The

Raven's

Nest

May

2025

Friends,

As late April approached I couldn’t resist the urge to make my annual spring hike up to Rattlesnake Lodge. The Blue Ridge Parkway was closed but the Mountains-to-Sea Trail still was accessible off Ox Creek Road, and thanks to incredible trail work by the Carolina Mountain Club, the trail was actually cleared all the way up to the Lodge area. As I had expected, parts of the forest were devastated by Hurricane Helene, with entire watersheds seemingly felled and other tracts relatively unscathed, almost without logic. But I was gratified to see (and hear) that our warblers were back in force: Ceruleans, Blackburnians, Worm-eating, and Redstarts, along with vireos, grosbeaks and Scarlet Tanagers galore. It was wonderful to hear the spring chorus ringing through scenes of such tragic loss.

But the fact that the birds were back was not really an indication that the forests will continue to be a hospitable place for them to breed. We think that many of these species will end up thriving in the new forest landscape that will in the coming decades support a greater variety of succession and restoration than a uniformly mature and contiguous forest would,  but that is for us to assess in future years. The birds returning this year had largely left by the time the hurricane came to town in late September. The fact that they are back is in large part due to the fact that these birds had safe and healthy habitat to pass the winter months in Central and South America.

The concept of Hemispheric Conservation is actually not a new concept–the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 actually enshrined the concept that no single country could protect all the places migratory birds need to survive. But the National Audubon Society has recently taken this concept to another level, instituting a network of conservation organizations throughout the Americas to ensure that every habitat our migratory birds need–whether to breed, spend the winter or just pass through and refuel– is properly conserved and protected.

Santa Maria, Colombia

This year, Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter is embarking on hemispheric conservation by partnering with SELVA Colombia to protect and support a community in Boyaca, Colombia, where large concentrations of our favorite summer passerines (Cerulean, Blackburnian and Canada Warblers, and Acadian Flycatchers) spend the winter.

In the community of Santa Maria, there is already a large chunk of protected habitat surrounding a hydroelectric reservoir. But, as we are learning in the United States, just because something is currently protected doesn’t mean that it can’t be undone. We feel it is instrumental for such vital protected areas to also be able to have the support and understanding of the surrounding community.

That is why our 2025 Birdathon is raising money to fund community-led management and protection of these areas as well as educational and vocational training for Santa Maria to sustain itself through the protection of these vital bird habitats. A community linchpin, Diana Catherine Acosta (pictured), leads not only education of local children but also training of local bird guides and scientists who in turn will help protect these lands.

We feel that supporting Diana and others in Santa Maria to protect what is important to them is also important to us.

Diana Catherine Acosta with her Birdathon team

I hope that you also see the value of protecting these vital wintering habitats for our beloved summer warblers. By the time you read this, the competition part of the Birdathon will be over (see the results below!), but the most important part of the Birdathon–the fundraising– continues through June. You can donate here. The birds thank you!

John Koon

BRAC President

Beaver Lake Workday

Saturday, May 17

9 am - 12 pm

We are going to have a third workday at Beaver Lake on Saturday May 17. It will

be from 9 am to noon, however volunteers do not have to be there for the entire time and you can come late and leave early if you wish or come early and leave late. Volunteer coordinator, Art Hulse plans to be at the Sanctuary around 8 am and will stay as long as there are volunteers that want to work.

Our first two workdays this year were both very successful and we accomplished

much in cleaning up from the effects of Helene. Both of those work days concentrated exclusively on Helene cleanup. This work day will have three objectives. One of the objectives will be to continue with some clean up from Helene. The other two will concentrate on the removal of invasive plants (Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose). While Helene caused much damage to the Sanctuary it also opened up areas that were previously difficult to access. One of these areas harbored a dense stand of honeysuckle that needs to be removed and the other area had a thicket of multiflora that can now be easily accessed. With luck we should be able to make great progress in removing these invasive plants for these two areas. If you choose to come to the work day be sure to wear clothing appropriate to the activity and weather. The ground may be muddy so wear shoes or boots that will withstand muddy conditions. Bring work gloves and any of the following that you may have: loppers, bow saws, pruning shears, electric chainsaw, shovels and mattock or pickax.

If you have any questions please feel free to email Art.

