August 2022

The SISKIN
Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Bird Club
Vol. 67, No. 3
August 2022
NVBC GENERAL MEETING—THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 8 PM
Inside
www.nvabc.org
Calendar of NVBC field trips
August 13 – November 5, 2022
Spring Chincoteague Trip Report
Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas and
Education Fund Donations
Cape May Fall Weekend
After a two-year hiatus, we will
return to Cape May, New Jersey this
fall. Our fall trip to Cape May will be
held from October 22 to 24, 2022. We
will be hanging out at the world-famous Cape May Hawk Watch,
Morning Flight and visiting other local
hotspots such as the Meadows, Higbee
Beach and the Cape May Bird
Observatory. We will start at 3 pm on
Friday and finish up Sunday afternoon
with a semi-pelagic on the Cape May
Ferry (2:30 pm).
Space is limited to 20 people.
NVBC membership and registration is
required. Registration will open up on
Monday, September 12 at 12 noon. If
you would like to participate, please
email uberlarry@aol.com no sooner
than that date and time.
Our hotel for the weekend will be
the Sea Crest Inn. A group rate will be
negotiated later in July or August. The
rate information will be provided to
people who sign up for the trip. You
will be required to mail a deposit
within 7 days of making the
reservation. This hotel does not serve
breakfast but many of the rooms have a
continued on p. 2
From Zero to 9600 A Life of Birding
Speaker: Peter Kaestner
is a retired American diplomat and fanatical birder who is
now the leading eBirder in the world in terms of number of species
observed (9,473 as of July 1, 2022). His career has taken him all over the
world including posts in India, Egypt, Brazil, Guatemala, Papua New
Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Colombia, Malaysia, Germany, Afghanistan,
and Namibia. After retiring from the State Department in 2016, he now
resides near Baltimore and leads bird tours with Rockjumper. He has seen
at least one species of all 260 living families of birds, after becoming the
first to achieve this feat in 1986 (when there were only 159 recognized
families!). In 1989, while returning from a work visit to Villavicencio,
Colombia, he discovered a species new to science, the Cundinamarca
Antpitta (Grallaria kaestneri). He highlighted this experience in his 2nd
presentation before the NVBC back in 2011. This presentation will be about
recent birding and plans for the future, with some time allowed to take
questions from the audience.
(Above) Cundinamarca antpitta
photographed by Peter Kaestner
(Left) Peter Kaestner and the Blue-footed
Booby photographed by Kimberly Kaestner
Early bird refreshments start at 7:30 pm. Any contributions of food
or beverage will be most gratefully received. There will be a drawing for
door prizes. Northern Virginia Bird Club pins will be available for
members who would like to buy them ($5 each).
MEETING PLACE: St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 4000 Lorcom Lane,
Arlington, 22207. Directions are on page 5.
Presidential Peentings
has transformed our lives in recent years.
Technology
Birding is no exception as smartphones, digital
cameras, Birdcast, and eBird all have changed the way
that we bird. Merlin is a popular app that more and more
birders are starting to use. It has
been used for several years as a
way for birders to identify birds
with photos. Now a new sound
ID feature has been added. All
you have to do is hold your
phone up and Merlin will tell
you what birds it is hearing. I
have used it to confirm the
identifications of birds that I am
hearing or to look for birds
Merlin claims that it is hearing.
At Huntley Meadows, I heard a
bird singing in the parking lot. I
thought that it sounded like a
Canada Warbler and Merlin
sound ID confirmed it. A minute
later, a beautiful Canada Warbler
popped out of the bushes. However, as with any new
technology, there can be pitfalls. I strongly believe that
Merlin sound ID is a great tool, but it should not be
diagnostic. In other words, birders should not be putting a
sighting of a bird on their eBird list that they only
identified because of Merlin and never actually saw or
even heard themselves. This is especially true if the bird
is flagged on eBird as rare. I
have seen some very strange
species show up on rare bird
alerts because of people doing
this. Birding is fun and if you
use eBird, there is the added
advantage of contributing to
scientific knowledge.
Merlin
can help us find and identify the
birds that we want to see, but it
needs to be utilized in the way
that it was intended. Happy
birding!
