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Audubon Afternoon: Birds of Jamaica with Dr. Herlitz Davis, November 14th

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Photo courtesy of ASNV

Sunday, November 14, 2021
3-4:30 pm
Online
Register here.

Join Dr. Herlitz Davis and Audubon Society of Northern Virginia for a personal journey through Jamaica, from Cockpit Country to the Blue Mountains. Dr. Davis will introduce you to the fascinating Avifauna of Jamaica through stories of his life growing up in nature, and through his doctoral research at George Mason University and the Smithsonian Institution. If you like good coffee, if you like hummingbirds and owls, if you like adventure, you will like this presentation!

Fruit Talks and Field Walks: Persimmons with Eliza Greenman – November 11

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Photo: Persimmon, Keith Bradley

Workshop:
Online
Thursday, November 11, 2021
7 – 8 PM

Field Trip:
Saturday, November 13, 2021
8 AM – Noon
Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, VA

Fees: Workshop only: $15; Workshop and field walk: $75

Register here.

Join Audubon Society of Northern Virginia for an exciting new series with Oak
Spring Garden Foundation that focuses on native and heritage trees. The first
workshop will be led by Eliza Greenman, a fruit explorer, horticultural historian,
designer, and implementer of agroforestry. Learn more about Eliza and her work here.

Eliza will lead participants in a one-hour online class, followed by a half-day field
trip to Oak Spring Garden Foundation. They will be outdoors and walking
in the field. Please wear comfortable clothing and appropriate shoes.

Fundamentals of Avian Biology, the Study of Birds: Fall Session with Dr. Chris Haney, Oct. 4 – Nov. 15, 2021

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Dr. Chris Haney photo courtesy of ASNV

Mondays and Wednesdays, October 4 – November 15, 2021
7-8 pm
Field trips: October 16 (Rain Date: 23); November 6 (Rain Date: 13)
Where: VIRTUAL
Cost: $150 member/$175 non-member online only; $250 member/$275 non-member online and field trips
More information and register here.

Are you new to birding and want to learn more or just want to dig deeper into the subject? Then this Audubon Society of Northern Virginia class is for you.

This course is designed and presented at an introductory, university level in 6 parts, with each week’s worth of classroom instruction equaling 2 hours. Fundamentals of Avian Biology, Part 1 will feature the major underpinnings to ornithology within a context of U.S. national history. Topics covered in this class encompass: the origins and then separation of amateur from professional interest in birds; form and function in the avian body; avian flight mechanics, movement, and dispersal; bird distribution and biogeography; evolutionary relationships and naming systems for birds; and standardized field methods used to study birds. Whenever appropriate, contrasting perspectives are offered, including controversial views that arose from reliance on different theories or applications. Instructional presentations will include PowerPoint slides, auditory or video supplements, and some in-class participatory exercises.

Audubon Afternoon: Mt. Cuba Native Plant Trial Gardens, September 26th

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Sunday, September 26, 2021
3-4:30 pm
Online
Register here.

Join Audubon Society of Northern Virginia for their fall Audubon Afternoon! Their guest speaker will be Sam Hoadley, Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center. You’ll learn about the amazing native plant trial gardens at Mt. Cuba, how they evaluate plants and related cultivars for horticultural and ecological value. Sam will highlight the ecosystem services that native plants provide.

Butterfly Identification Workshop, September 16th

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Photo: Comma and Question Mark, Gary Meyers

Butterfly Identification Workshop, September 16, 2021
7-8:30 pm
Online.
Register here.

The sight of butterflies fluttering around on a warm day is one of the most iconic signs of our warm weather months. These beautiful insects usually only live for a few weeks as adults, but they make quite an impression while they are in their full glory. There is a large variety of butterfly species in our area. Dr. Larsen will focus on identifying the 20 most common butterflies in Northern Virginia. Participants will then be able to sign up for our new fall butterfly count!

Elise Larsen is a post-doctoral associate at the Ries Lab of Butterfly Infomatics. Her interests include ecology, population dynamics, phenology, and disturbance. She is especially fascinated by butterfly dynamics, currently focusing on traits such as color and lifespan.

