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Birds and Words with Bill Young, February 15th, 17th, and 22nd

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Photo:  William Young

Tuesday, February 15, Thursday February 17, and Tuesday February 22, 2022,
7-8 pm
Online.
Register here.

How have bird words infiltrated the English language? What is the basis for the common and scientific names of birds?

These and many other questions will be answered in this three-part workshop. Bill Young will address these and many other questions in Birds and Words. Bill is the author of the book The Fascination of Birds: From the Albatross to the Yellowthroat. He also is the co-creator of the MPNature.com website, which is a comprehensive resource for people who visit Monticello Park in Alexandria, Va.

Great Backyard Bird Count Workshop and Kahoot!, February 3rd

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Thursday, February 3, 2022
7 – 8:30 pm
Online.
Register here.

Save the date! The next GBBC is February 18 – 21. Bird enthusiasts of all ages count birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are ranging. Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.

Now, hundreds of thousands of people, all ages and walks of life worldwide, join the four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds.

This FREE workshop will cover the history of GBBC, its purpose, tips for identifying birds, and the protocols to be followed while counting.

After the presentation, theyll test your identification skills with a Kahoot!

ASNV Workshop for Winter Waterfowl Count, January 27th

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Photo: William Pohley

Thursday, January 27, 2022
7-8:30 pm
Online, free!
Register here.

Join Greg Butcher, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia board member and migratory species coordinator for US Forest Service International Programs, for an introduction to waterfowl identification. Get to know many of the species that winter in the open waters of our region. You’ll learn how to tell a Bufflehead from a Hooded Merganser, and, with luck, you will see the beautiful Tundra Swans that winter in our area. Strategies will include identification by shape and color pattern.

They’ll review protocol to ensure that participants understand the ASNV pandemic restrictions which include wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and carpooling. After the presentation we’ll test your identification skills with a Kahoot!

This workshop will include an outdoor field trip and bird walk on Saturday, January 29—details will be given in class. After the workshop and field trip, you’ll be ready to rally for a tally during our 13th Annual Waterfowl Count, Saturday, February 5, and Sunday, February 6

Scholarship application to Hog Island Educator’s Week now open!

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Photo:  Gretchen Linton

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. Hog Island Audubon Camp has offered environmental education programs for adults, teens, families, and conservation leaders since 1936. While there, educators learn interdisciplinary hands-on methods and approaches to environmental education while immersed in the natural world.

Applicants must be public classroom teachers, specialists, or school administrators in the ASNV chapter territory: Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, and Stafford counties and the Independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Leesburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park.)

Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week will be July 17 – 22, 2022.To apply, please complete the online application and submit two letters of recommendation no later than February 28, 2022. Please see the application for additional details, including post-camp requirements.

Audubon Afternoon Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul, January 9th

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Sunday, January 9, 2022
3 – 4 pm
Virtual
Free but registration required.
Register here.

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. We’re pushed and pulled in many directions, no matter our age. If we allow birds and nature to slow us down, we are practicing a form of “self-care.” Research shows that exposure to nature actively reduces stress, depression, and anxiety, while helping build a stronger heart and immune system. Birds are gateways into deeper experiences with nature, magnifying these benefits. Through observation we can learn not only about birds, but gain insight into our own lives while exploring our connection to the world around us. This fosters stewardship and bolsters conservation.

Within the program, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia‘s presenter, Holly Marker, will delve into our connections to birds, how to practice Ornitherapy for optimal benefits, and learn about the latest research in the power of nature for overall well-being. Come listen to how watching birds can bring you more than just the enjoyment.

Bird Walks-Audubon Society of Northern Virginia

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Photo:  J. Quinn

Bird walks are back! Audubon Society of Northern Virginia follows the Center for Disease Control’s COVID-19 guidelines: in brief, fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing. Unvaccinated people are required to wear a face mask covering nose and mouth and physically distancing from others. As always, anyone experiencing symptoms of illness should not attend.

Walks currently require registration and may limit attendees to a number that the walk leader feels they can guide effectively. The leader may elect not to allow any participant to use the leader’s scope and may discontinue participation if they are not comfortable with the precautions.

They strive to make their walks and other events inclusive. Please refer to the Birdability map for general information on the accessibility of parks and trails in our area for those with disabilities.

Recurring Bird Walks schedule.

Virtual Workshop for the Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count

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Photo: Photo: Black-capped Chickadee, Megan Lavoie/Audubon Photography Awards

Where: VIRTUAL!
When: Thursday, December 16, 2021
7:00 – 8:30PM
Fee: FREE!

