Southern Maryland Audubon Society (SMAS)

10/05/2026

SMAS is so excited to be the host for this years annual holiday craft fair at Thomas Stone High School, Charles County. Mark your calendar!!

09/21/2026

This Thursday! Come join us in sounding the alarm!

Join us for the next event of the Calvert Environmental Lecture Series for the film The Last Osprey. The film will be shown at the

Drum Point Club in Lusby on September 24, 2026 at 6:30 pm. After the film Greg Kearns will talk about the status of ospreys on the Chesapeake Bay.

The schedule for the night is below.
Schedule:

6:30 – 6:45 PM: Introduction of the sponsoring organizations - Maryland Osprey & Nature Festival, Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust, Calvert Nature Society, Southern Maryland Audubon Society

6:45 – 7:15 PM: Premiere of the documentary film "The Last Osprey" directed and produced by William McKeever. He also produced the “Biggest Little Fish That You Have Never Seen”, a film that we were fortunate to premiere three years ago at the Drum Point Club. *Cautionary note – the film contains graphic images of sick and deceased Ospreys, including nestlings.

7:15 – 8:30 PM: Greg Kearns Presentation and Discussion - “Current Status of the Chesapeake Bay Ospreys”

Greg Kearns is a Senior Park Naturalist for the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission at Patuxent River Park. He is an expert on the wetland ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and Patuxent River with over 40 years of experience researching Ospreys and other species.

Kearns has been instrumental in the installation of over 100 Osprey nesting platforms and has banded over 5000 Ospreys. He was named the Conservationist of the Year in 2006 by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and in 2017 was awarded the National Wetlands Conservation Award.

The Drum Point Club will be open to the public for this special event. Light Refreshments will be provided.

This free lecture series is supported by a generous grant from Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust.

Registration at the link in the first comment is recommended, but not required.

09/20/2026

Enjoy pictures from our Bird Walk on the Indian Head Rail Trail Saturday, September 19, 2026.

09/20/2026

Pam Brumbley and myself had a great time leading a bird walk Saturday, September 19 on the Indian Head Rail Trail, Mason Springs. The group of eight was a perfect size, enabling us all to really see together this wonderful habitat and the birds it offers. We documented 35 species, and had perfect weather. We did not find any special fall warblers or migrating flycatchers to stress out our bird identification skills, but I was so happy to see the population of Red-headed Woodpeckers was back! In the past I liked to have bird walks on the trail because of the Red-heads, but the numbers had decreased. Well - the are BAAAACKKKK! We counted 7, 14 Eastern Bluebirds, American Redstarts, Common Yellowthroat, Gray Catbird, frequent sightings of Great Egrets (see picture below taken by Barbara Hill, and picture of two by Joanne Moffat), a Snakehead (I had to include that!), many interesting native plants, and the final bird was a Green Heron up close. HAPPY TRAILS!!

08/29/2026

Don't miss our zoom lecture this Wednesday, September 2 @ 7 p.m. If you already get our S MD Audubon Society Osprey newsletter you will receive an email with the link to join this meeting twice, prior to the lecture. If you do not - go to our website, see QR code below, or go directly to somdaudubon.org with your browser, sign up at the bottom of the page. This lecture about PURPLE MARTINS is going to be great!

08/16/2026

Have you ever spotted a Yellow-breasted Chat in Southern Maryland?!
Let us know in the comments!

Once erroneously believed to be North America’s largest warbler, the Yellow-breasted Chat is now the sole member of its own family, Icteriidae.

This singular bird is heard far more often than its seen, with a seemingly endless repertoire that includes rattling, tweeting, squawking. meowing, purring, bemoaning a loss, even … shaking a maraca?

Learn more about these chatty chats in a fun new essay from Audubon Southwest, at the link in comments.

08/16/2026

As fall migration ramps up, so does the risk that unnecessary lights pose to birds at night. That’s why Lights Out, Texas! has rolled out educational messaging campaigns via lawn signs and social media—reaching 170 million people!

These numbers can mean real change for migrating birds. Learn what you can do to protect migratory birds and how you can spread the word from Audubon Texas at the link in comments!

08/09/2026

We have an event schedule full of birding events in Southern Maryland this fall! Join us for walks at Point Lookout, Calvert Cliffs, and Port To***co, to name a few, and attend our monthly zoom sessions.

Our website has the full list of bird walks, movie nights, and monthly online zoom sessions.
https://www.somdaudubon.org/events/

Which are you most looking forward to attending?!
Let us know in the comments. We are looking forward to seeing you out there!

Pictured: Prothonotary Warbler

08/08/2026

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds nest annually on Marlene's and her husband Bill's 3-acre wooded property in Southern Maryland, where the front yard is filled with native plants that attract the hummingbirds. As President of the Chesapeake Bay chapter of Wild Ones, a non-profit that promotes biodiversity through native plants, Marlene paid special attention this year to educating people about native plants with blooms that attract hummingbirds from spring through fall. When MBCP visited her garden, the Wild Bergamot and Coral Honeysuckle were in full bloom and a male hummingbird was chirping and whirring through the garden. Download the Wild Ones flyer to learn what flowering natives you can plant to entice hummingbirds to your yard: https://chesapeakebay.wildones.org/native-plant-resources/

Support MBCP as we continue to spread the word about how to help birds in Maryland: https://bit.ly/GiveMBCP26

Hummingbird and hummingbird moth videos by Marlene Smith. Video produced by Margaret Poethig.