Boston Flora

Tag: Birds

  • Tuesday, January 9, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – Photographing Birds: The Basics, Online

    Just getting into birding and trying to figure out how to capture the feathered creatures with your camera? Learn the basics of bird photography for species identification as well as artistic expression from naturalist Matt Felperin. This Smithsonian Associates program will be held on Zoom on January 9 at 7 pm Eastern.

    Topics of discussion include equipment, basic settings, composition, light, and positioning. View beautiful photos of various species of birds and learn the stories and strategies behind each image. $25 Smithsonian Associates members, $30 nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org Photo below copyright Matt Felperin.

  • Saturday, January 13, 8:00 am – Winter Bird Walk with Nature Man Mike

    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.

  • Saturday, August 12, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Growing Wild: Gardening for the Birds

    There’s nothing more rewarding than attracting birds to your outdoor space and knowing that you’re helping them thrive, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start.  Anyone with an interest in gardening has the power to reverse the declines seen in many of our bird populations.

    This Hollister House Garden lecture on August 12, led by Dr. Ian Stewart, Ornithologist for Delaware Nature Society, will explore several ways that gardeners of all levels and experience can start a conservation effort in their own backyard and help birds thrive throughout all four seasons.

    Guests will leave with an understanding of how to create welcoming spaces for birds by considering  bird-friendly plant choices and habitats. It all starts with seeing things from a bird’s perspective and transforming your space to meet their needs.

    HHG Members $25 Non Members $35. Register at https://hollisterhousegarden.org/event/growing-wild-gardening-for-the-birds/

    Courtesy of American Meadows

  • Saturday, April 22, 8:00 am – 9:30 am – Outdoor Garden Walk: Birds of the Wellesley Botanic Gardens

    Celebrate Earth Day with both plants and birds! Rachel Moon is a wildlife biologist who specializes in shorebird habitat restoration. Working at the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens in Fall, 2022, Rachel collaborated with the Botanic Gardens team to create bird-friendly habitats and inspired students and staff with knowledge about the birds of campus. Join Rachel for an enthusiastic, guided walk of her favorite outdoor garden areas, including the Edible Ecosystem, to watch for and learn about local birds. Meet at the WCBG Visitor Center. Free, but pre-registration is required. Email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

  • Friday, January 27, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Eastern – Ask The Expert: Winter of Birds, Online

    Get your snowshoes on and head into the woods for some bird watching. It’ll be a wintery delight to connect with our birding expert Mark Faherty, host of Weekly Bird Report on CAI, GBH’s Cape, Coast and Islands radio service. You’ll have the chance to chat about all things birds, including a closer look at ones that don’t migrate to the south for the winter.

    Faherty has been the science coordinator at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary since 2007 and has led birding trips for Mass Audubon since 2002. He is the past president of the Cape Cod Bird Club and is a current member of the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee.

    This free virtual event will begin at 12pm Eastern Daylight Time.

    Register HERE for this virtual Ask The Expert event.We will email you the link to this virtual event once you have registered.

    GBH will be using Zoom Webinar for this event. Zoom is free to the public but will require a computer download. You can download Zoom here. If you already have Zoom you will not need to download the platform again.

  • Tuesday, September 13, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Gardening for the Birds, Online

    Go beyond conventional bird feeders—use native plants to turn your backyard into a diverse, year-round avian habitat! Learn what the birds of New England actually need from us and become part of the new, natural approach, using planting aesthetics that embrace the ecological value of native species, variety, and untidiness. This Native Plant Trust virtual live program on September 13 at 1 pm addresses fruit-bearing shrubs, pollinators, and birds’ feeding and nesting preferences. Chris Leahy is the lecturer and the cost is $12 for members of NPT, $15 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/gardening-birds/

  • Tuesday, July 12, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Eastern – Birds in Your Own Backyard, Online

    Join Bryan Prather of Wild Birds Unlimited in Warson Woods for a virtual presentation on the birds living in Missouri’s backyards and how to co-exist with them and provide sustainability for years to come. This event is sponsored by the Missouri Botanical Garden.


    Bryan will speak about the elements of creating a yard to encourage the entire family to enjoy the birds while helping create a sustainable environment for them. Bryan will elaborate on the work of Doug Tallamy and the National Wildlife Federation with a discussion on just how impactful one corner of your yard. Small changes like introducing native plants, providing a water source and place to nest, and offering quality bird food to supplement birds’ natural diets can bring a wide variety of regional and migrating birds to a backyard refuge.


    Bryan will introduce a few Missouri birds, including American Robins, Carolina Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, the Tufted Titmouse, and the Missouri state bird, the Eastern Bluebird. Learn more about the correlation between native plants and native birds and how one cannot exist without the other.   Registrants will receive a Wild Birds Unlimited Warson Woods coupon, valid July 12-16.

    FREE for MBG members; registration required. To become a member, or for more information, call (314) 577-5118. 

    Click here to register.

    webinar

  • Tuesday, December 7, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm – Nurturing a Bird-Friendly World, Online

    The interest and pleasure in the observation of birds, concern about how climate change is affecting our planet, and the necessity of preserving trees and forests are topics that continue to take on increasing prominence. On December 7 at 6:45, hear from representatives of the National Audubon Society and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo about new and upcoming projects that offer insights into the world of trees and the birds that inhabit them.

