Stellar Star Show at Rock Creek
2025-12-12 14:00 - 14:30, 2025-12-20 14:00 - 14:30, 2025-12-26 14:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Rd NW, Washington, 20015, United States
(DC) (Rock Creek Park) Come and enjoy a ranger-led program in the only planetarium in the National Park Service! The Stellar Star Show will be a 30-minute ranger-led program about the planets and the night sky.

Flying Squirrel Lore
2025-12-12 17:00 - 18:00, 2026-01-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Long Branch Nature Center & Park, 625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington, VA, 22204, United States
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Flying squirrels are found throughout the wooded neighborhoods of Arlington, but are seldom seen. Join us after dark to learn about these nocturnal creatures. Dress for the weather, we will venture out into the cold night to look for wild flying squirrels. Families.

Documenting Biodiversity
2025-12-13 10:00 - 12:30 | Martin Luther King Jr. Library, G Street Northwest 901, Washington, DC, 20001, United States
(DC) (DC Bird Alliance) Join us to find out how you can capture, edit, manage, and submit wildlife photos in a manner that will be useful for science! Wildlife is everywhere in DC—and no one sees it more closely than our partners at City Wildlife, whose teams care for thousands of injured and orphaned animals each year. Local photographers also play a key role by documenting wildlife and sharing images on community science platforms like iNaturalist and eBird.
In this in-depth, free workshop led by Dr. Brian Wee, Science Lead for the DC Bird Alliance and City Wildlife, you will learn about field photography techniques for birds and small invertebrates, organizing photos, geotagging, best submission practices, and other tips. The workshop will also consider ethical considerations of observation.

Sunday Morning Bird Walk at Dyke Marsh
2025-12-14 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-12-28 08:00 - 10:00, 2026-01-04 08:00 - 10:00 | Dyke Marsh, Alexandria, VA, 22307, United States
(VA) (Friends of Dyke Marsh) Join FODM for a bird walk every Sunday at 8 a.m. The Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve is a freshwater, tidal marsh on the Virginia side of the Potomac River in Fairfax County. It is a unit of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, U.S. National Park Service.

Monday Morning Birdwalk at Huntley Meadows
2025-12-15 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-12-22 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-12-29 08:00 - 10:00, 2026-01-05 08:00 - 10:00 | Huntley Meadows, 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA, 22306, United States
(VA) (Friends of Huntley Meadows) The Monday Morning Bird Walk is sponsored by the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park and takes place every Monday at 8 a.m. Following the walk, members of the group gather at the nearby Denny’s for breakfast and to compile the morning’s bird list. All are welcome.

Birding at Blue Mash (Waitlist)
2025-12-16 08:00 - 10:00 | Blue Mash Nature Trail, 20600 Zion Rd,, Laytonsville, MD, 20882, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Bird Club) Join members of the Montgomery Bird Club at one of the county’s top birding hotspots! We’ll be looking for raptors and overwintering sparrows and waterfowl. The path can be muddy and overgrown, so waterproof boots are recommended. The walk will be led by a knowledgable birder who knows local birds and their habitats. Contact the organizer to get on the waitlist.
The club organizes several walks each month throughout the seasons.

Bird Walk at Kenilworth
2025-12-16 08:30 - 10:00 | Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave, NE, Washington DC, 20019, United States
(DC) (National Park Service) We invite you to join National Park Service volunteer and expert birder Molly Hermann for an engaging bird walk at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. This event is open to all, including those new to birding. We encourage participants to bring water, sunscreen, and binoculars if available. A limited number of binoculars are available for loan with a photo ID. The walk will be conducted at a leisurely pace, covering approximately one mile.

Guided Walk at Meadowlark
2025-12-16 10:15 - 11:15 | Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens, Vienna, VA, 22182, United States
(VA) (NOVA Parks) Enjoy free garden admission and a guided walk around Meadowlark’s 95 acres on Tuesdays. Each one-hour walk will be over uneven, hilly terrain, have a positive focus, and include a silent, meditative portion and a few interesting facts from our docent along the way. Ages 18 and up.

Winter's Colors: A Reflective Writing Workshop (Virtual)
2025-12-17 10:00 - 11:30
(DC) (Smithsonian Associates) Discover the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Experience new ways to contemplate the gifts of winter inspired by the vibrant Winter Landscape by Wassily Kandinsky, an artist who embraced the transcendent power of color. Designed for writers of all levels, and for the curious, the workshop invites participants to look outwardly at art and to look inwardly through writing.

Late Fall Birding at Kenilworth
2025-12-18 08:30 - 11:00 | Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave, NE, Washington DC, 20019, United States
(DC) (Nature Forward) Our fall birding series visit natural areas under an hour’s drive from DC where a variety of habitats – including field, forest, and wetland – provide good opportunities for the observation and ID of birds in autumn. On the earliest walks, we’ll hope to catch some southbound migrants – including those “confusing fall warblers.” As the season progresses, we’ll watch for sparrows, raptors, waterfowl, and other birds, both resident and overwintering in the region. These teaching walks are aimed at beginning to mid-level birders, but all are welcome.

Solstice Celebration Hike
2025-12-19 12:00 - 16:30 | Widewater State Park, 101 Widewater State Park Road, Stafford, MD, 22554, United States
(VA) (Nature Forward) The first day of winter is arriving. Whether you call this astronomical event the shortest day – or the longest night – of the year, it’s a good occasion to pause the bustle of daily life and join fellow nature lovers on a hike in a beautiful place! Our outing starts at the Widewater area along the C&O Canal Towpath and will move upriver to Great Falls. Here we’ll traverse the bridges out to the Great Falls Overlook – and after enjoying the drama and din of the Falls, we’ll retrace our steps back to Widewater. As daylight fades on our return walk downriver, we’ll look and listen for wildlife activity – primarily birds – as they settle in for the longest night of the year.

