September 2026 Newsletter
WELCOME
Welcome to the September 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 me at 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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| Ruffed Grouse. Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. 12-19-2018. Photo courtesy of Louis Rajnys |
MONTHLY MEETING
Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16th at 7:30 PM at St. Paul's Episcopal church in Norfolk.
Our speaker for May is Louis Rajnys. Louis was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, IL He moved to Norfolk in 1985 for a career in the Navy, and retired in 2004 as a Machinist Mate Chief Petty Officer (E7). He started his second career at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) and retired as the Propulsion Superintendent for the Refueling and Complex Overhaul program in 2025. His time in the Navy and at NNS offered him the ability to plan vacations and he started joining his wife and two daughters on their trips to Nova Scotia (his wife is from Nova Scotia). These trips introduced him to birding. he has had a passion for photography since high school and birding and photography were a natural match.
Louis will be speaking about birding in Nova Scotia. He is fortunate to have a connection to Canada through his wife and makes frequent trips there. He has covered almost the entire province birding and photographing wildlife.
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| Dickcissel MacKay Island Photo courtesy of David Clark |
PREVIOUS FIELD TRIP: None, we have been on summer break
There is no previous bitd trip because of our summer vacation pause in trips
UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS
SEPTEMBER: Saturday, September 12, 7:00am - Field Trip to Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge
Meet at 7:00 AM in the parking lot on the south side of Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel so those who wish can form carpools. The tunnel toll is $22 round-trip using EZ Pass.
This is a walking excursion of trails and roadways within the Refuge. Target species include fall migrating warblers, raptors and the full complement of east coast waders. Habitat includes forested trails, marsh overlook, and paved roads with both brushy grasses and wood clearings on the side.
The walk is approximately 3.2 miles roundtrip from the Visitor Center to the marsh overlook and back. A Porta-potty is available in NWR parking lot at the start of the walk before the Visitor Center opens. The Butterfly Trail portion is grassy so expect morning dew on your feet. Bug spray and sunscreen are always advised, and snacks and a water bottle may also come in handy. After the walk, we will drive 4 miles to Kiptopeke State Park ($7 entrance fee) and visit the hawk watch. Mid-to-late morning thermals tend to be peak times for raptor movements if the winds cooperate. September is a good time for Broad-winged Hawk and all three falcons. We could even get extra lucky and spot a Swainson’s Hawk!
OCTOBER: Saturday, October 10, 7:30am - Field Trip to MacKay Island NWR Open Roads
Meet at 7:30 at the entrance to the wildlife drive (NOT the road to the Visitor Center)
During special “Open Roads” weekends, roads that are normally closed to public vehicle access are open for wildlife viewing and fishing. We will meet at the entrance, consolidate cars, and form a caravan. A limited number of two-way radios will be available so that we can communicate sightings along the way. Our route will traverse open fields, forest, marsh, and flooded woodland, and we’ll also have views of the open waters of Currituck Sound. Round-trip distance of the wildlife drive is approximately 9 miles. The wide variety of habitats we explore should give us opportunities to find herons, raptors, songbirds, woodpeckers, waterfowl, shorebirds and gulls.
Logistics: Most of our birding will be from our cars, but we will make stops along the way as birds of interest come into view. Please remember that other vehicles that are not members of our group will be taking advantage of the open roads, so please pull over as much as possible whenever we stop so that other cars can get by. We may also include a walk of a half mile or so in the woods & scrub habitat in the western corner. Plan for the outing to last around 2 to 3 hours.
There are no restroom facilities on the refuge, so plan accordingly!
Directions from Virginia Beach-Norfolk area. From Virginia Beach, take Princess Anne Road south to the Virginia/North Carolina state line where it becomes NC Route 615. Continue driving south on Rte. 615 for approximately 4.7 miles where the road makes a right turn at its intersection with Knotts Island Road. Continue on Knotts Island Road for about another ½ mile, then keep right at bend in the road where the Knotts Island Market and Dollar General are located to stay on Rte. 615. The entrance to the refuge will be a gravel road on your right about 0.9 mile after the Knotts Island Market.
