Calendar

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
[REGISTER OFF MEETUP](https://triangleland.org/explore/events)

**FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2026: 8:00 TO 10:30 AM**
**Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve, 4429 Old Country Mial Rd, Raleigh, NC (new address due to road changes)**
This is a free event, **but [REGISTRATION ON TLC's WEBSITE IS REQUIRED](https://triangleland.org/explore/events)**[ ](https://triangleland.org/explore/events). **There is limit of 15 birders for the event**, and you will receive an email from Triangle Land Conservancy a day or two before the event.
Note: **The dirt road portion of Mials Plantation Road is permanently closed, so stay on Smithfield Road and turn right on Mials Plantation, then left after the church into the driveway of the white building, just at the closed road signs. Watch out for a deep hole or two when you park.**

Join **Wake Audubon and Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC)** for a morning of birding and exploring the **Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve** near the Wake County / Johnston County line. Our experienced birder Marc Ribaudo will guide you through the meadow and Two Ponds Loop covering about 2 miles of mostly dirt trails. Join this wonderful morning stroll and see what birds you can find. Please wear good walking shoes and layers, bring a water bottle, and binoculars if you have them. We suggest that you leave your furry friends at home for this hike as dogs may scare away wildlife viewing opportunities.

Whether you're a seasoned birder or just starting out, this is a great chance to connect with nature and learn about the diverse bird species that call the grasslands, woodlands, and ponds home. Check out what we may find here: [https://ebird.org/hotspot/L4669077](https://ebird.org/hotspot/L4669077)

TLC maintains a waitlist, so be sure to join TLC's waitlist if the event is full. ***Joining our Meetup waitlist for this event will NOT register you for this event, so, I shut off the RSVP option.***

VERY IMPORTANT: ***After a heavy rain, the preserve may be closed to prevent erosion, so TLC may have to cancel the outing. Otherwise, you will receive an email from TLC of where to park and the status of the walk (Wake Audubon Meetup will not know the walk's status). Note that even if the preserve is closed to others, TLC tries to hold this walk, using the volunteer parking area just after the main gate and the old church.***

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
**Birding at the NC Museum of Art, Ann & Jim Goodnight Museum Park**

**Second Saturday of the month: APRIL 11, 2026, 8:00 to 10:00 AM**
RSVP opens April 1 at 7 am.
NC Museum of Art: Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh.
Meet at the **Welcome Center** (near the tall brick smokestack in the Museum Park closest to the District Drive entrance).
Leader is **Larry Zoller, [email protected]** **(thanks, Larry!)**
Habitat includes field, forest, and pond, native plants, and outdoor art.

Note: Anyone who has **low mobility** is welcome to join us, even if the 25-birder limit has been reached. The birding will be MOSTLY on paved trails **but, due to construction, from March to June we have to walk on the lawn or a gravel trail to get back to the parking lot**. Length is about 1.5 miles, in two hours. Limit is technically 25 birders, but it is a public park.
(**For low-mobility birders:** Turn LEFT as you enter the NCMA via Reedy Creek road, then park all the way down the hill in the employee parking. ***Use your handicap placard to park.*** Then it is a short slope to the pond. **We will met you at the pond between 8:30 and 9:00. Please text/call me at 919-673-6136 if you are meeting us at the pond instead of at the Park Visitor Center.) From March to June, we will NOT be able to stay completely on paved trails, due to construction, so please meet us at the pond.**

More information on the North Carolina Museum of Art website: [https://park.ncartmuseum.org/](https://park.ncartmuseum.org/)

Map of the 164-acre Museum Park:
[https://park.ncartmuseum.org/assets/pdf/Park-Map-Web.pdf](https://park.ncartmuseum.org/assets/pdf/Park-Map-Web.pdf)

**Turn RIGHT when you enter via Reedy Creek Road entrance for the NC Museum of Art.** Meet in upper parking lot close to the big smokestack and Welcome Center (northern end of the main lot). **Look for people with binoculars.** Restrooms at Welcome Center are open and handicap accessible.

