2007 Central Mass Birding Calendar
This calendar lists upcoming events such as bird trips, meetings, and special events such as breeding bird surveys, Christmas counts, etc. To contribute a listing, you can email to rsquimby@wpi.edu or call Rick Quimby at (508) 835-6567 and leave a message. This is not intended as a discussion forum for birding-related topics (MASSBIRD serves this function well), so please confine your submissions to the listing of events that will be of interest to Worcester County birders.
The previous year's listings are archived here.
Here are the current birding events listings in chronological order:
JANUARY 7: Birdwatchers are famous for practicing their avocation in some pretty strange places. Locations like rubbish tips, sewer treatment facilities and offshore oilrigs have all been visited regularly by birders. How about bird watching in a red-hot war zone? Tonight on Inquiry, we talk with Connecticut Army National Guardsman and Sergeant First Class JONATHAN TROUERN-TREND, who served with the 118th Area Support Medical Battalion in Iraq. Jonathan was an avid birder here in the states and of course he brought his binoculars along when he shipped out. His book of his wartime blog about bird watching in "full battle rattle" is titled BIRDING BABYLON: A SOLDIER'S JOURNAL FROM IRAQ.
WICN (90.5FM) is broadcast throughout central New England and is also
webcast throughout the world. To get WICN on your PC, go to:
www.wicn.org
and click on "Listen Online".
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
Birds of Massachusetts: Winter Session Date(s): 1/9/2007 - 3/13/2007, 7:00 PM-9:00 PM Location: Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary Program Description: This 10-week class is the second of three sessions covering birds in Massachusetts. We'll discuss identification of the species in detail through the use of slides, field guides, and visits to various locations around the state. The birds covered in the winter session will include loons, grebes, owls, finches, gulls, and alcids. The class meets Tuesday evenings, and weekend field trips will occur at places such as Cape Ann, Newburyport/Salisbury, Quabbin, and Cape Cod. Participants are expected to have some birding experience and should bring binoculars and field guides. For adults. Fee: $100.00 Members, $120.00 Non-members. Call (508) 753-6087 to register. Audience: Adult (submitted by Kristin Steinmetz)
SUNDAY FEB: 11 AT 9PM EST on WICN (90.5FM): If there ever was a creature that illustrates the hoary clich� that "familiarity breeds contempt", it is the poor Pigeon. Only the rat more consistently attracts deeper feelings of ill will. People that would typically rescue a spider from their shower and release it outside will turn around and throw things at a pigeon at their bird feeder. But it wasn~Rt always this way, and only a short time ago pigeons were revered and beloved. Writer and journalist ANDREW D. BLECHMAN decided to find out for himself why humans hate pigeons so much and the result was his wild and bizarre PIGEONS: THE FASCINATING SAGA OF THE WORLD'S MOST REVERED AND REVILED BIRD. (Not bene: my review of this unusual book will be in the upcoming issue of BIRD OBSERVER). ALSO OF INTEREST for those of you concerned with a sustainable future: At 9:30 we talk with MATTHEW and ROB GOLDFARB, founders of the F.A.R.M. (Food. Agriculture. Resources Management) Institute on the Katama Plains of Martha's Vineyard. Their goal has been to create a complete working farm that illustrates the best concepts of environmentally sound management practices and to then use that farm as an exciting teaching tool. This farm has become an immediate success and it now offers workshops for adults and even a summer camp for children teaching what it's like to do the work necessary to raise your own food and in such a way that it respects the land, the animals and the local culture. To learn more, visit their website at: www.farminstitute.org
WICN (90.5FM) is broadcast throughout central New England and is also
webcast throughout the world. To get WICN on your PC, go to:
www.wicn.org
and click on "Listen Online".
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
On APRIL 19 AT 6:30PM, Sheila Carroll, John Liller and Mark Lynch will conduct another Q&A meeting about the massive BREEDING BIRD ATLAS PROJECT AT BROAD MEADOW BROOK MAS 141 Massasoit Road, Worcester. We had a great meeting last night at the ATHOL BIRD AND NATURE CLUB, and it was really great to meet many of the new atlasers. BUT, based on that meeting, Sheila and I are going to expand and add to the Powerpoint program to deal with and review more of the Atlas protocals that many people found confusing. We will review the codes; the different status of rating breeding birds, as well as how to enter data, hours, owling time et. This is a serious and complex project and we will try to sort out whatever questions you have. Hope to see you there!(submitted by Mark Lynch).
SUNDAY APRIL 29 at 9PM EDT: One the most devastating ecological disasters happening in this country is little known beyond the residents who live where it is happening. In Kentucky and other Appalachian states, entire mountaintops are being cleared off to make room for coal mining operations. This is being done with little or no regard for the residents who live, work, farm and make a living there. An entire way of life, an entire ecology, is being dynamited and bulldozed into oblivion. Tonight on Inquiry we spend the full hour with JERRY HARDT, SILAS HOWE, and ANN SHELBY, three members of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, a grassroots organization of Appalachian residents who are fighting "Big Coal" for the right to live and work in a clean, safe and intact Appalachia. Throughout the interview, we will be playing some of the original music by the group from their CD "Songs of the Mountaintop". To learn more about this organization, go to: www.kftc.org.
