Upcoming Events
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Jackson Park Birdwalk
Tue, Sep 15, 7pm
Monthly Meeting, "The Hellbender Salamander, Reuter Center, UNC Asheville.
Sat, Sep 19, 8am
Black Mountain Birdwalk
Fletcher Park Birdwalk
Sat, Oct 5, 8am
Beaver Lake Birdwalk
Sat, Oct 12, 8am
Jackson Park Birdwalk
Tue, Oct 20, 7 p.m.
Monthly Meeting "Bird-Friendly Gardening: Your Yard Matters!" Speaker Kim Brand is the Bird-Friendly Communities Project Coordinator for Audubon North Carolina
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Additional Events
Sat, Sep 19, 7:30am
Naturalist Niche: "Simon Says" Early Bird Walk: Chimney Rock State Park. Kick off Flock to the Rock by birding with Simon Thompson. After the walk, stay for Flock to the Rock, the region's premier fall migration birding event. Coincides with annual hawk migration. $22 for adults, includes park admission. More info at: 828-625-9611 or
www.chimneyrockpark.com/events.
Sep 29, 6:30 pm, EMAS will sponsor a Swift Night Out. View Chimney swifts at sunset as they swirl together in the sky and drop into a local chimney for their evening roost. Meet at 6:30 on the 5th floor of the Civic Center garage. Free and open to the public.
Wed, Oct 7, 7pm
Sierra Club Program at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place.Program
"Greenways and Bikeways," a panel moderated by Vice-Mayor Marc Hunt on Asheville-Buncombe's efforts to create a county-wide network of greenways and bikeways Free & open to the public.
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Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary
We had a productive work day on August 22 at the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary, clearing the jungle from the boardwalk and re-establishing the path through the meadow. Thanks to Joyce Birkenholz, Phil Croll, Jarvis Hudson, Doug Johnston, Diane Lombardi, Carl Nyberg, Jay Wherley, Tom Tribble, and especially Rick Fletcher and Alice (whose last name I could not decipher). Rick and Alice are member of the Tucson Audubon Society and made the drive from Tucson, Arizona to help out at our Sanctuary. Ok, perhaps that is a slight exaggeration. Rick and Alice visit Asheville regularly and told us that they love the Sanctuary. Tom Tribble, President.
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For the latest schedule and any changes:
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Planting a Fall Garden-think Birds!
Fall planting season is right around the corner and now is a great
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| Black-throated Blue Warbler onAmerican beautyberry by Will Stuart |
time to prep your yard for some new plants that benefit birds. Audubon's Bird-Friendly Native Plants of the Year program makes buying and growing bird-friendly native plants easy. This is a new initiative and Audubon has all the information you'll need to begin a bird-friendly backyard or add to your existing landscape. Audubon North Carolina has prepared a list of plants that benefit regional and migrant birds, with plant profiles and growing tips. They've even worked with local nurseries to stock bird-friendly native plants. The only thing you'll have to provide is someone to dig the holes! Plan to join us at our October program for a presentation on gardening for birds with Kim Brand of Audubon NC.
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 "The Hellbender Salamander"
Tuesday September 15, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center UNCAsheville |
Eastern Hellbender, a
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A wild Eastern Hellbender in high-quality, river habitat. Photo by Lori A. Williams
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giant aquatic salamander and a bio-indicator of aquatic ecosystem health, is a species in trouble throughout its range. Some of the best remaining hellbender populations are here in the Southern Appalachians. Lori Williams, a wildlife diversity biologist with the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources who monitors amphibians in WNC, will present information on hellbender natural history, habitat ecology and conservation efforts. We'll also learn about ongoing research conducted to ensure the future of this unique species in our mountain waterways. A brief hellbender documentary, "The Last Dragons", featuring awe-inspiring, underwater footage of hellbender behaviors and habitats, will be shown. Attendees will be invited to meet "Rocky," a
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Lori Williams with one of the largest hellbenders ever found in North Carolina. Photo by John D. Grove
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captive-raised, seven year-old, male hellbender and resident ambassador for his kind. Plan to join us for a fun and interesting evening!
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The Importance of Shade Grown Coffee by Gail Lankford
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If you love both birds and coffee, please take note!
In 2012, author
 and naturalist Scott Weidensaul was the keynote speaker at a Carolina Bird Club meeting. He gave an excellent talk on bird migration, and ended with the pronouncement that the most important thing we birders can do for migratory birds is to buy shade grown coffee. It seems amazing that such a simple, easy to implement action does really make a difference!
Natural forests provide the best habitat for resident tropical birds and wintering migrants. However, agroforests, such as coffee and cacao plantations that leave some native trees and shrubs standing, have four times the bird diversity than open farmland or "sun" plantations. Coffee and chocolate produced in shade grown conditions help preserve key migrant species like the Cerulean warbler that nests in our area and winters in Central and South America. It also helps the local people, as the greater diversity of birds control insect pests, spread seeds, and pollinates crops.
We are urging our EMAS members to buy shade grown coffee for use at home, and ask for it when you are in coffee shops and restaurants. If enough people ask for shade grown, the grocery stores and restaurants will ask their suppliers and roasters for shade grown, and eventually more coffee growers may choose shade grown as the method of production.
Please follow this link to learn more and to find out where to purchase shade grown coffee.
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Beaver Bits
Text and Photo by Vin Stanton
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. . . currently at Beaver Lake. . . B.O.B's! (Birds, Odes, and Butterflies)
Gray Hairstreak butterfly
is pictured here nectaring on Queens Anne's Lace. This small but lovely butterfly has a wingspan of about 1 inch. It's found often in summer in the meadow at BLBS.
Ospreys will soon be migrating through our area. A great place to view them is at BLBS  during spring and fall migrations. If you are lucky you'll catch one diving for a fish or two.
One of nature's most charismatic moths, the
Luna Moth,
has a wingspan of roughly four inches. I've found three at BLBS over the years, and it's a real thrill each time I find one. Note its feathery antenna, which is one sure way to distinguish moths from butterflies, which have a straight antenna topped by a knob.
Twelve-spotted Skimmer is a fairly large and striking dragonfly with a length of roughly 2 1/2 inches. A quick
count of the dark spots adds up to 12 for easy  identification.
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