Admission to the Art Museum is free; opens at 10. *Backpacks, binoculars, and long-lens cameras are not allowed in the museum, but they have free lockers to stow these items.*

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Ebird Hotspot: [https://ebird.org/hotspot/L21844918](https://ebird.org/hotspot/L21844918)
See you there!

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
BIRD OUTING: **Birding With Frank at Turnipseed Nature Preserve**
Bird Outing on **SATURDAY APRIL 11, 2026, 8:30 am TO 10:00 am**
Location: **Turnipseed Nature Preserve** has TWO entrances. We meet at **1525 Pleasants Road, Wendell.**
Leader is Frank Doherty ( [email protected] )
This birdwalk repeats on the second Saturday of most months. Check Meetup and wakeaudubon.org calendars for updates; We temporarily moved from Wendell Park because it is a vital and very busy park for sports.
Turnipseed is a newer acquisition in the Raleigh preserve system, with no sports other than nature study.

Park in the lot on Pleasants Road and look for people with binoculars. If you find yourself at the wrong entrance, then you can try walking the single gravel trail and maybe catch up.

Turnipseed ebird hotspot: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L5052420

Thanks, Frank, for volunteering to be the trip leader!

Thank you for your interest in birding with others. Our Meetup is FREE to you and supported by Wake Audubon. We hope you will support us by joining Wake Audubon Society ($20 per year) and by donations and by volunteering. See http://wakeaudubon.org/support/ for more information.

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
**Birding with Vernon**
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 8:30–10 a.m.
Lake Crabtree County Park, 1400 Aviation Parkway, Cary, NC

Join our bird enthusiast, Vernon, for an easy walk while looking and listening for our feathered friends. Discover different types of birds and their habitats. Bring your own binoculars and field guides if you have them. Beginners and experienced birdwatchers are welcome!

This program involves navigating on both paved and natural surface trails. Participants should be comfortable moving at a slow pace for up to 1 mile and may birdwatch either by ear or sight using binoculars. If needed, please complete the ADA Modification Request Form during the registration process so we can best support your participation.

Minors must attend with a registered adult, and **all participants must pre-register off Meetup.** Open to ages 8 and up. Register Online at [Activity detail | Wake Parks Online](https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/wakeparks/activity/search/detail/8535?onlineSiteId=0&locale=en-US&from_original_cui=true)

Dave Southwick will be leading this month's outing.

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
**Volunteer: Creek Trash Trap**
In coordination with Sound Rivers, Wake Audubon has adopted the **Little Rock Creek Trash Trap at Walnut Creek** for

the month of April. We would love your help with our cleanout event on April 11th from 10:30 to 12:30 at the Walnut Creek Wetland Center,
950 Peterson St, Raleigh, NC 27610

Please go to the
following Activate Good link for details and to register
**[SIGN UP LINK](https://volunteer.activategood.org/opportunities/G3NiXYSFgv)**

Cleaning out a **trash trap** (a barrier that catches litter n a stream) gives groups the chance to monitor the amount of trash collected by a trash trap, organize clean-outs and participate in keeping local waterways clean.
Your involvement will positively impact the environment by reducing pollution within our waterways, protecting wildlife from harmful trash ingestion and increasing water quality for both humans and wildlife.

Participants will work together to remove trash within the trash trap and along the streambank. All trash will be weighed and the data reported back to Sound Rivers. Trash grabbers, collection supplies, waders, and snacks will be provided.

Waterproof Boots or old sneakers recommended.

Updated 03/24/2026

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
Wake Audubon Monthly Meeting: **Building Big Habitat in Small Spaces**
(Meeting is In Person and Zoom)

Time: **Tuesday, April 14, 2026**, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
**Nature Research Cente**r, 121 W. Jones St., Raleigh, **4th floor conference room**
Location: In-person + Zoom
Place: In-person + Virtual

* Location: NC Museum of Natural Sciences: Nature Research Center, 121 W Jones St, Raleigh, NC - 4th floor meeting room

Park (for free after 6:30 pm) and walk to the main museum entrance on Jones Street, **just to the right of the giant globe.** Since the NCSM is closed at night, someone will be at the door ONLY from 7 to 7:45 to let you in, so be on time. Take the elevator to the fourth floor meeting room. The east-facing entrance to the "old wing" of the museum will not be used. If you feel unwell, please stay home and enjoy our presentation over Zoom.
https://www.zoom.us/join
[zoom](https://www.zoom.us/join)