    This spring saw the publication of the first field guides to appear from the National Audubon Society since 1995, new and expanded editions of Birds of North America and Trees of North America. The reference books spotlight the conservation statuses of species, highlight the impact of climate change, and feature thousands of full-color photographs. John Rowden, senior director of bird-friendly communities at the National Audubon Society, provides an overview of the new guides and Audubon’s conservation efforts to protect birds and the places they need, from backyards to projects abroad.

    Birds, their migration patterns, and trees are also central to the work of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and by spring 2022 the zoo’s historic 1928 Bird House will be transformed into a celebration of birds and bird migration through the Americas.

    With almost 100 species of birds, this will be the first zoo exhibition of this size that focuses on the miraculous annual journeys of migratory songbirds, waterfowl, and shorebirds integral to North, Central, and South American ecosystems.

    Through themed walk-through aviaries, interactive experiences, and educational programming, the new Bird House will offer visitors opportunities to connect to birds and the phenomenon of migration in entirely new ways.

    Research wildlife biologist Scott Sillett, head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, previews the Bird House project and shares information about bird-friendly campaigns underway at the Smithsonian.

    Rowden and Sillett also discuss ways that anyone can help birds by creating and encouraging bird-friendly spaces and communities, particularly during the winter holiday season.

    Book Sale Information

    Registration Information

    $20 for Smithsonian Members, $25 for nonmembers. Register HERE.

  • Wednesday, June 9, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Native Plants for Bird Friendly Communities, Online

    As we think ahead to spring and summer gardens, we anticipate the sights, scents, and sounds. One way to enhance the garden experience is to invite fascinating wildlife to live in and around the yard.

    This virtual Ecological Landscape Alliance presentation on June 9 at noon features the beautiful songbirds that flit through gardens including wrens, cardinals, finches, nuthatches, and more. Add beauty to your outdoor spaces, while helping birds and wildlife too. Bird-friendly gardens are a treat to anyone who appreciates gardening, wildlife, and the motion and song of birds.

    Join Audubon CT-NY’s Jillian Bell for a presentation focused on bird-friendly plants for your home landscape. With the right plants, any space—from a small container on your patio to an acre of your backyard—can become more bird-friendly.

    Whether you have years of experience with bird-friendly gardens or want to start your first one, you will find information and inspiration in this presentation. All successful bird gardens are comprised of three very important elements: cover, nesting, and nourishment (food and water). In this presentation, Jillian will provide an in-depth look at the things you can do to make your outdoor spaces more bird-friendly for our year-round avian residents as well as feathered friends who stopover during their migration journeys.

    Jillian Bell is Audubon Connecticut & New York’s Bird Friendly Communities (BFC) Program Coordinator.  She works with community groups and a suite of program partners to restore native habitat, connect people with nature, and inspire stewardship as well as the next generation of environmental leaders.  Jillian has supported over 30 schools in Connecticut in their efforts to green their schoolyards by creating native plant habitats on school grounds. Jillian also delivers professional development workshops to teaching staff to support them in taking their students outside and integrating their curriculum with the natural world right outside their doors. She is currently leading a virtual workshop series for people interested in adding native plants to their home spaces, be it in a planter or a whole yard.

    The program is free, but registration is required at www.ecolandscaping.org.

  • Wednesdays, May 26, June 2, & June 9, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm – 2021 Massachusetts Town Forest Webinar Series: Enhancing Bird Habitat and Climate Adaptation in Your Community

    This three-part Massachusetts Town Forest Webinar series focuses on managing community forests for bird habitat and climate resilience. Join conservation and forestry professionals to learn how communities across the Commonwealth are managing town forests for carbon, climate resilience, and wildlife habitat. This webinar series is hosted by the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation with funding from the Working Forest Initiative. Visit the Massachusetts Woodlands Institute website to register or click the links below. 

    Bird Habitat & Climate Resiliency in Your Community
    May 26, 2021
    6:30pm-9:00pm

    Habitat for Birds and other wildlife remain one of the primary management objectives for both municipalities and private forest landowners across the commonwealth.  Please join us for an introduction to DCR’s Foresters for the Birds Program; assessing habitat for forest birds; and silvicultural approaches to create desired habitat conditions. Case studies on landscape and stand-level planning and management to improve forest habitat diversity and climate resiliency will also be explored in this webinar.

    Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_C6Mk2IowQLq17xvaOkxVFg
    Climate Adaptation & Resiliency in Your Community
    June 2, 2021
    6:30pm-9:00pm

    Forestland has significant carbon sequestration and storage capabilities, which can be used to offset greenhouse gas emissions. As forests face increasing threats, forestry professionals are working to identify community needs and explore how evolving scientific knowledge could support climate-informed community forest management. Please join us for an introduction to the role of carbon in our forests and forest management options, as well as a case study on the Tri-City Carbon Project.

    Registration Link:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1zkbsdsdT9a8GCNuQ4RFj Funding for Enhanced Habitat, Climate Adaptation & Resiliency 
    June 9, 2021
    6:30pm-9:00pm

    Communities across the Commonwealth are finding creative ways to integrate climate science into on-the-ground decision making regarding community forests and management. Community forests benefit all of us by providing a myriad of environmental, health and economic benefits. However, these forests are experiencing a multitude of stressors stemming from climate change. Please join us for information on funding strategies to respond to forest conservation, habitat, and climate challenges in your community. Recently completed habitat and climate-informed community forest management projects will be explored through case studies.

    Registration Link:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_elENPSZERXe3JI0FVbtkKQ