Georgia Audubon Hosting a Variety of Virtual Events for Bird Lovers

On December 9, Lauren Pharr will present on her graduate work on how urban noise and light pollution impact birds.

With the pandemic resurging across the state, Georgia Audubon is hosting a lineup of virtual and digital events for new and veteran bird enthusiasts during the holiday season. With a variety of free and paid events, everyone is sure to find something of interest. Here’s what is in store for the next few weeks:
 
Friday, December 4, at 9:00 AM: Virtual Field Trip with Georgia Audubon
​Georgia Audubon Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/georgiaaudubon/)
FREE
Join us on the Georgia Audubon Facebook page for a virtual field trip with Georgia Audubon staff and volunteer trip leaders as they explore their yards or nearby birdy patches and talk about what they're seeing. 

Webinar: Climate Watch Information Session
Thursday, December 3, at 7:00 PM
FREE

Georgia Audubon will be hosting a FREE info session on how to participate in Climate Watch, a nation-wide community science effort for bird conservation, on Thursday, December 3, at 7:00 PM. Learn more or register at https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/digital-resources.html.
 
Webinar: The Effects of Urban Noise and Light Pollution on Avian Species 
Tuesday, December 8, at 7:00 PM
FREE
 
With the increase of people moving into urban areas every day, anthropogenic (human-produced) sources of light are having a drastic effect on near and inhabiting wildlife. Birds have been particularly useful to study when looking at these urbanization effects, specifically urban noise and light pollution. Join Lauren Pharr, Master of Science student at North Carolina State University, for a discussion of her findings and how urbanization continues to affect local bird species. Learn more or register at https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/digital-resources.html.
 
 
Webinar: eBird Workshop
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
6:30 to 8:00 PM

Georgia Audubon Member: $10
Non-member fee: $15
 
Locating birds, trip planning, record keeping, and participating in community science have all become easier thanks to new, easy-to-use technologies. Join Adam Betuel, Georgia Audubon’s director of conservation, to learn the various uses of eBird, the free online checklist program that is revolutionizing the way information about birds is collected and shared. This workshop will cover how to submit a checklist, track your sightings, explore the vast database of eBird, and more. Additionally, you will receive a brief introduction to the program Merlin, which aides in bird identification at home and abroad. No prior experience needed. Learn more or register at https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/workshops.html.
 
 
Saturday, December 12, at 10:00 AM: Virtual Birdability Field Trip with Georgia Audubon,
​Georgia Audubon Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/georgiaaudubon/)
FREE
 
Georgia Audubon is partnering with Birdability to host virtual field trips highlighting accessible trails, birders who experience accessibility challenges, and birds from around the country. Birdability focuses on removing barriers to access for birders with mobility challenges, blindness or low vision, intellectual or developmental disabilities (including autism), mental illness, being Deaf or Hard of Hearing or other health concerns. Join us as we explore trails with the following guests in the following locations: Virginia Rose, Birdability founder and wheelchair user, Austin, Texas; Corina Newsome, host, Atlanta, Georgia; Freya McGregor, Occupational Therapist with a dodgy knee, Louisville, Kentucky; and Joe Watts, an Alabama Audubon board member, along with a guest who uses a wheelchair and crutches, Birmingham, Alabama.
 
Birdability is dedicated to making birding accessible for everybody by addressing the exclusion of people with disabilities in outdoor recreation. Learn more at audubon.org/birdability.
 
Webinar: Georgia Audubon Annual Meeting and Virtual Holiday Party
Sunday, December 13, 2020
3:30 to 4:30 PM
FREE

Join Georgia Audubon for our Annual Meeting and Virtual Holiday Party on Sunday, December 13. We'll have a short annual meeting where we will introduce our newly installed Board of Directors and bid a fond farewell to our outgoing Board members. We'll also hear updates on Georgia Audubon's work from Jared Teutsch, executive director, Adam Betuel, director of conservation; Melanie Furr, director of education; and Corina Newsome, community engagement manager.  

We'll have door prizes and the event will culminate in our raffle drawing for a two-night stay for two at The Lodge at Little St. Simons Island! You don't have to be present to win. Sign up for the event or purchase raffle tickets at https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/monthly-meetings.html.  
 
Georgia Audubon Bird Stories: Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen
​Friday, December 18, at 9:30 AM
FREE

Join us on December 18, at 9:30 AM for Georgia Audubon Bird Stories! We will be reading Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen and learning about our favorite nocturnal friends. Don't forget to bring your imagination. Learn more or register at https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/georgia-audubon-bird-stories.html.
 
Georgia Audubon Bird Stories: Beauty and the Bea​k, by Deborah Lee Rose
Friday, January 22, at 9:30 AM
FREE

Join us on January 22, at 9:30 AM for our first Georgia Audubon Bird Stories of 2021. We will be starting off this year with some non-fiction as we dive into Beauty and the Beak, by Deborah Lee Rose. We will be learning all about how technology can be used for wildlife rescue. Bring your curious mind! Learn more or register at https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/georgia-audubon-bird-stories.html.
 
Webinar: Georgia Audubon Monthly Meeting
Sunday, January 24, at 3:30 PM
Audubon’s American History with Gregory Nobles
Registration: FREE

In addition to being a remarkable painter of birds, John James Audubon was a lively teller of tales. In Ornithological Biography, his five-volume, 3000-page companion to The Birds of America, Audubon interspersed dozens of stories about the American people, ranging from their environmental habits to their social behaviors to their race relations. While some of these stories are more true than others, together they give us a fascinating view of the ways Audubon understood his adopted country. They also invite us to look at Audubon himself as a writer of both myth and history. In this session, we will explore several of Audubon’s stories to discuss—and no doubt debate—how we understand his portrayal of the past from our own perspective of the present.
 
Gregory Nobles is Professor Emeritus of History at Georgia Tech and the author of John James Audubon: The Nature of the American Woodsman (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017). He divides his time between Atlanta, where he is a member of Georgia Audubon, and Northport, MI, where he is a member of Michigan Audubon.
 
Copies of the book are available for purchase via our website. Learn more or sign up at https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/monthly-meetings.html.  
 
In-person Field Trips (multiple dates and locations): Georgia Audubon has resumed limited in-person field trips around the metro area with social distancing measures in place. The field trips are free to attend but registration is required and guests are asked to adhere to certain safety precautions, including wearing a mask. Learn more or sign up at https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/field-trips.html
 
Georgia Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement.

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