It’s time for a flight across the piedmont! The wandering twosome has landed to learn about how Audubon NC is helping the birds here. See what happened during this leg of Carl and Carolina’s adventure to spread the word about the Cardinal Club, Audubon’s monthly giving program.

During their second stop, Carl and Caroline decided to stop by some of the natural areas along the North Carolina Birding Trail in the piedmont, among many other exciting places!

Their first destination was Harris Lake County Park in Raleigh, home to more than 90 bird species. They got to meet some Ospreys and exchanged nest-building stories. Audubon’s recently released climate study predicts that the Osprey will be threatened by the effects of climate change, as it is expected to lose 70 percent of its breeding range by 2050.

While Harris Lake is not an Important Bird Area, Audubon NC protects the coastal locations preferred by Ospreys, including the Croatan Forest.

They also stopped by Jordan Lake, one of Audubon NC’s nine Important Bird Areas in the piedmont, and a local bird paradise in the midst of growing urban areas like Raleigh and Cary. Due to the threat of encroaching development, New Hope Audubon volunteers have been monitoring bird populations at Jordan Lake with events like the Bald Eagles Census and annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

Next, Carl and Caroline met up with Kim Brand, Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Communities Coordinator, in Winston-Salem to learn about a partnership with Toyota TogetherGreen by Audubon, one of the most exciting programs of the year! Brand earned a grant to work with Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County to create bird-friendly backyards for local residents in the Boston-Thurmond neighborhood. This past Earth Day, Audubon NC celebrated by planting native plants and installing nest boxes at a newly-constructed Habitat for Humanity house. Carl and Caroline were so impressed they decided to spend the night there instead of a bird hotel.

The Bird-Friendly Communities initiative seeks to create connected habitats where birds can thrive, engaging residents across the piedmont and coastal plain to take small, simple actions like growing native plants and installing nest boxes in their home or community. Carl really appreciates that, but he’s not the only one.

In 2014, Audubon NC had a goal of installing 10,000 Brown-Headed Nuthatch homes across the state. Due to deforestation, our little buddies are losing the cavities in trees they need to make a cozy home. This holiday season, there’s a way to help. For every nuthatch home purchased before the end of the year, Audubon NC will donate a second box to a local chapter to be installed at a school, church or park.

Last year, Carl traveled throughout the state with his best friend Bert, a Brown-Headed Nuthatch. Carl and Caroline decided to go check out some of the nuthatch homes that were put up around the piedmont, and were very impressed! They bought one to be put up in their backyard when they find their forever nest, so all of their Nuthatch friends can visit.

If you want to help Carl and Caroline find the perfect home build a forever nest and raise their chicks, vote here!

If you want to help ALL of North Carolina’s birds to have a place to call home, become a member of the Cardinal Club. Your monthly donation helps support meaningful programs like the ones Carl has been learning about. It’s easy. Every month, your selected amount will be deducted from your credit card and goes straight to help Audubon continue to protect NC’s birds!

Let’s help our birds survive and thrive all year long.