Bird Migration 2020 Brings Some Welcome Surprises, VSO recorded webinar

/in , /by

Photo by Barth Bailey on Unsplash

Watch the webinar here.

Zoom lecture by Dr. Jerry Via, former Virginia Tech assistant dean. This has been an interesting year with the migration of so many winter finches. What are influences which result in the irruptions of finches and other species? Some species such as Rufous Hummingbirds seem to be off course, but are they lost? What does new monitoring technology teach us about some of the mysteries of migration, such as trans-oceanic migrants?

Brought to you by Virginia Society of Ornithology.

The Southeast’s Diverse Flora: Discoveries, Conservation & Identification with Alan Weakley webinar, April 8th

/in , /by

Red Maple (Acer rubrum) ; photo by Margaret Chatham

Thursday, April 8, 2021
7:30 – 9 pm
Register here.

Alan Weakley is a plant taxonomist, community ecologist, and conservationist specializing in the Southeastern United States. He holds a B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. from Duke University. He has worked as botanist and ecologist for the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, and as regional and chief ecologist for The Nature Conservancy and NatureServe. He is currently Director of the University of North Carolina Herbarium, a department of the N.C. Botanical Garden, and teaches as adjunct faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill and at the Highlands Biological Station.

Dr. Weakly is author of the Flora of the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic States, and co-author (with Chris Ludwig and Johnny Townsend) of the Flora of Virginia, which has received five awards, including the Thomas Jefferson Award for Conservation.

Hosted by Virginia Native Plant Society, Potowmack Chapter.

Audubon Afternoon: Native Landscape Design with John Magee, March 21st

/in , /by

Sunday, March 21, 2021
3 pm
Free
Register here.

Join Audubon Society of Northern Virginia as they welcome award winning landscape designer and host of The Native Plant Podcast, John Magee. 

John Magee has been designing and building landscapes in the Washington DC Metro area and beyond for the past 25 years.  After receiving his B.S. degree in Agriculture from the Ohio State University and spending a few years training and showing horses, he settled into the industry as the General Foreman of Pennsylvania’s highest award-winning landscape firm.  While in Pennsylvania, he became a volunteer at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and not only did he meet his wife there, but he was introduced to habitat gardening and the use of native plants in the landscape.  He now operates his own award-winning design firm (Magee Design) in the beautiful countryside of Middleburg, VA where he also enjoys kayaking and taking long walks with his wife and dog.  He created and hosts the Native Plant Podcast and hosts and produces the “Protecting what matters” podcast in partnership with the Department of the Interior’s “National Invasive Species Council” Secretariat.

Attracting Bees and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants, March 6th

/in , /by

Agapostemon photo by Heather Holm

Saturday, March 6, 2021
11 am
Fee: $10
Register here.

Most insects have a positive impact in our landscapes. Native plants can be selected to attract specific bees and beneficial insects including predatory and parasitic wasps, beetles, flies, true bugs, and lacewings. Learn about the predator-prey relationships of these flower-visiting beneficial insects and how they help keep problem insect populations in balance. The life cycles, diversity, and nesting habitat of native bees will also be covered along with examples of native plants for different site conditions.

The program will be presented by Heather Holm, biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author.

This is a joint venture with Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and the American Horticultural Society.

Fundamentals of Avian Biology, The Study of Birds: Spring Session

/in , /by

Photo: Dr. Chris Haney

March 2,4,9,11,16,18, 23, 25, 30; April 1, 13, 15
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 – 8:30 pm
Fee: $150/member; $175/non-member
Click here to learn more and/or register.

Are you new to birding and want to learn more or just want to dig deeper into the subject? Then this class is for you! This course is designed and presented at an introductory but comprehensive university level in 6 weekly parts, with each internet-hosted video instructional session about one hour long.

