Boston Flora

Tag: Birds

  • Saturday, November 15, 1:00 pm – The Art and Science of the Unfeathered Bird

    Imagine that you could see beneath the fluff and feather of a bird to view bone and muscle in action. What would this perspective reveal about movement, structure, and evolution? The Unfeathered Bird is a magnum opus, twenty-five years in the making, that features 385 finely-rendered drawings and paintings of 200 bird species. In a Harvard Museum of Natural History program intended for artists, scientists, and bird lovers alike, Katrina van Grouw will explain her approach to preparing and drawing the specimens featured in her book and share her insights into bird anatomy and biomechanics.

    Lecture and Book Signing will begin at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 15, in Haller Hall of the Museum.  Enter at 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge. Regular museum admission rates apply. Free event parking available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Monday, June 16, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Tweets and Trills: The Natural History of Birdsong

    Songbirds communicate with unparalleled acoustic complexity and tremendous variation among species. On Monday, June 16, from 7 – 8:30 pm, Bruce Byers, who studies the biological and cultural evolution of birdsong, will introduce the multidimensionality of songbird singing and some of the discoveries by scientists like him who study both the inherited and learned components of song. He will consider how songs function in the social lives of songbirds, how song features might correlate with fitness, and whether variability correlates with differences in ecology and life history. He will also include suggestions to improve your listening skills. Fee: Free Arboretum member, $10 nonmember. Register at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1. Meet at the Hunnewell Building.

  • Saturday, March 8, 6:00 pm – Bird Lover’s Event

    On Saturday at 6:00 p.m.at Russell’s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road in Wayland, there will be a free Powerpoint presentation by renowned avian photographer Geoff Dennis, whose work appears in many bird publications. He’ll show his fabulous photos taken from his own yard and share his techniques for photographing birds. Geoff will talk about why his yard is bird-friendly and suggest ways for you to achieve the same effect at your home.

    Russell’s is also pleased that Harlan Hyde from Aspen Song Wild Bird Food, who is an expert on wild bird feeding, will be there. After the presentation, both Harlan and Geoff will be available to answer your backyard birding questions.

    There is a Photo Contest associated with this event, with a submission deadline of March 3. Guidelines:

    Must be an original photo of wild bird(s) taken by the entrant and entrant must own all rights and title to the photograph.
    Please include details of when and where the photo was taken.
    Photo submissions may be dropped off at Russell’s, mailed to Russell’s or emailed to Marie Winter at mariew@russellsgardencenter.com by March 3, 2014. Be sure to include your name, address and contact info.

    By submitting your photo to this contest, you agree that Russell’s Garden Center may display a copy of your photo in the store through March 22, 2014.  Geoff Dennis from Geoff Dennis Photos in Little Compton, RI will judge all photos to determine the winner.  Winner will be notified by March 15, 2014.

    http://www.eastbayri.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird_on_nest-300x224.jpg

  • Saturday, November 16, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Bring Nature into the Garden

    Join landscape designer Bridghe McCracken on Saturday, November 16 from 9 – 1 at Berkshire Botanical Garden for a detailed program on how to create a biodiverse garden habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, bats and dragonflies—good for both the garden and the gardener. This program will give participants practical knowledge for how to plan and provide for wildlife based on ecological principles. Learn about the plants and plans needed to design a garden full of life for the property. BBG members $40 nonmembers $50.  Register at 413-298-3926 or online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

    Bridghe McCracken has been designing biologically vibrant landscapes for over ten years. Her design and building company, Helia Land Design, specializes in ecological landscape design, land stewardship, ecosystem restoration and designing food systems. She is a certified Organic Landcare Professional from the Northeast Organic Farmers Association. In 2006 she began a partnership with Project Native as their Chief Landscape Designer, which allows her to stay abreast of the latest available native plants. She teaches permaculture as an adjunct professor at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

    http://helialanddesign.com/wp-content/files_mf/1272481144bridghe_who.jpg

  • Arbotopia

    Birding in the Emerald Necklace is attracting lots of fans, and we’re not the least surprised. Recently, we’ve had reports of cardinals, Red-tailed hawks and a Red-headed woodpecker near the Shattuck Visitor Center and so we were excited to learn of Robert Mayer’s new blog on birds and other fauna of the Emerald Necklace, titled “Arbotopia.” Mayer notes sitings of Barred Owls in Boston’s greenspaces and in his first entry, he details his personal encounter with a Great Horned owl earlier in January. Visit www.arbotopia.com.

    http://www.arbotopia.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/P1290535-1024x917.jpg

  • Thursday, January 31, 6:00 pm – What Art Thou, Little Bird?

    We might think robins are simply a common backyard bird, but actually they represent one of the most unusual, successful, and abundant animals (the order Aves) in Earth’s history. The new science of evolutionary developmental biology (“evo-devo”) sheds fascinating light on the evolution of birds’ highly distinct skulls with toothless beaks, and on how modern birds can generate a seemingly endless array of beak shapes. Arkhat Abzhanov, Associate Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, will speak on Thursday, January 31, beginning at 6 pm on Developmental Mechanisms for the Origin and Evolution of Birds. Part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. Free and open to the public. Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free event parking for evening lectures in the 52 Oxford Street garage.

  • Wednesday, January 9, 7:00 pm – Alaskan Potpourri: Birds and Landscapes of the Last Frontier

    The Athol Bird & Nature Club’s January meeting at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol, heads north on Wednesday, January 9, beginning at 7 pm. Bill Thompson has been an avid birder for more than 40 years and an avid bird photographer for the last five. He has lived in more than a dozen states, most recently in Alaska, before moving to Greenfield in 2010. He currently works for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  He will speak on Alaskan Potpourri: Birds and Landscapes of the Last Frontier.  For more information email dave@dhsmall.net.

  • Friday, February 17 – Monday, February 20 – The Great Backyard Bird Count

    The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.

    Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report their counts, they fill out an online checklist at the Great Backyard Bird Count website.

    As the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how this year’s numbers compare with those from previous years. Participants may also send in photographs of the birds they see. A selection of images is posted in the online photo gallery.  For complete information, visit www.birdsource.org/gbbc.

  • Sunday, November 6, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Birds of the Americas

    Boston-based photographer Eduardo del Solar will be showing his nature photography in an exhibit entitled Birds of the Americas at Joppa Flats Education Center, 1 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport, Massachusetts from November 6 through December 31. The public is cordially invited to meet the artist at a free gallery reception on Sunday, November 6, 2:30-4:00 pm. A portion of all purchases made during the exhibit helps to support the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Joppa Flats.

    Eduardo del Solar finds that spending time inside as a technology teacher in Boston contrasts nicely with his extracurricular interest: to get outside in nature, find wildlife, wait for the best light, and take photographs. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, del Solar has been working since 2007 on a photographic series of American birds in such locations as his native country, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, Canada, and, of course, New England. He is currently working with Goldenrod, an environmental agency at Plymouth Long Beach, where he is photographing birds through an entire year of seasonal changes. “As a photographer, providing artistic and technical renditions of species across the Americas is my primary goal. For this exhibit I have included a few endemic species from these places I have visited as well as some of my favorite images from the Goldenrod project,” says del Solar.

  • Monday, February 28, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – The Pollinator Garden

    Join the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts for a Morning of Horticulture on Monday, February 28 from 10 – 12 at the Espousal Center in Waltham, Massachusetts.  Kim Smith, author of Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities, will speak on The Pollinator Garden: Make your Gardens Inviting and Sustainable to Birds, Bees and Butterflies.  The cost of the program is $5, and you may pay at the door.  For directions and more information, log on to www.gcfm.org.