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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Birding at Williamson Preserve 2026-0710 (Register Off Meetup)
Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve, 4409 Mail Plantation Road, Raleigh, NC, USFRIDAY, JULY 10, 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.
2 attendees
Friday Morning Bird Walk at Lake Benson Park 2026-07-10 (Register Off-Meetup)
Lake Benson Park, 921 Buffaloe Rd, Garner, NC, USEnjoy an easy walk at Lake Benson Park while looking and listening for birds. Learn how to identify the birds in our area and discover their behaviors and preferred habitats. This walk is great for first-time and experienced birdwatchers. Pre-registration is required. Bring your own binoculars or borrow a pair.
RSVP ONLY via the Town of Garner website at: Program: Friday Morning Bird Walk (7/10/26)
Registration deadline is 12 pm on July 9th.The specific meeting location in the park will be shared with registered participants. Questions or trouble registering? Email Colleen at cbockhahn@garnernc.gov.
1 attendee
Birding NC Museum of Art, Goodnight Park 2026-0711
North Carolina Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh, NC, USBirding at the NC Museum of Art, Ann & Jim Goodnight Museum Park
Second Saturday of the month: JULY 11, 2026, 8:00 to 10:00 AM
RSVP opens July 11 at 7 am.
NC Museum of Art: Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh.
Meet near the Welcome Center (near the tall brick smokestack ) at the western end of the parking lot.
Leader is Lynn Erla Beegle, Optmystc1@gmail.com
Habitat includes field, forest, and pond, native plants, and outdoor art.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 but, due to construction, from March to June we have to walk on the lawn or a gravel trail to get back to the parking lot. Length is about 1.5 miles, in two hours. 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.) From March to June, we will NOT be able to stay completely on paved trails, due to construction, so please meet us at the pond.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 (northern 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!1 attendee
Wake Audubon Meeting: NC Butterfly Project
Nature Research Center, 121 W Jones St, Raleigh, NC, USWake Audubon Monthly Meeting: Carolinas Butterfly Project
Meeting is In Person and Zoom
Time: Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
Nature Research Center, 121 W. Jones St., Raleigh, 4th floor conference room
Location: In-person + Zoom
**Our NEW Zoom link is (Click the link below, then paste the code and password):WakeAudubonZoom
Meeting code: 848 5786 3508
Password: 4Birds
Park (for free after 6:30 pm) and walk to the main museum entrance on Jones Street, just to the right of the giant globe. Since the NCSM is closed at night, someone will be at the door ONLY from 7 to 7:45 to let you in, so be on time. Take the elevator to the fourth floor meeting room. The east-facing entrance to the "old wing" of the museum will not be used. If you feel unwell, please stay home and enjoy our presentation over Zoom.Topic: This program will introduce you to North Carolina’s wild butterflies, how to identify them, and how to become a citizen-scientist butterfly monitor. Because insect populations are declining at alarming rates, long-term monitoring of butterfly populations across the Carolinas will provide valuable data for scientists and land managers. The Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring project teaches the general public how to identify local butterflies and establish a fun, easy-to-conduct survey using simple standardized scientific methods where you can go for a walk and record the butterflies you see. Data are contributed to both state and national databases for scientists to examine butterfly population trends across the continent
Speaker: Jeff Pippen is an avid butterflier, birder, naturalist, and photographer. His natural history website (www.jeffpippen.com) features over 14,000 photos of plants and animals in nature, including extensive bird and butterfly galleries from his travels across North America as well as to far flung destinations across the globe. In 2024, he co-authored Butterflies of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia: A Field Guide, published by UNC Press.
Jeff Pippen was a faculty member at Duke University, where he taught ecology, forestry, and wildlife courses while researching the effects of climate change on forest growth. Now based back in North Carolina, he works remotely with the Ries Lab of Butterfly Informatics at Georgetown University, directing the Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring Program. He also serves as Co-Director of the Blue Ridge Butterfly Monitoring Program in Virginia and the North American Butterfly Monitoring Network.= = = = = = = = = = = = =
We hope you will help us by joining Wake Audubon and National Audubon!
http://wakeaudubon.org/get-involved/join/*Last updated 2026-06-22 by Beegle
WATCH for updates4 attendees
Past events
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