Tag: Athol Bird & Nature Club

  • Wednesday, April 10, 7:00 pm Eastern – Fine-Tuned for Performance: How Migratory Bird Bodies Enable Incredible Feats of Endurance, Live and Online

    Dr. Cory Elowe will describe some of the research that shows the incredible ways that migratory birds seasonally change their bodies to allow them to make the perilous trip from their wintering grounds to their breeding grounds and back. He will also talk about how the environment plays a role in shaping how successful they’ll be and why conservation efforts and physiology research go hand-in-hand. This program on April 10 at 7 pm Eastern is sponsored by the Athol Bird & Nature Club. Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_snWtv2xXTZObEdmAANuJgg After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

    Dr. Elowe is a postdoctoral research associate in the Biology Department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, having earned his Ph.D. 2016-2022.  As an undergraduate he attended Bowdoin College in Maine, and then earned his M.S. at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

    Growing up in central Maine, Cory spent a lot of time outdoors, exploring the woods around the house and trying (in vain) to get the winter birds to eat out of his hands. His father was a state wildlife biologist, so for Cory it seemed completely normal to have close encounters with wild animals regularly. An interest in biology was a part of his childhood. Cory is active in local bird clubs, an avid birder, and a regular contributor to eBird. Although he loves birds, the river otter will always be his favorite animal.

  • Wednesday, February 14, 7:00 pm Eastern – Beyond Birding: The Fun and Importance of Bugwatching

    The Athol Bird & Nature Club is excited to host Eric R. Eaton on Zoom, February 14 at 7 pm Eastern. If birds are everywhere, insects are even more “everywhere.” In this age of insect decline, it is more urgent than ever to make observations of insects, share them with scientists, and act to reduce the impacts causing a reduction in biodiversity. Doing so can be challenging, but highly educational, entertaining, and even social. Come along for a fascinating primer on what it means to be a “bugwatcher.

    Eric R. Eaton is a writer, author of Insectpedia: A Brief Compendium of Insect Lore, and Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect. He is also lead author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, and co-author of Insects Did It First, with Gregory S. Paulson. Eric has also published articles in Natural History, Ranger Rick, Birds & Blooms, Missouri Conservationist, and other popular magazines. He has worked as an entomologist on contract with the Smithsonian, West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, University of Massachusetts (Amherst), and University of Colorado (Boulder). He runs the blogs Bug Eric and Sense of Misplaced. He currently lives in Leavenworth, Kansas, with his partner, Heidi.

    Register in advance for this webinar:

    https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0p36b5CCSZ65nI6TAzz7Tg After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

  • Sunday, January 28, 1:30 pm – Black Bears with Jim Morelly

    The Athol Bird & Nature Club is excited to have Jim Morelly return to the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol, Massachusetts on January 28 for a presentation on Black Bears. Jim presented his “5,000 Miles Hiked with Jim Morelly” at our regular Monthly meeting last October and returns to MREC to show us in vivid pictures and wonderful anecdotes his experience observing and photographing Black Bears in the Quabbin Region. The Center opens at 1:00 PM and the presentation will begin at 1:30. Questions please contact Dave@atholbirdclub.org

  • Athol Bird & Nature Club 2024 Calendar

    The 2024 version of the Athol Bird & Nature Calendar is now available to order online or you may purchase one in person at a number of retail establishments listed here:

    Athol – Flowerland @ Tintagels Gate, Else Where, Cornerstone Insurance,  MacMannis Florist, the North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce and Déjà Vu.

    Orange – Trail Head, Quabbin Harvest, and Mount Tully Kennels

    New Salem – The New Salem General Store

    Phillipston – The Red Apple Farm

    Petersham – The Petersham Craft Center, Petersham Country Store

    Gilbertville – The Hardwick Farmers Co-op

    Templeton – The Kitchen Garden

    Wendell – The Wendell Country Store

    Turners Falls – Connecticut River Liquors

    Greenfield – Ruggeri’s Beverage & Redemption Center 

  • Wednesday, October 11, 7:00 pm – Quabbin: 5,000 Miles Hiked

    Join the Athol Bird & Nature Club at 7 pm on October 11 at the Millers River Environmental Center to hear Jim Morelly speak of his extraordinary adventures. What started out as casual hiking in Quabbin turned into a passion. Hiking thousands of miles in the Quabbin Reservoir Reservation, carrying a camera, has presented unique wildlife experiences. Nature can be wonderful, and it can also be hard. Join Jim as he shares some of his most memorable stories. He has had a passion for nature since childhood. Now retired, he spends many days afield hiking, photographing, tracking, and setting camera traps. For more information visit http://www.atholbirdclub.org