WICN (90.5FM) is broadcast throughout central New England and is also
webcast throughout the world. To get WICN on your PC, go to:
www.wicn.org
and click on "Listen Online".
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
SUNDAY, MAY 13 beginning at 9PM: A BIRD MIGRATION SPECIAL! on WICN (90.5FM) At 9PM we talk with lifelong birder and editor of Bird Watcher's Digest BILL THOMPSON III about the writing of Roger Tory Peterson. Though most people are familiar with Peterson~Rs field guides and his landmark bird illustrations, few realize he was also an evocative and passionate writer. Bill Thompson got to know Peterson well when he hired him to pen a regular column for the Digest. Thomson has now assembled a wonderful collection of Roger Tory Peterson~Rs essays for Bird Watcher~Rs Digest entitled ALL THINGS RECONSIDERED: MY BIRDING ADVENTURES. Tune in tonight and find out about the literary life of one of the most important natural historians of the 20th Century. Then at 9:30PM, we speak with BETTY PETERSEN Program Director of the American Birding Association's BIRDER'S EXCHANGE. Realizing that the best way to save bird species and habitat is to educate and support local field research, the Birder's Exchange Program brings binoculars, scopes, PCs and natural history teaching tools to field scientists, school groups, educators and local conservation organizations in 30 countries in Central and South America. Tune in and find out how you can help or go to: www.americanbirding.org/bex
WICN (90.5FM) is broadcast throughout central New England and is also
webcast throughout the world. To get WICN on your PC, go to:
www.wicn.org
and click on "Listen Online".
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
> MIGRATORY BIRD FESTIVAL May 17th and 19th, 2007 > FIRST PART: > Thursday May 17th, 2007 at 7:00pm > Program to be held at the Richards Memorial Library, > Richards Ave., (route 56 north) in Paxton. MA. > > MIGRATORY BIRD PRESENTATION by Mitch Hartley > > Join us for a fascinating presentation on migratory birds, their needs, > current obstacles, and how we can > help. Mitch Hartley is a migratory bird biologist for > the U.S. Fish and Wildlife. > > > SECOND PART: > Saturday May 19th, 2007 at 10:30am > > Program to start at the Richards Memorial Library, > Richards Ave., (route 56 north) in Paxton, MA. > > Starting at 10:30am BIRDING FOR THE FAMILY presented > by Christy Barnes. View slides of migratory birds, listen to their calls > and see their nests. A great introduction for families. > From 11:30am to 1:00pm MIGRATION FESTVAL GAMES To beheld at Moore > State Park located on West Street, also > in Paxton, MA (route 31 heading toward Spencer) > Weather permitting, meet in the parking lot. In the event of inclement > weather the will be held in the library. > This event is free and open to the public(submitted by John Root).
Guest artist, Catherine Hamilton, is both a challenging contemporary artist working in ink and pencil and a passionate natural historian and active birder. Her work has been exhibited at the DeCordova Museum of Art (among others), and some of her work has explored the combination of writing and art, as well as installation-based works. Instructor, Mark Lynch, is a leading birder in Massachusetts and has been teaching birding and art classes in the Worcester area for over twenty years.
Program details: Tuesday 8/14: class 9-11AM & 12:30-3PM Hiking days: Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday 6- c.11AM & 1-3PM (Includes 1 � hour lunch break) For more information and to register call: 508.793.4334 or 508.793.4333 or us visit at www.worcesterart.org/Education(submitted by Heather G. Lillis).
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 ON WICN (90.5 FM) AT 9PM EDT: KATHERINE GRIER, professor of material culture studies, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, has written an endlessly fascinating and thorough history of the cats, dogs and birds that share our lives and homes. How were cats and dogs treated in early American cities? What were pets fed before there was canned food? What happened when a pet got sick? If you have any kind of pet, be sure to tune in at 9PM, when we talk about Katherine's book PETS IN AMERICA: A HISTORY. Then at 9:30: LANG ELLIOTT has spent his life creating state of the art recordings of birds and other sounds of nature. Tonight on Inquiry, Lang talks about one of his latest book and CD packages titled THE SONGS OF WILD BIRDS and explains why he finds certain bird songs so complex and interesting and why it is now so difficult to make a "pure" record of the sounds of the natural world.WICN (90.5FM) is broadcast throughout central New England and is also webcast throughout the world. To get WICN on your PC, go to: www.wicn.org and click on "Listen Online".