Program Meeting: The spatiotemporal dynamics of nocturnal bird migration across Colombia

with Jacob Drucker



Tuesday, May 20, 7 pm

UNCA Reuter Center, Asheville

Migratory birds that travel between temperate and tropical latitudes must contend with a range of climates that aid and impede their journeys, but most of what we know about bird migration is biased towards the global north. Join ornithologist Jacob Drucker to hear about his research on how birds navigate the skies and landscapes of Colombia using weather radars and acoustic monitoring and learn what familiar Carolinian species are up to on their way back to North America.

Jacob Drucker is a PhD Candidate at the University of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History where he studies how birds interact with tropical climates over ecological and evolutionary time. He uses remote sensing to study migratory flyways through Colombia, and behavioral and molecular data to study the ecological plasticity of birds in the tropical Andes. He has worked on a plethora of research and conservation projects across the Americas and beyond, and as a guide for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours.

Birdathon Results

by Kevin Burke

Birdathon Celebration at Hiwire Brewing

We had a great time at our Birdathon after party at Hiwire Brewing on Sunday, May 4th! We had over 30 participants on 10 teams this year. In the traditional category the Hooded Warblers saw the most species with 139. The Green Team category winner was the Quack Attacks with 34 species all seen on foot with no vehicle used all day. So far the Raven Mavens have raised the most money for bird conservation, but there is still time to donate! Thanks to all who participated and donated!

Traditional Teams

Hood Warblers(Team 138): 139

Cardinal Sinners: 114

Peregrinators: 89

Raven Mavens: 92

Beaver Lake Bluebirds: 39

Diana Catherine's Team in Santa Maria, Colombia: 120

Green Teams

Quack Attack: 34

Chick-a-do's: 30

Cuckoo Cavaliers: 20

Paula's Team in Cali, Colombia: 25

So far we have raised over $2,000 for environmental education in Colombia! Blue Ridge Audubon is matching donations dollar for dollar this year (up to $7,500) so really we’ve raised over $4,000. If you’d like to donate to a specific team you can do so on PayPal and name the team in the field that says “specify designation.”

Beaver Lake Celebration

by John Koon

Blue Ridge Audubon celebrated the 36th Anniversary of the founding of Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary on April 27 with its now-annual Beaver Lake Celebration. Over 400 people attended the festivities which included games for kids, local artist and vendor exhibitions, naturalist stations throughout the boardwalk and even a live raptor demonstration with barred owls and a peregrine falcon!

Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary was founded in 1989, the culmination of a 3-year, $400,000 fund-raising effort to protect the east end of Beaver lake from a proposed commercial development. Since then Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter has been the steward of this riparian habitat, building an eco-filter pond to protect the lake from commercial storm runoff and constructing a completely wheelchair-accessible 400m boardwalk loop with two lakeside overlooks.

A big thanks goes out to Danielle Lenaway, our Vice-President who organized this celebration, as well as all the great volunteers who helped make it happen!

Last Year of the NC Bird Atlas

by Mike Resch, NCBA Region 9 Co-Coordinator

The 5^th and final year of the NC Bird Atlas is here! Lots of great progress has been made – many thanks to all the birders who have contributed checklists to the Atlas project. Twenty priority blocks in our region now meet the “Complete” requirements. But there are more than 70 others that still need work. You can check the status of each priority block on this website – NCBA Explorer

If you’ve adopted a block, go to the NCBA Explorer website to see how your results compare to each of the completion criteria.  You can then focus your atlasing efforts in the field to meet any criteria not yet met.

For those of you who have not adopted a block, there’s still plenty of time to help. The key is to focus your atlasing where we need the most help - priority blocks not yet Complete. Block status is best shown on the map on the home page of the NCBA Explorer website. If you’re unfamiliar with the atlasing project, there are many tools on the NC Atlas website – North Carolina Bird Atlas - Discover a new world of birding... Or you can reach out to me directly if you have questions. 

2025 Board of Directors Candidates

The Board of Directors is pleased to recommend the following people to join the Board beginning July 1st, 2025, for two year terms:

Heather N. Brannan

Anne Keller

Andrew Lauglin

Charlotte Moon

Shane Myers

Kitti Reynolds

Erika Wagner

And the following officers for reelection:

John Koon, President 

Kate Johnson, Secretary

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.