WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT

* NOV. 1, 2022 to APRIL 30, 2023

 

BIRDS & BEASTS @ BROOKSIDE 

 

Eyeball a trio of colorful box turtles, a duo of lanky ratsnakes, and other beautiful beasts at Brookside Nature Center while enjoying some amazing print images of other beasts and birds by award-winning photographer and master naturalist Barbara Saffir. Eleven of her photos are on display from Nov. 1 to April 30 as part of Brookside's new program to exhibit work by local artists and photographers. Brookside Nature Center is adjacent to acclaimed Brookside Gardens in Wheaton Regional Park. 

 

Brookside Nature Center, 1400 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, MD, 301-962-1480. Open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and weekends, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.  https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/brookside-nature-center/ 

 

Wildlife Photographer Barbara Saffir

https://www.barbarajoansaffir.com

 

ROOSEVELT ISLAND NATURAL HISTORY HIKE

BIRDS, BLOOMS, BEASTS, & THE BULL MOOSE: A Natural History Hike on Roosevelt Island For Cultural Tourism, DC's WalkingTown DC tours. Register here: https://www.culturaltourismdc.org/portal/walkingtown-dc

TWO UPCOMING PHOTO TALKS!

Summer's Bounty: Birds, Blooms, Beasts, & Babies -- When and where to spot them in the Mid-Atlantic

Discover when and where to find some of the Mid-Atlantic's summer nature bounty, including electric-blue birds atop crayon-yellow sunflowers; itsy-bitsy green treefrogs with racing stripes and sticky toes; bedazzling bugs; backyard squirrels that “fly;” and a sea of native lotus blossoms, worthy of Monet.

https://anshome.org/naturalist-hour/

7/14, 7 p.m. : AUDUBON NATURALIST SOCIETY (Zoom. Registration required. $10 benefits ANS.)

 

Nature and Wildlife Photography: How to Hunt with Your Camera

Wildlife photographer and Virginia Master Naturalist Barbara Saffir will show her stunning wildlife photographs and talk about how you can learn to capture amazing shots with your camera in the DMV. 

https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/event/9196262

8/2, 6:30-7:30: CHANTILLY REGIONAL LIBRARY (In person. No pre-registration required. Free.)

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 HOW TO INVITE HUMMINGBIRDS 

TO YOUR BACKYARD

Photos and Story by Barbara J. Saffir
 
THEY'RE BAAAACCCCCKKK!  Flying fairies -- ruby-throated hummingbirds -- returned to Virginia in April so now it's time to invite some to your house or apartment.  It's easy and cheap.  Just serve up some irresistible food and an inviting home.  That means a clean hummer feeder, native plants, and nearby trees for them to eat, nest, and snuggle in.  A water source is a huge plus for all birds and critters, especially to help them survive summer's searing heat.  And it's also paramount to avoid insecticides in your yard since bugs are the main course and high-octane fuel for these feisty, flying jewels that can beat their wings about 53 times each second, according to Cornell's respected "All About Birds" website.  Ruby-throats are the only hummers that nest east of the Mississippi.
 
First the FLOWERS.  Even if you can’t plant salvia, cardinal flower, bee balm, coral honeysuckle, trumpet vine, or other hummer-magnets in time, or if you live in an apartment with a pint-sized balcony, you can still buy them in containers.  It's best to place them near your hummingbird feeders so they can slurp some sugar water for desert after gobbling down their bug buffet.  Cornell says they especially love the bugs that humans sometimes hate, including disease-carrying mosquitoes, gnats, fruit flies, small bees, and spiders.  And your local big box store is NOT the ideal place to buy hummer plants. Native plant nurseries appear to be the best sources for hummer-preferred flowers.  When you go shopping, if you can, chose the plants with butterflies or hummers already feeding from them. And gobs of other wildflowers and flowering trees seduce hummingbirds, not just the ones you typically hear about.  Virginia Tech offers some suggestions below. 
 
Second, the FEEDERS.  All you need is a $4 hummingbird feeder (see below) and some plain white granulated sugar.  But NEVER hang any hummingbird feeders unless you're willing to clean them every couple of days in the heat because dirty ones can form mold, fungus, bacteria, and fermentation, which can hurt or kill your hummers.  The National Wildlife Federation says you need to refill the nectar "as often as every two days when summer temperatures remain above 90 degrees F.  Rinse the feeder thoroughly—without soap—before refilling. Clean it once a month with a very mild, diluted bleach solution."  It also helps to hang the feeders from a ($4 and up) ant moat to prevent ants from monopolizing the nectar.
 
Don't add anything to Audubon's standard nectar recipe: "The best (and least expensive) solution for your feeder is a 1:4 solution of refined white sugar to tap water. That’s ¼ cup of sugar in 1 cup of water. Bring the solution to a boil, then let it cool before filling the feeder."
 
Lastly, don't forget the water. Hummers love WATER but ordinary bird baths are too big for little ruby-throats, which only reach 3.7 inches long and weigh 0.1-0.2 ounces, roughly the weight of a penny.  Instead, they love to take showers in misting sprinklers and they sometimes flock to bubbling fountains, says "The Spruce" website. 
 
