Southern Maryland Audubon in the News
Southern Maryland Audubon in the News
Raptor rescue: Wading into Beltway traffic to save an osprey
Washington Post, August 8, 2023
“‘We’re creeping along at about 5 mph, barely,’ Dean said. ‘Right there in the middle of the traffic, this osprey is just sitting, splayed out. Thank goodness he hadn’t been run over. I realized it was a brand-new fledged bird. He had just left the nest and learned to fly.’
‘Luckily this guy in a VW Passat, he caught my eye and stopped,’ Dean said.
Dean scurried over, reached down, grabbed the raptor, then sprinted back to his vehicle.“
Bring fireflies back to your yard
Washington Post, July 11, 2023
“Fireflies need leaf duff to survive. A yard that is raked clean of all its leaves and grass cuttings is a desert for fireflies and other beneficial insects. Rake your leaves into your plant beds or into piles at the edge of the yard and provide fireflies the home they need to raise their young. No leaves, no fireflies.”
Nest cams inspire conservation efforts, help environmental research
Southern Maryland News, February 25, 2024
“The three nest cameras in Southern Maryland — the eagle cam at Port Tobacco River Park, the osprey cam at Smallwood State Park and the purple martin cam in La Plata — were installed over the last four years as a part of the Maryland-D.C. Breeding Bird Atlas, a 5-year project to document changes in breeding birds.”
St. Mary’s teacher named Conservationist of the Year
Southern Maryland News, February 25, 2024
“‘She told me and I grinned from ear to ear and had no idea what to do with myself,” said Birch, who teaches the Natural Resources Management Program at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center in Leonardtown. “I was shocked and very happy.’
The Southern Maryland Audubon Society has been awarding the title for the past two decades to conservationists in Charles, St. Mary’s and Calvert counties and a small portion of Prince George’s County. Nominees are suggested by the group’s board of directors, committee chairs and members.”
Colonial Beach Osprey Festival
The Free Lance-Star, April 15, 2023
“A chart at the Southern Maryland Audubon tent at Saturday’s festival highlighted the use of pesticides and how it nearly destroyed osprey populations. But the raptors ‘were brought back from the brink in the 1970s, when public demand for political action resulted in bans on DDT and related pesticides.'”