Potomac Valley Audubon Society
Calendar of Pending Events
September 7: "Music in the Cedars" Concert. Free Tuesday evening outdoor concert at PVAS's Yankauer Nature Preserve. Go back in time with Daryl Bryarly as he performs folk, Civil War, Celtic, and original songs on the Hammered Dulcimer. Rain or shine from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Preserve's covered pavilion. Free and open to the public. For more info, contact PVASmail@aol.com or 304-676-3397.
September 8: Special program at the National Conservation Training Center. 7:00 p.m. in the Byrd Auditorium. Author and environmentalist Ned Tillman will give a presentation based on his recent award-winning book, The Chesapeake Watershed—A sense of Place and A Call to Action. Sponsored jointly by NCTC and PVAS. Free and open to the public. (This program was originally scheduled for last February but was cancelled because of snow.)
September 11: Insect walk with Wil Hershberger at Cacapon State Park. 6:30 p.m. These walks are family-oriented events especially popular with young children. They focus on tree crickets and different species of katydids. Free and open to the public but space is limited and pre-registration will be required. For info and to register contact Peter Smith at pvsmith@frontiernet.net or 304-876-1139.
September 11-12: Banding and Birding trip to Dolly Sods. To be led by local birding expert Bob Dean. Meet at 7:30 a.m. on the 11th at Dolly Sods to see warblers being caught and banding being done. From there, participants will travel to other parts of Dolly Sods to hike, botanize, and bird. This will be within the historical window for the fall hawk migration and it may be a good opportunity see a lot of hawks, depending on weather conditions. Free and open to the public. Participants who want to stay overnight can wilderness camp or commute to Petersburg or Canaan Valley State Park. For more info, contact Bob Dean at bobdean52@gmail.com.
September 16: Hawk-watching at Washington Monument State Park on South Mountain. The annual Broad-winged Hawk migration should be at or near its peak, and this is the best venue in the area to see it. Naturalist Dave Weesner will be on hand to help identify the birds seen. The park is located off Alternate Route 40 near Boonsboro, MD. Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the park's uppermost parking lot. Free and open to the public. For more info contact Peter Smith at pvsmith@frontiernet.net or 304-876-1139.
September 14: "Music in the Cedars" Concert. Free Tuesday evening outdoor concert at PVAS's Yankauer Nature Preserve. The Rolling Coyotes will perform a blend of country-tinged folk with diverse instrumentation and vocals describing unique places, characters and themes. Rain or shine from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Preserve's covered pavilion. Free and open to the public. For more info, contact PVASmail@aol.com or 304-676-3397.
September 21: "Music in the Cedars" Concert. Free Tuesday evening outdoor concert at PVAS's Yankauer Nature Preserve. Betty Jo and Scott Rockwell will be joined by their daughter Gena for a family trio performing songs about love, nature, and the nature of love. Rain or shine from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Preserve's covered pavilion. Free and open to the public. For more info, contact PVASmail@aol.com or 304-676-3397.
September 24-26: Third Annual Berkeley Springs Fall Birding Festival. A series of events in and around Berkeley Springs for beginning and intermediate birders and families with children. Sponsored by PVAS. Most events will be free. The featured presenter will be nature writer and broadcaster Dr. Scott Shalaway. See the PVAS website for full details.
September 28: "Music in the Cedars" Concert. Free Tuesday evening outdoor concert at PVAS's Yankauer Nature Preserve. The last concert of the season will feature Steve Cifala, a dynamic performer influenced by Rhythm & Blues, Little Feat, and Eric Clapton. Rain or shine from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Preserve's covered pavilion. Free and open to the public. For more info, contact PVASmail@aol.com or 304-676-3397.
October 3: Tour of the Botanique carnivorous plant nursery in Stanardsville, VA. Founded in 1982, Boutanique is an internationally recognized nursery that specializes in carnivorous plants, such as the Venus' Fly Trap, Pitcher Plants, Sundews and more. Pitcher Plants are its main focus, and it is home to the greatest variety of these plants in the U.S. Free and open to the public. Meet at 3:30 p.m. at the nursery, which is located at 387 Pitcher Plant Lane. Directions can be found on www.mapquest.com but not on Google maps. For more info about the nursery go to www.pitcherplant.com. For info about the trip, contact Kelly Heldreth at kheldreth@hotmail.com.
October 7-10: Hawk-watching trip to Cape May, NJ. A good opportunity to see large numbers of accipiters and falcons, as well as buteos. The trip will use the resources of the New Jersey Audubon Society and the Cape May Bird Observatory, which offer morning and afternoon bird walks. There is also a hawk-watching platform where one can comfortably watch the hawk migration; naturalists are present to help identify incoming hawks. There will be no fee but participants will be expected furnish their own transportation and make their own hotel or motel reservations. The Cape May Bird Observatory website (www.birdcapemay.org) contains a list of hotels that offer a discount to Observatory members. For more info, contact Sandy Sagalkin at monsansagalkin@myactv.net or 240-691-6465.
October 9-10: 37th Annual Berkeley Springs Apple Butter Festival. 10:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday; Noon-5:00 p.m. Sunday. Look for the PVAS display at this event.
October 13: PVAS program at the National Conservation Training Center. 7:00 p.m. in Room 151 of the Instructional West Building. Joe Hankins, Vice President of the Conservation Fund and Director of the Fund's Shepherdstown-based Freshwater Institute, will discuss water quality issues, with a special focus on regional and local issues. Free and open to the public.
October 16: Birding walk at the National Conservation Training Center. The various habitats on the Center's 538-acre campus outside Shepherdstown will provide opportunities to observe bald eagles and other raptors, several species of woodpeckers, thrushes, sparrows, kinglets, cedar waxwings, and other species. Free and open to anyone with an interest. Binoculars will be available for those who do not have them. Participants should check in at the Security Gate inside NCTC and meet at 8 a.m. in the reception area of the main building at NCTC. Security will tell you where to park. Because of the security requirements at NCTC, this trip will require pre-registration at least 5 days beforehand (by November 8). To pre-register, contact Sandy Sagalkin at monsansagalkin@myactv.net or 240-291-6465. Bug repellant is highly recommended to ward off ticks.
October 23: National Conservation Training Center Annual Open House. 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Look for the PVAS-sponsored "Take a Child (and Adult) Birding" station at this event. Watch the NCTC website for details (http://training.fws.gov/History/publiclectures.html).
November 13: Birding walk at the National Conservation Training Center. The various habitats on the Center's 538-acre campus outside Shepherdstown will provide opportunities to observe bald eagles and other raptors, several species of woodpeckers, thrushes, sparrows, kinglets, cedar waxwings, and other species. Free and open to anyone with an interest. Binoculars will be available for those who do not have them. Participants should check in at the Security Gate inside NCTC and meet at 8 a.m. in the reception area of the main building at NCTC. Security will tell you where to park. Because of the security requirements at NCTC, this trip will require pre-registration at least 5 days beforehand (by November 8). To pre-register, contact Sandy Sagalkin at monsansagalkin@myactv.net or 240-291-6465. Bug repellant is highly recommended to ward off ticks.