NVBA publishes the Potomac Flier each month. Our newsletter includes updates from the organization, local conservation stories, upcoming classes, events and bird walks, and other information of interest to our members. Our current newsletter is below.

You can view past newsletters here.

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February 2025 Potomac Flier
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February 2025

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Board Notes: Think Beyond Your Back Yard

Tern Colony, VA DWR

While we’re hunkered down inside during the cold winter months, it’s also a good time to support habitat creation beyond the boundaries of our backyards. 
Read more >

A Closer Look: Nature Around Us

Ocala Skipper with pollen on its face, Judy Gallagher

This month we have renamed Judy Gallagher’s monthly feature article, which provides her stunningly detailed photos of insects, along with fascinating information about their lives. Scroll down to the Monthly Features section or read her column here.

The Birds are Coming - Will the Lights Be Out?

Baltimore Orioles, Eric Nie/Audubon Photography Awards

Migration season is approaching fast. Between March 15 and May 31, 100 million birds will pass through northern Virginia, most of them flying at night. (Volunteers needed!)
Read more >

More News

We're Recruiting

Eastern Bluebirds, Danny Brown/Audubon Photography Awards

NVBA relies heavily on its members to execute its mission, and we’re currently looking for members interested in serving on our Board of Directors. 

Read more >

 

2024 Christmas Bird Count Results

CBC Participants Mehika and Deapesh Misra

The results of the 43rd annual Manassas-Bull Run Christmas Bird Count are in! Over seventy birders counted 17,591 birds of 79 species in this 15-mile diameter circle on December 15, 2024.

Read more >
 

Calling All Photographers!

Green-winged Teals, James Fatemi/Audubon Photography Awards

The National Audubon Society’s annual photography competition is now open for submissions.

Read more >



 

Community Associations and Environmental Leadership

Community entrance sign with native plantings, Gretchen Spencer

Community associations are positioned to play a transformative role in ecosystem rejuvenation and health, acting on their common land and inspiring residents to do the same on theirs.

Read more >
 

The Short-eared Owl, Another Winter Visitor

Short-eared Owl, Terri Shaddick/Audubon Photography Awards

Some observant DC-area birders were fortunate to catch sight of Short-eared Owl in the DC-northern Virginia urban core late in December and early in January.

Read more >
 
Monthly Features

A Closer Look: Nature Around Us

Juniper Hairstreak Butterfly, Judy Gallagher


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. 

Read more >


 

Wildlife Sanctuary Almanac: Winter Bird Feeders and Bird Baths

White-breasted Nuthatch, Pamela Brown/Audubon Photography Awards


When it’s a snowy, icy and cold winter, there’s little gardening you can or want to do in the yard. But there are a few steps you can take to supplement the work you have already done by providing natural food sources and shelter.

Read more >
 


Upcoming Classes and Events

 
We have some exciting classes and events coming up, both virtually and in-person! Click any event to learn more and register. You can also check our calendar for our full schedule of events.
 

Meet Virginia's Salamanders with Leeanna Pletcher
Spotted Salamander, Judy Gallagher

Join us for a webinar on the common species of salamanders in Northern Virginia, including the diversity and biology of these elusive creatures.

When: Thursday, February 27, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Virtual
Fee: $10 member; $20 non-member

 

Homegrown National Park: Creating Habitat in Our Own Yards
Asclepias tuberosa with Fritillaries, PNN

Join us at Mount Vernon Unitarian Church for an inspiring talk by Doug Tallamy on creating diverse ecosystems in our yards, communities, farms, and surrounding lands. Learn how reducing lawns and planting native trees, shrubs, and perennials can help repair the devastating loss of native species—all while adding beauty to your surroundings.

When: Sunday, March 9, 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Where: Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, 1909 Windmill Lane, Alexandria, VA 22307
Fee: $10

 

Ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed with Joanie Millward
Osprey, Doug German/Audubon Photography Awards

Learn about the history of Ospreys, the challenges they face today in the Chesapeake Watershed, and how you can help.

When: Tuesday, March 11, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Virtual
Fee: FREE

 

30,000 Miles in Search of Godwits with Bruce Beehar
Hudsonian Gotwit, David Seidensticker/Audubon Photography Awards

Between 2019 and 2022, Bruce Beehler, a research associate at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, completed five field trips in search of Hudsonian Godwits. In this illustrated lecture, he will recount the highlights of his more than five months in the field, from Nome and Point Barrow to Tuktoyaktuk, Moosonee, and Monomoy Island.

When: Tuesday, March 18, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Where: Virtual
Fee: $15 member; $25 non-member

 

Bird Walks

Birding, Camila Cerea
 
Check this page for upcoming walks! Registration is no longer required for NVBA-sponsored walks.

Monday Nature Mystery

Green-winged Teal, Ashrith Kandula/Audubon Photography Awards


Monday Nature Mystery continues! Read on to learn who correctly identified our last mystery and see what this week's mystery holds.


Read more >

Conservation Counts

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Rusty Moran

Join Jim Waggener in his ongoing natural resource surveys at two of Northern Virginia's best birding spots. Surveys alternate between Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Meadowood Special Recreation Management Area on Mason Neck.

Read more >
E-Activist Network: Volunteers Needed

The National Audubon Society invites all Auduboners to join its e-activist network. When you subscribe to the Society’s newsletter, you'll receive alerts about important congressional actions and information about how you can affect legislation by contacting your members of Congress.  https://www.audubon.org/
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