The NC Botanical Garden’s (NCBG) Saving Our Birds exhibit is going on now to offer amazing birding and conservation programming opportunities to bird-lovers, conservationists and everyone interested in taking actions to benefit North Carolina’s birds.

Pairing public programming with conservation-focused art exhibits, Saving Our Birds will feature a series of programs and events, inspiring awareness and understanding of NC native birds and empowering people to help conserve the habitats they need to thrive.

During September and October, Birds in Art will be on display in the Garden’s DeBerry Gallery. This art exhibit features illustrations, sculptures and birdhouses by several local artists. Images from a native bird photography contest will follow in November and December. Throughout the fall, Audubon staff and volunteers will be leading education programs in partnership with the exhibits.

Among our staff, chapter volunteers and conservation partners, Audubon will offer an incredible variety of educational programs covering the latest conservation science for bird-friendly native plants and gardening, combatting climate change in your own backyard, engaging in local citizen science activities, and much more. Browse our list of events and click a link to complete your registration below. For kids’ activities, click here.

SAVING OUR BIRDS SEPTEMBER PROGRAMS

LUNCHBOX Talk: Bird-Friendly Gardening – Your Yard Matters!
Presenter: Ann Walter-Fromson, T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Society

Date: Thursday, September 29, 2016 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Your yard and the kinds of plants in it matters more than you may know. Native plants play a very important role in providing the food birds need to survive and thrive in a way that non-native plants cannot do. By planting shrubs that provide the high-fat berries birds need to fuel up for long migration flights; trees that host the caterpillars that become baby-bird food; and flowers that provide nectar for hummingbirds; your yard can make a real difference for birds year-round. Learn how you can start helping birds in your yard today, and learn more about Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Native Plants of the Year program that partners with local growers and garden centers to promote the plants that help our birds the most. 

Free. Registration required.

SAVING OUR BIRDS OCTOBER PROGRAMS

LUNCHBOX Talk: How to Bird-Proof Your Windows
Presenter: Kim Brand, Audubon North Carolina, Bird-Friendly Communities Coordinator; Lynn Moseley

Date: Thursday, October 13, 2016 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

If you’ve heard the sad “thud” as a bird strikes your window, this Lunchbox Talk is for you. Kim and Lynn will share a number of effective strategies for saving birds at your home. Window collisions are a leading cause of bird mortality in the United States, with nearly a billion bird deaths each year caused by window strikes. The good news is that you can bird-proof your windows and still see out of them to enjoy the birds you love. 

Free; registration required.

SAVING OUR BIRDS NOVEMBER PROGRAMS

Bird-Friendly Native Plants Education Day for Growers, Retailers, Landscape Design Professionals, and Landscapers
Presenter: Kim Brand, Audubon North Carolina, Bird-Friendly Communities Coordinator; Matt Gocke, NCBG Nursery/Greenhouse Manager; Thomas Rainer, Landscape Architect, Author; Shannon Currey, Hoffman Nursery.

Date: Monday, November 7, 2016 from 8 AM to 5 PM

Fee: $100 ($92 NCBG members) Includes catered lunch, and refreshments. 

LUNCHBOX Talk: Meet the Brown-headed Nuthatch
Presenter: Lynn Moseley

Date: Thursday, November 10, 2016 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Nest boxes help birds – just look at the Eastern Bluebird for a success story! The Brown-headed Nuthatch is getting a similar leg up from North Carolinians inspired by Audubon North Carolina’s ‘Lookin’ for a Good Home’ campaign to help the nuthatch. Learn all about this squeaky little bird – a quintessential southerner – and how you can help Brown-headed Nuthatch families in your neighborhood and your community. 

Free. Registration required.

The exhibition runs through December 16, 2016 and includes an informational exhibit and numerous programs. To learn more about Saving Our Birds, visit NC Botanical Garden’s website.

PAST PROGRAMS INCLUDED:

LUNCHBOX Talk: How You Can Help Birds Today in the Face of Climate Change

Presenter: Kim Brand, Audubon North Carolina, Bird-Friendly Communities Coordinator

Date: Thursday, September 1, 2016 from 12PM to 1PM

Climate change is already affecting birds in North Carolina, and the 2014 Audubon Birds & Climate Change Report predicts that 170 North Carolina bird species will be threatened by climate change in our children’s lifetimes. Kim Brand will share the impact of climate change on North Carolina birds and detail what you can do in your yard and in your community to help birds thrive as their world changes around them. 

Free; Registration required.

How to Create a Bird-Friendly Yard Workshop
Presenter: Barbara Driscoll, Nature Enthusiast; Kim Brand, Audubon North Carolina, Bird-Friendly Communities Coordinator

Date: Saturday, September 10, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Fee: $36 ($32 NCBG Members)

Are you ready to transform your yard into a bird sanctuary? Learn what birds need in your yard during all parts of their annual cycle, from raising babies in the spring to migrating south in the winter. You'll learn about the four food groups for birds and how to provide shelter. This workshop is perfectly timed so that you can walk out of the workshop with a wish-list of bird-friendly native plants, and head straight for the NCBG Plant Sale to buy them! 

Battling Climate Change in Your Own Backyard for Birds
Presenter: Curtis Smalling, Director of Bird Conservation, Audubon North Carolina

Date: Sunday, September 11, 2016 from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM

Join Curtis Smalling to hear an urgent message for all of us about the actions we can take to help our feathered friends in the face of climate change. 

Fee: $12 ($11 members)

Sunday in September with Chapel Hill's Swifts
Presenter: John Connors, Wildlife Biologist

Date: Sunday, September 18, 2016 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Fee: $10 ($9 members); Free for children under 12. 

Location: Meet at NCBG and participants will carpool to location.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to visit a roost of migrant Chimney Swifts in downtown Chapel Hill! We can expect to view thousands of these extraordinary birds enter a chimney at sunset to rest for the night.

Audubon North Carolina’s Bird-Friendly Communities initiative seeks to engage people in small, simple actions to benefit birds where they live – in cities and towns. To learn more about the Bird-Friendly Communities initiative, click here.