* Meeting code: **831 3786 5298**
* Password: **4Birds**
*

**Topic:** The environment we share is a system, a kind of ecological machine made up of interdependent parts. Remove even the smallest gear, and the system’s function may be compromised, its resiliency reduced. Urban infill, suburban residential, and small-scale commercial landscapes make up the everyday environments most of us inhabit. Though smaller than parks or campuses, these landscapes remain vital components of the system, shaping it (and us) for better or worse. For practitioners and home gardeners working on projects of an acre or less, this scale offers a distinct advantage: the ability to observe, experiment and refine the system through responsive management, boosting one person's ability to efficiently create resources that serve specific animals, insects, or microbial species that may otherwise remain unsupported by the landscapes around them. Join landscape architect Preston Montague for a conversation about small projects with big ecosystem service potential. He’ll share habitat-focused residential projects built on modest budgets—the methods, successes and challenges—and the strategies that ultimately enabled him to scale up his habitat-building work from residential to municipal scale.

Speaker: Preston Montague is a landscape architect and artist working to strengthen relationships between people and the natural world. His environmental design studio deploys art, horticulture and landscape architecture in the service of building places that have meaning and ecological depth. When not in the studio, Preston enjoys teaching landscape architecture at North Carolina A&T State University and hiking the wilder places. www.prestonmontague.com

Location: In-person + Zoom
Place: In-person + Virtual

* Location: NC Museum of Natural Sciences: Nature Research Center, 121 W Jones St, Raleigh, NC - 4th floor meeting room

Park (for free after 6:30 pm) and walk to the main museum entrance on Jones Street, **just to the right of the giant globe.** Since the NCSM is closed at night, someone will be at the door ONLY from 7 to 7:45 to let you in, so be on time. Take the elevator to the fourth floor meeting room. The east-facing entrance to the "old wing" of the museum will not be used. If you feel unwell, please stay home and enjoy our presentation over Zoom.
https://www.zoom.us/join
[zoom](https://www.zoom.us/join)

* Meeting code: **831 3786 5298**
* Password: **4Birds**
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We hope you will help us by joining Wake Audubon and National Audubon!
[http://wakeaudubon.org/get-involved/join/](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://wakeaudubon.org/get-involved/join/&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw2K5XE7unl2s2pNjfjs_WtO)

\*Last updated 2026-03-02 by Beegle
WATCH for updates

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
**Mindful birding at Lake Lynn Park 2026\.04\.18 \| a Birding for Wellbeing event**
**Saturday, April 18, 2026, 8:30 – 11:00 a.m.**

* Enjoy food and fellowship 8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
* Birding 9 – 11:00 a.m.
* All skill levels encouraged to come; borrow binoculars from us or bring your own.

Sponsors: **Wake Audubon**, the **National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Wake County**.

Our **Birding for Wellbeing** outings center on mindful practices, with a slow pace to observe birds, relax in nature, and enjoy social connection in service to our physical and mental health. With April being **Stress Awareness Month**, it’s a perfect time to do so.

**Your hosts**

* Our guide will be NAMI Wake County Executive Director **[Mark Simon](https://nami-wake.org/about-nami-wake-county/our-staff/)**. An avid birder, Mark is grateful for how birding has served his own mental health and passionate about sharing this source of well-being with others.
* Wake Audubon board director and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging event lead **Rick LaRose** (he/him) serves to bring accessible and welcoming ways for everyone to enjoy birds and take part in nature, wherever they are in their life journeys.
* Licensed therapist and yoga teacher **Alexis Schulman**, LCMHC, began birding as a way to deepen her own mindfulness in nature and support her personal wellbeing. Through her work in mental health and mindfulness-based practices, Alexis has become interested in how slowing down our attention outdoors can support both observation and a calm mind. She developed the mindful birding framework for this series in collaboration with Wake Audubon and NAMI Wake County and will help guide these practices during the outings.