—Larry Meade
Singing Prothonotary Warbler at
Magee Marsh photographed by
Neal Gause
Cape May from p. 1
Chincoteague Bird Photographs
kitchenette. The hotel is in walking distance of the beach
pavilion that is our typical Saturday morning destination:
Below photographs of Red Knot and White-winged Scoter by Libby
Lyons
SEA CREST MOTOR INN
101 Beach Avenue
Cape May, NJ 08024
Phone: 609-884-4561 or
866-733-1405
Website: www.seacrestinn.com
Below left photograph of Black-bellied Plover by Seth Honig
To make a reservation, after we have confirmed you as
a participant, please call the Sea Crest Inn and provide
your name and phone number and let them know you are
with the Northern Virginia Bird Club. You will be asked to
mail a personal check or money order within 7 days of
calling. On the check enter the dates you will be staying
and NVBC. You will be mailed a reservation confirmation.
—Gerco Hoogeweg and Larry Meade
2
Northern Virginia Bird Club . www.nvabc.org
Spring Weekend Trip: Chincoteague, May 20 – 22, 2022
The goal was clear as we started the last activity of our
NVBC Chincoteague Spring Weekend. We had already
been lucky finding a good number of shorebird species
through Saturday, but despite our efforts, we had missed
finding two “gettable” shorebirds — Red Knot and Marbled
Godwit. Thus, we started our Sunday morning boat trip
with Daisey’s Island Cruises on the Chincoteague Inlet
with hope and anticipation. Our boat traveled out to
Fishing Point at the south entrance to Tom’s Cove where
there is an expanse of beach habitat. It took a while sifting
through the turnstones, dowitchers and plovers, and just as
we had run out of habitat to survey, a Red Knot in
breeding plumage was spotted. One target shorebird
found!
Traveling back to Black Point Landing we
encountered a male Surf Scoter and then a female White-winged Scoter – unusual to see these sea ducks so late in
May.
As we were slowly cruising
along Black Point Landing
Marsh picking through the
Whimbrels, we came up upon a
large brown shorebird sleeping
on one foot with its head turned
around and the bill tucked in its
back feathers. We kept getting
closer and closer but still had no
sure ID of the bird. Finally, the
bird woke up – the bill was long
and slightly upturned — Marbled
Godwit! To much cheering, our
second target shorebird was
finally found! As the boat turned
around heading back towards
the marina, we spotted a large,
dark bird beached up on the
shore of the marsh. We finally
got a good viewing angle of the
bird and discovered that it was a
male Black Scoter. As trip
participant Joan Mashburn had
coined it, we had achieved a
scoter ‘trifecta’ – remarkable for
the month of May.
This was crowning of many
highlights that members of the
Northern Virginia Bird
Club experienced on our return
spring trip to Chincoteague over
the weekend of May 20 to
With the efforts of co-leader
Larry Meade and many sharp-eyed observers, we collectively
found 90 plus species for the
weekend.
The weekend had started
Friday afternoon with a drive
around the Wildlife Loop at the
Chincoteague National Wildlife
Refuge. Shore-birding along the
Wi l d l i f e L o o p i s g e t t i n g
increasingly difficult since the
The Siskin . Vol. 67, No. 3 . August 2022
grasses have grown significantly, leaving not much
remaining mud flat habitat. Despite this, we found
Dunlins, Short-billed Dowitchers, Willets, Least and
Semipalmated Sandpipers, a Greater Yellowlegs, as well as
long-legged waders such as Little Blue Heron, Snowy
Egrets, and Glossy Ibis. We then drove to the south beach
parking lot to a location inside Tom’s Cove where we
found previously scouted Piping Plovers. An interesting
interaction occurred between a Piping Plover and a Ghost
Crab whereby the crab had dug up some sand while the
plover attempted to search for food down in the depression
– the crab was none too pleased with the plover.
Our evening outing to find the Chuck-will’swidow at sunset on Friday night was successful for hearing
the “Chucks,” but not very successful seeing them. Only a
few observers managed to get tantalizingly quick looks at
the birds before they
disappeared into the dark.
Saturday morning’s activities
began with a walk along the
boardwalk near the hotel. We
enjoyed excellent views of a
Clapper Rail as it was preening
after it had bathed, and a
handsome, breeding plumage
Black-bellied Plover. The
morning visit to the refuge
netted Cattle Egrets with their
beautiful apricot colors. In the
afternoon, we drove around the
Wildlife Loop, and luckily,
another group of birders alerted
us to the presence of Whiterumped Sandpipers. We found
them and obtained lengthy looks
at these sandpipers which turned
out to be the rarest shorebird
find of the weekend.
