What we’re about
This group enjoys local (and regional) trips to see wildlife in the Raleigh, Wake County area of North Carolina. We focus on birdwatching, and we enjoy teaching anyone who is new to birding. We welcome visitors to the area who want to attend our trips.
We also volunteer for various events, including river cleanups, prairie management at local parks, nestbox maintenance, helping with events at various parks and museums, and "citizen science" projects (such as Christmas Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Count).
Wake Audubon has a group for youth (teens 12 - 18); you can read more about the Young Naturalists Group at http://www.wakeaudubon.org/ync.htm as the trips for YN are not posted on this Meetup site.
There is no requirement to join Wake Audubon Society in order to be a member of this Meetup. There is no fee for this Meetup. We encourage you to join Wake Audubon, however, as we depend on member fees to support our environmental projects: http://www.wakeaudubon.org/join.htm Wake Audubon meets on the second Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. in Meeting Room A of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 West Jones Street, Raleigh. The meeting is open to the public.
Wake Audubon Society is a member of Audubon NC and of the National Audubon Society. We have a membership of about 1,200 and hold monthly meetings, field trips, bird walks and other activities. Wake Audubon is made up of a diverse group of people with a variety of interests and specialties; we're not just birders. Wake Audubon members share a common interest in wildlife, nature and environmental conservation: http://www.wakeaudubon.org/what_we_do.htm
Mission Statement: "To foster knowledge, appreciation, and enjoyment of nature; to encourage responsible environmental stewardship; to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity."
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Bird Outing at Bass Lake, 2024-04-21Bass Lake Park, Holly Springs, NC
Bird Outing at Bass Lake and Sugg Farm, 2024-04-21
900 Bass Lake Rd · Holly Springs, NC
(You can RSVP starting the first of the month)Join Wake Audubon for a Bird Outing at Bass Lake and Sugg Farm on Sunday, APRIL 21, 2024, at 8:15 EDT. Please sign up for this walk, as we try to limit this to 25 birders. Leader is Jessica Williams (jesswilliams888@gmail.com, 913-424-5062).
This 2+ mile walk on unpaved trails begins at 8:15 and ends approximately 10:30. The park opens at 8 am. The address is 900 Bass Lake Road, Holly Springs, NC (note that this is the main parking lot, not the smaller lot on another road). Meet on the trail near the restrooms. We will walk the east side of Bass Lake, then take the trail to Sugg Farm, then return to the Bass Lake parking lot. The trail can be a tad soggy after heavy rains.
here is a link to the Bass Lake hotspot:https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1352674
- Chapel Hill Bird Club–Authors Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal-A Wing and a PrayerBinkley Baptist Church, Chapel Hill, NC
The Chapel Hill Bird Club is holding its monthly meeting on Monday, April 22nd at 7:30 p.m. This meeting will be in-person with a zoom option available (zoom signup below). Come at 7:15 for refreshments. Location is the lounge in Olin T. Binkley Baptist Church, 1712 Willow Drive, Chapel Hill, at the corner of Highway 15-501 Bypass and Willow Drive, behind University Mall.
Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal will walk through highlights of their book, A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds. This is the story of what’s being done to save birds in the midst of dramatic downturns in North American populations. Their presentation draws on their 25,000 miles of travel across the hemisphere researching the book, interviews with 300 people in every station in the world of birds, and scores of photos of the birds featured in these pages.
Anders and Beverly are veteran journalists who’ve worked for decades as reporters and editors. Beverly was a feature writer, then food editor, and finally syndicated columnist and cookbook author. Anders was an investigative reporter at The Miami Herald, then went on to lead newsrooms in Raleigh, Minneapolis, Miami and Washington. He’s long been active in journalism circles, serving on the board of the Pulitzer Prizes, Society of Newspaper Editors and Journalism Funding Partners. As their work slowed down, they started following birds and photographing and writing about them for magazines and newspapers around the country. They also publish a photo-rich website, FlyingLessons.US: What We’re Learning from the Birds .
Also, this will be your chance to ask “Ask Kent” anything about eBird. Kent Fiala will answer one eBird question, to be drawn from a hat. Come prepared to submit a question. Zoom attendees will also have the opportunity to submit a question in the Chatbox.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vdumqqjorGNftBnOSt108Rv2DXmCQLxBEAfter registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
- Hilltop-Needmore Park (North), 2024-04-27Hilltop Needmore Town Park & Preserve, Fuquay-Varina, NC
Hilltop-Needmore Park (North)
Saturday, APRIL 27, 2024
Time: 8:30 to 10:30 am
Free Bird Outing with Wake Audubon4621 Shady Greens Drive, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Leaders: Kyra Bartow (leaders also include David Southwick, Larry Zoller)Join us for a Wake Audubon bird outing at Hilltop-Needmore Park on the last Saturday of most months (check here for updates). You can RSVP after the Wake Audubon newsletter publishes, near the start of each month.
We will meet at the lower end of the old Club House parking lot. Look for a "Bird Walk Here" sign. We will start promptly at 8:30 am regardless of the weather and should finish by 10:30 am.
Dress for the weather and be prepared to walk paved trails and occasionally on wet grassy fairways. There is some elevation change but we will not be moving quickly as we stop frequently for birds. No birding experience is necessary. Bring your binoculars and a bird guide if you have one. The walk is not recommended for children under 6. Please leave your pets at home.
Ebird hotspot site: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L16295752
The hotspot has over 115 birds observed!Here is the April 2023 ebird checklist:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S135067769Let's Go Birding!
The Leader will make and share an ebird list and share it with your ebird account. Individual lists are discouraged because they duplicate the data, but you can edit your list once it's shared to you. - Early Birders at Prairie Ridge (NO LEADER, 2024-05-10, 06:00 AM or later)Prairie Ridge Ecostation, Raleigh, NC
Early Birders at Prairie Ridge (NO LEADER, 2024-05-10, 06:00 AM or later)
Early Birders welcome at Prairie Ridge Ecostation on:
Friday, MAY 10, 2024, 6:00 AM EDT or any time thereafter!
Leader: NONE. Bird on your own or with people you meet.
Address: 1671 Gold Star Drive, Raleigh. Do NOT park outside the gates.
The Prairie Ridge staff are opening the gates EARLY, ONE FRIDAY A MONTH, so that birders can come enjoy early morning birding.
And yes, you can arrive ANY TIME after the start time!
Visit the event website here: https://naturalsciences.org/calendar/venue/prairie-ridge/
Normal hours of operation for Prairie Ridge Ecostation are Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to 4pm (closed on Sunday and Monday) and closed on most state holidays. Please CONFIRM that there are no delays to the opening date and time by visiting their website!Please note that there is no official birding program happening.
Their website says: "Everyone knows the best birding happens early in the morning, so we are pleased to welcome Early Birds at Prairie Ridge! Bring your own binoculars or camera and stop by before we open to enjoy our early morning birds. No pre-registration is required and you’re welcome to arrive as early as the stated time! Rain cancels event.
Assume no facilities will be available.
See their website for maps and other information.
https://naturalsciences.org/prairie-ridge
Follow along on Facebook @prairieridge
You can RSVP here but remember, there is NO LEADER for this outing.
NOTE: Prairie Ridge is NOT a wheelchair accessible site; it has all soft trails.
It is best to wear long sleeves and boots for your visit.
NO DOGS are allowed at Prairie Ridge Ecostation.
The restrooms in the building near the Purple Martin houses might be open. The brick building is not open to the general public.
Hope to see some birders out nice and early! : )
