*Rod Simmons, natural resource specialist and plant ecologist for the city of Alexandria, talks about “Heath Diversity in the Mid-Atlantic Region” during a meeting of the John Clayton Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society, at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16 at the York County Public Library- Yorktown Branch, Route 17/Battle Road. Ericaceous, or the Heath family, includes acid-loving plants such as blueberries, azaleas, mountain laurel and leucothoe. Free, open to public. For more information, go to http://www.claytonvnps.org. Click on Field Trips and Events.
Hampton Roads Bird Club at http://www.hamptonroadsbirdclub.org. The group meets 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday monthly from September-May at Sandy Bottom Nature Park, Big Bethel Road, Hampton. Free, guided bird walks 7 a.m. first and third Sunday monthly, meet at ranger station at Newport News Park; Jane Frigo at 873-0721.
Williamsburg Bird Club at http://www.williamsburgbirdclub.org. The group meets 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday monthly September-May at Andrews Hall Room 101, College of William and Mary. Jan. 15 topic is local birding destinations by Barbara Houston, a founder of Colonial Nature Photographer Club. Free, guided bird walks 8 a.m. second Saturday and 7 a.m. fourth Saturday monthly at New Quarter Park, upper York County. Jan. 18, club sponsors birding boat trip to Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel islands to potentially see bay wildlife, including harbor seals. $30 for reservation to Geoff Giles, P.O. Box 133, Lightfoot, VA. 23090. Call Giles at 645-8716 or email tylerandal2@aol.com.
*Today’s meeting of the Hampton Roads Horticultural Society includes a presentation on “The Joys of Bluebird Monitoring,” according to a news release from the society. Presented by master naturalists Lois Ullman and Jan Lockwood of the Historic River Chapter, the program will describe the monitoring process and results. A video showing nesting activity will also be shown. The program is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9, at the Women’s Club of Newport News, 461 J. Clyde Morris Blvd. The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, call 868-0496.
Compiled by Felicia L. Mason.