Nocturnal Animal Hike
2025-12-19 18:30 - 19:30 | Long Branch Nature Center & Park, 625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington, VA, 22204, United States
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Learn about the animals active at night (nocturnal) and try to find some! There will be a short introductory presentation in the nature center followed by a hike outside around the park. We will stay on the walking paths; dress for the weather. Families.

Christmas Bird Count at Battery Kemble
2025-12-21 08:00 - 10:00 | Battery Kemble Park, 21 Maryland Ave, Rockville, MD, 20850, United States
(DC) (DC Bird Alliance) Join us as we participate in the longest-running citizen science program in the world—the Christmas Bird Count! We will be counting birds at Battery Kemble Park and hope to see lots of woodland species, including woodpeckers, kinglets, and sparrows.
We are limiting the number of participants for this citizen science effort; you must register to attend.

Mindful Bird Walk & Forest Bathing & S'Mores
2025-12-21 09:00 - 11:00
(DC) (DC Bird Alliance) Join us for this very special bird walk at Rock Creek Park as we discover, or rediscover, what is means for us to be a birder. What connects in your mind, body and soul when you hear a tiny soprano in perfect pitch singing to you? Together Susan West Montgomery, we will enjoy a practice inviting us to slow down, to be curious, and to experience nature more fully. Forest bathing means using all of our senses to take in all that nature has to offer. More than a walk in the woods, it is the conscious choice to be immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the forest.
And … we’ll top it all off afterwards with a campfire and s’mores!

Winter Solstice Field Trip at Serpentine Barrens
2025-12-21 11:00 - 15:00
(MD) (Virginia Native Plant Society) Celebrate the beginning of the winter season at the old-age Travilah Serpentine Barrens (Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park-North Unit) with its spectacular scenery and diversity of native plants, wildlife, and natural communities!
Sponsored by the Maryland Native Plant Society, Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, and Botanical Society of Washington.

Winter - The Silent Season
2025-12-21 12:30 - 14:00 | Riverbend Park, 8700 Potomac Hills St, Great Falls, VA, 22066, United States
(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) To many people, the winter season is often seen as cold and dark and foreboding. But to the earth, this is a vital time of rest, beauty and restoration. Join us for a short lecture about the joys of winter from the perspective of nature and venture out on a hike in the woods to see what the plants and animals are up to during this silent season. Conclude the event with a warm drink and meet one of our resident animals. Ages 8 to Adult.

Winter Solstice Evening Walk
2025-12-21 16:00 - 17:30 | Huntley Meadows, 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA, 22306, United States
(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) Celebrate the first day of winter and shortest day of the year with a Park Naturalist for an outing into the forest and wetland at sunset on this December evening. We will look and listen for signs of nocturnal wildlife. Ages 5+.

Bird Walk at Roosevelt Island
2025-12-28 08:00 - 10:00 | Theodore Roosevelt Island, Washington DC, United States
(DC) (DC Bird Alliance) Join us for a bird walk of Roosevelt Island! On Dec 12, 1932 in a ceremony in the east room of the White House, President Hoover accepted the island as a shrine to Roosevelt and declared that would be known as Theodore Roosevelt Island. Today, this hotspot is home to an impressive number of resident and migrating species.

See you outside!

Creating Sacred Spaces in Nature
2025-12-28 13:00 - 16:00 | Earthwalk Ways, 913 Holly Corner Rd, Fredericksburg, VA, 22406, United States
(VA) (Earthwalk Ways) Join earth guide Darlene Rollins for: Creating Sacred Spaces Where Soul and Nature Meet at Earthwork Ways nature retreat center.

Bird Walk at Hains Point
2026-01-03 08:00 - 10:00 | Hains Point, Ohio Dr SW, Washington, DC, 20024, United States
(DC) (DC Bird Alliance) Let’s explore the world of birds at Hains Point – bring your binoculars and curiosity for a morning adventure! This is one of DC’s most peaceful birding gems — wide open views, sweeping water, and the chance to spot winter visitors who only grace our area this time of year.

As we stroll along the shoreline, we’ll look and listen for visitors such as Buffleheads, Mergansers and even the now regular Winter visitor, a Yellow-throated Warbler!

The Joy of Observing Insects (Virtual)
2026-01-08 12:00 - 13:00
(DC) (Smithsonian Associates) Insects are the most abundant animals on the planet—representing about 80% of all animal species on Earth. They are also the least observed. Naturalist Eric R. Eaton is on a mission to inspire you to watch more bugs and share what people can do to keep these critters thriving. He will highlight the basic tools for watching insects with all five senses, suggests best habitats and circumstances for seeing the most diversity, and shares tips for attracting desirable insects to your yard and garden.
Eaton’s new field guide, Bugwatching: The Art, Joy, and Importance of Observing Insects, is available for purchase.

Lunchtime Meditation and Mindfulness (Virtual)
2026-01-09 12:00 - 12:30
(DC) (Smithsonian Asian Art Museum) Join our free online guided meditation on Tuesdays and Fridays. In these 30-minute sessions, DC-based meditation teachers lead a variety of mindfulness practices. Friday sessions take inspiration from art in our museum’s collections. Many of the art pieces are inspired by nature. All are welcome! No previous experience is required.
