November 2026 Newsletter
WELCOME
Welcome to the November 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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| Swamp Sparrow. Photo courtesy of Laura Mae |
MONTHLY MEETING
Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18th at 7:30 PM at St. Paul's Episcopal church in Norfolk.
Our speaker will be Maurice Cullen. Maurice A. Cullen is a distinguished naturalist, renowned for his extensive collection of insects and his significant contributions to environmental education. Recently retired after 25 years of teaching, Maurice has been recognized twice as a VBCPS Teacher of the Year, received the Garden Club of America Elizabeth Abernathy Hull Award for Environmental Education, and the 2024 Mary Reid Barrow Wildlife Advocate Award. Maurice is actively involved in mentorship programs and community initiatives, demonstrating his commitment to fostering environmental awareness and education with an emphasis on biodiversity. He maintains the VBMS Pollinator Garden, a past president of the Butterfly Society of Virginia and a Tidewater Master Naturalist . Maurice resides in Virginia Beach, with his wife Kay. Maurice will be talking about attracting pollinators to your backyard.
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| Merlin. Fort Monroe. Photo courtesy of David Clark. |
PREVIOUS FIELD TRIP: Mackay Island
Taking advantage of "Open Roads Weekend" at Mackay Island is aways a worthwhile adventure. After gathering together at the entrance and consolidating vehicles, we started slowly driving the gravel roads of the refuge. The weather was mild and overcast almost the entire morning, occasionally accented by very light rain or mist, but never enough to deter our efforts. Winds were calm at the beginning, but by the end of the day a fairly brisk wind was pushing through.
Things were fairly quiet for the first portion of the drive with just a few calling birds, a distant Northern Harrier, and a couple of flyover Glossy Ibis. When we reached the fishing platform overlook, activity really began to pick up. A nice variety of shorebirds was present, including a pair of American Avocets, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral and Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated and Black-bellied Plovers, Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitcher (thoughtfully calling to make ID easier), Killdeer and Dunlin. White Ibis, as well as herons and egrets were stalking prey. Next to the platform a Green Treefrog sat motionless on a bush, allowing for close observation (see Laura Mae's photo). Raptors seen from here included a perched Merlin and an American Kestrel that hovered for a while and then flew by revealing its beautiful steel blue and rusty tones in the subdued light.
After spending some time at the platform, we hopped back in our vehicles. Our next stop came when a young Peregrine Falcon was spotted sitting at the top of a dead tree. It perched here long enough for everyone to get excellent views. A few minutes later we drove along and encountered a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks interacting, chasing each other from one tree to the next and eventually flying off.
We next made a couple of stops along the wooded areas where we came across some groups of passerines. Getting good looks at all of the birds was challenging as they flitted in and out of the foliage. Our patience was rewarded with a nice variety of warblers including multiple Northern Parulas, Black-and-white, American Redstart, Black-throated Green, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped, Blackpoll, and even a quick view of a Bay-breasted Warbler. Turning away from the trees and looking out over Currituck Sound, we saw a long string of over 80 Forster's Terns cruising over the waves.
On the back side of the drive we came across a nice group of American Wigeon, with a single female Northern Pintail keeping them company. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo darted out from a bush along the road and flew by us and a Bald Eagle flew by and perched and a distant tree. The eagle (or perhaps another) later swooped by at relatively close range as we exited the refuge.
Probably due to the weather, we only encountered two other cars during the first 3 hours of our visit, so we didn't have to spend time dodging other vehicles on the narrow roads. The variety of birds observed was impressive, with a cumulative list of 70 species for the morning.
UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS
NOVEMBER: Saturday, November 14, 8 am - Windsor Castle Park, Smithfield
Meet at 8:00 in the parking lot for Windsor Park North, 390 S. Church St., Smithfield, VA 23430 (directly across from Smithfield Station)
Windsor Castle Park is a 208-acre park nestled along the Pagan River in Smithfield. Trails pass through a variety of habitats including wooded areas with some trees well over 100 years old, open fields, and a tidal river with extensive salt marsh. The walking trails are mostly flat but there are occasional elevation changes of 10 to 20 feet. In total we expect to walk approximately 2 miles round trip at a leisurely pace. Portable toilet facilities are available. Sunscreen is recommended. Mosquitoes are not typically a problem here in November, but you may want to have bug repellant available just in case.