Celebrate National Moth Week! Workshop and Survey with Judy Gallagher

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Io moth by Judy Gallagher

Thursday, July 29, 7:00 – 8:00 PM (Online via Zoom)
Field Trip: Saturday, July 31, 8:30 PM –10:30 PM Lorton, VA
Fee: FREE, but registration is required

You all know something about butterflies but you probably don’t know much about their cousins, the moths. Did you know many adult moths eat nectar but others don’t eat at all as adults? Join Judy to learn about the mysterious world of moths, and gain some information about identifying them.

On the outing, they’ll set up a black light to attract moths and use field guides and iNaturalist to try to identify them.  They’ll set up an iNaturalist project to keep track of the moths they see.

Brought to you by Audubon Society of Northern Virginia.

Audubon Afternoon: How Birds Adapt their Songs to Urban Noise and What We’ve Learned during the Pandemic, Dr. David Luther, June 6th

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Photo courtesy of ASNV

Sunday, June 6, 2021
3 pm
Virtual
Register here.

Audubon Society of Northern Virginia will hold its annual membership meeting virtually, on Sunday, June 6 from 3:00 to 3:15 PM. The membership will vote on incoming Directors and new terms for Officers.

At 3:15 PM, they will welcome Dr. David Luther to their Audubon Afternoon. Urban environments are among the most highly modified habitats on the planet. David’s research has focused on how human activity has modified habitats and altered ecological processes around the world. Acoustic communication is a critical component of reproductive success in many species. His lab at George Mason University studies how human noise affects the behavior and survival of a diversity of bird species.

Art, Wonder and the Natural World, webinar May 6th

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Photo courtesy of Jane Kim

Thursday, May 6, 2021
7 pm
Fee: $10

To register, click here.

Join Audubon Society of Northern Virginia as they welcome Jane Kim, artist, science illustrator, and the founder of Ink Dwell, a studio that explores the wonders of the natural world. In this visually stunning presentation, Jane will take the audience on an artistic journey that explores the 375 million year evolution of birds, the migratory behaviors of some of our most beloved and endangered animals and the importance of creating urban monuments to nature.

This is a joint venture with the Oak Spring Garden Foundation.

Birding by Ear

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Song Sparrow photo by Pat Ulrich

On line: Thursday, May 13, Tuesday, May 18 & Thursday, May 20
7:00 – 8:30PM
Field Trip: Saturday, May 22 (Limit 20), Place TBD
Fee: $75/Online only; $100/Online + Field Trip
To register, click here.

Sponsored by Audubon Society of Northern Virginia

Have you ever wondered what that song or ‘chip’ note was that you heard on a forest hike? Can’t tell the difference between a spring peeper and a wood warbler? How does one learn to memorize the complex and endless variety of bird sings? This workshop is designed for you. If you are a relative beginner, and want to start building a repertoire of learned bird songs and calls, here is the place. This workshop on Birding by Ear will help you phoneticize a variety of bird calls using mnemonic devices, understand the basic function and purpose of avian vocalizations, organize a library of calls and songs having similar characteristics, and improve your field birding skills.

Beginning Birding – Hybrid Workshop, April 27th, 29th & May 1st

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Photo by Luke Franke

April 27, 29; Tuesday & Thursday, 7:00 – 8:00PM
Field Trip: May 1, 7:30AM (Limit 20)
Where: Hybrid – online and in the field!
Fee: $25/Online only; $50/Online + Field Trip

To register, click here.

Are you new to the world of birding? Not sure if the bird in your binoculars is a warbler or a sparrow? Then this class is for you! This three part hybrid class will focus on the basics: Why go birding? What is birding? What about binoculars, field guides, and phone apps? How can you get started identifying the birds you see? Where can you go birding?

Join Greg Butcher, Larry Meade and Dixie Sommers for Audubon Society of Northern Virginia’s first hybrid workshop. They’ll meet online for two, one-hour Zoom sessions and follow up what you’ve learned in the field.