Founded in 1954

The Northern Virginia Bird Club began as a chapter of the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO). While we proudly maintain our status as a VSO chapter, we have shortened our name to better reflect our local focus. Today, we are a thriving 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with over 600 members dedicated to conserving, studying, and enjoying birds.

Skyline Drive Trail by Troy Barbour

What We Do

Our primary mission is hosting expert-led bird walks twice a week, providing consistent opportunities for education and community connection. These walks explore local parks across Northern Virginia, as well as regional, state, and nearby national parks and wildlife refuges.

We are unofficially known as The Northern Virginia “Birdwalk” Club

Our story in numbers

Over 70

Years Old

600

Club Members

100

Annual Bird Walks

1,600

eBird Checklists and Counting

Sunrise Over the Patuxent River by Troy Barbour

Citizen Science & Conservation

We believe in birding with a purpose. The NVBC actively contributes to the scientific community through several key initiatives

eBird Integration

Never worry about missing a species on your list! We provide a shared eBird checklist after every club walk, covering all birds observed by the group. By reporting your sightings, you help us support eBird’s mission to create a vital, living record of global bird populations.

Christmas Bird Counts

Our members participate in these annual citizen science events to help track population trends over time.

Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas (VABBA2)

The NVBC has been a proud supporter of this monumental project since its inception, including our sponsorship of a featured species, the Hooded Merganser, in the final publication. The atlas reached a major milestone with its official release in the Fall of 2025, providing a definitive look at the state’s breeding bird populations. The project continues to evolve, with information on technical data and advanced data modeling used scheduled for publication in the Spring of 2026. This information offers critical insights into our state’s avian trends and habitat health.

Contact Us

If you would like to know more, please let us know

Questions About the Club ?
Contact Larry Meade, President

Questions About the Website?
Contact Troy Barbour, Web Admin

Leadership Team

Larry Meade

President

Luke Holian

VP, FiELD Activities

Kay Bushman

VP, Programs

Cindy Nickerson

Secretary

Karen Pao

Treasurer

Lori Barbour

Director

Troy Barbour

Director

Jeremy Beck

Director

Joan Mashburn

Director

Our Legacy in Action

The Club’s commitment to the community is visible at Fort C.F. Smith Park, where we designed and helped financed a bird stream – a project originally spearheaded by Val Kitchens. Today, we honor her memory through our Val Kitchens Youth Birding Scholarship, supporting the next generation of birders.

Find out what the excitement is all about.

Join us on our next outing

Upcoming Walks