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Raptor Rapture, April 30th — CANCELED

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UPDATE:  THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED TO PROTECT THE RAPTORS FROM AVIAN FLU

 

Photo: Stacey Remick-Simkins

Saturday, April 30, 2022
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Where: Belle Haven Park
No Registration required.

The Raptor Rapture event is open to the public and does not require registration.  It will be held in Belle Haven Park, which is located off the George Washington Memorial Parkway just south of Old Town Alexandria.  It is recommended to use a GPS to obtain directions by entering “Belle Haven Park” as your destination.

The event may be cancelled due to inclement weather, in which case we will post a cancellation notice to our website and Facebook page. Sending an email to [email protected] is the best way to get in touch if you have any additional questions.

Meet Your Wildest Neighbors: Raptors of Virginia, Maryland and DC, December 7th

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Photo: Stacey Remick-Simkins

Rust Library
380 Old Waterford Rd NW, Leesburg, VA
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
7 pm

It is thrilling to watch a Red-tailed Hawk soar beneath a bright blue sky or hear a Barred Owl call on a cold, clear night. Have you ever wondered where they live, what they eat, or how they raise their young? You are invited into the secret lives of these magnificent birds of prey. The personal stories of the live hawks, owls, and falcons who will be present will help you identify our native species, understand their valuable contribution to a healthy environment, and learn what we can do to provide for their welfare in the face of climate change and an increasingly human world—with good news, bad news, and a few surprises along the way. This program by certified raptor rehabilitator Liz Dennison is being jointly sponsored by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Loudoun County Public Library. Questions: Contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or [email protected].

NOVA’s Annual Green Festival 2020, Waste and its Impact on Habitats, October 28th

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Photo by Gary Robinette

Wednesday, October 28, 2020
10:15 am – 3 pm
Online – Via Zoom

Free! More information and registration here.

Keynote Speaker: Chad Pregracke – 10:15 a.m.
Cleaning America’s Rivers

Everything Counts / Waste Prevention / Habitat Loss – 11:30 a.m.

Richard Reynolds, Wildlife Biologist, DWR — 1:00 p.m.
Bats and Wind Energy Development

Raptor Lecture / Live Birds – 2:00 p.m.
Secret Garden Birds and Bees

Raptor Education and Photo Encounter, Oct. 19th

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Mason Neck State Park Picnic Area

Red-tailed hawk

7301 High Point Rd, Lorton, VA 22079

Saturday, 19 October 2019
Two sessions: 10am or 1pm
$65 for either of the two 90-minute sessions

Would you like the opportunity to photograph magnificent raptors from just 10 feet away? Imagine being close to owls and hawks with your camera in a natural outdoor setting.

The Friends of Mason Neck State Park and Secret Garden Birds and Bees are offering a unique opportunity to get up close to some beautiful birds. Participants will be able to photograph raptors up close. At least four raptors, including a Red-shouldered Hawk, a Red-Tailed Hawk, an Eastern Screech Owl and a Barred Owl, will pose for you on a natural looking perch. You’ll hear from Secret Garden Birds and Bees staff about each one of them, making this a learning experience as well.

This is a fundraising event that will help the Friends continue to present programs and work on projects in support of the Park. $40 of each registration fee is tax deductible to the extent permissible by law.

Space is limited to 20 participants per session, so don’t wait to register! Register at  Raptor Photo Session.

Raptors of the East Coast Region presentation Sept. 26th

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National Wildlife Federation
11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston 20190
Thursday, 26 September 2019
7 – 9 pm

Field Trip:
Waggoner’s Gap (At top of Kittatinny Ridge, near Carlisle, PA)
Saturday, 28 September 28 2019
9:30 a.m.

Fee: $50 ASNV members, $60 non-members

Join the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia for Stacia Novy’s presentation on birds-of-prey. She will discuss flight characteristics, identification and migration patterns, focusing on raptor species of the East Coast region. The presentation will be followed by a field trip for a day of hawk watching. You’ll apply knowledge learned in the workshop by observing kettles of Broad-winged Hawks, falcons, and other migrant raptors making their way south for the winter.

Stacia Novy has been involved with wildlife conservation projects for over 30 years, specializing in birds. She is on the Board of Directors for Save the Prairie Society, an organization that saved Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve from urban development in Westchester, Illinois. She has conducted avian surveys for Wolf Road Prairie, the Audubon Center at Riverlands, Missouri, and the USDA Henry White Experimental Farm. She collected nesting data on Elf Owls, Gilded Flickers, and Yellow-billed Cuckoos for Tucson Audubon Society and Sonoran Audubon Society to establish Important Bird Areas (IBAs) for those species in Arizona. Stacia has also worked with Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge biologists to band birds, radio-track ocelots, and conduct nocturnal surveys of mammals. In Texas and Belize, she assisted in releasing endangered Aplomado Falcons and Orange-breasted Falcons for The Peregrine Fund.

Register here.

Raptor Rapture

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Belle Haven Park, Alexandria VA
Saturday, 20 April 2019
10 am – 12 pm

Friends of Dyke Marsh, Secret Gardens Birds and Bees, and the National Park Service will “host” live raptors.  Free. Learn more.