  • Thursday, September 21, 7:00 pm – Living with Nature

    Join the Athol Bird & Nature Club and the North Quabbin Garden Club on Thursday, September 21 at 7 pm at the Millers River Environmental Center in Athol to hear Dave Small as he explores the transformation of his yard from a boring suburban lot dominated by lawn to a rich habitat for our native wildlife. Removing invasive species, planting native plants, and providing water, food, and cover for a variety of wildlife species and people resulted in a space that has become a wonderful place to hang out with family and friends. For more information visit http://www.atholbirdclub.org

  • Wednesday, May 10, 7:00 pm Eastern – Oaks and Wasps: Shaping Novel Organs in the Seasonal Round, Online

    Oak gall wasps take advantage of the annual flow of resources throughout an oak tree to produce beautiful and distinctive novel plant organs to feed and protect them. With an estimated 1000 species in North America, each producing two different galls per year, this symbiosis is one of the most engrossing puzzles in nature. On May 10, Adam Kranz, in conjunction with the Athol Bird & Nature Club, would like to equip you to help put it together. Adam Kranz is one of the co-founders of www.Gallformers.org an online database for amateur and academic naturalists studying plant galls in North America. He lives in Austin, TX. 

    You are invited to his Zoom webinar. 

    When: May 10, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

    Topic: Oaks and Wasps: Shaping Novel Organs in the Seasonal Round 

    Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eHhPGrokR4mspgwFJ7-jcQ

    After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

    Courtesy Effie Yeaw Nature Center
  • Wednesday, April 12, 7:00 pm – The Guests of Ants, Online

    The Athol Bird & Nature Club will host Christina L. Kwapich, PhD, on April 12 at 7:00 pm, both in person and online. This talk will explore the hidden biodiversity inside ant nests, and the behavioral mechanisms diverse parasites employ to infiltrate ant societies. Some intruders tickle ant mouth parts to steal regurgitated meals, while others use specialized organs and glandular secretions to entice ants or calm their aggression. Once able to “speak the language,” these outsiders can masquerade as ants. Suddenly colony members can no longer distinguish friend from foe.

     
    Christina L. Kwapich, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Ecology at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and the co-author of the book The Guests of Ants: How Myrmecophiles Interact with Their Hosts (2022, Harvard University Press). Her laboratory examines the organization of labor in seed harvesting ant societies, subterranean ant nest architecture, and ant guests. In person at MREC 100 Main Street Athol 01331 or by Zoom You are invited to a Zoom webinar. Topic: The Guests of Ants – Christina L. Kwapich, PhD Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z-Y4dR2sTkS3Ta-8BeGBng After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

  • Sunday, February 18, 1:00 pm Eastern – Revealed: The Amazing Story of Armored Mud Balls, Live & Online

    And who every suggested this website doesn’t give you fabulous learning options?

    Franklin County has Jurassic armored mud balls, one of the rarest sedimentary rock structures on the planet.  In fact, this is the only place in the world where you can easily see, touch, and study these interesting, photogenic, and fun geological oddities.  Greenfield Community College Professor Emeritus Richard D. Little, the discoverer of these intriguing features, will explain how they form and why they are so rare plus how he was lucky enough to find them.  The armored mud ball saga is a story of plate tectonics, floods, climate change, and other geologic events.  It a human story of the birth of a suspension bridge (yes, it had to be a suspension bridge), the death of a bowling alley and a fortuitous field trip picnic.  What a story!  Are the Jurassic armored mud balls important enough to become officially celebrated as a Massachusetts State “Sedimentary Structure?”  To receive the Zoom link, email Dave@Atholbirdclub.org The program will also be available to attend in person at the Millers River Educational Center.

  • Wednesday, February 8, 7:00 pm – What is a Species, and Who Cares? Online

    The Athol Bird & Nature Club will present a Zoom talk on February 8 at 7 pm Eastern with Rodger Gwiazdowski entitled What is a Species, and Who Cares? He will discuss the epistemology of species boundaries, and the real-world legal implications for food, conservation, and the environment. Dr. Gwiazdowski is curious about discovering and conserving biodiversity at the species level. His research focuses on insects, where he explores primary questions about evolution, diversity, ecology and conservation, using tools from molecular systematics, bioinformatics, ecology, and animal husbandry. He is also interested in principle-based negotiations, and popularizing methods in epistemology.

    Prior to his graduate work, Rodger worked in several zoological institutions (Bronx Zoo, NY Aquarium, and the Liberty Science Center). Rodger completed his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology & Entomology (joint degree) at UMass Amherst in 2011, where he found extraordinary cryptic species-diversity in one widespread North American pest insect that’s been “well known” for over 150 years. Concurrently, he developed captive-rearing techniques for rare tiger beetles. He then went to Canada as a post-doctoral fellow with the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, where he developed high-throughput DNA reference libraries for rapid insect identification, and combating seafood fraud. He currently consults on innovative conservation projects with Federal and state governments, and serves as Principal Investigator of tiger beetle recovery projects, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Insect Conservation at University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Department of Environmental Conservation.

    To register, visit https://atholbirdclub.org/