Meetings
(and programs)

Monthly meetings are held on the second Monday of each month, from September through April. Meetings usually start at 7:00 p.m. and begin with reports of recent notable bird sightings made by club members. Each meeting includes a featured program given by prominent bird experts, wildlife photographers, conservationists, and others. Guests are always welcome to join us! Meetings are held in the Fellowship Hall of Covenant Presbyterian Church.

Each May (or June) we have an outdoor gathering / picnic on a Saturday morning, in lieu of the regular meeting, with food and short birding walks. The location varies from year to year. Each December we have a Christmas party at the regular meeting place; check the newsletter to be sure about the place and time.


Directions to meeting place

Covenant Presbyterian Church is located at 2001 North Coalter Street, a few blocks north of Lee High School on the northeast side of Staunton. For those driving toward Staunton on I-81, take Exit 225, head east toward town for about two miles along the Woodrow Wilson Parkway, then turn left on Route 11, bear right at the fork in the road, entering Staunton along Augusta Street, and then bear left onto North Coalter Street. The church is immediately to your left.

ABC meeting Nov. 2017

The November 2017 meeting, with Ed and Nancy Lawler in typically high spirits.



Past (and upcoming) programs

NOTE: Programs presented at meetings of previous years (September through April) can be found on the Program archives page.

