The

Raven's

Nest

November

2026

Friends,

As I write this, I am in the air flying back from a quick business trip to South Korea. If you haven't been to Seoul, it is a wonderful city, large and vibrant, and the city planners were very thoughtful in setting aside a fair amount of parkland within the perimeter of the metropolis for greenways and parks. My hotel was situated alongside the Seoul Botanic Park, a lovely park that this week was full of colorful autumn splendor--and a couple of Lifers like the Azure-winged Magpie for people like me with little prior exposure to East Asian birds. What a delight it was to take a break from city life and stroll through the park and along the wetland with helpful interpretive signs (if you can read Korean) and well-planned overlooks. I was certainly not the only one who was out on that fine afternoon enjoying the gifts of the park--locals exercising in small groups, photographers capturing the autumn light, parents introducing their children to nature, young people reading under a tree, and tourists like me taking it all in. A Magical Place indeed.

Everything I just wrote equally applies to our own Magical Place, Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary. Every bit the oasis of green space bordering urban and commercial sprawl, Beaver Lake fills the same needs that this park in Seoul does. If you have tried to find parking here recently (and please see our note below about additional parking down Merrimon!), I don't have to tell you how many people use Beaver Lake. It took Tom Tribble only a couple of years to record license plates from all 50 states in our parking lot! For locals and tourists alike and for nature enthusiasts and people just in need of a quick escape, Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary is a treasure.

Starting this week our Beaver Lake Renewal Project Phase One will begin! Over the next few weeks we will have contractors replacing and upgrading significant portions of the boardwalk. We will replace the rotting and heavily weathered sections with a new synthetic planking that should stand the test of time better than the prior pressure-treated lumber. Our intent is to preserve access to parts of the sanctuary during the full course of this construction, but please bear with us as some parking space is taken up and access is limited. Construction will continue on and off through the winter with the intent of being finished in time for our springtime Beaver Lake Celebration.

All these repairs and improvements are needed but they do cost money! Our Beaver Lake Renewal Project Fundraiser is just kicking into high gear to pay for it all, and your contributions are needed! We are just over a third of the way to our goal of raising $100,000 for this fine project--please help if you can! As always, your contributions to Blue Ridge Audubon are tax-deductible, and as we approach year's end, it is a good time to do some tax planning too!

And speaking of the end of the year, our other year-end project approaches: The Annual Christmas Bird Count! This is the oldest citizen science project in the world. More details below.

Thanks for all the ways that you help support the Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter!

John

Birds & Brew Trivia: North Carolina Birding

with Kevin Burke



Sunday, November 15 

Turgua Brewing, Fairview

We're back to Turgua Brewing in Fairview for some bird trivia! Join us from 4:30 - 6:30 pm to test your avian knowledge and visit fellow Blue Ridge Audubon members. This time it will be all about birding in North Carolina! Hope to see you there!

Bring your friends and family along for an evening of fellowship and fun! Whether you play games, create a holiday craft, compete in the puzzle tournament, or just sit and share stories with fellow bird enthusiasts, come join us for a casual evening of feathered holiday fun. 

Light snacks and beverages will be provided. Feel free to bring your own games to the party—but remember they need a bird theme! 

For more than a century, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count has brought together thousands of volunteers across the Americas to count birds for conservation. What began in 1900 has become the world's longest-running bird count. Learn More about the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

Join a count in your area:

Brevard - Monday, December 14

Hot Springs - Thursday, December 17

Henderson County - Friday, December 18

Balsam (Waynesville) - Thursday, December 31

Buncombe County - Saturday, January 2

Lake Lure - Sunday, January 3

Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary Renewal Fundraising Update

by Charlotte Moon

Fundraising continues for our Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary Renewal Project. We are pleased with the progress so far and grateful for all who have contributed! 

The project will protect and preserve access to the sanctuary by repairing damaged sections of the boardwalk and railings, re-surfacing the gravel parking area, installing a dusk-to-dawn security gate, and refreshing educational signage throughout the property. Work on the boardwalk will begin this month. 

Our goal is $100,000 for the entire project, and as of November 1, we are over one-third of the way to that amount. 

Signs with QR codes for your donations have been installed as you enter the sanctuary and at a couple of places along the boardwalk. You may also visit BlueRidgeAudubon.org/donate to make your designated contribution to the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary Renewal Project. All funds raised will go directly to the work that is urgently needed in our beautiful urban oasis for the birds. 

Thank you to the additional donors who supported our goals in October!

Michael Ashby

Ingrid Biedenharn

Laura Billings

Cindy Ann Bowers

Elizabeth Button

Barbara Campbell

Carverland Farms

Lothar Dohse

James Gant

Charlotte Goedsche

Good Migrations

Dr. Julia A. Hartman

Dale Henderson

Lisa Isenhart

Paul Kelman

Kristina Krider

Ron McMorran

Nancy Michael

Helene Presskreischer

Kylie Prock

Linda R Pyeritz

Thomas Rivas

Elizabeth Ryan

Paula Sims

Ian Taylor

Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary Construction Update

by Tom Tribble and Kitti Reynolds

This month Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary will be undergoing improvements and repairs to the boardwalk. The contractor will start work on Nov 12 and expects to take about 3 weeks. About 4-5 parking spaces will be set aside for the materials and a dumpster. Parking spaces will be blocked off beginning on November 11.

The contractor will replace about half of the boardwalk on both sides, working on one side first and then the other. Access to the boardwalk and the sanctuary by visitors will be open. People can start on one side, walk about 3/4 of the boardwalk and return to where they started.

Of course, parking will be even more limited than now. A couple of new signs were installed last week informing visitors that additional parking is available a short walk north on Merrimon. Twenty additional parking spaces along Midland Avenue a short walk away from the sanctuary are open to all for parking. (See map below)

Additionally a Boy Scout will be installing new bird houses along the walkway later this fall for his Eagle Scout project. Some of the old, uncleanable, bird houses will be removed.

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.