The High Country Audubon Chapter is a local chapter of The National Audubon Society that includes five northwestern North Carolina Counties (Avery, Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga, and Wilkes Counties). We offer monthly chapter meetings and field trips, as well as at least one big annual trip. This chapter is designed to encourage beginning birders and experts alike to engage in conservation, education, and research, for the birds and bird habitat of Western North Carolina. If you are interested in learning more about this organization please contact us at highcountryaudubon-owner@yahoogroups.com.

For more information on birding and bird sighting updates in the High Country, check out http://raysweather.com/Life+Outdoors/Birding, call the Watauga Birding Hotline at 828-265-0198, or of course, by joining this listserve. Also, make sure to check out our website for the latest field trip and meeting information, as well as local bird checklists and local birding hot spots at www.highcountryaudubon.org.

This photo of a High Country Audubon chapter member helping pull garlic mustard, an exotic invasive plant, at Valle Crucis Community Park. Thanks to volunteer efforts such as these we have mostly eradicated this plant from the park. Thanks everyone who has been helping us fight against non-native invasive plants in the High Country, for the benefit of the birds. It's all about the birds!

Submit photos by adding your pictures to the photo albums on our yahoo groups page, or e-mail them to highcountrybirder@yahoo.com