—Elton Morel
Chincoteague photographs by
Seth Honig from top:
Marbled Godwit
Piping Plover and Ghost Crab
White-rumped Sandpiper
3
Upcoming Trips and Events
Compiled by Elton Morel
Note:
Beginning birders are welcome on all trips.
When reservations are required, please call one of the trip leaders. Phone numbers are on below.
If in doubt about a trip because of weather, please call one of the leaders.
Check the NVBC website for updated information about trips: http://www.nvabc.org/updated- eld-trips/.
To receive email notices, join the NVBC eMail Exchange. For sign-up directions see back page of The Siskin.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
August
Saturday
13
8 AM
Bombay Hook X-Trip
Members only/
Registration Required
Trip Leaders
Larry Meade
Jeremy Beck
703-517-1816
Dave Boltz
703-599-8305
Larry Cartwright 703-941-3142
Kurt Gaskill
703-768-2172
Toby Hardwick 703-201-1517
Gerco Hoogeweg 540-822-5857
Ken Hunt
319-354-1079
Steve Johnson
703-463-7756
Ed Legrand
908-268-6627
Larry Meade
571-275-2523
Mer Mietzelfeld 607-643-8307
Elton Morel
703-907-9951
Tom Nardone
703-946-7738
Phil Silas
703-987-0817
Dixie Sommers 703-969-7931
Joanna Taylor
703-243-5989
Ed Wallace
504-343-1433
20
7:30 AM
Huntley Meadows
Ed Wallace
Mer Mietzelfeld
27
8 AM
Shenandoah River
Campus at Cool
Springs Battle eld
Elton Morel
Dave Boltz
3
September
7:30 AM
Conway-Robinson
State Forest
Toby Hardwick
4
7:15 PM
Swift/Nighthawk
Watch
Joanna Taylor
Call leader for meeting
place and directions
7
10
8:30 AM
Long branch
7:30 AM
Leesylvania SP
Tom Nardone
Dixie Sommers
Phil Silas
Ken Hunt
17
14
7:30 AM
Clifton Institute
8:30 AM
Algonkian RP
Andrew Eberly
Elton Morel
Elton Morel
Dave Boltz
21
8:30 AM
Fort C F Smith
Jeremy Beck
22
24
7:30 AM
Occoquan Bay NWR
NVBC
Meeting
Phil Silas
Ken Hunt
8 PM
28
October 1
8:30 AM
Cub Run Stream
Valley Park
8 AM
Aquia Landing
Beach Park
Elton Morel
Elton Morel
Kurt Gaskill
5
8
8:30 AM
Long Branch
Jeremy Beck
Larry Cartwright
8 AM
Leopold’s Preserve
Toby Hadwick
Ed Legrand
fi
fi
Northern Virginia Bird Club . www.nvabc.org
4
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
12
October
8:30 AM
Neabsco Regional
Park Boardwalk
Phil Silas
18
15
8 AM
Bristoe Station
Battle eld Park
Toby Hardwick
21 – 23
8:30 AM
Laurel Hill
Equestrian
Center
NVBC Cape May Weekend
Reservations required/
Members only
Gerco Hoogeweg
Larry Meade
Phil Silas
22
8:15 AM
Sky Meadows SP
Elton Morel
Ed Legrand
26
8:30 AM
Meadowood Recreation
Area
Larry Cartwright
Tom Nardone
November
2
8:30 AM
Long Branch
Tom Nardone
Dixie Sommers
DIRECTIONS
NVBC Meeting (9/22) St. Andrews
Episcopal Church, 4000 Lorcom Ln,
Arlington 22207, at the intersection of
Lorcom Ln and Military Rd. From the
intersection of Spout Run Pkwy and
Lorcom Ln, go about a half mile on
Lorcom to the second traffic light.
Turn left onto Military and enter the
first driveway on the right. There is
some parking near the Church’s back
entrance and a bigger lot up the
driveway. There is on-street parking.
Enter at the back door facing Military
Rd which leads to the Undercroft
where the meeting in held.
