Join friends for informal walking and birding programs for all.
Before Old Man Winter blasts onto the scene, get out and enjoy nature with some birding friends. SMAS offers several options, including a stroll on November 8 at Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary with the group Walk Charles County. In late November and early December, we will be monitoring the newly arriving ducks at Mattawoman Creek. Keep an eye on the SMAS Group on Facebook for a late-breaking “flash” outing along the George Wilmot Trail in Indian Head. In previous years we have seen hundreds of ducks of many species! Finally, we welcome birders of all levels to join us on Christmas Bird Counts taking place in various counties on December 14, 21, 27, and January 4. Check out our Events calendar for more details.
Partnerships yield great results! But what is a bird sit?
Southern Maryland Audubon Society (SMAS) joined forces with the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP) for an unusual event at Chapman State Park on October 11. Pam Brumbley, a director on the SMAS board, led a bird walk to the Potomac River with eighteen participants. Lynne Wheeler, SMAS interim president, kicked off the walk with an introduction to the site’s unique ecology. That much is typical of a birding field trip! But here’s the unusual part: at the front porch of Mount Aventine, the park’s historic hilltop home, Margaret Poethig, a board member for the MBCP, led a bird sit.
What is a bird sit, you ask? There are many ways to do it! The general idea is, when folks sit still and remain quiet outdoors, birds usually resume their normal activity within ten minutes or so. In this way, bird sits offer opportunities to observe birds and their natural behavior. (During group walks, birds are sometimes startled and seek cover, or they are foraging high up in trees or far out in the water, requiring binoculars.) Bird sits can suit a greater range of birding skills and physical abilities than walks. You don’t need binoculars, and you can even do a bird sit solo at your home window or nearest park. In stillness, you can practice your listening and observation skills, becoming more attuned to the natural world. Depending on your purpose or the approach of a guide, bird sits can be contemplative and meditative too.
Lynne reported that the count on the October 11 bird sit was not as high as we tend to see on a walk—just 21 species—but she found joy in learning about birds with other enthusiasts and partnering with like-minded organizations. Special thanks also go to the Friends of Mount Aventine for helping to facilitate this event.
Meet Scott Harris at our monthly Zoom lecture, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
Join Scott as he shares his seventeen-month journey to find all 53 of the raptors that call the Lower 48 states home. In his presentation he shares his adventures, misadventures, successes, and failures—from minus 36-degree days to one over 100, from barely missing a bird to just arriving in time. If you are on our Osprey newsletter list, you will receive the Zoom link via email. You can join the mailing list by using the form at the bottom of this page.
We’ve packed the coming weeks with bird trips for all ages and abilities, workshops, nature talks, and craft tables at upcoming festivals, including the dedication of our Gateway Native Garden at Lexington Manor Passive Park on Sunday, Oct. 26. Check out our Events page for all the details. We’d love for you to join us!
Cow Path Tiger Beetle. Photo by U.S. Geological Survey
Meet ‘The Bug Guy’—Dr. Michael J. Raupp—at our monthly Zoom nature talk 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1!
Check out wicked wasps, bodacious beetles, fierce flies, and other arthropod allies that provide vital functions and enhance the sustainability of our landscapes and gardens. Mike, entomology professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, will show us simple steps to enhance the abundance and contributions of beneficial insects and ways to conserve them in your garden.
If you are on our “Osprey” newsletter list, you will receive the Zoom link. You can sign up at the bottom of this home page @ www.somdaudubon.org.
Talk may qualify for continuing education hours for Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners.
Southern Maryland Audubon has named Matthew Neff of the Calvert Marine Museum as “2025 Conservationist of the Year” for his exceptional work as a researcher, educator, and leader in support of the Chesapeake Bay region.
Neff, who is the curator of estuarine biology at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, MD, works tirelessly to educate the public on the flora and fauna of the Chesapeake Bay and conservation issues threatening the bay area.
He heads FrogWatch USA for Southern Maryland and the surrounding DMV, which is in its 13th season. FrogWatch is a citizen science program that tracks frog populations suffering from habitat loss, disease, and other threats.
“Matt forges that critical connection between people and wildlife —yes, including snakes— and the importance of protecting the habitat our wild creatures need to survive now and in the future,” said Robert Lukinic, conservation chair for Southern Maryland Audubon.
While Matt said he is “thrilled and honored to receive the award,” he still feels like he has much more he wants to do. He is currently working with Maryland Department of Natural Resources and local schools to install acoustic recorders to try to find some state endangered species such as the Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad and Carpenter Frog.
Neff also manages a staff responsible for the care of over 500 individual animals representing 75 species found in the Chesapeake, including Eastern Hellbenders, Cownose Rays, and North American River Otters.
Prior to his work at the Calvert Marine Museum, Neff was a herpetology animal keeper at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, implementing conservation programs to protect amphibians and reptiles.
The award, now in its 32nd year, was presented at Southern Maryland Audubon’s annual meeting and potluck picnic at Maxwell Hall in Hughesville, MD.
Fishing for catfish to feed a rescued eagle. Outstanding youth leadership. Building nest boxes for birds. Five of our members have been honored with “2025 President’s Awards” for their outstanding service to birds and conservation.
Aurora Huhman was recognized for her passionate support for birds, catching catfish to feed a rescued Bald Eagle at Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center and writing state lawmakers to save parks and green spaces threatened by budget cuts.
Two of our young leaders were honored for their skills and dedication as the new generation of conservation leaders in Southern Maryland and wherever they may go in the future: our vice president Ben Springer and field trip chair Phin Rouland. Ben graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland last year and serves as a park ranger at Newtown Neck State Park.
Phin is a rising senior at the college working on a senior project helping farmers use bird-friendly practices in their harvests.
John and Shelly Posey were honored for their tireless bird conservation work erecting Screech Owl boxes and Bluebird nest boxes across Southern Maryland. John builds the boxes, baffles and poles from scratch in his workshop and they work as a team putting them up in even the most difficult locations.
Congratulations to each of our most deserving 2025 President’s Award winners!
Meet our new leadership! Southern Maryland Audubon members have elected a new officer slate that includes new faces and returning leaders.
Dean Newman is our new president; Ben Springer, vice president; Julie Daniel, treasurer; and Lynne Wheeler, secretary.
The board of directors includes new members Jan de Regt and Pamela Brumbley, returning members Annette Cook and Phin Rouland, and past president Molly Moore, who served as chapter president for the last three years.
Learn more about all we do to protect birds and other wildlife and the places they need to thrive at www.somdaudubon.org. If you’re not a member, consider joining our flock!
This Thursday, June 5, help fund raptor conservation in Southern Maryland, watch Barn Owl fledglings being banded up close and person and enjoy a burger in a beautiful setting. To RSVP and get location details contact Mike Callahan at raptorsrulemc@gmail.com or 240-765-5192.
Join Southern Maryland Audubon SUNDAY, June 8, 2025 for our annual meeting, potluck picnic and native plant sale at beautiful Maxwell Hall in Hughesville, MD.
All members and families/guests and prospective members all welcome. We invite you to bring a dish or dessert to share.
2:15-3:00 p.m. Welcome and business meeting with elections and award presentations
3:00-4:00 Bird Walk, Tour of Maxwell Hall and workshop on how you can lead a bird walk.
This Charles County park includes Maxwell Hall, a beautifully preserved 18th century house, and 14 miles of diverse hiking trails through woods, open fields and shoreline.
Picnic, meeting and plant sale at the park pavilion. (Be sure to follow the signs and set your GPS for Maxwell Hall not Maxwell Hall Park which is a distance from the pavillion.) Follow our SMAS signs for parking. 17388 Teagues Point Road, Hughesville, MD. 20637