DECEMBER
In lieu of a field trip in December, we encourage birders to join one of the many Christmas Bird Counts in our area. In addition to the bird counts, VSO has a Virginia Beach and Eastern Shore field trip scheduled for December 4 -6, and MacKay Island NWR has open roads scheduled for December 11 - 14.
JANUARY
Our January field trip will be to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel island #4 with an optional extension to Eastern Shore of Virginia. Since we must get an escort and CBBT limits participants to 20 people, we are scheduling two trips: one for Wednesday January 13th and one for Saturday, January 16th, both starting at 8:00 AM . If you are interested in going on either of these two dates, please contact our trip leader at capehenryaudubonsociety@gmail.com to reserve a spot and to get further information on the trips and registration with the CBBT.
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| Blackburnian Warbler. Clark back yard. Photo courtesy of David Clark. |
OTHER BIRDING OPPORTUNITIES
WEYANOKE
Upcoming Weyanoke bird walks are scheduled for the third Saturday of each month. Our next walk is November 21. Subsequent walk will be 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 ENCORE
Registration open for the 2026 WINGS OVER WATER WILDLIFE FESTIVAL! This festival is held on the Outer Banks in NC from December 4-6.
Please visit this site to register: https://2026wingsoverwater.my-trs.com/
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AT THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP
Sunday, December 20, 2026. Join one of 8 teams for a combination of driving and walking refuge roads, with the exception of one driving-only route on roads adjacent to the refuge and the Canal Trail that is paved for walking/biking. Teams meet and start counting before sunrise. No experience is needed. Bring binoculars if you have them. To join a team, contact gdsnwrcbc@gmail.com by December 1st. Space is limited.
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| Lark Bunting - MacKay Island NWR. Photo courtesy of David Clark. |
ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS YOU CAN USE.
We are less than two weeks away from the 2026 ASMFC Annual Meeting and consequential menhaden decisions: The Chesapeake Bay Addendum and the coastwide catch limit (the TAC). Menhaden aa critical food source for many predators in the Chesapeake Bay, including osprey and striped bass, both of which are facing declining numbers in recent years. Here are some relevant updates and advocacy opportunities from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation:
- The ASMFC posted meeting materials yesterday. Meeting Materials part1 and Meeting Materials part2. Of note:
- The public overwhelmingly supported strong conservation reforms for Chesapeake Bay menhaden.
- Over 48,000 individuals provided comment, and roughly 90% supported major reductions to the Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishing Cap.
- Thanks to each of you who provided comment on Draft Addendum II!
- CBF's letter was signed by 24,131 individuals, and thousands of additional organizations and individuals supported our positions for the most conservation-minded reforms to the Bay Cap.
- While the public comment period for the Chesapeake Bay Addendum has closed, encouraging Atlantic States governors--particularly Maryland and Virginia--to support strong menhaden protections is critical. Please spread the word to encourage Governor Moore and Spanberger to support the strongest menhaden protections in Draft Addendum II to help achieve a healthy, thriving Chesapeake Bay.
- Members of Congress and Maryland state legislators are weighing in, encouraging the ASMFC to strengthen menhaden protections. The US Congress letter was spearheaded by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen. The Maryland letter included 29 bipartisan state legislators.
- The overall coastwide catch limit (TAC) will be a another challenging, but critical, discussion point. Recent technical analysis indicates that a 39% TAC reduction is necessary to achieve the ASMFC's stated ecosystem-based fishery management objective that is intended to leave enough menhaden in the water to support a productive Atlantic coast ecosystem (TAC Memo is attached). The Current TAC is 186,400 mt, and the TAC we are supporting is 114,200mt (a 39% reduction, in order to have a 50% probability of NOT exceeding the ERP management target).
- Email comments@asmfc.org and DelAMcClure@house.virginia.gov (subject line: 2027 Menhaden TAC) "I support a TAC of 114,200mt in order to have a 50% probability of NOT exceeding the ERP Fishing Mortality Target to support the Atlantic coast ecosystem and all the species that depend on menhaden.
Climate Connections
Join the Chesapeake Bay Foundation this fall to dive into the urgent challenges of climate change and its impacts on the Chesapeake Bay at the Climate Connections lecture series at CBF’s Brock Environmental Center. Hear from diverse community voices sharing innovative solutions and proven strategies to help Hampton Roads adapt to evolving environmental conditions and build a more resilient future.
Wednesday, November 11, 6:00–7:30 p.m.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for a pre-event reception prior to the start of each event. This lecture series is free, but registration is required.
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.