——
Algonkian Regional Park (9/14)
47001 Fairway Dr, Sterling 20165
From I-495, take Rt 7 west 11 miles
(mi.) to Cascades Pkwy north and
drive 3 mi. to the park entrance.
Proceed on Fairway Dr turning left
onto Volcano Island Dr, then turn right
into parking lot. Meet at the parking
lot beside restrooms and Park Shelter
1.
Aquia Landing Beach Park (10/1)
2846 Brooke Rd, Stafford 22554 From
southbound I-95 towards Stafford, take
exit 140 to Stafford, then left (east) on
fi
The Siskin . Vol. 67, No. 3 . August 2022
Courthouse Rd (Rt 630), go 3.5 mi.
and turn right on Andrew Chapel Rd
(Rt 629), go 0.9 mi. and under the
railroad bridge to a slight left onto
Brooke Rd (Rt 608), go 4.4 mi. to the
park entrance, continue past park
entrance gate to the parking lot at the
end of the road. Meet in the parking
lot.
Bombay Hook X-trip (8/13) Take Rt
50 across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Go north 34 mi. on Rt 301. Turn right
at Rt 300. Go 15 mi. to Kenton,
Delaware. At the traffic light, turn
right on Rt 42 to Leipsic. From there
go left on Rt 9 for 1.5 mi. to the
entrance of the refuge. Meet at the
Visitor Center parking lot.
Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage
Park (10/15) 10708 Bristow Rd,
Bristow, VA 20136. From I-95: Take
Rt 234 north (exit 152B), travel 7.5
mi. and make a left onto Independent
Hill Dr. Then make immediate right
onto Rt 619 (Bristow Rd). Travel 7 mi.
and turn left onto Iron Brigade Unit
Ave. The parking lot is located on the
left at the traffic circle. From I-66:
Take Rt 234 south (Exit 44). Travel 4.5
miles and turn right onto Rt 28
(Nokesville Rd). Travel 1.5 mi. and
29
8 AM
Sully Woodlands
Note carpool directions
Elton Morel
Steve Johnson
5
8 AM
Silver Lake RP
Toby Hardwick
Ed Legrand
turn left onto Rt 619 (Bristow Rd).
Travel 0.25 mi., turn right onto Iron
Brigade Unit Ave and continue to
parking lot. Meet in parking lot.
Clifton Institute (9/17) 6712 Blantyre
Rd, Warrenton 20187 Take 1-66 West
to exit 40, to merge onto US-15 south
towards Haymarket (0.4 mi), then
turn right onto VA-55 West. Drive 5
mi. and turn left onto Blantyre Rd.
Proceed 5.6 mi. and then turn right on
to a dirt road. Drive northwest for
about 0.5 mi. between two lakes and
park in the parking lot below the
main house. Meet outside the house.
Conway Robinson State Forest (9/3)
12816 Lee Hwy, Gainesville 20155
From I-495, take I-66 west 27.6 mi. to
exit 43B, US-29 North in Gainesville.
Continue on US-29 for 0.4 mi, turn left
into access road to parking area. There
is a small parking area adjacent Route
29-S which can accommodate
approximately 10 cars. Additional
parking is permitted along the
entrance/exit road unless it restricts
through traffic.
Cub Run Stream Valley Park (9/28)
From the junction of I-66 and I-495,
follow I-66 W to US 29 S in
Centreville. Take exit 52 from I-66W.
5
Trip Directions from page 5
Cub Run Stream Valley Park
(continued) Turn right onto US 29 S,
go 1.5 mi. and turn right onto Pleasant
Valley Rd (State Rt 609), go 0.9 mi.
and turn right onto Blueridge View Dr,
go 0.3 mi. and turn right onto Hidden
Canyon Rd, go 0.3 mi. and turn left
onto Stillfield Pl, go 0.3 mi to 15077
Stillfield Pl on the left. Park in the
neighborhood side streets nearest the
front of 15077 Stillfield Pl. Meet at the
entrance to the park to the left of the
house at 15077. Avoid any parking that
blocks driveways. There are several
spots along the trail that could be
under water. If there have been recent
rains, recommend wearing mud boots
or waterproof shoes.
Fort C F Smith (9/21) 2411 24th St
N, Arlington 22207 From I-66 east,
take exit 72 (Spout Run Pkwy). At
traffic light, turn right on Lee Hwy. At
successive traffic lights turn left onto
Spout Run Pkwy, then left onto
Lorcom Ln, then right onto Fillmore
St. Go one block on Fillmore, turn
right onto N. 24th St (watch for speed
humps), and continue to park on left.
