Monthly meetings of Southern Maryland Audubon Society (SMAS) have moved online!
This week we hosted Chris Eberly, executive director of Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP). He told us about MBCP’s Farmland Raptor Program, which aims to increase the populations of Barn Owls and American Kestrels on agricultural lands. Using nest boxes and other strategies, local farmers can help these birds of prey; in turn, the birds help control pests, including mice, grasshoppers, and voles! Check out the recording at https://www.somdaudubon.org/our-work/program-archive/. The goal is to work with property owners to help bring back these struggling species. We will soon have brochures on the Farmland Raptor Program to give to farmers and landowners throughout the state of Maryland. This publication honors former SMAS President Michael Patterson and is printed with donations made in his name.
Learn more at https://marylandbirds.org/farmland-raptors. We would love to help our local farmers become part of this project! For more information, write Chris at FarmlandRaptors@marylandbirds.org, or call him at 540-270-5248.
SMAS virtual meetings are recorded and stored at https://www.somdaudubon.org/our-work/program-archive/. You can watch all the programs from this season, including talks about opossums and Monarch butterflies. To find out about upcoming meetings, sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page. We send email invitations with the link to join online meetings using Zoom. The next public meeting is at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, November 4 with Dr. Amanda Gallinat. She will talk about climate change and autumn bird migration patterns. Please join us!