The

Raven's

Nest

April

2026

Friends,

We are excited about once again partnering with SELVA Colombia for this year’s Birdathon fundraiser! Several board members had the opportunity to meet virtually with SELVA Director Nick Bayly recently, and he related to us much of the work that has been done in recent months that used the funds raised by BRAC in last year’s Birdathon. These efforts included numerous educational projects in the local school, a training program for 15 local bird guides, and the establishment of a local native tree nursery.

Nick was especially excited about the native tree nursery that last year’s funds were able to initiate. The area we are helping support in Colombia is the mountain forest around the Chivor Reservoir and the Bata River near Santa Maria, Boyaca Province. This area historically had seen many of its forest tracts cleared for livestock grazing, but when a hydroelectric dam was built to form the reservoir, the government and the electric company AES Chivor acted in concert to protect the watershed. Many of the previously cleared tracts of the Almenata Forest were turned over to the government as part of this preserve, but there were no funds for reforestation. Now that SELVA has initiated a tree nursery in the area, the hope is to reconstitute habitat blocks of forest with bird-friendly trees like Elethrenia, Inga and Ficus species in the next few years. Nick is targeting the planting of 500-1000 trees with this year’s funds!

This is great news, as the Almenata Forest has been shown to host some of the densest winter populations of one our most emblematic Blue Ridge migrants, the cerulean warbler (indeed, the bird depicted on our logo) as well as other beloved summer migrants. A healthy winter forest in Colombia means more of these birds return to our mountains singing every spring.

Our Birdathon funds are also helping build support in the community that depends on the Bata River basin. We are funding environmental education (including research projects!) for school children and ecotourism training for adults, as well as assisting local farmers plant bird-friendly trees to shade their coffee and cocoa crops. A forest that is understood and supported by its human inhabitants is much more sustainable in the long run.

I hope that their project excites you as much as it does me. This project last year was heralded by the National Audubon Society as being a paradigm of their nascent Hemispheric Conservation goals. We look forward to building on last year’s success. Your generosity will help us make this possible—please consider a donation today.

John Koon

Mountain Science Expo 2026

April 25, 2026

10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

NC Arboretum

Join the NC Arboretum for a free STEM-oriented science festival where you can interact with scientists, explore nature, and grow your curiosity!

The Mountain Science Expo is a part of the larger NC Science Festival, a state-wide and month-long event dedicated to celebrating the impact of science educationally, culturally, and economically on our state. The NC Science Festival and the Mountain Science Expo hope to inspire children to pursue—and adults to support—the sciences, such that North Carolina can lead the country and the world as a place of innovation and learning. 

The Expo will feature live animal presentations, exhibitors from across the region, special interactive activities, and more! It takes place in both of The North Carolina Arboretum’s main buildings and through the gardens.

Rain or shine, the Mountain Science Expo takes place fully within indoor or covered spaces at The Arboretum!

Conservation and restoration in the Colombian Andes

A win for migratory landbirds in decline and biodiversity

Wednesday, April 29, 7 pm

on Zoom

In this talk, ornithologist and conservationist Nick Bayly will take us on a journey to the Colombian Andes where over 50% of the global population of Cerulean Warblers spend the northern winter. He will explain what we know about the needs of these birds and other steeply declining long-distance migrants during their stay in Colombia and how the science generated by the Colombian NGO SELVA has contributed to the formulation of a Conservation Investment Strategy for mid-elevation forests in Central and South America. To wrap up, Nick will discuss how the implementation of the plan is leading to positive outcomes for migratory birds and Colombia's outstanding biodiversity: including how last year's Birdathon is empowering local leaders in a Cerulean Warbler hotspot.

We hope you can join us for this exciting presentation that discusses the focus of our 2026 Birdathon fundraising effort! Please register on eventbrite. Zoom information will be emailed to all registered participants a day before the program.

Birdathon 2026

May 8 - 9

Birdathon Social, May 9, 5:30 pm location TBD

We are happy to announce that our 2026 Birdathon partner is once again SELVA Colombia. We will continue our partnership to support environmental education and forest watershed protection for the Chivor Reservoir area in Santa Maria, Boyacá, strengthening community engagement in bird tourism, restoration and protected area management.

SELVA has been working in the municipality of Santa Maria, Colombia, since 2014, where high densities of Cerulean Warblers , Canada Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher and other migrants that summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains, spend their winters. The presence of a hydroelectric dam in the municipality that actively protects mid-elevation forests and provides security, has increasingly led to the consolidation of Santa Maria as a destination for scientific tourism and for bird watching. Nonetheless, local community members have been slow to realize the benefits of such protection, and a bird-centric value chain has not been fully developed. 

Bucking this trend is Diana Caterine Acosta, who has established an ecotourism outfit and has been actively linking local community members to her activities. There is still an immediate need to build capacity for guiding and supporting scientific researchers, as well as for active participation within the management of existing protected areas and carrying out ecological restoration. Last year’s Birdathon funding enabled Diana to perform numerous educational activities for school-age children, ecological familiarization and training for teenagers and young adults, and the establishment of several tree nurseries for local native tree species that will be used to reforest tracts of land along the Bata River corridor that had been previously cleared for grazing.

