NVBA publishes the Potomac Flier each month. Our newsletter includes updates from the organization, local conservation stories, upcoming classes, events and bird walks, and other information of interest to our members. Our current newsletter is below.

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November 2024 Potomac Flier
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November 2024

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President's Corner

Green-winged Teal, Gary Zahm/Audubon Photography Awards

NVBA strengthened its role as a regional conservation leader in October, organizing an event to bring together organizations and other entities involved in conservation in northern Virginia.
Read more >

Glass and Light Pollution Threaten Birds

Reflective glass at the Martha Washington Library, Glenda Booth

NVBA has launched a campaign to prevent bird deaths, citing a National Audubon Society study that found a 30 percent drop in bird populations in North America since 1970, which means more than one in four birds or three billion birds have been lost since then.
Read more >

Where There's a Wildfire, There's Smoke: How Does it Affect Birds? Looking Back at the 2023 Canadian Wildfires

NYC wildfire smoke, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

We humans can find some refuge from the toxic particles by entering an office building, or staying at home, but what do birds do?
Read more >

More News

"Keystone" Plants for Fall Gardens

Keystone plants, Plant NoVA Natives

It’s fall, and most healthy plants are looking rather spent as they go dormant for the winter. But some natives are happily blooming away for the first time this growing season.

Read more >

 

Two Entangled Bald Eagles Fell from the Sky

Entangled Bald Eagles, Glenda Booth

When Janet Challender was walking from the Hollin Hall Senior Center to her car around 2 p.m. on October 15, as she rounded the corner, suddenly, out of the sky, two bald eagles intertwined with each other “crashed into the parking lot like a meteor,” she said.

Read more >
 

Come Help Plant our Generous Wild Plant Donation from Earth Sangha!

Donated plants, Bill Browning

Earth Sangha, a key partner in the Stretch Our Parks habitat restoration corridor, made a sizable donation of wild plants to the project and we need to get these youngsters in the ground!

Read more >
 

New NVBA Merch is In!

NVBA merch, Tina Dudley

Visit our online store to check out our tshirts, hats and tote bags featuring our new name and logo.

Visit the store >
 
Monthly Features

Observations from Meadowood

Feather-legged Fly, Judy Gallagher


Judy Gallagher is a long-time participant in the Meadowood Recreation Area survey. Here are some of her findings.   

Read more >


 

Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac: Grow Your Own Bird Feeders for Migrating Birds

Blackpoll Warbler, Kevin Sim/Audubon Photography Awards


Fall-fruiting native shrubs and trees not only provide nutritious, fatty berries for birds, but also display beautiful fall color. That’s not for our benefit: what’s called foliar fruit flagging is the way the plants signal to birds that fruits are ripe and ready for plucking—just in time for migration.

Read more >

 


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.
 

Strengthening Bird Habitats and Coastal Resilience in Panama
Harpy Eagle, Keith Freeburn/Audubon Photography Awards

Join us for a presentation by Julio Montes de Oca and Adriana Moreno on Audubon Americas’ work supporting bird conservation in Panama. 

When: Thursday, November 7, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Virtual
Ticket: FREE

 

Birds in Watercolor: Northern Flicker with Ronna Fujisawa
Image courtesy of Ronna Fujisawa

Join this virtual class to learn to paint a close-up of a Northern Flicker. Your instructor, Ronna Fujisawa of Salty Water Art, will be your guide through the step-by-step process of painting. 

When: Thursday, November 14, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Where: Virtual
Members: $25
Non-members: $35 

 

Project FeederWatch Workshop with Greg Butcher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pamela Brown/Audubon Photography Awards

Join Greg Butcher in this free workshop to learn how you can help the Cornell Lab of Ornithology monitor winter birds in North America by counting them from the comfort of your home. Greg will cover a bit of Project FeederWatch history, its purpose, tips for identifying birds, and the protocols to be followed while counting.

When: Thursday, November 21, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Virtual
Ticket: FREE 

 

Bird Walks

Birding, Camila Cerea
 
Check this page for upcoming walks! Registration is no longer required for NVBA-sponsored walks.

Monday Nature Mystery

Hemlock Woolly Adelgig (Adelges tsugae), Open Source


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


Read more >

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 >
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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