The

Raven's

Nest

November 2024

Friends,

The neighborhood still does not look normal, nor does it feel normal. Don’t get me wrong–it is much closer to normal than a month ago. But the piles of brush and logs, the downed wires, tarps over roofs, the new patches of open sky that didn’t exist before (not to mention the continued lack of potable water) all indicate that it is going to be a long time before this community resembles the one we knew before Helene roared into town.

To some extent, it is the same for the birds. While the birds here for the storm were likely more resilient in the immediate aftermath of the storm than were we (as evidenced by the bustling activity of warblers and rose-breasted grosbeaks in my yard and at Beaver Lake as we began cleanup and assessments), longer term the drastic changes in habitat will drive the birds to change their routines and preferences for winter and breeding grounds. Many of the riparian fields that usually are full of seeded grasses and cultivated crops that supported sparrows are washed away this winter. On the other hand, the myriad fallen and damaged trees will lead to a bonanza for woodpeckers in the coming years. Longer term opportunities may yet sprout from the damaged swathes of forests we are seeing along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Craven Gap and Mount Mitchell. While it is heartbreaking to see these huge tracts of trees leveled, these new breaks in the forest are actually beneficial for breeding species like the golden-winged warbler and  cerulean warbler. In short, it will be fascinating to observe how different populations of birds respond to these drastic if local changes in habitat.

So we may see big differences in the birds in our fields and yards this winter. But how do we know whether what we are seeing is just anecdotal, or is related to our changed local habitat, or is due to a different, more widespread trend like climate change or a bumper crop of the spruce bud worm in Canada? How do we know whether the number of purple finches at our feeder is a result of scarce local natural food or an irruption year of birds from the north? 

Luckily, the National Audubon Society has gathered over 100 years worth of trend data for our wintering birds through its Christmas Bird Count. Faithfully gathered by volunteers nationwide, this data can tease out national trends and separate differences in local bird populations from more persistent or wider changes in bird populations. Critically, it gives conservationists hard data to demonstrate the perils that birds are facing from a number of threats including habitat loss and changing weather patterns. Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter has been conducting its CBC around hard-hit Swannanoa for over 50 years, and while we are not sure we will even be able to survey some parts of this area this year, the results will be fascinating indicators as to how the bird populations are responding to this fall’s disaster.  

There are actually at least five Christmas Bird Counts in Western North Carolina including Hendersonville, Lake Lure, Lake Junaluska, and Brevard as well as Asheville this year. These counts are held on different dates between December 14 and January 5, so hopefully one or more dates fits into your schedule. We are always looking for help conducting these–if you are interested, please sign up to help. There is no experience necessary, and you don’t even have to be a keen birder to help out. I hope you can join us this winter to add valuable bird data to our scientific effort!

Best,

John

November 16, 9 am

North Carolina Arboretum

Our Saturday morning outing on November 16 will be at the North Carolina Arboretum! The Arboretum is pleased to announce that admission will be free for anyone wishing to join Blue Ridge Audubon for this unique outing. We’ll gather to meet at the main parking lot by the Baker Center at 9am. After the bird outing through the grounds, participants are encouraged to check out the Owl Art exhibit in the Baker Center too! Hope to see you there.

Back by popular demand! Come join Blue Ridge Audubon for an afternoon of birding trivia at Turgua Brewing! Board member Kevin Burke will be asking birding related questions to test your knowledge of everything avian. This event is free and open to everyone. The trivia will range from easy to moderately challenging. Prizes to the top three winning teams. This will be a fun afternoon to get together and share stories, support an awesome local business, and test your bird knowledge. We will see you there!

Mud Creek Motus Station



Good News! Despite being nearly completely submerged in the floodwaters of the French Broad River during Tropical Storm Helene, the Mud Creek Motus Station is back to operational status. The station suffered damage to its motherboard but conservationists from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission were able to replace these components and return the station to operational status by late October. Data from this station will fill in a critical gap for migratory activity through the French Broad River valley for years to come.

Birdathon

Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter presented Anthony Squittieri with a donation of $3589 to Wild Bird Research Group to fund a research project that will study the habitat requirements and usage patterns for northern saw-whet owls in the high country spruce-fir forest of western North Carolina. These funds are the proceeds from our 2024 Birdathon last spring.

Audubon NC Summit

by Brittany Salmons

Much like the migrating warblers, swifts, and kinglets chittering from the tree tops this time of year, Audubon members from across the state flocked to Durham to celebrate birds and share inspiration at the 2024 Audubon North Carolina Summit Oct. 4-6.

Hosts New Hope Bird Alliance welcomed 100 members of our flock to learn about urban forestry, advocacy campaigns, bird-friendly yard plantings, Motus towers, and more during four in-depth workshops on Friday. Students representing campuses from Wilmington, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Charlotte also joined to hone their bird advocacy skills and network throughout the weekend. 

Keep reading: https://nc.audubon.org/news/audubon-members-gather-nc-summit 

As we approach the end of another year birding at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary (BLBS), I’m going to look at some statistical information for this eBird “hotspot.” In 2024, the 233rd species recorded for BLBS was a Little Blue Heron on July 5th. This year marked the 10,000th eBird checklist submission for BLBS! Almost 2000 different observers have reported birds here over the years. BLBS is the number one hotspot in North Carolina by number of checklists submitted - both for 2024, and all time. I believe it is number two (behind Pea Island NWR) in NC for the number of eBird observers entering data.

In November, we will look for these potential arrivals in the sanctuary:

Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, American Coot, Common Loon, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco.

Horned Grebe, Beaver Lake,

November 2015 by Jay Wherley

Snow Goose, Beaver Lake,

November 2018 by Jay Wherley

November is also the best month of the year to have a chance to see these more uncommon and rare species: Snow Goose, Bonaparte’s Gull, Horned Grebe, Merlin, Common Raven, Evening Grosbeak

Notable recent sightings at Beaver Lake include Nashville Warbler, Marsh Wren, and Lincoln’s Sparrow.

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.