The

Raven's

Nest

August 2024

Friends,

Last week I had the opportunity to go on the monthly Plants for Birds walk at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary that is led by Randy Richardson. If you have not attended one of these, I cannot recommend this outing highly enough. Randy is an incredibly engaging and knowledgeable guide who really knows his plants. And not just the identification— the walk was full of fascinating tidbits about their life cycles, interesting properties, medicinal uses by Native Americans and early settlers, how they interact with birds, and all sorts of related anecdotes. I learned why my spicebush berries are the first to be picked by migrant birds in the fall (they are really high in fat content), how cardinal flowers depend on ruby-throated hummingbirds for pollination (the shape of the flower is perfect for pollen rubbing onto their foreheads), and why spiderwort is so-named (settlers used it as a balm for spider bites).

Maybe it was the fact that it was not raining for the first time in 10 days, but the outing had quite a good turnout—24 people, with a nice spread of ages and a good mix of people visiting, new to the area and longtime residents and Audubon members. During our circuit around the boardwalk I counted 32 other people that passed us in their peregrination through the sanctuary. The sanctuary is truly a gem for the community, as the nearly-always full parking lot can attest. The oft-quoted annual visitation of 50,000 visitors to Beaver Lake is almost certainly a gross underestimate!

A natural place this popular requires a good bit of maintenance just to counter the wear and tear of visits as well as the relentless onslaught of natural weathering. Blue Ridge Audubon has a great cadre of volunteers who regularly do these jobs, but our volunteers have also done a remarkable job of keeping invasive non-native species (those which Randy refers to as “Boo-Hiss” species) in check in the sanctuary. From pulling garlic mustard in the spring to monitoring to keep nascent Japanese knotweed from getting a streamside foothold, these tasks are extremely important in keeping our Bird Sanctuary vibrant and healthy.

We have a Beaver Lake Workday scheduled on Saturday, August 17, which will focus on controlling the relentless invasive known as Japanese Stiltgrass. This weed is easily pulled out by the roots but once it goes to seed in late August or early September, it spreads like wildfire, hence the timeliness of this workday. We’d love to have your help with this and other easy chores at our work day. Please join us at 9am—no experience or tools necessary, but work gloves may be beneficial.

And Randy’s next Plants for Birds outing will be Saturday, August 24, at 1pm. Come join us and be ready to learn a lot!

Best regards,

John Koon

President, Blue Ridge Audubon

Our chapter has 8 new board members! We've asked them to briefly introduce themselves.

Dora Brande

After emigrating to the U.S. from Cuba at the age of eight, our family settled in Jacksonville, Florida where I grew up. We moved to Miami after I graduated from high school and lived there for most of my life. After losing my husband to ALS in 2015, I spent a few years in Asheville and returned to Florida in 2020. As much as I love Florida and will continue to visit friends and family there, I came to love North Carolina during my time here and decided to make this my permanent home. I have been a resident of Arden since March of this year. 

Administration and accounting were my focus throughout my working life. Now that I’m retired, I look forward to offering my support to organizations that work to protect birds, other animals and our natural world. I’m proud to be a member of Blue Ridge Audubon and look forward to working with the other board members to further our mission.

Birds have always fascinated me, but I’ve only appreciated them from a distance. Now I also want to learn more about them and help protect them. I’ve seen so many amazing birds throughout my travels, but I’ll never forget the first time I saw a Great Blue Heron in Everglades National Park. It remains one of my favorite birds. 

LaShanda Brown

I grew up in Winston-Salem, NC and moved to Asheville 3 years ago. I work in healthcare, and have found slow birding to be an important part of self care. I'd like to be involved with BRAC by introducing more marginalized communities to the benefits of birding. One of my favorite birds is the hawk; they still stop me in my tracks every time one crosses my path.

Jennie Burke

I grew up in Massachusetts and currently live in Hendersonville, NC. I own and guide for Carolina Nature Tours with my husband Kevin. I am passionate about plants and hiking and have worked with birds in the past as a shorebird monitor (Piping Plovers and Least Terns) and doing various bird surveys with US Fish and Wildlife in Washington State. I am excited to contribute to BRAC by editing this newsletter! I really love shorebirds and waterfowl, especially wood ducks.

Kevin Burke

I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley near Winchester, Virginia and currently live in Hendersonville, NC. I own and guide for Carolina Nature Tours and am a tour guide for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. I recently made a promise to myself to give back to my community and to help advocate for the birds and nature that I love. I am hoping to help in any way that I can to advance the mission and goals of Blue Ridge Audubon. I specifically would like to work on programs and field trips. My favorite bird is always the one I am looking at, but if I had to narrow it down, probably a Blackburnian Warbler.

