About us
Welcome to Wake Audubon Society – where our love for nature meets a commitment to inclusion and belonging and providing programs, outings and activities where all can safely access and celebrate nature.
As a chapter of Audubon NC and the National Audubon Society, our 1,900-strong community in Wake, Johnston, Franklin, and Nash counties, North Carolina, is proud to lead education, conservation, and advocacy efforts to grow our region responsibly and with concern for the birds, wildlife and places we all live.
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.
This group enjoys local (and regional) outings to experience wildlife in the Raleigh, Wake County area of North Carolina. We focus on birding, and we enjoy teaching anyone who is new to birding. We welcome visitors to the area who want to attend our outings.
Wake Audubon hosts free, public, in-person educational programs that are generally held on the second Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. in the NC Museum of Natural Sciences Nature Research Center, 121 W Jones St. Raleigh, NC, 4th floor meeting room. Most of these programs can also be viewed virtually via Zoom. See the topic, and confirm the location and Zoom link for each program in our Meetup or calendar posts.
We also volunteer for various events, including river cleanups, invasive species removal, nestbox maintenance, helping with events at various parks and museums, and community science projects such the Christmas Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Count.
Thanks for your interest in Wake Audubon. Come, join us!
Our 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
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Visit us at Día de la Ciencia y la Cultura 2026
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC, USDrop by and say hi to Wake Audubon at Día de la Ciencia y la Cultura (Science and Culture Day) on Saturday, August 1, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.!
Find us inside the museum's Nature Exploration Center at 11 W. Jones Street downtown Raleigh, 3rd floor.If new to you, Día de la Ciencia y la Cultura (Science and Culture Day) is returning for the 3rd consecutive year to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences!
- Immerse yourself in a vibrant, fully bilingual experience (Spanish-English) that's a fusion of science, culture and innovation.
- Engage with scientists across both Museum buildings, offering dozens of hands-on activities and interactive exhibits designed to highlight the richness of Hispanic heritage, alongside traditional music, storytelling, art and dance.
- It's an event that's free and open to the public, with something for everyone from science enthusiasts to curious learners.
Birds unite us. Join us as we come together with the Museum to celebrate diversity, community, and inclusivity in nature!
- Come chat with our amazing team of volunteers: Amber, Stephan, Martha, Nicole, Renee, Lucy, Sara, Susan and Erik (some bilingual) about your favorite birds and Wake Audubon’s bird-friendly conservation and advocacy initiatives.
- Try your hand at identifying common birds of Wake County.
- View bird specimens on display.
- Take home guidance on native plants for birds.
- Learn about Wake Audubon’s free, public workshops, outings, and programs, and ways to get involved.
- Buy at bluebird house. Beautifully constructed, and only $20 each (pay with cash, check, or via Paypal).
- Play our 'what birds eat what bugs' game.
- Find all of our signage, content, and handouts in both English and Spanish.
We'll see you there!
13 attendees
Birding NC Museum of Art, Goodnight Park 2026-0808
NC Museum of Art welcome center, 1950 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh, NC, USBirding at the NC Museum of Art, Ann & Jim Goodnight Museum Park
Second Saturday of the month: AUGUST 08, 2026, 8:00 to 9:30 AM
RSVP opens August 1 at 7 am.
NC Museum of Art's Welcome Center: (Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park), 1950 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh.
Meet near the Welcome Center (near the tall brick smokestack ) at the SOUTHERN end of the parking lot.
Leader is Lynn Erla Beegle, Optmystc1@gmail.com
Habitat includes field, forest, and pond, native plants, and outdoor art.
We will shorten the walk for August: main trail (now open) to pond, then Upper Meadow Trail).
Note: Anyone who has low mobility is welcome to join us, even if the 25-birder limit has been reached. The birding will be MOSTLY on paved trails Length is about 1 mile, in 90 minutes . Limit is technically 25 birders, but it is a public park.
(For low-mobility birders: Turn LEFT as you enter the NCMA via Reedy Creek road, then park all the way down the hill in the employee parking. Use your handicap placard to park. Then it is a short slope to the pond. We will met you at the pond between 8:30 and 9:00. **Please text/call me at 919-673-6136 if you are meeting us at the pond instead of at the Park Visitor Center.)More information on the North Carolina Museum of Art website: https://park.ncartmuseum.org/
Map of the 164-acre Museum Park:
https://park.ncartmuseum.org/assets/pdf/Park-Map-Web.pdfTurn RIGHT when you enter via Reedy Creek Road entrance for the NC Museum of Art. Meet in upper parking lot close to the big smokestack and Welcome Center (southern end of the main lot). Look for people with binoculars. Restrooms at Welcome Center are open and handicap accessible.
Admission to the Art Museum is free; opens at 10. Backpacks, binoculars, and long-lens cameras are not allowed in the museum, but they have free lockers to stow these items.
