The

Raven's

Nest

November

2023

Dear Nancy,

For well over a century, the National Audubon Society has held the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) to compile the numbers of wintering birds across North America (and, in recent years, Central and South America as well). The CBC is the longest running citizen science survey in the world and data from the CBC is used to study the historic health and status of bird populations. There’s an interesting backstory about the Count replacing a “traditional” Christmas bird hunt with a bird count. Read about that fascinating history here. The count became one of the most valuable efforts of citizen science with a century of continuous bird population trend data for most of the country!

Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter has been involved for over 30 years in managing the Buncombe County circle. For the past ten years, the count has been organized and compiled by Tom Tribble, a past Blue Ridge Audubon President and current board member. Tom would now like to pass the torch on to the next generation of birders. If you are interested in taking over for Tom, please email us at blueridgeaudubon@gmail.com. This is a job that requires coordinating a bird count date with the regular volunteers and compiling the numbers. Tom has the list of sections and the volunteers who do them. He can guide you through the entire process. We would love to have you step up and help continue this valuable survey. Thank you for considering this opportunity. 



John Koon

President, Blue Ridge Audubon

Tufted titmouse by Alan Lenk

Please join the Blue Ridge Audubon chapter for a fun night at the River Arts District Brewing Company (13 Mystery Street, Asheville, NC 28801). Meet Blue Ridge Audubon board members and other fellow bird lovers from the area for our second yearly edition of this bird-themed trivia event. The venue is family and pet-friendly so bring whomever you want as long as they enjoy a night of good beverages and fun company. The RAD Brewing Co. also has a selection of wine, local non-alcoholic beverages (including cold brew if that is your thing!), and free popcorn! Light refreshments will be provided by the Blue Ridge Audubon. We look forward to seeing you there!

There is an ongoing conversation within the Audubon community about the complicated legacy of John James Audubon and whether his name is a barrier to creating a more inclusive and diverse community. After a year of studying the issue, the National Audubon Society announced on March 15, 2023 that they would not be removing “Audubon" from their name. Separately, many state and local Audubon chapters have also considered whether to include “Audubon” in their names. As part of Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter’s (BRAC) journey to becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization, we have launched our own formal process to evaluate the impact that the name “Audubon” has on the community within which we live and bird, and how it affects our ability to fully execute our mission in service of our community. 

As part of this process, we want to hear from you, our members, volunteers, partners, donors, program participants, and potential future partners. We invite you to participate in the following short survey to let us know how you feel about this issue. Your answers will help Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter make its decision about whether to continue using Audubon in our name. The survey should take less than 10 minutes of your time, and your responses will be anonymous. Our approach is similar to that of Georgia Audubon’s effort, and more information on John James Audubon and more about this approach may be found at FAQ Audubon Name - Georgia Audubon. More information on John James Audubon may also be found at  What Do We Do About John James Audubon?.

If you wish to take the survey, please click Here to begin.

Barn Owl courtesy of John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, Montgomery County Audubon Collection, and Zebra Publishing

In a follow-up to last month’s list of species to look for in October, birds that were actually observed at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary were Nashville Warbler, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Philadelphia Vireo. Only Marsh Wren was missed. In November, we should have around 10 sparrow species at the Sanctuary.

Expected waterfowl soon to be arriving includes Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, and Horned Grebe. Other duck species that may be spotted on Beaver Lake are Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, and Redhead. Rarities that may possibly show up are Snow Goose and Surf Scoter.

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Notable recent sightings at Beaver Lake include Golden-winged Warbler and Eastern Screech-Owl.



Images:

Horned Grebe, November 2015, Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary

Snow Goose, November 2018, Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary