SOMD Audubon

What the Birds are Saying
2024-09-04 19:00 - 20:00 UTC | Zoom Meeting
Monthly Meeting Talk – via Zoom
Speaker: Ranger Joshuah Emery

Ranger Joshuah Emery kicks off our new season with intriguing insights into the power of bird language. What are birds saying and why are they saying it? Emery, a ranger at the Patuxent Research Refuge, interprets the various ways birds communicate with each other and their environment. This includes vocalizations, behavior, and body language. Youngsters of all ages as well as experienced birders welcome to this interactive program. Talk may qualify for continuing education for Master Naturalists.

The Zoom link to join the meeting will be emailed to our Osprey email list prior to the talk. If you aren’t already on our list, you can sign up at the bottom of our homepage @ www.somdaudubon.org

Migration Along the St. Mary's River
2024-09-07 08:00 - 11:00 | Chancellors Point, St. Mary’s City, 18171 Rosecroft Road, St. Mary’s City, MD, 20686
Field Trip
Leader: Ben Springer
Join us for a fall meander to key bird migration hotspots in and around Historic St. Mary’s City, which can
be easily combined with a visit to the site of Maryland’s first capital. The combination of riverfront, open
fields, forest and marshland provide us with a chance to look for migrating warblers as well as lingering
breeding birds.

Meet leader at 8 am at the Chancellors Point Park parking lot.
Directions: Driving south on Rte. 5 from St. Mary’s City, turn right on Rosecroft Road. In one mile, watch for signs for Chancellors Point Park. Turn right onto access road and follow signs to the end. (GPS coordinates: 38.1694115, –
76.4407542.)
Maximum of 10 participants. RSVP to Ben at ben.springer@comcast.net or 443-771-6636 (text preferred).

All the Dirt on Seed Saving
2024-09-11 18:00 - 19:30 | St. Mary’s County Public Library Lexington Park, 21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD, United States
Native Plant and Veggie Seed Saving Workshop
Speakers: Molly Moore and Marlene Smith
Learn the tricks of the trade for collecting, cleaning and storing native plant and veggie seeds for your home garden or to share! Harvesting your own seeds saves you money and gives you more variety in your garden.

Molly Moore, president of Southern Maryland Audubon and Marlene Smith, president of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, will teach you the difference between shakers, beaks, coneheads, and more, then will guide you in cleaning
and packaging seeds to take home. We welcome beginners as well as experienced seed collectors.

Age group: adult. Held in Rooms A&B of the Lexington Park Library.
Register at St Mary’s County Library (libnet.info) to receive a reminder email; walk-ins welcome.

This program is made possible with support from Southern Maryland Audubon, Wild Ones Chesapeake
Bay, University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener Program and the LMPP Community Garden,
and may qualify for continuing education hours for Master Gardeners and other University of Maryland Extension programs.

Birding the Fields and Trails of Historic Sotterley
2024-09-14 08:00 - 11:00 | Historic Sotterley, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD, 20636, United States
FIELD TRIP
Leader: Dean Newman

Join us for a fall excursion to this scenic and historic Patuxent River property, sponsored jointly by SMAS and Historic Sotterley. Bald Eagles, migrant songbirds and lingering meadowlarks and sparrows can be found via Sotterley’s trails and river views.

Directions: From Rt. 235, go north on Sotterley Road; turn right through gates to the visitors’ center parking lot. Easy walking and very gentle slopes. Contact Dean Newman at deannewman03@gmail.com

Migration on the Point
2024-09-21 08:00 - 12:00 | Point Lookout State Park, St. Mary’s County, 11175 Point Lookout Road, Scotland, MD, 20687
FIELD TRIP
Leader: Tyler Bell

Join us at Southern Maryland’s premier birding hotspot as fall migrants funnel south to cross the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Loblolly pines, mixed hardwoods, beaches, marshes and broad water views regularly deliver a wide variety of species and occasional rarities.

Directions: From Lexington Park drive south on Rte. 235 for 13 miles. Go left on Rte. 5 for 0.7 miles then left into the Ridge Post Office parking lot. We will arrange carpooling from there. Pt. Lookout State Park is a fee area.

Bathroom facilities available. Flat, easy terrain. Mosquitos can be problematic so bring bug spray. Sunscreen recommended. Maximum of 15 participants. RSVP to Tyler at jtylerbell@yahoo.com or 301-862-4623.

Slow Birding: Experience Birds Differently
2024-09-29 09:00 - 11:00 | MD
FIELD TRIP
Leader: Molly Moore

Traditional birding can sometimes be competitive and list driven. Slow birding offers a different approach focused on fine tuning your birding skills and forging a deeper connection with birds and their habitat. Join us for a relaxing meander along the paths of this beautiful park with its stately trees, open fields, woodland edges and fascinating history. We’ll make several stops to closely observe birds preparing for migration and study their song and calls. We welcome beginners wanting to ease into birding, nature journalers seeking an opportunity to sketch, and experienced birders looking for a closer connection to birds and nature.

Easy terrain, much of it on paved paths and pedestrian roadways.
Loaner binoculars available if you do not have your own.
Restrooms in the park, but not near our starting point.

Lexington Manor Passive Park, St. Mary’s County
21741 South Coral Drive, Lexington Park, MD
Across from Three Notch Theatre and just past U.S. Post Office. Look for parking lot with colorful Lexington Manor Passive Park mural on your right. We will meet in parking lot.

Open to all ages.
Please register using Signup Genius.

Raptor Quest: Chasing America's Birds of Prey
2024-10-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Meeting
Monthly Meeting Zoom talk
Author and wildlife photographer Scott Harris takes us on his journey find all 53 raptors that call the Lower 48 states home. It took 17 months and more than 100,000 miles across 34 states, but Harris found them all and chronicled his adventures and misadventures in a book, “Raptor Quest: Chasing America’s Raptors.” He shares his tales with us, along with what he learned about these amazing birds and the people he met along the way.
If you are not already on our “Osprey” newsletter list, you can sign up at the bottom of our home page www.somdaudubon.org and we will send you the Zoom link prior to the talk.
Talk may qualify for continuing education hours for Master Naturalists.

Count me in for Birds
2024-10-12 08:30 - 11:30 | Port Tobacco River Park, 7740 Chapel Point Road, Port Tobacco, MD, 20677, United States
FIELD TRIP

Leader: Lynne Wheeler

Join Lynne at the Port Tobacco River Park pavilion and learn how to identify birds and count them! This trip will prepare you to participate in upcoming Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) in December. We need your help! Multiple Christmas Bird Counts are held December 14 – January 5 throughout Southern Maryland in Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s County. This is an opportunity to learn how it is done, as well as how to use the MERLIN bird I.D. smart phone app. We will have a 30-minute discussion at the pavilion, followed by a bird walk in the park.
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Binoculars and/or camera and the MERLIN bird smart phone app is recommended.
Maximum participants 12.
RSVP to Lynne Signup Genius, somdaudubon@yahoo.com, or 301-751-8097 (text only).

Pride Southern Maryland Celebration: Proud Families, Proud Future
2024-10-13 11:00 - 16:00 | Lexington Manor Passive Park, 21675 S. Coral Drive, Lexington Park, MD, 21677, United States
Event
Visit our Southern Maryland Audubon tent to chat with experts on birds and native plant gardening.
We’ll have crafts for kids and Osprey merchandise.
Other festivities will include drag, vendors, music, food, kidzone and more!
For more information: Pride SoMD

Autumn at Newtowne Neck
2024-10-19 09:00 - 12:00 | Newtowne Neck State Park, 21110 Newtowne Neck Road, Leonardtown, MD, 20650, United States
FIELD TRIP
Leader: ANNETTE COOK
Catch the tail end of fall migration along the Potomac at this great park. Pine, mixed forests, and fields allow for a host of possible species including late warblers along with the possibility of newly arriving winter species.
Meet at the first parking lot on the right after the park entrance. No fee. Level, maintained dirt/gravel trails, may encounter mud – wear appropriate shoes. Portajohn available at the beach parking lot; a brief drive further down the road. RSVP to Annette at acook.somdaudubon@gmail.com

Hitting the Mark: Windows & Bird Safety
2024-10-26 14:00 - 15:30 | St. Mary’s County Public Library Lexington Park, 21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD, United States
In-Person Presentation at Lexington Park Library
Speaker: Dr. Mark Southerland
An estimated one billion birds die every year to collisions with windows – but what can we do about it?
Join Safe Skies Maryland, an initiative of the Maryland Ornithological Society supported by Southern Maryland Audubon to
learn the high price birds pay for co-existing with humans and how it is our responsibility to make a change.

This event will include an educational session on how to make all types of windows safer for birds and a workshop to learn how to start the bird-proofing process at home! One window of the Lexington Park Library will become a Learning Center to educate our customers on one of the many options available to help our birds.

Note: This event is for adults. We will meet in Rooms A&B of the library.

Register at St. Mary’s Library website to receive a reminder email but walk-ins are welcome.

Monthly Meeting via Zoom
2024-11-06 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Meeting
Presentation: Common Terns: New Staging Site Identified in the Cheasapeake Bay
Speaker: BEN SPRINGER, SMAS Vice-President
Before migration, seabirds like Sterna hirundo (Common Tern) congregate at sites referred to as staging areas, where flocks rest and feed to fuel their long-distance flights. In 2021, a previously unknown staging area for Common Terns at the confluence of the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay was identified, prompting an effort to resight banded birds and understand the relative importance of this staging area.
The Zoom link to join the meeting will be emailed to our Osprey email list prior to the talk.

Birding the Fields and Woods of the JPPM
2024-11-09 08:30 - 11:30 | Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, 10515 Mackall Rd, St. Leonard, MD, 20685, United States
FIELD TRIP – NOTE CHANGE OF DATE FROM 10/26 TO 11/09
Leader: Phin Rouland

Catch the tail end of fall migration plus those winter species just arriving! This wonderful location boasts both great bird diversity and paved trails with little elevation change through its open fields, wooded areas, and river front. When done birding we recommend you checkout this large reserve with archaeological sites & historical exhibits, plus trails and an Indian village.

Meet at the visitor center/museum parking lot. RSVP to Phin Rouland at phin.rouland@gmail.com.

Building a Pollinator Paradise: How We Did It & How You Can Too
2024-11-19 18:00 - 19:00 | St. Mary’s County Public Library Lexington Park, 21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD, United States
In-person Presentation
Learn from the experts how to transform your garden into a haven for pollinators, birds & wildlife! Lexington Manor Passive Park now boasts a budding Gateway Native Garden next to its bountiful Community Garden! Southern Maryland Audubon President and Master Gardener Molly Moore will describe the process of creating this beautiful pollinator paradise and make you inspired to build your own! Leave with the tools you’ll need to design an outdoor oasis that attracts and supports our native pollinators, birds, & wildlife! This is the best time of year to prep your own pollinator garden.
Register here to receive a reminder email. Walk-ins welcome.
This program is made possible with support from the Lexington Manor Passive Park Community Garden and the Southern Maryland Audubon Society.
Lexington Park Library in Meeting Room A
21677 FDR Blvd.,
Lexington Park, MD

Monthly Meeting - The Chesapeake Watershed: History, Birds & Insights for Conservation
2024-12-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Meeting
Monthly Meeting via Zoom
Speaker: DR. WAYNE BELL, Washington College Center for Environment and Society
The Chesapeake watershed is a constantly changing tapestry of ecological succession that impacts regional bird populations as well as the local economy. Dr. Wayne Bell, senior associate and former director of the Washington College Center for Environment and Society, will take us on a journey showing how land use practices have impacted the Chesapeake from pre-colonial times to the present and how habitat restoration and conservation are now addressing the 30% decline in Northern American bird populations for the future.
The lecture may qualify for continuing education for Master Naturalists.
The Zoom link to join the meeting will be emailed to our Osprey email list prior to the talk. If you are not on our email list. you can sign up at the bottom of our homepage @ www.somdaudubon.org

Learn how you can join the Christmas Bird Count
2024-12-07 10:00 - 11:30 | St. Mary’s County Public Library Lexington Park, 21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD, United States
In-person Presentation
The annual Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running community science project in the United States. And you don’t have to be an expert birder to participate.
Southern Maryland Audubon President Molly Moore will teach you all you need to know to join this year’s count, whether you are a beginner or expert birder. Learn how the data provided by hundreds of thousands of birders —like you—over the past 124 years has contributed to improving bird habitat and helping birds survive and thrive.
Weather permitting, we will practice our skills on the library campus after the presentation. We will have loaner binoculars.
Please register at St. Mary’s Library events page.
Meeting Room B
Lexington Park Library
21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD

All the Dirt on Winter Sowing of Native Plants
2025-01-18 10:30 - 12:00 | Leonardtown Library, 23260 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD, 20650, United States
Monthly In-Person Meeting Program & Workshop
Presenters: SMAS President Molly Moore and Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay President Marlene Smith.

We all want to grow more natives for birds, wildlife and beauty in our yards and patios. But native plants can be
expensive! Learn how to grow your own natives from seeds, on the cheap, in milk jugs in the dead of winter.

This hands-on workshop is free and open to all.
Participants are requested to bring a clear or translucent milk jug or another similar jug if possible.
Supplies and extra jugs will be provided.

Workshop may qualify for continuing education hours for Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists.
Workshop limited to 30 participants.
Registration is required via St. Mary’s LibNet

Leonardtown Library, 23260 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD 20650

Restoring Safe Skies for Birds: Mitigating Bird Collisions and Light Pollution
2025-02-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Meeting
Monthly Meeting Zoom Talk
How can we prevent the loss of a billion birds each year in the United States due to collisions with windows and structures? Jo Anna Lutmerding, biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Program will discuss the growing momentum nationwide to tackle this widespread yet avoidable cause of avian mortality and how straightforward solutions—such as reducing disruptive light pollution and making windows more visible for birds—can yield substantial benefits for bird conservation. Learn about the initiatives and opportunities to expand these efforts in southern Maryland, a crucial region along a major migratory route.
If you are not already on our “Osprey” newsletter list, you can sign up at the bottom of our home page @ www.somdaudubon.org and we will send you the Zoom link prior to the talk.
Talk may qualify for continuing education hours for Master Naturalists.

Winter Birds and Tundra Specialist at Pax River Airfield
2025-02-08 08:00 - 12:00 | MD
FIELD TRIP
Leader: DEAN NEWMAN

We are fortunate to have access to sections of the navy base fronting on the confluence of the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay, which hosts airfields that provide tundra-like habitat. Previous trips have turned up winter birds such as Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspurs, Short-eared Owls, Horned Larks, Savannah Sparrows, Wilson’s Snipe, and Peregrine Falcon.

Preregistration is required by February 1 and open to U.S. citizens only.
Must bring photo I.D.

Meeting place will be the parking lot between Gate 2 and the Cedar Point Federal Credit Union.
This parking lot is immediately south of Gate 2.
We will be escorted and traveling together in a van; participant size is limited to 12.
No restrooms. RSVP Dean Newman at deannewman03@gmail.com

Patuxent River Naval Air Station, St. Mary’s County
21866 Cedar Point, Bldg. 2189, NAS Patuxent River, MD 20670. Gate #2

Winter Waterfowl Trip
2025-02-15 09:00 - 12:00 | Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum, 10515 Mackall Rd, St. Leonard, MD, 20685, United States
Field Trip to Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum
Leader: Tyler Bell
Open fields and wooded areas provide good land birding and the river frontage close views of waterfowl including Horned Grebe, Long-tailed Duck, lots of Ruddy Ducks, both scaup, Common Goldeneye, lots of others!
Call or email Tyler for directions to the meeting spot.
Maximum of 12 participants. RSVP to Tyler Bell at 301-862-4623 or jtylerbell@yahoo.com

Great Backyard Bird Count Training
2025-02-15 10:00 - 13:00 | Port Tobacco River Park, 7740 Chapel Point Road, Port Tobacco, MD, 20677, United States
Training Meeting at Port Tobacco River Park Pavillion
Leader: Lynne Wheeler
Learn how you can participate in one of the year’s largest citizen science projects. You will be instructed on how to compile checklists for the Great Backyard Bird Count, and count birds with us at the pavilion area. Learn all about counting birds and why we do it!
Join us anytime (10 to 1). Easy unpaved terrain. No fee. Restrooms available.
All welcome. No RSVP required, just show up!
Questions contact Lynne at somdaudubon@yahoo.com or text 301-751-8097.

All the Dirt on Winter Sowing: Make & Take
2025-02-22 14:00 - 15:30 | St. Mary’s County Public Library Lexington Park, 21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD, United States
In-person Workshop
Learn how to get a head start on your garden this year with winter seed sowing! Southern Maryland Audubon President Molly Moore and Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay Chapter President Marlene Smith will introduce the 10 simple steps to winter sowing and walk participants through creating and planting your own milk jug to take home.
Participants are invited to donate clear or translucent plastic gallon jugs (milk jugs) to refresh our supply.
Registration is required via St. Mary’s LibNet
Workshop may qualify for continuing education hours for Master Gardeners.

Croaks, Peep, and Color: Exploring the World of Amphibian Communcations
2025-03-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Meeting
Monthly Meeting Via Zoom with Program
Speaker: Kerry Wixted; Amphibian, Reptile, and Invasive Species Program Manager, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
Amphibians communicate in a variety of ways from calls to scents and even color. Explore the diverse world of amphibians and the variety of ways that they communicate. Much of this talk’s focus will be on amphibians in Maryland, but it will also cover cool species around the world, too.
The zoom link will be sent out prior to the lecture to all enrolled.

Point Lookout State Park Field Trip
2025-03-22 09:00 - 12:00 | Point Lookout State Park, St. Mary’s County, 11175 Point Lookout Road, Scotland, MD, 20687
Leader: Phin Rouland
Catch some of the earliest signs of migration at one of Maryland’s peak hotspots. Attendees will meet at the picnic area parking and together we’ll walk down to the Point. We’ll scan both the Chesapeake and Potomac waters for any remaining winter waterfowl as well as for spring arrivals including Osprey, Brown Pelican, and tern species.
At the point we’ll target Northern Gannet which are in peak numbers passing by on migration. We’ll spend what time is left around the picnic area and on trails around Fort Lincoln. Highlights could include arriving swallow species, Bluegray Gnatcatcher, and Yellow-throated Warbler.
Flat but unpaved, around a 2-mile walk. Gate fee $3 per car. Restrooms available. Limit 12.
RSVP to phin.rouland@gmail.com
Meet Location: 10444 Point Lookout Rd, Scotland, MD 20687 Google Map to Meet Location

March on the Mattawoman - Special State Park Event
2025-03-29 10:00 - 15:00 | Smallwood State Park, 2750 Sweden Point Road, Marbury, 20658, United States
10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Bird Walks by Lynne Wheeler
Family fun! Come and welcome back our Osprey, family fishing activities, hands-on kids’ activities, explore the Discovery Center, food truck, demonstrations, and bird walks.
Park entrance fee $5/vehicle. Pre-registration required. See https://forms.gle/Bu1skNSQ9PnxxiF17

The Cherry Blossom Festival
2025-03-29 12:00 - 16:00 | Lexington Manor Passive Park, 21675 S. Coral Drive, Lexington Park, MD, 21677, United States
Family Fun at the Lexington Manor Passive Park
This free, family-friendly event will feature bird feeder making craft hosted by Southern Maryland Audubon, winter sowing seeds in milk jugs, vendors and food trucks, and more.
Note: Parking will be available at Lancaster Park off of Willows Road.

How Mockingbirds Dupe Us
2025-04-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Meeting
Monthly Meeting Program via Zoom
Speaker: DAVE GAMMON, Professor of Biology, Elon University
Mockingbirds have fascinated humans for thousands of years with their ability to imitate the sounds of other species, but scientists began to study vocal mimicry in this species for only a few decades. For the past 20 years Dave’s research has focused on basic questions like “Which species get mimicked by mockingbirds and why?” and “How do mockingbirds vary over time in their production of mimicry?” In this talk Dave will share an update on some of his latest research. The zoom link will be sent out prior to the lecture to all enrolled.

Maryland Osprey Festival in North Beach
2025-04-05 10:00 - 16:00 | MD
Family Friendly Event with Raptors and Vendors
Southern Maryland Audubon will host an exhibit and activities. This family-friendly event will also feature live raptors, vendors and activities for all ages. (admission charge)
MARYLAND OSPREY AND NATURE FESTIVAL
North Beach Maryland Boardwalk
9023 Bay Ave, North Beach, MD

Virginia Osprey Festival in Colonial Beach, VA
2025-04-12 09:00 - 16:00 | Town Hill in Colonial Beach, VA, Town Hill (Intersection of Colonial Avenue and Washington Avenue), Colonial Beach, VA, 22443, United States
Lots of Family Fun
Southern Maryland Audubon will host an exhibit and activities. This family-friendly event will also feature other nature and wildlife displays and demonstrations, vendors, food trucks, trolley and golf cart tours, and activities for all. (admission charge) https://www.virginiaospreyfoundation.org/

St. Mary’s County Earth Day Celebration
2025-04-26 10:00 - 14:00 | Summerseat Farm, 26655 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville, MD, 20659, United States
Free Community Event
Southern Maryland Audubon will be hosting bird walks and bird info exhibits. Event will include children’s activities, vendors, food trucks, live music and tons of info on how to live a more sustainable life.
For information about the event.