This year we hope to continue our support for these activities. We are particularly excited about the tree nurseries, as these seedlings will be used not only to revegetate habitat blocks needed by our wintering migratory birds but also will be used on local gardens and farms in the area as a way of harmonizing local land use patterns and conservation needs within the community. Along with the continuing expansion of community education that Diana is conducting, we believe this will lead to a sustainable conservation plan that the area’s residents truly believe in and benefit from.

Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter is proud to support SELVA’s efforts in Colombia. Last year’s partnership was heralded nationwide as a prime example of Hemispheric Conservation, and our members demonstrated the importance of this cause, with donations more than doubling over the previous year, helped by a 78% increase in the number of donors. This year we hope to continue this important work to protect the wintering habitat of our treasured summer songbirds. Please consider a generous donation to do your part for the birds!  

Advocacy Day

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Raleigh

Advocacy Day registration is open! Sign up today to speak up for birds and join the Audubon flock for Advocacy Day on May 27.

We’ll meet with lawmakers in Raleigh and speak up for bird-friendly legislation, including conservation funding as well as wetlands and family land protections.

All are welcome to join us for Advocacy Day—no experience required. Register before the deadline on May 18!

Nature Photography Night

by Kevin Burke

The long rescheduled Nature Photography Night happened on Wednesday March 25th at Ollie Center on UNCA's campus. We had a great time sharing photos from nine different photographers. Most of the photographers were in attendance and told stories about their wonderful photos. We had a great turnout with over forty people enjoying the program in person. The photos ranged from local wildlife such as Black Bear and Tree Swallows to far afield wonders such as Resplendent Quetzal and Polar Bear. Everyone had a great time. This is surely an event we will do again in the near future.

Motus Station Outing

by Kevin Burke

On Thursday, March 26th we had a nice outing to Kings Bridge Conservation Area in conjunction with the NC Wildlife Commission. The purpose of the morning was to learn more about the Blue Ridge Audubon sponsored MOTUS station installed on the property. MOTUS is a series of radio towers that track bird movement by reading a tag that is placed on a bird when mist netted. More about MOTUS here. Blue Ridge Audubon sponsored a bird walk beforehand and Chris Kelly from NC Wildlife Commission spoke about MOTUS. It was a nice morning of fun and information. Bird highlights included a Wilson's Snipe, Tree Swallows, and Savannah Sparrows.

Photo: Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Chris Kelly by Charlotte Moon

Owen Park Reimagine, Redesign and Rebuild

by Tom Tribble

After more than 16 months, Buncombe County has initiated steps to rebuild Owen Park. For many years, Blue Ridge Audubon hosted its regular 3rd Saturday bird outing there, beginning at Owen Park and continuing along the Swannanoa River to Warren Wilson College. The park itself, which borders the river, has been a wonderful birding site, featuring nesting Baltimore Orioles. Orchard Orioles, Eastern Kingbirds and, occasionally, Warbling Vireos. The river and the two fishing ponds attracted numerous waterfowl, including Hooded Mergansers and even the occasional Black Duck. In 2008, I had my first NC sighting of a Red-necked Phalarope.

Unfortunately, in 2024 flooding caused by Hurricane Helene completely destroyed the park and even rerouted the Swannanoa River, obliterating the fishing ponds and cutting a new path through the park. There was extensive damage to the ball fields and buildings. 

On March 30, Buncombe held a planning meeting at Owen Middle School to get initial public input and to help identify the community's vision for the park. Two Blue Ridge Audubon board members attended the meeting and left encouraged by the preliminary ideas. 

The over-arching goal seemed to be preserving and restoring the natural course of the river and surrounding habitat, recognizing that this was neither the first nor the last time that the Swannanoa River will overflow its banks. The planners envision a wetland habitat with native plants adjacent to the river to absorb flooding. 

Discussion with planners seemed to indicate that ball fields and restoration of the fishing ponds are not in the plans. Restoring the park to a natural state will be far less expensive and will mitigate damage to the park from future flooding.

Blue Ridge Audubon will continue to monitor the project planning. We look forward to the time when we can host bird outings at a restored and natural Owen Park that will provide a home to our resident and migratory birds. 

Photo: Swannanoa River at Owen Park by Charlotte Moon

Blue Ridge Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society, serving Buncombe, Henderson, and surrounding counties in western North Carolina.

We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are

tax-deductible to the extent

allowed by law.

Raven's Nest Editor: 

Jennie Burke

jennifer_bradbury85@yahoo.com

Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter

PO Box 18711

Asheville, NC 28814

Blue Ridge Audubon's mission is to protect birds and the places they depend on. We believe that a world in which birds thrive is a world that benefits all living things.

Our vision is a vibrant and just community where the protection of birds and our natural world is valued by everyone.