The Search for Lost Birds, webinar February 25th

/in , /by

Thursday, February 25, 2021
4:00pm EST
Zoom link provided upon registration

For 75 years, the Blue-eyed Ground-Dove was known only from scattered records and old illustrations. In 2016, researchers in Brazil observed the ground-dove for the first time in decades, launching an international partner effort to save the Critically Endangered species.

Like the Blue-eyed Ground-Dove, over a hundred birds around the world are considered “lost,” and American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is helping to lead efforts to find and protect these species.

Jordan E. Rutter, ABC Director of Public Relations, will discuss their Lost Birds program, past and upcoming expeditions, and the urgent conservation need of finding lost birds.

She’ll be moderating the conversation with these wonderful speakers:

John Mittermeier, Director of Threatened Species Outreach and head of ABC’s Lost Birds initiative
Albert Aguiar, Project Coordinator, SAVE Brasil
Eliana Fierro-Calderón, International Conservation Project Officer and ABC lead for the Sinu Parakeet expedition

2021 Spring and Fall Landscaping with Virginia Natives Webinar Series, Starts March 5th

/in , /by

Plant Virginia Natives partners are collaborating to offer a series of 12 webinars – 6 this spring and 6 this fall.  The webinars will guide you through the why and how to turn your home garden into a beautiful retreat for your family and a native habitat for birds and other wildlife. 

The series kicks-off on Friday, March 5 at 6:30 pm with an engaging presentation by Dr. Douglas Tallamy, renowned author of Nature’s Best Hope. Dr. Tallamy’s photography and message of hope is not to be missed!

Sign up for all 12 webinars for just $10! Learn more and register here.

Two-Part Evening Webinar: Things You “Otter” Know, February 16th

/in , /by

River otter, courtesy of SERC

Tuesday, February 16, 2021
6-8 pm
Speaker: Karen McDonald, SERC education specialist
Sign up online to watch live or on demand

Brought to you by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), you can learn about river otters in the Chesapeake Bay, in a two-part event for kids and adults! Once you sign up, you’ll be able to enter the webinar any time after it starts, so you’ll be able join either or both activities. They’ll also send you a link to a recording of the event 1-2 days after it airs.

6pm – Draw An Otter With A Biologist. All you need is a pencil, a blank sheet of paper and a good Internet connection. Ideal for ages 6+, and anyone who enjoys mixing science and art.  

7pm – Things You “Otter” Know. In this virtual science talk, Karen McDonald will explore what we know, what we don’t know and the research SERC is conducting to better understand river otters. Younger viewers can download this coloring sheet to do during the talk or afterwards. 

Mow Less, Grow More webinar, March 7th

/in , /by

Photo by Eliza Diamond on Unsplash

Sunday, March 7, 2021
2 – 3:30 pm
Register here.

The Friends of Mason Neck State Park will host a special program, “Mow Less, Grow More.” Their speaker will be Tami Sheiffer, the coordinator of Fairfax County Park Authority’s “Watch the Green Grow” education and outreach initiative.

Learn how you can protect neighboring parks and natural habitat through your yard care by mowing less and growing more. Tami will discuss how to use native plants to expand wildlife corridors and stream buffers as well as help solve landscaping problems such as areas of erosion or poor drainage where grass will not grow.

The program is free, thanks to the generosity of the members and donors of the Friends of Mason Neck State Park. Registration is required, so they can send you the Zoom link for the program.

Introduction to Bird and Nature Photography with Brian Zwiebel, February 18th and 25th

/in , /by

Thursdays, February 18 & 25, 2021
7 – 8 pm
Cost $25
Register here.

This introductory program is great for beginners but will offer a few nuggets for the intermediate shooter as well. Learn what Brian does and what you should do too, every time you get your hands on a new digital camera. Discover what a histogram is, how to read it and use it to make better exposures. Learn to improve your images with better compositions and backgrounds as well as how to improve your action and behavior images. All of this and much more will be included in the program and each talking point supported by Brian’s award-winning photography. Presented by Audubon Society of Northern Virginia.