May 2026 Newsletter
WELCOME
Welcome to the May 2026 CHAS newsletter. As always, send your favorite wildlife pictures to me to be added to the newsletter. If you have newsworthy information about birds, the environment, conservation, or government action items related to our club's mission, please forward the information to capehenryaudubonsociety@gmail.com for consideration in future newsletters.
PLEASE JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY. Each club receives funds from the National society based on renewal funds.
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| Brown-headed Nuthatch - Greensprings Interpretive Trail, James City Co., 03/14/26. Photo courtesy of David Clark |
RECURRING MONTHLY EVENTS
WEYANOKE
Upcoming Weyanoke bird walks are scheduled for the third Saturday of each month. Our next walk is May 16th. All walks start at 8am, lasting about an hour. We meet at the entrance to the Weyanoke Sanctuary at 1501 Armistead Bridge Road in the West Ghent neighborhood in Norfolk.
HOFFLER CREEK
There is a monthly walk on the second Saturday of the month a local birding leader. Each month, the walk is at 4510 Twins Pines Rd, Portsmouth, Virginia. The gates open at 7:45am and sometimes close at 8am (closing time varies, best to be there at 7:45am).
NEWPORT NEWS PARK
Join the Hampton Roads Bird Club on the First and Third Sunday of each month at 7:00 AM at Newport News Park. Meet us in the parking lot behind the Ranger Station.
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| Red Wolf - Alligator River NWR, 03/07/26. Photo courtesy of David Clark |
ANNUAL MEETING
Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20th at 7:30 PM at St. Paul's Episcopal church in Norfolk, 201 St. Paul's Boulevard, Norfolk.
We will be holding elections for board members this month. Below are listed positions on the board and candidates running for each position. All candidates are incumbent board members. All positions are one year terms except President, which is a two year term. Jutta Helm elected not to seek another term as secretary, we need a candidate to fill her vacant position. Please e-mail capehenryaudubonsociety@gmail.com if you are willing to serve as secretary. If you are unable to attend in person, we encourage members to vote by proxy so that we reach the required quorum; the proxy ballot is available at https://forms.gle/msMLgfMtpW49YrqcA
- President* - Pat Quinn
- Vice President - Tom St. Andre
- Secretary - Vacant
- Treasurer - Elisa Flanders
- Board Member-at-Large - Mary Jane Hall
- Board Member-at-Large - Judy Hinch
- Board Member-at-Large - Ken Markley
- Board Member-at-Large - Rogard Ross
* President serves two-year term ending in 2028
Please note, you should be a member in good standing to vote. You can check your membership status or renew with National Audubon by calling 800-542-2748.
Our speaker for May is Scott Martin. Scott is the CEO for the Fort Monroe Authority. Prior to this, he has served as a leader in parks and conservation roles in Tennessee, Kentucky, Idaho, and western Virginia. He has delivered talks on urban conservation and parks to groups in Australia, Mexico, and Canada. He and his wife, Jennifer, are avid birders and have already enjoyed joining the club on a couple great birding trips in the region.
Scott will provide an update on the Landscape Action Plan underway at Fort Monroe. After a global design competition, Fort Monroe has now embarked on an 11month creative process to develop a new Landscape Action Plan to shape the site's next century of service to the Commonwealth and nation. Ecology is going to play a huge role in the Fort's evolution from military post to public landscape, and Scott will walk us through this effort and how club members can support the effort.
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| Red-throated Loon - Norfolk Botanical Gardens - 03/10/26. Photo courtesy of David Clark |
PREVIOUS FIELD TRIP
April, Great Dismal Swamp
A well-attended field trip to a favorite springtime birding location. Anxious to get started, most of us arrived a bit early, so vehicles lined up along the entrance road waiting for the gate to open. This time wasn't wasted, however, as numerous singing birds were heard while we waited, including Northern Bobwhite calling, Wild Turkey gobbling in the background, Chipping Sparrow singing, and others. The gate finally lifted at 7:00 a.m. and we all proceeded to the trailhead parking lot.
