The Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville delivered a presentation on bird-window collisions to Asheville City Council during the Informal Public Comment session of the August 24th meeting. All four speakers, representatives of Blue Ridge Audubon and UNCA Audubon, called into the meeting and spoke to the city council members about the problem of fatal bird-window collisions in Asheville. Paulina Jones, a senior at UNC Asheville and Vice-President of the UNCA Audubon Chapter, highlighted the main causes of collisions: reflectivity, transparency, and artificial lighting at night. She also presented her research from the UNCA campus that yielded nearly 150 bird fatalities around eight campus buildings as evidence of the problem in our community. Clayton Gibb, a recent graduate of UNCA, talked about the perilous migration of birds through our area and the value they bring to our city. Sarah Branagan, a senior at UNC Asheville and President of the UNCA Audubon Chapter, presented on one feasible solution to fatal bird-window collisions in the city of Asheville — a lights-out program. She suggested that city-owned buildings turn off interior lights at night and that exterior lights be positioned downward or shut off to reduce light pollution and energy consumption. Danielle DiBella-Lenaway closed out the presentation by restating the benefits of a lights-out program and the importance of birds to our city and the world. Because the group presented in the Informal Public Comment portion, they were not able to get immediate feedback. The group is looking to arrange a more formal presentation in the coming months. The presentation in its entirety can be watched here. More information about the Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville can be found here.

President, UNCA Audubon Chapter

It's Chimney Swift season, an exciting time of year to see swirling clouds of Swifts as they gather at sunset to enter communal roosting sites. The Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter (BRAC) will sponsor our annual Swift Night Out, a Chimney Swift viewing event scheduled for dusk in downtown Asheville. We'll meet at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, September 30th on the top floor of the Civic Center Parking Deck. Please check our website and our Facebook page  for updates.  

Despite their abundance in urban environments, Chimney Swifts have seen a 72% decline in population since 1965, putting them on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threatened list. Although they adapted well to the influx of development in the 19th and 20th centuries, modern homes often do not have suitable chimneys, and many unused traditional brick chimneys are beginning to deteriorate or get capped by homeowners. In response, birders, educators, and community members have rallied to conserve these wonderful birds by erecting swift towers around North Carolina. You can come check out Blue Ridge Audubon’s tower at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary. Learn more from Audubon North Carolina about what actions you can take to help Chimney Swifts!

Our thanks to the 18 volunteers who pitched in at the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary workday on August 28. Great progress was made removing Japanese stiltgrass, Porcelain berry seedlings, and English ivy. A dozen wheelbarrow loads of branch piles were schlepped out of the Sanctuary as well. All the educational signs were cleaned and shined by Joyce Birkenholz. A special shoutout goes to the Crosson family, Julie, Andrew and children Addie and Gus, for cutting up and carting off most of the Sycamore tree that went down next to the entrance. Blue Ridge Audubon is very grateful to the many people who give of their time and energy to work at the Sanctuary. Thanks to the other volunteers at our workday: Leanne Apfelbeckn, Anne and Dickson Bridgers, Alicia and Art Hulse, Doug Johnston, Diane Matheson, Carl Nyberg, Douglas Rao, Kitti Reynolds, Bonnie Snyder, Leslie Stewart and Tom Tribble.

The next BLBS workday is Saturday, September 18 at 9 a.m. The plan is to remove more Japanese Stiltgrass, Porcelainberry seedlings and English ivy. Wear long pants, gloves and a long-sleeved shirt as there is some poison ivy. For questions, please email Tom Tribble at blueridgeaudubon@gmail.com.

On June 29, Blue Ridge Audubon hosted a 'Birding by Ear' Student Enrichment Experience (SEE) Day Camp for blind and vision-impaired children. The SEE Day Camps are sponsored by IFB Solutions and we were thrilled to provide a birding experience at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary and the NC Arboretum. The campers began their day at BLBS learning bird sounds and identifying the birds they heard along the boardwalk. While remarking on key traits of the birds we heard, the children were asked to imitate some of the birds’ behaviors, such as sticking out their tongues like woodpeckers do to reach their food, and the campers enthusiastically participated. We gave each camper a turkey feather, talked about topics like why birds have feathers, discussed bird habitats, migration and the importance of conservation. The campers were also able to feel demonstration bird nests and learn about the different nests that birds create.

After a fun-filled morning, we traveled to the NC Arboretum for lunch and the afternoon session. Anthony Squitieri, with Wild Bird Research Group, Inc, talked to the campers about bird mist netting and bird banding. The children were able to hold the bands and they asked lots of questions. The campers were then led along the Natural Garden Trail where they learned about the trees, wildflowers, geology, and diversity of our region. The campers were able to feel the bark of trees, the softness of mosses, and smell the aromatic leaves of spicebush and sassafras. The campers and volunteers enjoyed the day and we look forward to hosting them again next year.

Birding in September at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary can be a very productive month. Almost 150 species have been seen during this month over the years – second only to April for “best” month of the year. With respect to quantity in the month, the highest count of a single species is a “swoop” of 500 Chimney Swifts in 2015. Cedar Waxwing is second at an “ear-full” of 150 birds in 2018. Third was an amazing spectacle of a Blue-winged Teal “dopping” containing 125 ducks in 2015.

The most unusual September observations might be Ring-billed Gull in 2010, Sora in 2016, or Olive-sided Flycatcher in 2017. None of those species has been reported during September since those sightings.

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Sora, Beaver Lake, September 2015 in 2015.