ASCM News

On Saturday, August 21st, we'll hold our monthly Nature Walk at our Fred Archibald Audubon Sanctuary, near New Market, MD.

In these hotter days, bird activity will be at a minimum. Perhaps word of that gets around in the <Butterfly> world, because the many and varied species of these scale-winged insects that inhabit our Sanctuaries seem especially abundant during this period. We should easily be able to spot at least a dozen species during our walk through the Sanctuary.

The length of this month's walk will be appropriate for the expected hot weather. Be sure to wear sturdy (but comfortable!) shoes and a hat, and don't forget your sunscreen!

Come join us for this Nature Walk, and see what August has to offer at the Fred Archibald Audubon Sanctuary!

We'll meet at 9:00 AM inside the entrance to the sanctuary, which is at 6011 Boyers Mill Road, on the east side of the road, one mile north of the Rt. 144 intersection. (Here's a link to a map.)

Again, please be sure to wear sturdy shoes and clothing appropriate for the predicted weather. Be sure to bring your binoculars if you have a pair. (If you're in the market for new binoculars, check out the Pentax "Papilio" models, which are especially good for close-in butterfly watching.)

Note that there are no rest room facilities at the sanctuary, and the walk will be cancelled in the event of severe weather.

For more information please contact Ron or Susan Polniaszek at 410-531-6658.

Our Nature Walks are always free of charge, and suitable for the whole family. People of all ages are welcome.

You'll find directions and maps to both of our local Audubon Sanctuaries, plus more information on our Nature Walk schedule, by clicking here. We hope you'll be able to join us for one or all of our events!

Have you seen our ASCM e-newsletter yet? We publish one almost every month to help keep our members and friends up-to-date on our Chapter activities. You can sign up for it with an email to us. And if you'd like to catch up on past editions, we keep an archive back to July, 2009. See the Newsletter page for subscription and archive links.

If you have enjoyed our Audubon Sanctuaries and Nature Walks, or any of the other programs we conduct and support through the year, you are also no doubt aware that these things happen only because of the work of dedicated volunteers!

If you'd like to lend us a hand, we always have a variety of opportunities for Volunteering open for your consideration.

Please let one of our Nature Walk guides know if you can help, or drop us an email. Your participation and help is welcomed and appreciated!

The Audubon Society of Central Maryland holds four annual bird counts, two at each of our local sanctuaries, located near Mount Airy and New Market, Maryland. For planning:

- The 2010 Spring counts at the sanctuaries will be scheduled for weekend days in May, 2010, one day for each sanctuary.

- The 2010 mid-Winter counts will be scheduled for weekend days in January, 2010, one day for each sancturary.

For more information on how you can participate on one or more of these important wildlife monitoring activities, contact David Smith, our Birdathon Coordinator, at 410-549-7082 or click here for email.

The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology jointly sponsor a number of important bird count activities during the year, particularly during the Winter months. They make it easy for you to participate, no matter your level of birding experience, and your input is a valued contribution to several important research efforts.

If you have a bit of time to help between November 2009 and the beginning of April 2010, please click here for more information.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a fun and easy birding event open to all. For 2010, the GBBC was conducted between Friday, February 12th and the following Monday, the 15th (Presidents' Day weekend).

Remember, just by doing what you enjoy doing anyway, you can help make future editions of this annual event successful. Your contributions count, and it's always impressive to see how many small contributions add up to creating a big, comprehensive picture. Click on the button below to see how the 2010 count is shaping up.

Updated: 07.23.10