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| Christmas Day Fox. Grand Pre Nova Scotia. 12-25-25. Photo courtesy of Louis Rajnys |
OTHER BIRDING OPPORTUNITIES
WEYANOKE
Upcoming Weyanoke bird walks are scheduled for the third Saturday of each month. Our next walk is September 19th. Subsequent walsk are October 17th, November 21st, and December 19th, 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. This will be a good time of year to visit Weyanoke for migrants.
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.
2026 WINGS OVER WATER WILDLIFE FESTIVAL
Registration open for the 2026 WINGS OVER WATER WILDLIFE FESTIVAL! This festival is held on the Outer Banks in NC from October 13-18 and December 4-6.
Please visit this site to register: https://2026wingsoverwater.my-trs.com/
They have a very special keynote speaker this year, Pulitzer Prize finalist author, lecturer, & researcher, Scott Weidensaul. There is no keynote dinner this year. Instead we're encouraging everyone to register for and attend the keynote presentation, Saturday October 17, from 6-8 pm.
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| Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Pea Island NWR. Photo courtesy of David Clark |
ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS YOU CAN USE.
Virginia Society of Ornithology Offers $4,500 in Youth Engagement Grants
WHAT: The Virginia Society of Ornithology is pleased to offer $4,500 in grant opportunities for youth engagement in birding and ornithology.
VSO’s Youth Engagement Committee is sponsoring four grant categories this year:
- Two $500 grants available to VSO member clubs for founding or expanding youth programs;
- Five $100 grants available to bird- or nature-related clubs at Virginia colleges and universities;
- Four $500 grants available to bird- or nature-related clubs at Virginia high schools;
- Two $500 grants available to high school bird research projects
WHEN: Grant applications are open now and will close on Nov. 15, 2026. VSO’s Youth Engagement Committee will announce decisions by Dec. 1, 2026.
WHERE: Applications can be completed and submitted online at Youth Engagement Page on the VSO Web Site
MORE INFORMATION: Go to Youth Engagement Page on the VSO Web Site
Please contact Youth Engagement Committee Chair Patrick Lewis for questions or requests at pdlewis514@Gmail.com
About the Virginia Society of Ornithology
The Virginia Society of Ornithology is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of Virginia’s birds through research, conservation and education, and is committed to connecting people of all ages, genders, races, identities, and abilities who enjoy birds. Since 1929 the Society has grown in number of members and in breadth of outreach. VSO has been central to many ornithological pursuits for over 95 years and our reach continues to grow.
Peregrines Prevail
Those who follow the resident downtown Norfolk Peregrine Falcons each year were sad the pair did not nest this spring… With only 30 known breeding pairs in ALL of Virginia (Bryan Watts 2024), Virginia Breeding Atlas and DWR classify this species as facing an extremely high risk of extinction or extirpation.
Late July brought an unexpected and wonderful surprise though! A Peregrine chick was photoed preening on The Main (Hilton) rooftop in downtown Norfolk! The chick continued to be seen into mid August on The Main, Dominion Enterprises and ICON. Because the chick laid down off and on one morning, it was believed to be quite young - meaning it fledged two months later than usual!
A month earlier and about 100 miles north of Norfolk, three of this year’s four Richmond’s chicks crashed into buildings and died. So Norfolk’s late season chick is a critical addition to Virginia’s population and a reason for renewed hope!
Fort Monroe Landscape Action Plan Update
From Scott Martin, CEO Fort Monroe Authority
The Landscape Action Plan has reached the 60% phase. Thus, the planning team is emerging from its laboratories and drafting rooms with ideas and proposed moves on the ground with y'all - the folks that know and love this national landmark so much. There are some very bold (dare I say audacious) concepts baked into this plan that I think you might find interesting as the planning team created a 21st century urban public landscape program centered on Fort Monroe's honest, authentic, connected, and place grounded story that each y'all have each helped inform. Jin us to review the preliminary landscape action plan ad offer your feedback on the proposed concepts and recommendations.Thank you!
- September 16 - Virginia Tech Center Research Park 700 Tech Center Parkway Suite 305 Newport News- 6-8 PM
- September 17 - The Assembly Norfolk 400 Granby Street Norfolk - 6-8 PM
Project contact: Phyllis Terrell, Director of Communications (pterrell@FortMonroe.org)