Male hummers (only adult males have full red throats and they only appear red in the sun due to the feather structure) start to return to Florida and Central America by August. But keep your feeders up through October because some young males and females are hungry stragglers. And when autumn rolls around, offer orange jewelweed wildflowers to your hummers.  If you can't wrangle up a supply, just stroll along the W&OD Trail by Hunter Mill Road or any other trail or garden with lush jewelweed and if you listen and watch carefully, I almost guarantee that you can find some happy hummingbirds. 
 

TIP SHEETS:

 
AUDUBON'S HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER TIPS:
https://www.audubon.org/news/hummingbird-feeding-faqs
 
CORNELL UNIVERSITY'S GUIDE TO RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird/overview#
 
FIRST NATURE $4 HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/First-Nature-Hummingbird-Feeder-16-oz/22889949?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=5880&adid=2222222227722889949_117755028669_12420145346&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-293946777986&wl5=102711
 
JOURNEY NORTH HUMMINGBIRD GUIDE:
https://journeynorth.org/hummingbirds
 
LOWES' ANT MOATS:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Style-Selections-Ant-Moat/5005521709?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-sol-_-ggl-_-LIA_SOL_109_Patio-_-5005521709-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpu6YgaCA-AIVzObjBx2hDQ4CEAQYAiABEgIdGfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
 
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION'S HUMMINGBIRD TIPS:
https://blog.nwf.org/2012/04/four-tips-for-attracting-hummingbirds/
 
PLANTNOVANATIVE TIPS:
https://www.plantnovanatives.org/post/making-friends-with-the-hummingbirds
 
THE SPRUCE'S WATER TIPS FOR HUMMINGBIRDS:
https://www.thespruce.com/provide-water-for-hummingbirds-386404
 
VIRGINIA TECH'S HUMMINGBIRD PLANT RECOMMENDATIONS:
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/HORT/HORT-59/HORT-59-PDF.pdf
VIRGINIA'S NATIVE PLANT SOCIETYS' GUIDE TO NATIVE NURSERIES:
https://vnps.org/native-plant-nursery-list/

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BIRDS, BLOOMS, & BEASTS PHOTO EXHIBIT & RECEPTION

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY DC/MD/VA

BIRDS, BLOOMS, & BEASTS

Group Wildlife Photography Exhibit

DEC. 13 , 2022 - FEB. 5, 2023

MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHERS RECEPTION: 

DEC. 18, 1 - 3 P.M.

RSVP to Barb22030@yahoo.com

https://www.NaturePhotographyDcMdVa.com

Green Spring Gardens Horticulture Center

4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA 22312

Monday - Saturday: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Sunday: Noon - 4:30 p.m.

Green Spring Gardens' Art In The Garden program is sponsored by the Friends of Green Spring

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring

(Exhibit space will close on occasion for program use. Please call the garden at 703-642-5173

to be certain the exhibit is open for viewing for your arrival.) 

 

SPRING SPECTACLES REDUX

My SPRING SPECTACLES talk was recorded and it's now available for free online from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.  Please click here: 

https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/rec/WN_NMP2tfijQqKLmeUGHdBNKw?meetingId=Est67X5tb4R0VwyfITRlTz97NOo8pIANUWli6IOy1ABck1L5va2OiNA1N98zY1Sj.m5lX1WuddrFmt1rY&playId=YBXFqKjwSJvPvVDeCzJJieLmewazO3hOdlYjDvbfif3j7-b3CAx_LOxkP_ycPGbDjSRE-VQpjyh2bvjg.7uPu-cbwr7SfCAqX&action=play&_x_zm_rtaid=M6f7ikWbQNmWborhNg6xNA.1650310137358.0847a89041e7be6fe046e3256467e7d8&_x_zm_rhtaid=39

My two-page handout, including my "Nature's Magical Moments Calendar," is here:

https://serc.si.edu/sites/default/files/EveningLectures/barbarasaffir_wildlifehandout.pdf

 

How to HUNT -- with a CAMERA!

 Please join wildlife photography safari leader and Virginia Master Naturalist, Barbara Saffir, to learn how to stalk your best wildlife photos at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary.  After a brief talk inside the visitor center, we’ll hike around Jug Bay to photograph birds, blooms, & beasts. Along the way, we’ll discuss some technical camera tips as well as tips for planning and executing your most productive — and fun — wildlife photography safaris. Learn what to wear, what to bring, what to do in advance, and methods to get the best photos along with some “dos and don’ts.”  All cameras are welcome, including cell phones, but long lenses are best for bird photography. Be prepared to walk 2-3 miles. Ages 16 and up, under 18 with a parent. $10 per person, includes park entrance fee. Current health guidelines and registration required. To register go to www.jugbay.org Event Calendar and click on the event.

Jun 25, 2022 9:30AM—12:30PM

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary Visitor Center 1361 Wrighton Road Lothian, MD 20711

Cost $10 per person (Payable to and benefits Jug Bay.)

https://jugbay.org/inspire_events/how-to-hunt-with-a-camera/

Spring Spectacles: When & Where to Find Jaw-Dropping Birds, Blooms & Beasts in the Mid-Atlantic

Tuesday, March 15, 2022: 7 - 8 PM