For Information and Registration click here.

This event is FREE, but registration is required.

Join Phil Silas, the Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count compiler, and members from the Conservation Committee to learn about this long-running citizen science bird survey. They will review protocol to ensure that participants understand the ASNV pandemic restrictions. After the presentation, they will test participants identification skills with a Kahoot!

Author Event: Ivory-billed Woodpecker as Trickster with Dr. Chris Haney, Webinar December 9th

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Book cover, courtesy of Dr. Chris Haney

Where: Virtual!
When: Thursday, December 9, 2021
7:00PM
Registration Fees: Member ticket: $10, Non-member ticket: $15

Pre-order your copy of Dr. Haney’s new book, Woody’s Last Laugh here.

For Registration information click here.

Join Audubon Society of Northern Virginia in welcoming their good friend, Dr. Chris Haney. They 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. Interacting with listeners, he will illustrate cognitive blunders, psychological biases, and logical fallacies that have long duped both sides of the woodpecker controversy. Few bird species have ever provoked such social rancor among us. Why are rumors of the woodpecker’s persistence so prevalent, unlike other near or recently extinct animals? Why are we so bad-mannered with each other about a bird? How is it that we cannot agree even on whether a mere bird is alive or dead? Ivory-billed Woodpecker as Trickster uncovers how uncertainty about our natural world can so mess with our heads. Regardless of what (or who) you choose to believe, new ways of thinking about this striking avian icon will be opened to everyone, not just birders…

 

Field Trip to the Lorton Landfill, November 20th

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Photo: ASNV

Saturday, November 20, 2021
8 am
Fairfax County Recycling and Disposal Center
9850 Furnace Rd., Lorton VA
This walk is FREE, but registration is required.

Why go birdwatching at a landfill? To see multiple kestrels, harriers, Bald Eagles, meadowlarks, sparrows (maybe some rare ones, if we’re lucky). The I95 landfill is mostly closed, so we can safely drive around and experience open grassland birds and also visit small ponds and forest edges. 134 species have been recorded here, including 58 on a single day in late October. It’s one of those places where you’re never quite sure what you’ll see.

Join Audubon Society of Northern Virginia at 8 AM on Saturday November 20 at the Administration Building by following Google Map directions to Fairfax County Recycling and Disposal Center, 9850 Furnace Road, Lorton VA. As you drive in past the weigh station (stay to the left so you don’t get weighed), the administration building is the first building on the right. Contact Greg Butcher or see the registration link for more information.

Seeking Program Manager for Audubon Society of Northern Virginia

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Photo: S. Hermann via Pixabay

Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (ASNV) is one of the leading environmental organizations in the region with more than 4,500 members. They specialize in birds, wildlife, native plants, and the diverse human communities in which they exist.  They have activities and programs in adult education, citizen science, conservation, and advocacy. They are looking for a full-time program manager to lead day-to-day operations of ASNV in coordination with their board of directors, part-time Program Assistant, and large cadre of volunteers. All applications are due by November 24, 2021.

Duties

The program manager will:
• Coordinate with and provide support to the board of directors and committees
• Develop and provide support for adult classes, programs, and quarterly membership meetings
• Develop and nurture relationships with local and regional environmental organizations
• Work to engage the full range of diverse Northern Virginia communities in ASNV’s activities
• Coordinate with the communications team to facilitate publication of the monthly newsletter and updates to the website, and write frequent social media posts
• Provide support for fundraising campaigns and the annual report to the membership
• Coordinate with the part-time Program Assistant and volunteer Treasurer on bill payments and compensation for instructors and speakers
• Together with the Program Assistant, monitor mail, email and voice mail and answer or forward messages for resolution

Qualifications

The applicant should have:
• Commitment to and love for the environment
• At least an undergraduate college degree or comparable work experience
• An ability to work independently and to know when to ask for help
• Strong written and oral communications skills, including with social media

Work Arrangements
The employee may work remotely or at the office in Reston, but if working remotely will travel to the office at least once per week. 
Work includes some weekend time and some evening time to support programs and classes in coordination with volunteers.

Salary is $50-65,000 depending on experience. Benefits include vacation, sick leave, holiday pay, and a contribution to health insurance.

Application Process

Please respond to [email protected] with questions or with a resume and a cover letter explaining your suitability for the position. All applications are due by November 24, 2021. Please include contact information for three references.