Meet in parking lot at east end of park.
Huntley Meadows Park (8/20) 3701
Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria 22306
From I-495, take Rt 1 south 3 mi. to
Lockheed Blvd. Right on Lockheed;
go 0.5 mi. to Harrison Ln, park
entrance on left. Meet in parking lot.
Laurel Hill Equestrian Center
(10/18) Lorton From I-495, take I-95
south about 13 mi. to exit 163 (Lorton
Rd). Continue 1.4 mi. west on Rt 642/
Lorton Rd, then turn left on Rt 611/
Furnace Rd then an immediate right
onto Dairy Rd. Proceed to and meet in
the parking lot.
Leesylvania State Park (9/10) 2001
Daniel K Ludwig Dr, Woodbridge
22191 From I-495, take I-95 south
about 14 mi. to exit 156 (Dale City/
Rippon Landing/Rt 784). Following
the posted highway signs for
Leesylvania State Park, exit east on Rt
Proceed eastward 1.1 mi. to Rt 1.
Turn right (south) on Rt 1 and go 0.9
mi. to Neabsco Rd. Immediately past
the Wawa service station, turn left
(east) on Neabsco Rd and proceed 2
mi. to park entrance on right. After
passing through the park entrance gate,
go 2.2 mi. to end of paved road and
park in “Picnic Area” parking lot,
immediately before turn-around circle
at fishing pier. State fee area.
Leopold’s Preserve (10/8) 16283
Thoroughfare Rd, Haymarket 20169
From I-66 west, take exit 40 to Rt 15
6
toward Haymarket/Leesburg. Turn left
onto Rt 15 south. Turn right onto Rt 55
and go 1.7 mi. to Thoroughfare Rd.
Turn left onto Thoroughfare and go 0.3
mi. There are parking lots on both
sides of the road. Meet in the right
hand (west) parking lot. The left hand
(east) Parking lot can be used for
overflow parking.
Long Branch Nature Area (9/7, 10/5,
11/2)
625 S Carlin Springs Rd,
Arlington 22204 Take Rt 50, east from
Fairfax or west from Rosslyn to Carlin
Springs exit. Go south on Carlin
Springs 0.5 mi. to Nature Center on
left, just south of N. Va Community
Hospital on left.
Meet at Nature
Center parking lot.
Meadowood Recreation Area (10/26)
10406 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA 22079
From I-495, take I-95 south 7 mi. to
Lorton exit. Left on Rt 642.
Immediately after passing under
railroad tracks (0.25 mi.) turn right on
Lorton Market Rd, which soon
becomes Gunston Cove Rd. After
crossing Rt 1, road becomes Gunston
Rd. Go 1.8 miles to Meadowood on
right. (BLM, Lower Potomac Station
Office). Park on right next to horse
barns just before field station building.
Neabsco Regional Park Boardwalk
(10/12) 15125 Blackburn Rd,
Woodbridge 22191 From I-495, take
I-95 south about 14 mi. to exit 156
(Dale City/Rippon Landing/Rt. 784).
Take exit 156A for Rt 784 east toward
Rippon Landing.
Continue 0.7 mi.
cross Rt 1 where Dale Blvd becomes
Rippon Blvd and continue down the
hill another 0.4 mi. to the traffic light
and turn right on Blackburn Rd. The
park parking lot is then 0.2 mi. on the
left.
Occoquan Bay National Wildlife
Refuge (9/24) 13950 Dawson Beach
Rd, Woodbridge 22192 From I-495,
take I-95 south 9 mi. to (left) exit 161
(Woodbridge). Go south on Rt 1 about
2 mi. to left turn onto Dawson Beach
Rd. Continue on Dawson Beach 0.7
mi. to entrance gate. Meet in parking
lot. US fee area.