**Today's practice: Listen before Looking**

* In a world full of distractions, our attention is often pulled in many directions at once. This outing invites participants to let sound lead attention, using birdsong and environmental sounds as a way to slow down and notice more.
* Prompted by Alexis, we’ll pause briefly at points to listen - without searching visually - and explore how foreground and background sounds shift when we stop moving. Many people find that tuning into patterned sound naturally changes how they observe the landscape.
* As always, participants are welcome to engage in whatever way feels right - listening, looking, identifying, or simply enjoying time in nature.

**Driving directions and logistics**

* **Meet in the ample parking lot at Lake Lynn Park community center**, 7921 Ray Road. Raleigh, NC 27613. The lot is tiered; park on either level.
* **Follow the Wake Audubon \| NAMI Wake County signs to our gathering place at the picnic tables at the far end of the lot**, closest to the community center.
* Look for your co-hosts Rick, Mark, and Alexis. We’ll have lanyards or nametags on.

**What to expect / bring**

* We’ll start by snacking on pastries (some gluten free) and coffee (bring your morning beverage of choice otherwise) as we all greet and enjoy community with each other. 8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m.
* During this time, we’ll assist anyone to borrow binoculars. **Please arrive at 8:30** **to be provided a pair and receive personalized help to focus them for your eyesight**. There’s no requirement to use binoculars, yet, we’ll have plenty to borrow if you choose to do so and provide a safe space to learn.
* **Bring your own (refillable) water bottle** if you intend to drink and/or carry water with you on the outing.
* The community center opens at 9 a.m. for anyone needing to use restrooms (gendered) or refill a water bottle.
* We’ll commence the outing right away afterwards.
* We’ll traverse some slight inclines and declines along a paved trail before reaching the flat of the over-water boardwalk (wooden slats) and paved trail that we’ll bird along after.
* Most paved trail is through shady woodland, and most boardwalk in the sun, so come prepared for both.
* For those unfamiliar with birding Lake Lynn Park, a section of willows along the boardwalk often provides great promise for migrating warblers this time of year.

**What bird species frequent the Park and trail?**
Check out Lake Lynn Park sightings on eBird ahead of us adding a checklist of our own.
[Lake Lynn, Wake, North Carolina, United States - eBird Hotspot](https://ebird.org/hotspot/L616540)

**Questions ahead?**

* Email event manager Rick LaRose at [[email protected].](http://[email protected]./)
* Text Rick on the day of the event with any questions at 919 609-7570.

We're looking forward to sharing community and birding together with you on Saturday, April 18!

[Wake Audubon](https://wakeaudubon.org/) advocates birds, wildlife, nature, and environmental conservation with a commitment to providing activities where all can safely access and celebrate nature as their authentic selves.
[NAMI Wake County](https://nami-wake.org/) is the local affiliate for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. We provide advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that people affected by mental illness can build better lives.
**Why partner together?**
As more and more stressors impact our everyday lives, the toll on our mental health can be debilitating.
[As remedy, birding, bird song, and time in nature are proven to ease stress, boost mood, promote community, and strengthen well-being.](https://wakeaudubon.org/its-stress-awareness-month-let-birds-be-your-remedy/) We’re a natural fit.

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
**LGBTQ+ and allies: Let’s Go Birding Together at Anderson Point Park!**
**Sunday, April 19, 2026, 8:30\* a.m. - 10:30 a.m. (\*Arrive 8:15 if borrowing binoculars.)**
RSVP to this event here on Meetup. Or off-Meetup [via this form](https://forms.gle/sFUFeWHXbiiX84rY8) if you prefer to keep your RSVP private.
Sponsors: Wake Audubon and the LGBT Center of Raleigh.

Let’s enjoy spring - and spring migrating birds - with another affirming and inclusive bird outing. We welcome the LGBTQ+ community, allies, families, and anyone who wants to enjoy an outdoor experience that is inclusive. Why? Because the outdoors has not always been a welcoming place for persons who identify as LGBTQ+ and Wake Audubon and the LGBT Center of Raleigh seek to help change that.

The pace of this outing will be geared towards building our beginner birding skills.