Led by Laura Mae we walked down the trail, noting White-throated Sparrow, Red-bellied, Downy, and Hairy Woodpecker along with some recent spring arrivals like Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black-throated Green Warbler and Ovenbird . During the first part of the walk we only managed fleeting views of most birds, but when we hit the area where the tornado passed through several years ago, things opened up and we were able to put our eyes on more birds. A small group of Red-headed Woodpeckers showed off their brilliant red heads in excellent sunlight; a White-breasted Nuthatch posed nicely on a dead tree; Wood Ducks flew by quickly, as did an adult Red-shouldered Hawk. Other birds we heard or saw included a flock of Rusty Blackbirds, and more spring arrivals: Common Yellowthroat, Louisiana Waterthrush, Chimney Swift, and Northern Parula. We were also pleased to hear a Barred Owl hooting in the distance.
Scanning far down the path we saw a dark form that we initially took to be a bear, but alas, upon further review it turned out to be a male Wild Turkey with its tail spread displaying to a couple of hens. Oh well. Even further down the path was a very distant White-tailed Deer. Perhaps the most surprising sighting of the entire outing, was an Eastern Red Bat (see photos) lying on the ground beside the trail. It was still alive but unfortunately appeared unlikely to survive much longer.
We walked the boardwalk through the swamp on our way back. It was fairly quiet, but we did add Hermit Thrush to our list. As the day warmed up butterflies started coming out. A nice variety was seen along the road including Tiger, Zebra, and Palamedes Swallowtails, Pearl Crescent and others.
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| Prothonotary Warbler. Photo courtesy of Laura Mae |
UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS
Saturday, May16th, 2026 at 08:30 am
West Neck Natural Area
2249 N Landing Rd, VA Beach, 23456
(note this trip will be kid-friendly)
We’ll walk along the Foxfire trail looking for migrating songbirds. This is an out and back mixed use paved trail. Once back we can walk along the Warbler trail to the Whitehurst-Buffington house. The clearing around the house is always a good birding spot. The total walking distance will be approximately 2.5 miles. This is the link to the map of the natural area.
This will be a Children Friendly field trip. Children 7 and up are welcome to join us. We'll have a bird scavenger hunt for them!
Logistics: There are no restrooms or water at the Natural Area. There is a coffee shop that opens at 8 am near the parking lot. Don't forget bug spray and sunscreen.
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| White-tailed Deer - Windsor Castle Park, Isle of Wight Co., 03/21/26. Photo courtesy of David Clark |
ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS YOU CAN USE.
Lights Out Campaign
It's the spring bird migration and time for the annual Lights Out Hampton Roads campaign. As part of this voluntary program, the Cape Henry Audubon Soceity and its partners urge property managers, businesses, tenants, government agencies, and residents help to prevent night-time bird collisions with building by turning off and/or blocking as many external and internal building lights at workplaces as possible at night to help prevent injury and death of migrating birds, especially from 11 pm to sunrise.
During migration, birds rest during the day and fly at night. During their long-distance flights, birds become disoriented by the bright, artificial lights of cities and are drawn into hazardous urban areas, where building collisions are a leading human cause of bird deaths, killing around 1 billion birds each year. Learn how you can help at Bird Safe Hampton Roads. https://www.birdsafehr.org/
The Virginia Birding Classic is Back!
From April 15 to May 15, teams of two to six birders have one 24-hour window to find as many species as possible on Virginia’s public lands. You may use Explore the Wild app to strategize your route and uncover prime birding hotspots across the Commonwealth. Registration is FREE and open from March 13 to May 14. Build your team, pick your day, and chase the ultimate prize—the Cardinal Cup. Think you can out-bird the competition? Register now and prove it. Learn more and register at https://dwr.virginia.gov/virginia-birding-classic/