The Patuxent Bird Club and Prince George’s Audubon Society host joint monthly meetings with guest speakers from September through June. Meetings are on the second Tuesday evening of the month. The meeting schedule can be found below.

This year, the meetings will be in the Hap Arnold Center at the College Park Airport. The meetings are free and open to the public. From Campus Dr turn NORTH onto Cpl Frank Scott Dr toward the airport. When you get to the traffic circle at the airport turn LEFT (The museum and operations buildings are to the right). Continue on this winding road until you reach a parking lot and two buildings. Enter through the door on the south side of the first building.

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September 2025 

September 4, 2025. Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

September 6, 2025. Saturday at 7:30 AM  Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, south tract –  , Leader: Bill Sefton. Meet at the parking area near the visitor center.  These walks will return to FUNA when access to the horse pen area reopens.  Meet at 7:30 am. 

September 9, 2025. Tuesday Monthly meeting. History and Update on the Status of the Beloved Osprey by Greg Kearns. The Osprey is the iconic raptor of the Chesapeake and its tributaries, widely loved and respected as a fellow fisherman, no longer as a competitor, sharing the bounty of local waters. Waterfront owners are always proud to have a pair of these striking birds nesting on a platform just off-shore. Not so long ago there was rejoicing when the Osprey began recovery from near-extinction, forestalled by the timely ban on DDT. We’ve heard reports recently about the threat to a key component of the Osprey’s food chain, the menhaden. But this year an even more insidious threat has emerged, moving its way up the tributaries of the Chesapeake. Our speaker Greg Kearns has long studied our Osprey population and is closely attuned to their lives. He will be giving an analysis of the new threats and their impact on the Osprey’s very future. Greg’s talks are known for their impact and dynamic quality, an experience in themselves. The meeting will be at the Hap Arnold Center, College Park Airport. It will start at 7:30PM, the door opens at 7:00.

September 13. Saturday Lake Artemesia Bioblitz.

September 18, 2025. Thursday. at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

September 20, 2025. Saturday at 07:30 AM  Governor Bridge Natural Area – .   Leader: Bill Sefton.  This third Saturday of each month bird walk meets at the parking area off Governor Bridge Road, south and east of the Route 301/Route 3/Route 50 interchange.  It is the last right turn before the end of the road. Meet at 7:30 AM.  Click link for directions and maps.

Sunday, September 21, All day – Statewide fall bird migration count. The goal is to count all wild birds in the county. If you are interested in participating, contact the county coordinator, David Mozurkewich, for details.

October, 2025 

October 2, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural Area Evening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

October 4, 2025. Saturday at 7:30 AM  Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, south tract –  , Leader: Bill Sefton. Meet at the parking area near the visitor center.  These walks will return to FUNA when access to the horse pen area reopens.  Meet at 7:30 am. 

October 14, 2025. Tuesday. Monthly meeting: The Truth about bees by Francis Mullan. “Save the Bees” has become a major cultural movement recently, inspiring many to get into beekeeping to try to conserve honey bees. Few people are aware that honey bees are not the only bees in North America though, and that the energy devoted to “Saving the Bees” has largely been misplaced. So where should it be placed? What are these other kinds of bees? And come to think of it, what are bees exactly, anyway? The meeting will be at the Hap Arnold Center, College Park Airport. It will start at 7:30PM, the door opens at 7:00.

October 16, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural Area Evening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

October 18, 2025. Saturday at 07:30 AM  Governor Bridge Natural Area – .   Leader: Bill Sefton.  This third Saturday of each month bird walk meets at the parking area off Governor Bridge Road, south and east of the Route 301/Route 3/Route 50 interchange.  It is the last right turn before the end of the road. Meet at 7:30 AM.  Click link for directions and maps.

November 2025

November 1, 2025. Saturday at 7:30 AM  Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, south tract –  , Leader: Bill Sefton. Meet at the parking area near the visitor center.  These walks will return to FUNA when access to the horse pen area reopens.  Meet at 7:30 am. 

November 6, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

November 11, 2025. Tuesday Monthly meeting. Program: Winter WondOWLand- Birding at Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota by matt Felperin. Why would anyone want to plan a vacation to northern Minnesota in February? Well, for some hard-to-see-elsewhere owls of course! See fantastic photos of our stealthy feathered friends (among other northern species) and learn more about wildlife secrets the north woods and bogs hold. Maybe you too will be motivated to bundle up and endure sub-zero temperatures this winter! The meeting will be at the Hap Arnold Center, College Park Airport. It will start at 7:30PM, the door opens at 7:00.

November 15, 2025. Saturday at 07:30 AM  Governor Bridge Natural Area – .   Leader: Bill Sefton.  This third Saturday of each month bird walk meets at the parking area off Governor Bridge Road, south and east of the Route 301/Route 3/Route 50 interchange.  It is the last right turn before the end of the road. Meet at 7:30 AM.  Click link for directions and maps.

