What we’re about
This group enjoys local (and regional) trips to see wildlife in the Raleigh, Wake County area of North Carolina. We focus on birdwatching, and we enjoy teaching anyone who is new to birding. We welcome visitors to the area who want to attend our trips.
We also volunteer for various events, including river cleanups, prairie management at local parks, nestbox maintenance, helping with events at various parks and museums, and "citizen science" projects (such as Christmas Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Count).
Wake Audubon has a group for youth (teens 12 - 18); you can read more about the Young Naturalists Group at http://www.wakeaudubon.org/ync.htm as the trips for YN are not posted on this Meetup site.
There is no requirement to join Wake Audubon Society in order to be a member of this Meetup. There is no fee for this Meetup. We encourage you to join Wake Audubon, however, as we depend on member fees to support our environmental projects: http://www.wakeaudubon.org/join.htm Wake Audubon meets on the second Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. in Meeting Room A of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 West Jones Street, Raleigh. The meeting is open to the public.
Wake Audubon Society is a member of Audubon NC and of the National Audubon Society. We have a membership of about 1,200 and hold monthly meetings, field trips, bird walks and other activities. Wake Audubon is made up of a diverse group of people with a variety of interests and specialties; we're not just birders. Wake Audubon members share a common interest in wildlife, nature and environmental conservation: http://www.wakeaudubon.org/what_we_do.htm
Mission Statement: "To foster knowledge, appreciation, and enjoyment of nature; to encourage responsible environmental stewardship; to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity."
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Hilltop-Needmore Park (North), 2024-11-23Hilltop Needmore Town Park & Preserve, Fuquay-Varina, NC
Hilltop-Needmore Park (North)
Saturday, NOVEMBER 23, 2024
Time: 8:30 to 10:30 am
4621 Shady Greens Drive, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Leaders: Kyra Bartow (leaders also include Larry Zoller and David Southwick)
Free Bird Outing with Wake AudubonJoin us for a Wake Audubon bird outing at Hilltop-Needmore Park on the fourth Saturday of most months (check here for updates). You can RSVP after the Wake Audubon newsletter publishes on November 1.
We will meet at the lower end of the old Club House parking lot. Look for a "Bird Walk Here" sign. We will start promptly at 8:30 am regardless of the weather and should finish by 10:30 am.
Dress for the weather and be prepared to walk paved trails and occasionally on wet grassy fairways. There is some elevation change but we will not be moving quickly as we stop frequently for birds. No birding experience is necessary. Bring your binoculars and a bird guide if you have one. The walk is not recommended for children under 6. Please leave your pets at home.
Ebird hotspot site: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L16295752
The hotspot has over 115 birds observed!Let's Go Birding!
The Leader will make and share an ebird list and share it with your ebird account. Individual lists are discouraged because they duplicate the data, but you can edit your list once it's shared to you. - VOLUNTEER: Woodcock Habitat Restoration 2024-11-23Schenck Forest Access Road, Raleigh, NC
Woodcock Habitat Management Workday
*Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024
*Time: 9-11:45
*Place: Schenck Forest, meet at entrance road off Reedy Creek Road in Raleigh (near Bandwidth building)
*Project description: American Woodcock use small clearings to perform their "Sky Dance" mating ritual on winter evenings. We will cut and remove shrubs and weedy growth from three courtship grounds at Schenck Forest. These sites were established eight years ago in the Longleaf Pine regeneration stand by the Wake Audubon chapter in partnership with the NCSU School of Forestry in the College of Natural Resources. NCSU’s Leopold Wildlife Club has helped with site management as well.
To register: contact John Connors by November 20.
EMAIL [email protected] or call 919-841-8206
and leave your name and contact information.*Bring: work gloves, garden tools such as lopping shears, hedge clippers, pruning saw, metal rake; appropriate foot wear like work boots, eye protection and hat; water, snack.
**NO POWER TOOLS, no shorts, no open toe shoes. Must be an adult.*Important Information: This project involves physically challenging work in a semi-remote setting, so participants need to be physically fit, provide contact information, and sign release forms when they arrive.
Addendum by Lynn Erla Beegle:
The American Woodcock are shorebirds adapted to living in forests, feasting on earthworms. They have a complex mating ritual, often referred to as a Sky Dance. They For courtship dances, they need a relatively open space, about the size of a basketball court, surrounded by brush and woodland. For more information, read: https://forestsociety.org/forest-journal-column/timberdoodle-talent-skydancing-day-away
To watch a Sky Dance (it occurs at dusk): watch "Woodcock Displays" from Maine Audubon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaza-IgWiDsUpdated November 6, 2024
- LGBTQ+ and allies: Let's Go Birding Together at Prairie Ridge!Prairie Ridge Ecostation, Raleigh, NC
Registration is open via the link below, and at 6 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 12 here on Meetup.
LGBTQ+ and allies: Let’s Go Birding Together at Prairie Ridge Ecostation!
Saturday, December 7, 9 - 10:30 a.m. (arrive at 8:45 if you need binoculars)
RSVP to this event here on Meetup. Or off-Meetup via this form if you prefer to keep your RSVP private.Sponsors: Wake Audubon and Field Inclusive Inc., in partnership with the LGBT Center of Raleigh and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.
Let’s commence December with another affirming and inclusive bird outing. We welcome the LGBTQ+ community, allies, families, and anyone who wants to enjoy an outdoor experience that is inclusive. Why? Because the outdoors has not always been a welcoming place for persons who identify as LGBTQ+. Wake Audubon, Field Inclusive and The LGBT Center of Raleigh seek to help change that.The pace of this outing will be specifically geared towards building our beginner birding skills; birders of all talents are welcome.
We’ll take a leisurely stroll along gently sloped grassy trails through prairie grassland and bottomland forest, and see and listen for the various birds to be found among the habitats. The unpaved path is 1 mile or so depending on our pace.Borrow binoculars from us or bring your own. If borrowing binoculars, please arrive at 8:45 to be provided a pair and receive personalized help to focus them for your eyesight.
Driving directions: GPS to 1671 Gold Star Dr., Raleigh. Entrance is a short distance down Gold Star Dr. from Reedy Creek Rd. Turn onto the gravel drive and parking area. You'll see Wake Audubon's chimney swift roost tower to the right. Park, then meet at the top left of the lot at the pass-through gate into the grasslands.
Two all-gender restrooms are onsite a short distance from this pass-through.What bird species frequent the Park? Check out Prairie Ridge Ecostation bird sightings ahead of us adding a checklist of our own on ebird.org.
Our leader is Kyra Thurow Bartow (she/her), 919-971-8648, with co-leaders along to help with optics and bird sightings.Questions ahead? Reach Wake Audubon board member and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging co-chair Rick LaRose (he/him) at [email protected]
We’re looking forward to birding together with you on December 7!
Wake Audubon advocates wildlife, nature and environmental conservation with a commitment to providing activities where all can safely access and celebrate nature as their authentic selves.
Field Inclusive, Inc. amplifies and supports marginalized and historically excluded field biologists and envisions a world in which the outdoors feels safe and welcoming regardless of personal identity.
The LGBT Center of Raleigh envisions an inclusive world where LGBTQ+ people are thriving, equal, and valued members of society.
