Embark on a birdwatching walk in the Arboretum’s landscape with birder and wildlife photographer Michael Bryant, AKA Nature Man Mike. This two-hour walk on January 13 at 8 am is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced birders. Binoculars will be available to borrow on a first-come-first-serve basis, but you are encouraged to bring your own! To get on the waitlist, click HERE. Below: White-Throated Sparrow. Photo by Michael Bryant.
Take a 90-minute walk in the Arnold Arboretum on January 5 with docent Bob Mayer from the Main Gate to Bussey Hill and back. The focus will be on winter birds, as well as the woody plant collection.
Meet inside the Main Gate off the Arborway (parking is along the Arborway). This tour is in conjunction with the Brookline Bird Club.
Free, but registration requested at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu
For cancellations due to inclement weather, call 617-384-5209 by 5:00pm January 4.
The Esplanade Association, in partnership with Feminist Bird Club, will be leading a leisurely guided bird walk along the park on Wednesday, August 28 at 8:00 am. This event will be great for beginners and experts alike. We will walk around 1 mile, identifying birds and learning how to use binoculars and field guides. The Esplanade is home to a variety of species from songbirds to waterfowl. No prior birding experience is necessary and everyone is welcome. Jumpstart your day with some birding! Sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/guided-bird-walks-on-the-esplanade-tickets-63974404165 – free, but a $10 donation is suggested.
Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge is a migration stopover in the fall, too. The trouble is the birds don’t sing and the foliage is still lush so we have to work a little harder to find them. On Wednesday, September 24, at 8 am, join Bob Stymeist, bird sightings compiler, Bird Observer, for this walk to enjoy the passerine migration in full swing.
Funding for this program has been provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. $7 for Friends of Mount Auburn, $12 for nonmembers. Thank you Massachusetts Audubon Society for the truly regal hawk picture below. Register online at http://mountauburn.org/2014/fall-migration-walk-3/.Â
Come to the popular Duck Walk and see beautiful waterfowl along the Charles River. Tag along on this very popular walk along the Charles River to see dabbling and diving birds, visiting from Canada. In the past we have seen mergansers (hooded and common), ring necks, golden eyes, grebes, and others, even a bald eagle! Bring your binoculars, cameras, and bird books. Dress warmly–we only cancel if there is very heavy snow falling. Meet in the back corner of River Street Shaw’s parking lot by footbridge. For more information visit http://walthamlandtrust.org/calendar-events/annual-duck-walk/event_view?None&month:int=1&year:int=2014&orig_query=None
Come on a bird walk through the Back Bay Fens , led by Arnold Arboretum’s Marc Devokaitus, on Saturday, November 12, from 8 – 9:30 am, and/or come on a bird walk of Jamaica Pond on Saturday, November 19, from 8 – 10, led by Gerry Wright of Jamaica Pond Boathouse. Free, but please rsvp to projectassistant@emeraldnecklace.org for information on the assembly site.
Visit the Arnold Arboretum, Boston Nature Center, Forest Hills Cemetery, Franklin Park Coalition and the Franklin Park Zoo, Thursday, April 28 to Sunday, May 1 for Birds and Bards: A Festival Celebrating Birds, Poetry, and Nature. Spend the weekend exploring birds, poetry, and nature in over 1000 acres of green space along Boston’s Emerald Necklace. The festival includes activities for children and adults, most of which are free!
For complete event listings and information, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/birds-and-bards.
Get up early on Saturday, April 17 and meet local birder Wendy Howes at 6:30 a.m. at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts. Local residents and early arrivals, including Eastern Towhee (below) and Rose-breasted Grosbeak, should put in an appearance. Expect to walk about two miles on trails through meadows and woods, with some wet areas, so dress appropriately. Bring your own binoculars and field guide. Free. For more information, log on to www.fruitlands.org.
Join Mass Audubon volunteer Molly Edmonds on an early morning walk through the Boston Nature Center on Saturday, September 19, from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m., to discover and learn more about birds and birding. Binoculars will be provided, if needed. All ages and birding abilities welcome. $4 for Mass Audubon members, $6 for non-members. For more information, call 617-983-8500, or email bnc@massaudubon.org.
Visit the Arnold Arboretum, Boston Nature Center, Forest Hills Cemetery, Franklin Park, and the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site Thursday, May 28 to Sunday, May 31 for Birds and Bards: A Festival Celebrating Birds, Poetry, and Nature. Spend the weekend exploring birds, poetry, and nature in over 1000 acres of greenspace along Boston’s Emerald Necklace. The festival includes activities for children and adults, most of which are free! Presented by the Arnold Arboretum, Boston Nature Center/Mass Audubon, Forest Hills Educational Trust, Franklin Park Coalition, Franklin Park Zoo, and the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site.
Activities begin on Thursday with a 7 a.m. morning bird walk at the Arnold Arboretum. That evening at 7:30, enjoy the Birds & Bards Kick-Off at Forsyth Chapel for a festive evening of song, pictures and poetry celebrating birds and nature. Learn about the landscapes that sustain and protect migratory birds in the heart of the city. Art inspired by our feathered friends will include photographs by Eduardo del Solar, jazz vocals by Valerie Stevens, and a reading by poet Brendan Galvin. $5 suggested donation.
Friday begins with a 7 a.m. bird walk in Franklin Park, and a 6 p.m. family bird walk, also in Franklin Park, plus a 7 p.m. movie night at the Franklin Park Clubhouse.
Saturday centers around the Boston Nature Center, with an early morning birdwalk, followed by continental breakfast and conversation with Chris Leahy, a talk at 11:00 on Urban Orchards and Bird Habitats, and a noontime live raptor demonstration. At 1:30, enjoy the Great American Song Book Concert with Marianne Ryan, Stanley Macht, and the young singers of Catching Joy as they perform classics celebrating birds by Gershwin, Kern and Porter. Finally on Saturday move to the Arnold Arboretum at 3:00 for a Haiku Hike.
Sunday begins at Forest Hills with a 7 a.m. birdwalk, a tour at 10 a.m., a guided bird walk at Franklin Park Zoo at 10:30, and the culminating event, a 2:00 Family Concert with Solar Winds at Forsyth Chapel ($10).
For complete event listings and information, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