Shenandoah River Campus at Cool
Springs Battlefield (8/27) From
I-495, take VA-267 West (Dulles Toll
Road) to Leesburg for 36.8 mi. Take
exit 1A and merge onto US-15 South/
VA-7 West/Leesburg Bypass for 3.3
mi. Continue straight to stay on VA7
West for 17.1 mi. After passing
Snicker’s Gap but just before the
Shenandoah River Bridge, turn right at
Parker Lane (F709) then go 1.4 mi. to
the parking lot. To avoid the toll, from
I-495 take VA-7 West (Leesburg Pike)
to Leesburg for 47.2 mi. After passing
Snicker’s Gap but just before the
Shenandoah River Bridge, turn right at
Parker Lane, then go 1.4 mi. to the
parking lot.
Silver Lake Park (11/5) 16198 Silver
Lake Rd, Haymarket 20169 From
I-495, take I-66 west 24 miles to exit
40 (Rt 15). Turn south onto Rt 15
(toward Haymarket) and go 0.3 mi. to
Rt 55. Turn right onto Rt 55 and go 0.9
miles to Antioch Rd. Turn right onto
Antioch and go 1.3 mi. to Silver Lake
Rd. Turn right and proceed to park
entrance and continue to parking lot
next to the lake. Meet in parking lot.
Sky Meadows State Park (10/22)
11012 Edmonds Ln, Delaplane 20144
From I-495, take I-66 west 42 mi. to
exit for Rt 17 north (Delaplane/Paris).
Go north on Rt 17 6.5 mi. to Rt 710.
Turn left into park and proceed 1 mi.
to Visitor Center parking lot. State fee
area.
Sully Woodlands (10/29)
Special directions for Sully
Woodlands
October 29, 2022
The club is discouraging birders
from parking at the entrance to
Sully Woodlands on the curved,
busy Pleasant Valley Rd. Instead,
we are meeting and carpooling from
Rock Hill District Park, which is
only 4 minutes away. A Fairfax
County Park Manager will be
opening the gate for 10 cars from
NVBC, under special permission..
Directions to Rock Hill District
Park, 15150 Old Lee Rd, Chantilly:
Take I-66 West to Chantilly, exit
53B, take 28 N/Sully Rd, merge
onto Westfields Blvd via the ramp
to Rt 662 W. In 0.8 miles, turn right
onto Stonecroft Blvd. Go 1.3 miles,
turn left onto Old Lee Rd. Rock Hill
District Park is on left.
Carpool To Sully Woodlands,
5320 Pleasant Valley Rd. Leaving
park, turn right onto Old Lee Rd, go
0.3 miles, turn right onto Rt 620/
Braddock Rd, at traffic circle, take
3rd exit onto Rt 609/Pleasant Valley
Rd. Go 0.6 miles, take dirt road to
right and drive down path to barn
area.
Northern Virginia Bird Club . www.nvabc.org
Club Donations:
Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas and
Education Fund Activity
From 2016 to 2020, the Second Virginia Breeding Bird
Atlas was a statewide effort to document information
about Virginia’s breeding birds. Many of our club
members were among over 1,400 volunteers who collected
data focused on geographic distribution of species,
population densities, and types of breeding behavior
observed. This is the largest citizen science project in the
state’s history, gathering 5.5 million field observations.
A key sponsor of the Atlas is the Virginia Society of
Ornithology (VSO), which has partnered with the Virginia
Department of Wildlife Resources and Virginia Tech to
analyze the data and to present the results in a free,
accessible, and understandable form to conservation
groups, policy makers and the general public. The
estimated cost for this project is $274,000 over the next 4
to 5 years. The VSO has already provided over $89,000 to
Atlas activities.
The VSO has asked for donations from its member
clubs across Virginia, including NVBC, in an effort to
reach the publication goals. Our Club Board has voted to
support this effort at the requested pledge of $500 a year
for four years. At this donation level, our club will be
sponsoring our mascot, the Pine Siskin. In pledging this
support we are contributing to the creation of descriptions,
illustrations and an attractive website for Virginia’s birds.
The Club intends to support this pledge with donations
made to the club in 2022 and the next few years. If you
want to support the Atlas publication, you can donate to
the club via a check or through the website using Paypal.
This way, we can make this rich data collection available
for future birders, scientists, and conservation work. For
more information, see https://www.virginiabirds.org/aboutvabba2.
The Board also voted to continue the Club’s $500
donation for 2022 to the Community Cloud Forest
Conservation in Guatemala. We anticipate continuing this
support in the future through the Val Kitchens Education
Grant funds, using additional donations and Club reserves.