Month Topic Speaker
May 2024 Annual club picnic (Location TBA)
Apr 2024 Robins to Raptors Robyn Puffenbarger
Mar 2024 Everything you wanted to know about Hummingbirds but were afraid to ask Bruce Peterjohn
Feb 2024 Meet Virginia's Bats Leslie Sturges
Jan 2024 Birding in the Galapagos Vic Laubach
Dec 2023 Annual Holiday Party -
Nov 2023 Environmental Issues for the Shenandoah Valley Bobby Whitescarver
Oct 2023 History of the Richmond Falcon Cam and thre Rebound of Virginia's Peregrine Falcons Megan Thomas (via Zoom)
Sep 2023 Keeping Augusta County Bird Friendly (perspectives from a land use planner) Sara Holberg
May 2023 Annual club picnic (Humpback Rocks picnic area)
Apr 2023 Using eBird and Merlin to enhance your birding experience * Vic Laubach *
Mar 2023 Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas Ashley Peele
Feb 2023 Owls of Virginia * Rich Wood *
Jan 2023 40th Anniversay of the Wildlife Center of Virginia! Ed Clark
Dec 2022 Annual Holiday Party -
Nov 2022 DCR Natural Heritage South River Restoration Projects: Cowbane Prairie and Lyndhurst Ponds Ryan Lepsch
Oct 2022 Historic ornithology collections of the Virginia Museum of Natural History Joe Keiper
Sep 2022 Private Lands Conservation for the Golden-winged Warbler in Virginia Kristin Fuoco
May 2022 Annual picnic brunch (Humpback Rocks picnic area)
April 2022 Treeswifts and Temples: Birding (and Rice Pests!) in Cambodia Dr. Doug Pfeiffer
March 2022 Berries, Birds, & Bugs -- If You Plant Them, They Will Come! Rich Wood
February 2022 Raptor Migration at Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch Dr. Vic Laubach
January 2022 Online via Zoom (Zoom) No program.
December 2021 No holiday party due to covid-19. --
November 2021 Birds (and a few insects!) in Sub-Saharan Africa Dr. Doug Pfeiffer
October 2021 The Life and Travels of the Red-eyed Vireo Dr. Paul Callo
September 2021 No meeting due to covid-19. --
May 2021 Annual picnic brunch (Humpback Rocks picnic area)
April 2021 Birding in America's "Back Yard" (South America)
(Recorded meeting via Zoom Passcode: UwlVb?U7)
Dr. Andrew Clem
March 2021 Listening In: The Acoustic Ecology of Birds
(Recorded meeting via Zoom Passcode: #R87GHM3 )
Dr. Dana Moseley
February 2021 Improving bird and wild life habitat (Zoom) Bruce Ingram
January 2021 Migratory bird banding (Zoom) Ashli Gorbet
December 2020 Bird - aircraft collisions (Virtual Zoom meeting) Dr. Carla Dove
November 2020 New World Warblers (Virtual Zoom meeting) Dr. Marshall Faintich
October 2020 Identifying Raptors in Flight (Virtual Zoom meeting) Josh Haas
September 2020 No meeting due to covid-19. --
June 2020 Annual club picnic / brunch (Cancelled due to covid-19.) None
May 2020 No meeting due to covid-19. --
April 2020 Birding in Ecuador (Meeting cancelled due to covid-19.) Larry Litke
March 2020 Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird Katie Fallon
February 2020 Audubon Young Birders Camp Max Nootbaar
January 2020 Bee habitat Kal Ivanov
December 2019 Christmas party --
November 2019 Birding around Camp Chiricahua, Arizona Baxter Beamer
October 2019 Birding in Chile for Thanksgiving Dr. Robyn Puffenbarger
September 2019 Fly Fishing and the Restoration of the South River Tommy Lawhorne
June 2019 Annual club picnic / brunch None
May 2019 No meeting --
April 2019 Bird feathers and flight * John Spahr
March 2019 Attracting Birds with Water Bob Schamerhorn
February 2019 Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas Project Dr. John Spahr
January 2019 Invasive Plant Species / Habitat Improvement for Wildlife Bruce Ingram
December 2018 Christmas party --
November 2018 Red Siskin project (Smithonian Institution) Michael Braun
October 2018 Cornell Young Birders Event Baxter Beamer
September 2018 Virginia Wilderness Areas Lacey Dean
May 2018 Annual club picnic / brunch None
April 2018 Madagascar Birding Steve Rannels
March 2018 Baby Bird Identification (Meeting cancelled due to weather.) Maureen Eiger
February 2018 Shorebirds (changed from Blue Ridge Wildflowers) John Coiner
January 2018 New Zealand Birding Ed Lawler
December 2017 Christmas Social None
November 2017 Birds of Prey Bob Schamerhorn
October 2017 Nature Camp Amy Gonzalez / Nature Camp Staff
September 2017 The Status of Turkeys, Grouse and Quail in Virginia Bruce Ingram
May 2017 Annual club picnic: Saturday, May 6 at Lofton Lake, Raphine, VA
April 2017 Purple Martin colonies Dr. Mixon Darracott
March 2017 Baby Bird Identification (Meeting cancelled due to weather.) Maureen Eiger
February 2017 Penguin Species of the World Dr. Harold Heatwole
