Alliance Afternoon: Searching for Lost Birds with John Mittermeier

Join us on Sunday, January 25th at 2:30pm for our first Alliance Afternoon of 2026! At this quarterly chapter meeting, guests will gather in the cafeteria of the National Wildlife Federation Building to mingle with other bird-lovers while enjoying snacks and drinks. Attendees are also welcome to bring additional food or beverages to share.

NVBA staff and the Board of Directors will kick off the meeting by conducting chapter business, followed by celebrations of the 2025 Christmas Bird Count and the 2026 Photo Contest Calendar. The agenda will then move into a discussion of upcoming advocacy opportunities and other chapter updates. Our featured presentation will be given by guest speaker John Mittermeier of the American Bird Conservancy, who will speak on the Search for Lost Birds. The presentation will conclude with time for audience questions before we wrap up this quarter’s meeting around 4:30 p.m. Following the meeting, guests are welcome to stay for NVBA’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair, where NVBA staff and committee chairs will highlight upcoming volunteer opportunities for participants to explore and consider joining.

Our quarterly chapter meetings are open to both NVBA members and the general public. Anyone interested in the birds of Northern Virginia is welcome! This event is free, and registration is not required; however, those who RSVP will receive reminder messages.

Around the world, just over 100 species of birds are currently considered “lost” meaning that they are not considered extinct but that no one has been able to document them in the past decade or more. What are these lost birds and why can’t anyone find them? Do they matter for conservation? Join John C. Mittermeier, the Director of the Search for Lost Birds at American Bird Conservancy, to answer these questions and hear stories about the efforts to rediscover some of these mysterious species.

John C. Mittermeier, PhD, is the Director of the Search for Lost Birds at American Bird Conservancy where he helps support projects to look for lost bird species around the globe. Prior to joining American Bird Conservancy in 2020, he received a PhD in biodiversity conservation from the University of Oxford and has conducted ornithological research and fieldwork in Suriname, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, and the Solomon Islands, among other places.

Questions can be sent to NVBA's Community Engagement Coordinator, McKenzie, at [email protected].

Info: We'll discuss the 2025 Christmas Bird Count, celebrate our calendar contest participants, present upcoming advocacy opportunities, and more!

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