See https://cloudforestconservation.org/
Additional Chincoteague Photographs
Cattle Egret photographed by Seth Honig
Clapper Rail photographed by Seth Honig
—Jean Tatalias
Bird Walks at Local Parks
Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, second Saturdays, 8 am. Meet at the parking lot. Visit the Loudoun Wildlife web
site, www.loudounwildlife.org/events/
Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, fourth Saturday, 8 am Meet at Education Center.
www.loudounwildlife.org/events/
Dyke Marsh, Sundays, 8 am Visit the Friends of Dyke Marsh web site, www.fodm.org
Great Falls National Park, Sundays, 8 am Meet in front of snack/concession stand at the Park Visitor Center.
Huntley Meadows Park, Mondays, 7 am (Apr-Oct) 8 am (Nov-Mar) Meet in parking lot. Leader: Harry Glasgow
Merrimac Farm, last Sunday, 8 am Meet at Merrimac Farm Stone House. www.pwconserve
.org/eventsindex.html#birds
Riverbend Park, first and third Fridays, 8 am, beginning May 6 to October 7. Meet at the Nature Center parking
lot off Jeffrey Road. No fee but call Riverbend Park at 703-759-9018 to register. Leader: Robin Duska
The Siskin . Vol. 67 No. 3 . August 2022
7
NORTHERN VIRGINIA BIRD CLUB
P.O. BOX 5812
ARLINGTON, VA 22205-0812
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Dulles, VA
Permit No. 400
DATED
MATERIAL
JOIN THE NORTHERN
VIRGINIA BIRD CLUB
Northern Virginia Bird Club dues for
2022 are $10 for Individual and $15
for Family Membership. Members
receive our quarterly newsletter, The
Siskin. Checks for dues should be sent
to Northern Virginia Bird Club, Attn:
M e m b e r s h i p , P. O . B o x 5 8 1 2 ,
Arlington, VA 22205-0812. Or join or
renew online at the club’s website at
http://www.nvabc.org/join/.
If you miss an issue of The Siskin or
need to report an address or ZIP Code
change, please send an email message
to lgmeade@gmail.com or leave a
message for Elizabeth Fenton at
703-533-0851.
Please note: NVBC does not
exchange, give away, or sell its
membership lists.
NVBC ON THE WEB
Current information and special
notices about NVBC meetings, field
trips, and other activities, along with a
printable membership form, are posted
on the club’s website, www.nvabc.org.
If you have information or pictures
you would like to see on the website,
please email the webmaster, Jeremy
Beck at jghyll+nvabc@gmail.com.
NVBC eMail Exchange
By participating in the club’s email
exchange, you can get email notices of
late updates to The Siskin and the field
trip schedule. To join the exchange,
send an email to lgmeade@gmail.com.
Put “EXCHANGE” in the subject
field and your full name in the
message area. You will receive a
response
from
nvbcexchange@googlegroups.com. The
list is for NVBC members’ use only.
General Meeting Dates: September
22, 2022 and November 17, 2022,
February 16 and April 20, 2023.
Next Board Meeting: Thursday,
September 1, 2022, 7:30 pm. To join
the Zoom board meeting or to have
items put on the agenda, please email
lgmeade@gmail.com.
Deadline for next issue of The
Siskin: The November issue will
include activities through January
Please send items for
publication by October 1, 2022 to the
editors at nvbcsiskineditor
@gmail.com.
CLUB CONTACTS
President: Larry Meade,
571-275-2523
Vice President, Programs: Phil Silas,
703-987-0817
Vice President, Field Activities:
Elton Morel, 703-907-9951
Secretary: Diane Marton,
703-527-7360
Treasurer: Jean Tatalias,
703-281-6099
Directors:
Jeremy Beck, 703-517-1816
Joan Mashburn, 703-209-8678
Joanna Taylor, 703-243-5989
Directors Emeritus: Len Alfredson,
Charlotte Friend, Don Wiesnet
Membership: Elizabeth Fenton,
703-533-0851
Webmaster, www.nvabc.org: Jeremy
Beck, jghyll+nvabc@gmail.com
Editors, The Siskin: Pat and Neal
Gause, nvbcsiskineditor@gmail.com,
703-476-3903
Administrator, NVBC Facebook
Group: Allie Guidry (please contact
through Facebook page)
NVBC email: lgmeade@gmail.com