Boston Flora

Tag: ducks

  • Saturday, March 23, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Making a Farmstead

    Spend a day on Saturday, March 23 at Berkshire Botanical Garden considering the possibilities of adding a backyard chicken coop, a flock of sheep, a milking goat or cow or a flock of fowl.  Join educator Meg Taylor and farmer Dominic Palumbo for one or more lectures on keeping farm animals in the backyard. Learn about the advantages of taking control of your food supply (milk, eggs and meat) managing your own manure pile and adding a four-legged lawn mower. Each program will cover topics including nutrition, shelter/coops, health, egg/meat/wool production, breeds, predators, regulations, general care and helpful resources. Attend one or more lecture and join the backyard farming movement.

    9:30 am – Chickens in the Backyard – Meg Taylor

    Calling all gardeners to join the backyard chicken movement! This beginners’ workshop will inspire you and give you the skills to start a backyard flock of your own.

    11 am – The Family Flock of Sheep – Meg Taylor

    Tired of spending your weekend morning mowing the back acre? There is a quieter and more attractive solution—sheep! Sheep are low maintenance, live on grass, can be surprisingly hardy and produce meat, milk and fiber. We’ll discuss important considerations before acquiring sheep, such as basic care, best breeds for the small farm, predator control, seasonal tasks, uses for wool and pasture management.

    12:30 pm – Fowl A Field: Turkeys, Ducks and Geese – Dominic Palumbo

    Consider a range of fowl that can be successfully raised in a backyard setting. Used for their eggs, meat or simply for insect control, these entertaining creatures add a lively atmosphere to the backyard farmstead.

    2 pm – The Milking Family Cow or Goat – Dominic Palumbo

    Possibly the most rewarding farm animal is the dairy animal (cow or goat). These animals provide organic, pasture-grown dairy for your family in addition to meat, great manure and some pasture control. This talk will introduce you to the basic information needed to consider one of these four-legged friends on the farm.

    Meg Taylor is the Founder and Co-Director of The Farm Education Collaborative, an organization that designs and delivers farm-based education programs for all ages in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Meg has worked in the fields of environmental and agricultural education since 1994 and has worked as a farm educator for Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm and at Shelburne Farms in Vermont. Meg and her family garden and raise fancy chickens, Shetland sheep and dairy goats at their home, North Wind Farm, in Williamsburg, MA.

    Dominic Palumbo is a farmer and owner of Moon In The Pond, a small farm in Sheffield, MA. Moon In The Pond maintains a strong focus on the elegant integration of history (raising heritage breed livestock and heirloom vegetables, using select traditional farming methods) and contemporary ‘technology.’

    $75 for BBG members, $90 for non members. Bring a bag lunch. Sign up at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

     

     

  • Waterfowl Feeding Sites

    The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) is asking for help from sportsmen, birders, and other interested conservationists across the state to report sites where wild ducks and geese (waterfowl) are being fed or to report sightings of ducks and geese they see feeding at artificial waterfowl feeding sites from January 6 – January 26, 2013. Information needed for these reports include town, specific location (address, map, or GPS coordinates), date, number, and the kinds of wild ducks and/or geese observed. Currently, MassWildlife is trying to determine if there is a correlation between artificial feeding sites and waterfowl population size. Feeding site locations or waterfowl feeding reports should be reported to H Heusmann, MassWildlife Waterfowl Project Leader by e-mail at: h.heusmann@state.ma.us; phone (508) 389-6321; Fax (508) 389-7890; or postal mail at DFW Park Mallard Survey, 100 Hartwell Street, Suite 230, West Boylston, MA 01583.

    Every five years, since 1973, MassWildlife has conducted a winter waterfowl survey of sites where people feed wild ducks and geese. Designed primarily as a count of wintering mallards, the survey includes information on all waterfowl seen, including Canada geese. The statewide survey covers public and private property in city, suburban, and rural areas. Sites may be located on fresh water, salt water, and estuaries. Other feeding sites include parks, beaches, and backyard bird feeding stations. Because feeding locations change between each 5-year cycle, the most current information on artificial waterfowl feeding locations is valuable.

    While MassWildlife discourages feeding of wildlife, there is no state law or regulation prohibiting this activity and the feeding of ducks on some sites has been going on for decades. Some municipalities do restrict or prohibit feeding. Mallards are by far the most common duck seen at feeding sites, but MassWildlife is also interested in obtaining information about other ducks and geese seen feeding at these sites: black ducks are commonly observed along with wood ducks, pintails, gadwalls, wigeons, and hooded mergansers. Canada geese are well known visitors to feeding sites and their presence is often the impetus for towns and cities to pass feeding prohibition bylaws. Results from this year’s survey compared to past surveys will be available later in the winter.

  • Sunday, May 9, 12:00 noon – 30th Annual Duckling Day Parade

    The Friends of the Public Garden, in partnership with The City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department, presents the 30th Annual Duckling Day Parade on Sunday, May 9, beginning at noon on Boston Common.  Registration begins at 10:30 am, inside the Boston Common, across from the State House. Parade participation requires a $25 donation per family.  This donation includes snacks, entertainment, and a toy for each child. Registration is available in advance on line using the “For Kids” tab  at www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org.  Based on the book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, children and their families will retrace the steps of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their family of eight ducklings. Led by the Harvard University Marching Band, children relive the adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard dressed as one of their favorite characters from the book, or echoing its themes.  The Friends of the Public Garden is a non-profit organization dedicated to the care and protection of the Boston Common, the Public Garden and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. For additional information call 617-723-8144.  Duckling Day happens rain or shine because ducks love water.

    http://www.pbase.com/dellybean/image/67523952/medium.jpg

  • Sunday, May 10, noon – 29th Annual Duckling Day Parade

    The Friends of the Public Garden, in partnership with The Boston Athenaeum, presents the 29th Annual Duckling Day Parade on Sunday, May 10, beginning at noon on Boston Common.  Parade participation requires a $25 donation per family.  This donation includes snacks, entertainment, and a toy for each child. Registration is available in advance on line at www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org.  Based on the book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, children and their families will retrace the steps of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their family of eight ducklings. Led by the Harvard University Marching Band, children relive the adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard dressed as one of their favorite characters from the book.Pre-registration is encouraged, and on site registration begins at 10:30 a.m. on the Boston Common, at the base of the Shaw Memorial, opposite the State House.  The Friends of the Public Garden is a non-profit organization dedicated to the care and protection of the Boston Common, the Public Garden and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. For additional information call 617-723-8144 or email fopg@gis.net.  Duckling Day happens rain or shine because ducks love water.