The Nantucket Christmas Bird Count takes place this year on Sunday, December 28. Bird Counts will be conducted throughout the country, so if you’re not in Nantucket you can find an event near you at https://www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count/join-christmas-bird-count. To register for Nantucket, email nantucketbirdcount@gmail.com
Audubon’s 124th Christmas Bird Count will be held from Dec 14, 2023 to January 5, 2024. The Christmas Bird Count occurs December 14 to January 5 every season. Sign up to receive information and results about all of Audubon’s community science programs through American Birds, our newsletter by email.
Click here for a map view of the circles expected to be included in the 124th CBC.
You can use ESRI’s free mobile app to view updated public maps of all CBC circles by state! Simply install the free ESRI Explorer app for iOS or Android and then find CBC circles by searching on your state’s full name + “Christmas Bird Count”. For more information visit www.audubon.org.
Even as scientists make discoveries about navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans or fly above the highest mountains, go weeks without sleep or remain in unbroken flight for months, humans have brought many migratory birds to the brink. Based on his bestselling new book A World on the Wing, author and researcher Scott Weidensaul takes attendees around the globe — with researchers in the lab probing the limits of what migrating birds can do, to the shores of the Yellow Sea in China, the remote mountains of northeastern India where tribal villages saved the greatest gathering of falcons on the planet, and the Mediterranean, where activists and police are battling bird poachers — to learn how people are fighting to understand and save the world’s great bird migrations.
Scott Weidensaul is the author of nearly 30 books on natural history, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist Living on the Wind. Weidensaul is a contributing editor for Audubon and writes for a variety of other publications, including Living Bird. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society and an active field researcher, studying saw-whet owl migration for more than two decades, as well as winter hummingbirds in the East, bird migration in Alaska, and the winter movements of snowy owls through Project SNOWstorm, which he co-founded. A native of Pennsylvania, he and his wife now life in New Hampshire.
This Mt. Cuba Center program takes place online Saturday, February 4, 2023. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/the-global-odyssey/
American ornithologist and painter John James Audubon (1785-1851) declared that he only came alive when “in the field” of this wild new land. His artful hand created a pictorial journal not only of the birds he loved but also of their habitats. Join The Preservation Society of Newport County at Rosecliff as we travel with this visionary naturalist in our own Artistic Adventure.
Friday, June 21, 2019: 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 22, 2019: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 23, 2019: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Festive Opening Night Party (June 21, 6 – 9)
Colorful floral designs
Horticulture exhibits
Garden displays
Unique shopping opportunities
Afternoon Tea
Moonlight Movie
Champagne & Jazz Brunch
Lectures and demonstrations
Children’s activities All proceeds from the Newport Flower Show benefit the preservation and restoration of the historic landscapes of The Preservation Society of Newport County. Purchase tickets online at https://www.newportmansions.org/events/newport-flower-show
On January 13, 2016 (Snow Date January 14), join ELA and Wellesley College for a symposium on the development and maintenance of large-scale landscapes that utilize fewer inputs, are designed and maintained with the environment in mind, and become more sustainable over time. Experts who work daily in successful, sustainable large-scale landscapes will lead four presentations and one panel discussion. If you are a landscape professional responsible for planning and maintaining the landscapes of college campuses, municipal parks, cemeteries, public gardens, land trusts, private estates, or other large landscapes, join ELA as we explore ecological options for large-scale landscapes with a distinguished lineup of presenters. Included in the program are Ronnit Bendavid-Val of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Addressing Wear and Tear in High Use Areas, a panel discussion on Maintaining the Maturing Landscape with Mark Richardson, Horticulture Director of the New England Wild Flower Society, Ray Oladapo-Johnson, Director of Park Operations at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Sue Pfeiffer, an arborist at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and John Olmstead, Wellesley College Landscape Manager. Also featured is a talk on Designing Rain Gardens for Long-lasting Success with Clay Larsen, Healthier and Lower-Cost Lawns with Chip Osborne, and Reawakening Large Landscapes: Activating the Space with Sandy Vorce of Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. Fees $85 – $110. For complete information and registration visit http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/large-scale-landscapes-symposium/
Grow Native Massachusetts presents Wayne Petersen, Director of the Mass Audubon Important Bird Areas Program, in a free program on Wednesday, April 6 entitled Life on the Wing in an Era of Human Dominance. The event will take place at the main branch of the Cambridge Public Library from 7 – 8:30 pm.
It is easy to take birds for granted. They cheer us with their songs in spring, engage us with the wonders of their flight, and grace our landscapes throughout the year. Yet, these idyllic images belie the serious impact of human activity on many bird populations. Come learn what we must do to help ensure their survival—what might comprise an avian wish list for human behavior. Wayne Petersen is a nationally known ornithologist, and a contributor to numerous field guides and publications. His talk will be the next best thing to birding with him in the field. For more information contact programsmanager@grownativemass.org.
Join Stephen Kress, author of The Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds and Vice President for Bird Conservation for the National Audubon Society, for a lively presentation on desirable gardening practices-from a bird’s viewpoint. An expert in seabird conservation, Kress successfully led Audubon’s Project Puffin in Maine. He is also an associate at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology where he teaches a Field Ornithology course. He will explain bird-plant interactions and suggest landscaping options for creating enticing and safe habitats. He’ll provide solutions for reducing bird encounters with windows and cats, as well as some tactics for preventing the spread of avian diseases. He will also share tips for learning to recognize common backyard birds by sight and song. His book will be available for purchase and signing. $40 for ELA, WCFH members, Audubon Society members and Arnold Arboretum members, $48 for non-members. Registrations are limited – call 617-436-5838, or email ela.info@comcast.net. This Saturday, March 19 event is offered in collaboration with the Arnold Arboretum, Boston Nature Center, Grow Native Massachusetts/Cambridge, and Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, and will take place from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum, 125 The Arborway, Boston.
Bird feeding has become an extremely popular winter activity in our region. Harnessing that interest, Mass Audubon and its partners have enlisted enthusiastic feeder watchers of all ages to track trends in abundance of winter feeder bird species for more than 40 years. Observations from the bird watching public contribute to a growing database that can provide early warning signs on changes in abundance of bird species that visit feeders.
For example, feeder watching in Massachusetts has helped document the decline of the House Finch as a result of conjunctivitis, and the northward expansion of the Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, and Carolina Wren in response to warmer winters. The Mass Audubon staff especially appreciate reading the many comments submitted by participants as they can help them interpret results (e.g., “Feeder birds down this year” or “where are all my redpolls?”). The wildlife photos often sent in with Focus on Feeders observations are great, too!
Step 1: During the weekend of February 5 and 6, simply note the diversity and number of each species in view at any one time.
Step 2: Record your observations on the official Focus on Feeders Report Form (PDF 597K) found on the Mass Audubon website and either mail it to Mass Audubon or submit your findings online (starting February 5).
Step 3: Get your camera ready. They’ll award prizes in several categories for wildlife photographs submitted with bird observations. Winning photographs will also appear on the Mass Audubon website. All wildlife photos are welcome and need not be limited to birds. Amateur photographers only, please. All photos submitted become the property of Mass Audubon. 2010 Best Overall Photo below was taken by Harry Becker.
Step 4: Ask your friends and neighbors to join the fun, as the value of the data collected increases with the number of participants. The names of all those who report their observations will be entered into a drawing to win one of several prizes, including Mass Audubon baseball caps and more.
Learn about the history of feeder watching in Massachusetts, or see past results. To learn more please email focusonfeeders@massaudubon.org.