January 2017 Birding Around the World Dr. John Spahr
December 2016 Annual Holiday party BEGINS AT 6:30
November 2016 Migrating and Overwintering Waterfowl in the Shenandoah Valley Dr. Dick Rowe
October 2016 Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas Dr. Ashley Peele
September 2016 The Eastern Screech Owl in Virginia and Beyond Dr. John Spahr
May 2016 Annual club picnic: Saturday, May 14 at Ridgeview Park, Waynesboro
April 2016 Virginia Natural History Museum's future branch in Waynesboro Joe Kieper
March 2016 Chesapeake Bay Foundation Bobby Whitescarver
February 2016 Birding in Thailand Bill Leaning
January 2016 Appreciating Birds Through Art Peg Sheridan
December 2015 Annual Holiday party BEGINS AT 6:30
November 2015 Birding in Patagonia Ed Lawler
October 2015 Birding in southern Arizona Andrew Clem
September 2015 Experiences at Audubon summer camp Gabriel Mapel
May 2015 Annual club picnic: Saturday, May 16 at Natural Chimneys
April 2015 Birding Ethiopia Steve Rannels, Naturalist and photographer
March 2015 Bobwhite restoration Justin Folks, Va. Dept. of Games & Inland Fish.
February 2015 South River mercury project Calvin Jordan, Va. Dept. of Env. Qual.
January 2015 Effect of Climate Change on Birds Leslie Grady, Jr.
December 2014 Annual Holiday party BEGINS AT 6:30
November 2014 "America's Other Audubon" (book) Joy Kiser
October 2014 Photographs of Global Wildlife Marshall Faintich
September 2014 Hummingbirds: The Americas' Avian Jewels Dr. John Spahr
May 2014 Annual club picnic: Sunday, May 4th at 3:00 p.m. at Natural Chimneys
April 2014 Wildlife Center of Virginia Ed Clark
March 2014 Audubon Society's Project Puffin Doug Rogers
February 2014 In-flight Owl Photography Made Simple Kevin Shank
January 2014 eBird, Apps, Digi-scoping, and Point-and-shoot Photography Vic Laubach, Brenda Tekin, Peter Nebel
December 2013 Annual Holiday party -
November 2013 Birding myths, musings, and mirth -- a farrago of fiction, fact and fun John Spahr
October 2013 Cerulean Warblers Katie Fallon
September 2013 Vultures of the Allegheny Highlands Keith Carsen
May 2013 Annual club picnic: 8 A.M., Sat. May 18 -
April 2013 The Brazilian Pantanal Dick Kieffer
March 2013 Natural Chimneys Park Edith Kretch
February 2013 Birding on Machias Seal Island Laura Beltran
January 2013 Ed Lawler Two Weeks in Northern Tanzania
December 2012 Annual Holiday party John Spahr
November 2012 Water in the Landscape Tish & Keith Folsom
October 2012 New Zealand, the Living Land Dr. William H. D. Leaning
September 2012 Keeping Augusta County Bird Friendly Sara S. Hollberg, AICP
May 2012 Annual club picnic) -
April 2012 My 2011 Junior Big Year Gabriel Mapel
March 2012 Wild & Weird Birds Of The World John Spahr
February 2012 Birds of the Vredefort Dome Dr. Erwin Bohmfalk
January 2012 Birds of Colombia Jim Nix
November 2011 Wilderness Sojourn in Svalbard, the Arctic archipelago Ken & Marcelle Klotz
October 2011 Banding migrating Saw Whet Owls. Clair Mellinger, Ph.D.
September 2011 Hawk Migration at Rockfish Gap Breda Tekin
April 2011 An Appreciation of Birdsongs Wil Hershberger
March 2011 South Florida & Sanibel Island Brenda Tekin
February 2011 My Big Year of Birding Dr. John Spahr, M.D.
January 2011 Birds of Qatar Peter Nebel
November 2010 Birds of Wintergreen Marshall Faintich, Ph.D.
October 2010 Birding in Australia Richard Kiefer, Ph.D.
September 2010 Managing for Early Successional Bird Species on Private Lands Kenneth Kesson
April 2010 As the World Turns, The Complex Lives of "Simple" Birds Paul Callo
March 2010 Birds of Korea Peter Nebel
February 2010 (cancelled due to snow) .
January 2010 Friends of Shenandoah Mountain Lynn Cameron
November 2009 Birding Cuba Dr. John Spahr, M.D.
October 2009 Panama Teta Kain
September 2009 Photos from Magee Marsh Brenda Tekin
April 2009 Birding in China Bob Ake
March 2009 Migratory birds and wildlife conservation in Peru Andrew Clem
February 2009 Birds of New Guinea Dr. John Spahr
January 2009 Social Systems in Manakins Dr. Mercedes Foster (USGS)
November 2008 Bats in Virginia Rick Reynolds (VDGIF)
October 2008 What's Bugging You? Dr. Arthur Evans
September 2008 Bluebird Basics Anne Little
April 2008 Birding travels to Mexico, etc. Stauffer Miller
March 2008 Land Below the Wind (Borneo, Malay Peninsula) Peggy Spiegel Opengari
February 2008 Through The Camera's Lens Bob Schamerhorn
January 2008 When Birds Collide Carla Dove, Ph.D.

* Substitute program replaced the one that had been originally scheduled.



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