
Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac: Growing Virginia Native Plants from Seed
Itās best to remember that seed collecting begins with a knowledge and understanding of protocols and ethics of collecting seed outside of your own garden.
Photo: Milkweed seeds, Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hispanic Heritage Month and the World of Birds
A chance to celebrate the deep connections between Latino and Hispanic communities and the avian world
Photo: Resplendent Quetzal, Charles Gangas/Audubon Photography Awards

Pollinator Pathways: Connecting Your Yard to the Bigger Picture
Is it possible to reconnect isolated fragments in our urban, suburban, and rural settings to benefit pollinators and the creatures that depend upon them?
Photo: Native plant garden, Margaret Fisher

Biodiversity or Mosquito Fogging: You Canāt Have Both
A closer look at the āsafeā practice of mosquito fogging reveals an ineffective process that is devastating for native bees, butterflies, fireflies, moths, and a plethora of other beneficial insects.
Photo: Asian Tiger Mosquito, Judy Gallagher

Upcoming Workshops and Classes
We have some great workshops and classes lined up. Join us!
Photo: Variegated Fritillary, David Illig
Conserving and Enjoying Nature
Northern Virginia Bird Alliance is a chapter of the National Audubon Society.
Our mission is to engage all Northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. We advance our mission through educational programs, citizen science, conservation initiatives, and advocacy initiatives. We envision a world where people, wildlife, and their habitats thrive.

Letter to Our Members
Fall migration is starting! I saw that someone had reported a Tennessee Warbler in northern Virginia just the other day, which got me musing about this migration season -- the challenges the birds face, how to make it safer for migrating birds and how to enjoy the spectacle of migration.
Photo: Tennessee Warbler, Ben Cvengros/Audubon Photography Awards
News
The latest stories from NVBA. Looking for a particular topic? Try searching our site. We have hundreds of articles full of great information about everything from birds to advocacy to native plants.
Fall is coming and gardenersā thoughts may turn to collecting seeds for planting next spring.
From September 15 to October 15, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States.
If you have ever participated in a trash cleanup along a shoreline, creek or road, youāll undoubtedly have come across pieces of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), popularly known by one of its brand names, Styrofoam.
Is it possible to reconnect isolated fragments in our urban, suburban, and rural settings to benefit pollinators and the creatures that depend upon them?
Some of our neighbors turn to commercial-grade mosquito fogging, persuaded by marketing claims that the product is both effective and āsafe.ā But a closer examination of these claims reveals an ineffective process that is devastating for native bees, butterflies, fireflies, moths, and a plethora of other beneficial insects we work so hard to attract with native plants.
Judy Gallagher is an NVBA board member and a regular surveyor of local wildlife who also captures photos of what she sees, in particular the less common species.
The Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, in northern Mount Vernon along the Potomac River shoreline, is the "nearest thing to primeval wilderness" in the Washington area, wrote Louis J. Halle in 1947 when he biked from the city at dawn to watch the wetland awaken.
Gardening to attract as many bees as possible is more than a rewarding pastime. Itās a blend of purpose, beauty and connection to something grand and greater than we are.
The Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryaivorus, also called the rice bird or rice bunting, is yet another migrating songbird that has declined in population over the last fifty years.
Judy Gallagher is an NVBA board member and a regular surveyor of local wildlife who also captures photos of what she sees, in particular the less common species.
Find more stories on our News page.
Upcoming Classes and Events
We have resumed some in-person bird walks and are holding our classes and events both in person and online. You can also watch recordings of past virtual events on our Online Programs page.