Paula Caycedo

I grew up in Bogota, Colombia. Currently, I live part of my time in Asheville and the other part in Fontana Lake, WNC, caring for our Nature Preserve, Sofrito. 

I graduated from the National University of Colombia with a BS in Biology in 2000 and received a master's in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Amsterdam in 2010. I work for a Colombian NGO, Fundación Biodiversa Colombia, and its sister, Biodiversa Foundation US, and volunteer in BeeCity Asheville.  

My relationship with birds began when I was a student of Dr. Gary Stiles, who is one of the world's authorities on the ecology of hummingbirds and neotropical ornithology. I feel very lucky that he introduced me to their enchanting world. His classes and his passion for nature encouraged me to find the path I have followed for more than two decades. I love birds, they make me happy. Throughout these years, I have seen how birds connect us through their beauty, sounds, interesting behaviors, and important messages. Through my participation in BRAC, I would like to share this passion and promote this feeling of connectedness, not just with the people in Asheville and WNC but also with my home country: Colombia, the country with the greatest diversity of birds worldwide and an important wintering grounds for many of the Appalachian migratory bird species. 

Anna Hardy

I grew up outside of Chicago, and currently live in Black Mountain. My studies brought me to North Carolina for a master’s and doctorate in marine biology, with a focus on marine ornithology. Some of my study species included Red-billed Tropicbirds, Nazca Boobies, American Oystercatchers, and Royal Terns. I currently get to teach college students about the natural world as a professor at Montreat College. I loved my graduate work, especially getting to travel for field research and bird banding expeditions, but I’m excited about educating others a little more close to home through my students and working with the BRAC. Favorite bird: Black-capped chickadee

Art Hulse

I was born and raised in New Jersey and then escaped to Arizona for graduate studies (was there for about 8 years, did a couple of years doing field work in Argentina and then spend the next 30 in western PA. Came to the Asheville area upon retirement and have been here for almost 19 years

I am a field biologist (Herpetology) and taught undergraduate and graduate courses. Upon retirement, birding was an excellent way for my wife (also a field zoologist) and I to see much of the world in the way we wanted to see it.

Contribute in anyway I can, but primarily in working at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary

Lammergeiers are incredible birds. I really get a kick out of wrens and woodpeckers, but they are all great.

Joe Simon

My name Is Joe Simon and I have been living in the Asheville area for 11 years. I am originally from a town in southeast Florida called Tequesta. The first bird I looked at differently was the Steller's Jay on a trip to Arizona. Then in 2023 on a trip to Maine I happened to be there the same week as the Acadia Birding Festival and I was hooked. I went home, bought my first good pair of binoculars and became a bird nerd. My favorite bird is the Loggerhead Shrike. I will be going back to school this year to begin the Fish and Wildlife Management Technology program at Haywood Community College this fall. I am most excited in joining efforts with Tom and others to take care of one of my favorite places, Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary. I am looking forward to the next couple years on the board. 

Register now! This fall, Audubon members and birders from across NC are invited to our biannual summit, happening Oct. 4-6. Co-hosted with New Hope Bird Alliance, there will be a suite of workshops and field trips for you to hone your advocacy skills and enjoy the magic of fall migration in the Piedmont. Space is limited, register now.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet by Chris Keele: https://act.audubon.org/a/2024-nc-summit

Have you had a chance to join a Plants for Birds outing at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary? (The next outing will be Saturday, August 24.) There are many blooming native species in the sanctuary at the moment, and a variety of pollinators visit these plants.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is a very effective pollinator. The attached photo shows pollen sticking to the bill and forehead of this hummingbird. Look for this species in the stands of Orange Jewelweed at various locations in the sanctuary.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

by Jay Wherley

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

by Jay Wherley

The Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, superficially similar to true hummingbirds, is another pollinator seen among the native flowers. The attached photo shows pollen on several parts of this moth as it feeds at Wild Bergamot in the sanctuary entrance garden.

The two photos show the similar shape and size of hummingbird bill to moth proboscis, each serving to gather nectar from tubular flower bodies.

Notable recent sightings at Beaver Lake include Little Blue Heron.

Fall migration is ramping up!

From August 15 to November 30 millions of birds will flock to their wintering grounds, with many passing through North Carolina. Helping them during this important time is as simple as turning off the lights at night. Learn more about how you can help

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.