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Ebird Hotspot: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L21844918
See you there!8 attendees
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION NIGHT: Slide Show and Potluck (In-Person Only!)
Nature Research Center at NC Museum of Science, 121 W Jones St, Raleigh, NC 27601, Raleigh, NC, USWake Audubon Evening Meeting: AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION NIGHT: SLIDE SHOW AND POTLUCK (NO ZOOM; in-person only)
Tuesday, AUGUST 11, 2026: Wake Audubon Society monthly meeting, 6:30-9-ish PM
NOTE EARLY START TIME FOR MEAL!Audience Participation Night means this month’s speaker is you! Bring a dish to share and (if you wish) send in, ahead of time, up to five natural history images. Each person submitting images is invited to briefly describe his/her images to the group. The main point of the evening is to share memories—this is not a photo competition. Please consider participating with whatever images you have (just one is fine!). Don’t miss this fun evening of dining, learning, and socializing. Open to all.
Please send your images NO LATER THAN NOON ON AUGUST 8 to Missy at mcgawphoto@mindspring.com as attachments to the email (PREFERABLY JPG files in horizontal (landscape) format).
Please name your photos with your last name, the birds name and please add 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in the file title so they can be put in the correct order. If you miss the deadline of the 8th, you may send them to John Gerwin. birdnerdie@gmail.comYou are invited to briefly tell us about each photo, or, you can send a brief description of each.
Event Begins at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Museum of Natural Sciences (121 W. Jones St., Raleigh), William G. Ross Jr. Environmental Conference Center (4th floor). Someone will be at the entry door between the globe and the Daily Planet Cafe from 6:15 - 6:45 and we will TRY to remember to check again between 7:15 and 7:45 for those who, well, forgot about dinner and the early start.
You don't have to bring food (you can still eat, of course) and you don't have to submit photos and you don't have to be a member; please join us!The Wake Audubon Program Planning committee would like your ideas for speaker topics for our monthly meetings. A few of us happily put together the monthly speaker and field trip programs for each year. And although we have a current list of ideas, we would like to hear from our members, about what topics you are interested in.
Keep in mind that we strive to create a mix of topics - we are not just a bird organization. This is why we have speakers on such a wide variety of topics. We will begin planning the 2027 programs, fairly soon. So if you are so inclined, please send us topics about which you might like to have us host for a program. We keep a running list. We don't/can't get to everything in a given year, so we generally keep working through our ongoing "to-do" list.
If you heard a speaker that you really enjoyed at another event, then send that information, too.
Your topic ideas can be sent to John Gerwin at birdnerdie@gmail.comWe hope you will help us by joining Wake Audubon and National Audubon!
http://wakeaudubon.org/get-involved/join/
Last updated 7-13-2026 by LEBeegle5 attendees
Birding at Williamson Preserve 2026-0814 (Register Off Meetup)
Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve, 4409 Mail Plantation Road, Raleigh, NC, USFRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2026: 8:00 TO 10:30 AM
Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve, 4429 Old Country Mial Rd, Raleigh, NC (new address due to road changes)
This is a free event, but REGISTRATION ON TLC's WEBSITE IS REQUIRED . There is limit of 15 birders for the event, and you will receive an email from Triangle Land Conservancy a day or two before the event.
Note: The dirt road portion of Mials Plantation Road is permanently closed, so stay on Smithfield Road and turn right on Mials Plantation, right at first road, near the end of the road turn in at the white building, just at the closed road signs. Watch out for a deep hole or two when you pull in and park.Join Wake Audubon and Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) for a morning of birding and exploring the Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve near the Wake County / Johnston County line. Our experienced birder Marc Ribaudo will guide you through the meadow and Two Ponds Loop covering about 2 miles of mostly dirt trails. Join this wonderful morning stroll and see what birds you can find. Please wear good walking shoes and layers, bring a water bottle, and binoculars if you have them. We suggest that you leave your furry friends at home for this hike as dogs may scare away wildlife viewing opportunities.
Whether you're a seasoned birder or just starting out, this is a great chance to connect with nature and learn about the diverse bird species that call the grasslands, woodlands, and ponds home. Check out what we may find here: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L4669077
TLC maintains a waitlist, so be sure to join TLC's waitlist if the event is full. (Wake Audubon does not have access to the waitlist).
Joining by Meetup for this event will NOT register you for this event, so, I shut off the RSVP option.
VERY IMPORTANT: After a heavy rain, the preserve may be closed to prevent erosion, so TLC may have to cancel the outing. Otherwise, you will receive an email from TLC of where to park and the status of the walk (Wake Audubon Meetup will not know the walk's status). Note that even if the preserve is closed to others, TLC tries to hold this walk, using the volunteer parking area just after the main gate and the old church.
1 attendee
Past events
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