Posts

Birding By Ear for Beginners with Colt Gregory, April 23rd

/in , /by

Photo: Carolina Wren, David Smith/Audubon Photography Awards

Tuesday, April 23, 2024
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Virtual Seminar
ASNV Member ticket: $10 (Non-member ticket: $20)

Registration required!

Did you know you don’t even need binoculars to explore the big world of birds? Often it is faster and easier to identify a bird by its song – if you know how to bird by ear. In this program, Colt Gregory will:

  • explain the many benefits of birding by ear

  • introduce some of the most common birds by their songs and calls

  • share resources and apps to help you practice and improve your birding by ear skills.

This program is intended for beginning birders but may be a helpful refresher for more experienced birders. This program welcomes children aged 10+ if they are accompanied by a participating adult.

Colt Gregory is a member of the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Bird Club, and Arlington Regional Master Naturalists, serving on ARMN’s Training Committee. Colt co-leads the weekly Sunday bird walks at Great Falls National Park and leads several routes in regional Christmas Bird Counts. He enjoys hiking, camping, and birding during both. He believes that Audubon programs provide a better understanding of the relationships among plants, animals, and the environment while giving us all opportunities to volunteer, educate, and learn.

Colt will lead an optional field trip in northern Virginia on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at 8:00 AM for up to 15 local Birding by Ear participants. The fee is $30 per person. Click here to register for the field trip. The field trip is first come, first served, and there will be a waitlist. The field trip will be in Great Falls, VA. The exact location will be shared only with field trip registrants.

Audubon Society of Northern Virginia Presents Author Talk: “Flight Paths” with Rebecca Heisman, March 26

/in , /by

Tuesday, March 26, 2024
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Virtual Presentation
ASNV Member ticket: $15 (Non-member ticket: $25)

Registration is REQUIRED.

 

We’ve all heard amazing facts about bird migration—the long distances that birds travel and the ways that they navigate. But did you ever wonder how we figured all of this out? While working for the American Ornithological Society, Rebecca Heisman became fascinated with the varied and creative techniques that scientists have used to study bird migration, and this eventually became the basis for her book, Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. In her talk, she’ll share some surprising stories from the history of bird migration research and discuss why understanding migration is so crucial for bird conservation.

Rebecca Heisman is an award-winning science writer who lives in Walla Walla, Washington, and has worked with organizations including the National Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the American Ornithological Society. Flight Paths is her first book.

Birding by Ear for Beginners with Colt Gregory, May 12th

/in , /by

Photo: Blackburnian Warbler, Shirley Donald/Audubon Photography Awards

Thursday, May 12, 2022
7 – 8:00pm
Where: ONLINE
ASNV Members: $10
Non-members: $20
Register here.

The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia presents, Birding by Ear for Beginners with Colt Gregory.
Often it is faster and easier to identify a bird by its song. In this program, Colt Gregory will:

– explain the many benefits of birding by ear
– introduce some of the most common birds by their songs and calls
– share resources and apps to help you practice and improve your birding by ear skills.

This program is intended for beginner birders but may be a helpful refresher for more experienced birders. This program welcomes children age 10+ accompanied by a participating adult.

For more information about this event please click here.

Bird Habitats on College Campuses

/in , /by

George Mason University Pond, Fairfax

Article and photos by FMN Stephen Tzikas

We have anchors in life that allow us to perceive familiar surroundings through all sorts of lenses. These anchors could be our home town, places we lived and worked, or other important times in our lives such as education and residency on a college campus. I visit my alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), annually, and I am always amazed what new interesting “discoveries” I make, that have always been there but were hidden in front of my eyes. As a young student there, my motivations and goals were different. When I am back visiting, I can now enjoy this lovely campus of interest through the perspective of geology, history, performing arts, architecture, guest lectures, public events, nature, and so on. That applied interest allows me to segue those “discoveries” to my local environment. My interest in birds, for example, encouraged me to think about the types of birds on the RPI campus, and voila, ebird listed a whole universe of birds I never knew existed there. It didn’t take me long to connect that thought to what might exist at GMU or Northern Virginia Community College locations in Fairfax County that I frequently visit.

Idyllic spot at Northern Virginia Community College, Loudoun Campus

I think most people don’t normally think of college campuses as birding locations, but they offer some outstanding benefits. For campuses located in suburbia and the countryside, efforts are usually made to make a campus peaceful, safe, and intellectually stimulating. Campuses can be vibrant places with trade shows and performing art events. One can also find sophisticated laboratories with halls of learning containing displays of historical instruments and specimens, and research posters displayed on the walls. College campuses are usually highly manicured and integrated with nature.

A college campus can be both quiet and full of noises, and not just those of student parties. There are the noises of nature, to quote Shakespeare’s The Tempest, “the isle is full of noises, Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight.” While I was unaware of a birding club during my student days, many universities are now interacting with organizations that cater to avian interests. For example, there is Audubon on Campus, where students can become campus ambassadors and establish a campus chapter. The National Wildlife Federation has a State of the Campus Environment report card, helping to improve unique student learning experiences to gain skills necessary for sustaining the health of our environment.

The application, iNaturalist, will usually list extensive inventories of wildlife on campuses, including birds, but also other animals and plants. College campuses are typically ADA compliant and may or may not offer disabled parking privileges free-of-charge without a permit. It’s best to check with the educational institution as policies vary and because college parking spaces can sometimes be difficult to find. Although campuses might not have a bird trail per se, they do offer an attractive setting for those who may have an association with one or more colleges, or just love being around academic institutions. I am not the only one who thinks so. These links will provide the latest bird sightings at GMU and the NVCC campuses:

So why not make a day of birding at a college campus? College Campuses often add value to the hosting town, and if a campus could not fill your entire need, their towns usually offer great restaurants, entertainment, and shops of interest.