New Hope Bird Alliance (formerly New Hope Audubon Society) is a local chapter of National Audubon for Durham, Orange, and northern Chatham counties and we maintain close ties with Audubon NC. To find out more about why we changed our name from New Hope Audubon and the process we used, check out this link: New Hope Bird Alliance.
Items of special interest
The annual Bird Seed Sale is now open! Visit the sale page. Each Fall, New Hope Bird Alliance holds a bird seed sale for fund-raising. All profits go toward fulfilling our mission to promote the conservation and enjoyment of birds, other wildlife, and ecosystems, focusing on Chatham, Durham, and Orange counties. We are working with Wild Birds Unlimited in Chapel Hill again this year. We are thankful for our generous members, conservation advocates, garden clubs, corporations and foundations who support and partner with New Hope Bird Alliance. All orders must be received by October 23, 2024.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS web page to keep informed about upcoming events including bird outings.
FIELD NOTES BLOG to be sure to keep up with the latest posts.
BIRD COUNT CHARTS web page to explore our historical data going back to 1977 for both our Spring and Christmas Bird Counts.
VOLUNTEER web page for ways you can help and fill out our updated Volunteer Form to tell us about your interests.
MEETING RECORDINGS web page for recordings of past membership meetings via Zoom.
Announcements
Our next NHBA meeting is October 3, 2024 at 7 pm. Tom Reed will speak about Amphibians of the Piedmont. This will be a hybrid meeting; in person at the Joslin Classroom of the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill with a Zoom option. If you wish to attend via Zoom, please use this link to register.
We also extend a warm welcome to our new Development Committee Chair, Bert Bruggeman. Learn more about Bert and what he’s involved in here.
Join us for a Swift Night Out! From mid-September to early-October, migrating Chimney Swifts move through central North Carolina on their way to their wintering grounds in central South America. While en route, they spread out to feed during the daytime and then gather in large numbers for roosting at night. There are several roosting places in our local area where swifts can be seen. Learn more about swifts here.
Chimney Swift Night Out events:
October 2, Davie Poplar Historic tree on UNC Campus – 204 E. Cameron Avenue, UNC Campus, Chapel Hill, time 7-8pm. This historic tree is 
located on the campus grounds between the Old Well and McCorkle Place. This is the only known tree roost in NC. Swifts can be seen in mass circling over the grounds before entering the tree. Parking is available at parking decks around campus and Morehead Planetarium. NHBA is partnering with the UNC Avian Society for this event.
New Hope Bird Alliance is selling Protect Aerial Insectivores t-shirts to help fundraise for activities conserving and promoting chimney swifts, purple martins and other aerial insectivores. NHBA has started a campaign with Bonfire where you can purchase a t-shirt or hoodie in multiple colors and sizes. We will have a limited supply of shirts at some of our swift night out events.
The Thrush Watch trip on Sunday October 13 at 7:30am is now full. Thank you for your interest!
NBHA is hosting a Native Plant Swap from 10am to noon on October 26 at Blackwood Farm Pavilion. Please RSVP to attend. Bring transplanted native plants in old nursery pots or bags that you are willing to part with. Folks who bring plants will have an opportunity to pick plants one at a time from the available selection. Any extra plants will be free to take for anyone who does not have plants to donate. Please see our Native Plant page for more details on the swap and how to prepare plants for it.
