From initially having 30 members when it was founded in 1966, the AUGUSTA BIRD CLUB has grown to about 190 members today. Our members enthusiastically participate in Field Trips, Breeding Bird Surveys, Christmas Bird Counts, and countless hours of fall hawk watching at Rockfish Gap. Many of our members have served or are serving on the board of the Virginia Society of Ornithology.

As an organization, we are strong supporters of many conservation efforts related to our interest in birds, habitat, as well as other wildlife and native plants. We regularly go on birding field trips in the area, hold monthly meetings, conduct an annual fall bird seed sale, participate in local events, contribute to various citizen science projects, and more.

Our Club meetings are held at 7:00pm on the second Monday of the month, September through April, with occasional exceptions. Each month features a special program given by prominent bird experts, wildlife photographers, conservationists, and others. Our regular meeting place is the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Staunton. Throughout the year, depending on the weather, we organize a variety of field trips to look for birds and to help less-experienced birders gain more birding skills. Most destinations are within Augusta County, but we sometimes go to other parts of Virginia and, on rare occasions, to other states or countries.

Our club also maintains extensive and well-documented records of rare and unusual bird sightings, following the Virginia Avian Record Committee guidelines. These records are published in Birds of Augusta County. The Augusta County Bird Checklist, derived from this book, is a valued ornithological resource.

The AUGUSTA BIRD CLUB also promotes avian education and disseminates information about wildlife conservation through our monthly meeting programs, as well as programs for local groups, schools, and organizations by club volunteers. The annual Earth Day events, Riverfest in Waynesboro, and “Kites ‘n Kritters” are some examples. We also built and maintained an informational kiosk on Bells Lane, Staunton, one of our favorite places for birding. Our club does a clean-up drive on Bells Lane annually to maintain natural beauty.

We have conducted didactic “birding classes”, which have been well attended. For many years, the club has also sponsored area youth, enabling them to attend Nature Camp in nearby Vesuvius, Virginia.

Finally, we remain very conscious of the immense efforts made by our club’s founding members, including Dr. John Mehner and YuLee Larner. We are indebted to the legacy they left and are strongly committed to upholding the values and objectives that they laid out when the club was founded in 1966.

Birding kiosk on Bells Lane, Staunton

Birding field trip on Bells Lane, Staunton

Responsibilities for Club functions and activities are carried out by the members of the AUGUSTA BIRD CLUB Board of Directors, who are elected once a year, and our Committee Chairs.  Membership in the AUGUSTA BIRD CLUB is open to all.

Have you seen a rare bird in our area and wish to report it? Our Rare Bird Alert provides text or email alerts when unusual birds are sighted in Augusta County or nearby. For more information, contact Allen Larner at [email protected].