The Northern Neck Audubon is pleased to announce a free public meeting with a presentation by Dr. Shawn Dash of Hampton University. This evening meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 4th beginning at 6:00 pm at the Lancaster Community Library, 16 Town Centre Drive in Kilmarnock.

The title of Dr. Dash’s presentation is “Love is in the Air – Avian Reproductive Behavior”. The talk will cover some of the fundamental principles of bird reproductive behavior: sexual selection- why birds are colorful, mating displays, bird songs, nesting, and baby birds. Dr. Dash is an entertaining and ecologically enlightening speaker who brings a dynamic passion for understanding the natural world to his audience. Initially he thought he would become an ornithologist, but became fascinated with insects, ant biodiversity and forest fragmentation which led to his Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Texas, El Paso. Presently, he is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Hampton University in Hampton, VA. His wide and amusing knowledge in all natural things is refreshing and illuminating.

In addition to Dr. Dash’s presentation, we will have a brief presentation introducing our fourth annual Northumberland–Lancaster Christmas Bird Count to be held on Tuesday, December 17th – rain or shine, sleet or heat. Amateur and hardcore birders who have not participated in this local count are encouraged to join in this fun outing while contributing to the longest continually running citizen science project in North America (119 years). All details will be presented at this meeting.

The Northern Neck Chapter of the National Audubon Society (NNAS) holds monthly meetings in Kilmarnock, VA on the first Monday of October thru December and February thru June. The meetings feature speakers who are experts on some aspect of birds or other related natural history topic. All programs are free and open to the public.