November 20, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

November 22, 2025 Saturday at 8:00 AM Bladensberg waterfront park and the anacostia trail. This is a great place for late fall migrants. Leader. Kevin Bennet.

November 28, 2025. Friday. Black Friday at Blackwater. Worried about resisting the urge to be trapped in the Black Friday shopping crowds? Go birding instead. This is an all-day field trip to Blackwater National Wildlife refuge. Meet at 07:00 at the Bowie Park and Ride. Leader David Mozurkewich.

December 2025

December 4, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

December 6, 2025. Saturday at 7:30 AM  Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, south tract –  , Leader: Bill Sefton. Meet at the parking area near the visitor center.  These walks will return to FUNA when access to the horse pen area reopens.  Meet at 7:30 am. 

December 9, 2025. Tuesday Monthly meeting. Program: Movie noght/Holiday party. “Chesapeake Rhythms”   Explore migration marvels of the Chesapeake Bay watershed: Tundra Swans, monarch butterflies, eels, and shorebirds. From the Bay Journal filmmaking team of Dave Harp, Tom Horton and Sandy Cannon-Brown, in this superbly filmed documentary.  Conversation and sightings pre- and post-. You are welcome to bring some light refreshments.

The meeting will be at the Hap Arnold Center, College Park Airport. It will start at 7:30PM, the door opens at 7:00.

December 18, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

December 20, 2025. Saturday at 07:30 AM  Governor Bridge Natural Area – .   Leader: Bill Sefton.  This third Saturday of each month bird walk meets at the parking area off Governor Bridge Road, south and east of the Route 301/Route 3/Route 50 interchange.  It is the last right turn before the end of the road. Meet at 7:30 AM.  Click link for directions and maps.

January 2026

January 1, 2026. Thursday. This is the day for the Bowie Christmas Bird Count. To participate (and of course you want to) contact the compiler, David Mozurkewich at (301)509-2212

January 1, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

January 3, 2026. Saturday at 7:30 AM  Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, south tract –  , Leader: Bill Sefton. Meet at the parking area near the visitor center.  These walks will return to FUNA when access to the horse pen area reopens.  Meet at 7:30 am. 

January 13, 2026. Tuesday Monthly meeting. Program: Birding Svalbard: Exploring at 78° North by Alex Pellegrini. Svalbard isn’t on most people’s bucket lists—but it should be. At 78° N, this remote Arctic archipelago offers stunning glaciers, tundra, and endless daylight. Polar bears roam the pack ice, Arctic foxes prowl the tundra, and Svalbard reindeer graze among snowfields. For birders, it’s a world of extremes—alive with Thick-billed Murres, Dovekies, Northern Fulmars, and Ivory Gulls patrolling the ice edge. In June, Alex Pellegrini led a small-group expedition there with Caretta Inspired Nature Journeys, a nonprofit helping wildlife “one trip at a time.” Join Alex for breathtaking photos, close encounters, and stories from the top of the world. The meeting will be at the Hap Arnold Center, College Park Airport. It will start at 7:30PM, the door opens at 7:00.

January 15, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

January 17, 2026. Saturday at 07:30 AM  Governor Bridge Natural Area – .   Leader: Bill Sefton.  This third Saturday of each month bird walk meets at the parking area off Governor Bridge Road, south and east of the Route 301/Route 3/Route 50 interchange.  It is the last right turn before the end of the road. Meet at 7:30 AM.  Click link for directions and maps.

February 2026

February 5, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

February 7, 2025. Saturday at 7:30 AM  Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, south tract –  , Leader: Bill Sefton. Meet at the parking area near the visitor center.  These walks will return to FUNA when access to the horse pen area reopens.  Meet at 7:30 am. 

February 10, 2026. Tuesday Monthly meeting. Program: Songbird migration strategies by Dr. Steph Szarmach. Multi-sensor geolocators enable tracking of small songbirds at a fine scale not previously possible. This enables precise characterization of stopover locations, non-breeding areas, migration timing, and flight altitude. I will present my work using geolocators, stable isotopes and remote sensing data to characterize the migratory journeys of myrtle warblers, painted buntings, and Kirtland’s warblers and to investigate the factors shaping migration routes and influencing migration timing. The meeting will be at the Hap Arnold Center, College Park Airport. It will start at 7:30PM, the door opens at 7:00.

February 19, 2025 Thursday at 3:00 PM   Lake Artemesia Natural AreaEvening bird walk led by Terry Watson or Marc Manheimer on an alternating basis. Meet at the parking lot at the corner of Ballew Avenue and Berwyn Road in Berwyn Heights.

Februrary 21, 2025. Saturday at 07:30 AM  Governor Bridge Natural Area – .   Leader: Bill Sefton.  This third Saturday of each month bird walk meets at the parking area off Governor Bridge Road, south and east of the Route 301/Route 3/Route 50 interchange.  It is the last right turn before the end of the road. Meet at 7:30 AM.  Click link for directions and maps.

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March 2026