We’ll take a leisurely stroll along the easy-to-traverse paved and grassy trails (plus one short dirt trail to see where Crabtree Creek meets the Neuse River) with plenty of space and time to stop, see and listen for the various birds to be found among the forests, fields and river habitats. Path is 1 mile or so depending on our pace.

Borrow binoculars from us or bring your own. **If borrowing binoculars, please arrive at 8:15 a.m.** to be provided a pair and receive personalized help to focus them for your eyesight.

**Driving directions**: GPS to 20 Anderson Point Drive, Raleigh. Go past the large lot opposite Gilman Lane. Drive over a small bridge that crosses over I-87 and park in the first (only) lot on the left. Gather under the large trees overlooking the main meadow, near the traffic circle. **Look for others with binoculars**. Gendered restrooms are available onsite close to parking at nearby picnic shelters.

What bird species frequent the Park? Check out [Anderson Point Park ](https://ebird.org/hotspot/L599964)bird sightings ahead of us adding a checklist of our own on ebird.org.

Leader is Lynn Erla Beegle, 919-673-6136, with co-leaders along to help with optics and bird sightings.

Questions ahead? Reach your organizer and host - Wake Audubon board member and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging co-chair Rick LaRose at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

We’re looking forward to birding together with you on April 19!

**[Wake Audubon](https://wakeaudubon.org/)** advocates wildlife, nature and environmental conservation with a commitment to providing activities where all can safely access and celebrate nature as their authentic selves. **[The LGBT Center of Raleigh](https://www.lgbtcenterofraleigh.com/)** envisions an inclusive world where LGBTQ+ people are thriving, equal, and valued members of society.

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
Volunteers Needed for Invasive Plant Removal
at Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park (CHJEEP)
on **Thursday, APRIL 23, 2026, 9 - 11 am**
Location is 301 Wagstaff Rd., Fuquay-Varina 27526
Leader: Jim Hunsberger, [email protected]
Please join Wake Audubon volunteers and help with invasive plant removal at CHJEEP. This helps the birds and other wildlife.
We will meet in the parking lot of CHJEEP. We plan on holding six of these sessions in 2026.

**NOTE: Must be 18 years old or older, close-toed shoes required. Bring hand tools and buckets (or borrow from town supplied tools), water, bug spray, sunscreen, gloves, safety glasses, wear a hat, long pants, and long-sleeved shirt.**

Town staff will be on hand with a debris trailer. They will use targeted herbicide treatments as necessary **after** we remove the plants (thus, we don't have to struggle to dig out the roots).

Thanks for helping to improve the flora of this lovely park! *"The focus of this 28-acre park is environmental education. Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park was originally a 20-acre tract of land donated to the Town of Fuquay-Varina in 1992 by the late Mayor Alfred Johnson and his wife Carroll Howard Johnson. Eight acres were donated by Horace Tart in 1998, enlarging the park to its current 28 acres.*

Wake Audubon Birding and Environmental Meetup
**Birding at Hilltop-Needmore Park (North)**
**Saturday, APRIL 25, 2026**
Time: 8:30 to 10:30 am
**4621 Shady Greens Drive, Fuquay-Varina**, NC 27526
Leaders: Kyra Bartow (leaders also include Larry Zoller and David Southwick)
Free Bird Outing with Wake Audubon! Join us for a Wake Audubon bird outing at Hilltop-Needmore Park on the **fourth Saturday of most months** (check here for updates).
The walk is limited to 20 participants; the RSVP on Meetup opens **April 1 at 7 am.**

We will meet at the **lower end** of the old Club House parking lot. Look for a "Bird Walk Here" sign. We will start promptly at 8:30 am regardless of the weather and should finish by 10:30 am.
Dress for the weather and be prepared to walk paved trails and occasionally on wet grassy fairways. There is some elevation change but we will not be moving quickly as we stop frequently for birds. No birding experience is necessary. Bring your binoculars and a bird guide if you have one. The walk is not recommended for children under 6. Please leave your pets at home.
Ebird hotspot site: [https://ebird.org/hotspot/L16295752](https://ebird.org/hotspot/L16295752)

Let's Go Birding!
The Leader will make and share an ebird list and share it with your ebird account. Individual lists are discouraged because they duplicate the data, but you can edit your list once it's shared to you.