator’s Week.

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Happy Frostmas!

Northern Mockingbird and hoophouse, Deidra Bryant

What’s “Frostmas?” Every year farmers celebrate the end of the growing season when the first frost occurs.

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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 calendar for our full schedule of events.

December Fireside Chat with Dr. Tom Wood: Celebrate Swans!

Tundra Swans, Wink Gaines/GBBC
 

Join us for a celebration of the return of the swans! This chat will be swan-themed and inspire you to visit our wintering Tundra Swans as they majestically return with fanfare from the great north. 

When: Thursday, December 2, 7:00PM
Where: Virtual!
Fee: FREE!

INFO AND REGISTRATION

Author Event: Ivory-billed Woodpecker as Trickster with Dr. Chris Haney

Book cover, courtesy of Dr. Chris Haney
 

Join us as we welcome our good friend, Dr. Chris Haney. We will explore a simmering paradox that has baffled birders, scientists, conservationists, and the media for more than 100 years: repeated claims for the supposed “extinction” of the American Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

When: Thursday, December 9, 7:00PM
Where: Virtual!
Member ticket: $10
Non-member ticket: $15

INFO AND REGISTRATION

Workshop for the Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count

Black-capped Chickadee, Megan Lavoie
 
Join Phil Silas, the Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count compiler, and members from our Conservation Committee to learn about this long-running citizen science bird survey.

When: Thursday, December 16, 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Where: Online!
Cost: FREE!
INFO AND REGISTRATION

Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count Tally Rally

Black-capped Chickadee, Jeff Drake/GBBC
 

Join the Manassas-Bull Run Compiler, Phil Silas and friends, to learn about highlights of this year’s CBC. Who saw the Red-headed Woodpecker? How many owls did we hear? Grab a cup of hot cocoa and celebrate with the ASNV community!

This event is FREE, but registration is required.

When: Sunday, December 19, 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Where: Online!
Cost: FREE!
INFO AND REGISTRATION

Audubon Afternoon Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul with Holly Merker

Courtesy of Holly Merker
 

Watching birds - it's not only fun, but good for you!

Learn why getting your daily dose of Ornitherapy is just what the doctor ordered.Ornitherapy, or a more mindful approach to the observation of birds, benefits our mind, body, and soul.

This event is FREE, but registration is required.

When: Sunday, January 9, 2022, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
Where: Online!
Cost: FREE!
INFO AND REGISTRATION

Birds and Words with Bill Young

Great Horned Owlet, William Young
 

How have bird words infiltrated the English language? What is the basis for the common and scientific names of birds? What slang expressions are used by and about birders? What are the funniest and most unusual bird names? What special words are used to describe types of birds and groups of birds? 

Bill Young will address these and many other questions in Birds and Words. 

When: February 15, 17, & 22, 2022, 7:00 – 8:00PM
Where: Online!
Cost: Members; $25, Non-members: $35
INFO AND REGISTRATION

Bird Walks

Birder, Camilla Cerea
 
Check this page for upcoming walks. Registration is required for all walks!
 
News
The Importance of Wetlands
Report Your Tree Plantings!
Good News on Banning Gas-powered Leaf Blowers
New Resource for Birders and Educators Available 
Monthly Features

Observations from Meadowood

Catalpa Sphinx Moth Caterpillars, Judy Gallagher

Judy Gallagher continues to survey Meadowood Recreation Area. Here are some findings from her most recent survey.   

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December Bird of the Month: Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco, Judith Blakeley

The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most widespread species throughout North America, yet the variation in plumage and behavior between regional species is significant.

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Monday Nature Mystery

Drew Heath, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Monday Nature Mystery continues! Read on to learn who correctly identified our last mystery and see what this week's mystery holds.

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Conservation Counts

Common Buckeye, 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 >
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.  https://www.audubon.org/
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