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2 at 9PM on WICN 90.5FM: For some time MIKE O'CONNOR, the owner of the famous Bird Watcher's General Store on Cape Cod, has written a column in the local paper in which he answers questions about bird behavior, bird feeding and bird identification. Being Mike, his sound advice is given with a great deal of attitude and humor. At 9PM, we talk with Mike about his published collection of columns titled WHY DON'T WOODPECKER'S GET HEADACHES? AND OTHER BIRD QUESTIONS YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO ASK. Then at 9:30, author and celebrator of the sounds of nature, LANG ELLIOTT returns to Inquiry, this time in the company of photographer, sound recorder and natural historian WIL HERSHBERGER. Together they have written and produced one of the most unique natural history book and CD packages, called THE SONGS OF INSECTS. Want to know how and why grasshoppers, crickets and cicadas make their chirps, trills and whines, then tune in!WICN (90.5FM) is broadcast throughout central New England and is also webcast throughout the world. To get WICN on your PC, go to: www.wicn.org and click on "Listen Online".
Landscaping for Migrating Songbirds Monday, September 10, 7:00 pm Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary 414 Massasoit Road, Worcester, MA, 01604, 508-753-6087, www.massaudubon.org Leader: Kay Charter, Executive Director of Saving Birds Thru Habitat No fee Migrating birds depend heavily on those insects that are primarily supported by native plants, and you can help them on their way by providing the right stuff. Kay Charter, Executive Director of the Michigan-based Saving Birds Thru Habitat will be in the Worcester area for one special night to share with us how we can improve habitat for migrating birds in our own backyards. Although much is being done by a number of conservation organizations to forestall the losses in migratory bird populations, too often the core issue either isn't clearly understood or it isn't explained to the public in a compelling manner. This engaging PowerPoint program addresses the challenges these feathered jewels face. It will demonstrate why native plants are crucial to these creatures and show how every one of us can make a positive difference for them in our own backyards, regardless of the location or the size of the property. In the fall of 1992, Kay Charter and her husband Jim realized that many of their favorite migrant bird species were in decline. Birds like Baltimore Orioles, Scarlet Tanagers, Indigo Buntings and most warblers are losing ground every year. Unable to stand by and watch the downward slide of these beautiful creatures, the Charters opted to take action. They sold their nearly new lakefront home, took the proceeds and their retirement savings and poured it all into a 47-acre tract of mixed habitat away from the water. There they established a safe haven for the feathered jewels they love. Nine years later the Charters founded Saving Birds Thru Habitat. This organization is dedicated to teaching others about the challenges of our migrating bird population. More information about Saving Birds Thru Habitat may be found at their website: www.savingsbirds.org
Fall Waterbird Migration Oct 11 - Nov 15, 2007 7- 9 pm @ Broad Meadow Brook Throughout the fall, southern New England hosts a wide variety of migrating ducks, geese, loons and grebes, most of which do not breed here, but use our waters to hop scotch to destinations further south or east. In this class we will learn about the migration strategies of these birds, where they come from, where they are going, and how they will spend the winter. On the field trips, we will visit some of the great waterbird migration spots in southern New England: Wachusett, Sudbury, and Quabbin Reservoirs; the lower Blackstone National Corridor, the Berkshire lakes, and Cape Ann. Join us as fall gives way to winter, the last of the leaves fall, the ponds begin to freeze, and we enjoy the spectacle of hundreds of waterbirds migrating through our ponds, lakes, and reservoirs. For birders of mid-advanced level. Participants should have excellent binoculars, a good spotting scope, and access to e-mail for updates about class trips are recommended. Field trips will take place on Sundays and participants will have to drive themselves. For Adults Cost: $60 Members / $75 Non-MembersTo register, call Broad Meadow Brook at 508-753-6087.
Sunday, October 7 (morning)
New Braintree and vicinity
Meet at the Winnimussett Meadows WMA
parking lot, Turnpike Rd, off Route 122,
in New Braintree at 7:00
Leader: Rodney Jenkins (508-757-5010)
Thursday, October 18 (evening)
Regular Meeting
Meet in Room 236, Haberlin Hall,
at Holy Cross College
College Street, in Worcester at 7:30
Speakers: Tom Pirro
Program: "E-Bird and Birding on the
World Wide Web"
Sunday, October 21 (morning)
Lake Quaboag and vicinity
Meet at Lake Quaboag parking lot,
on Shore Rd,
in Brookfield at 7:30
Leader: Rodney Jenkins (508-757-5010)
Sunday, October 28 (afternoon)
Wachusetts Reservoir and vicinity
Meet at corner of River Rd and Thomas St.
in West Boylston at 12:00
Leader: Fran McMenemy (508-755-3828)
The annual BIRDER'S TOUR OF THE COLLECTION OF THE WORCESTER ART MUSUEM will be SATURDAY OCTOBER 20 AT 2PM. Bring your European field guides and we will look at 4,000 years of birds in art, from Ancient Egypt to Modernism, from MesoAmerica to the Dutch Republic. Dress the part, bring your bins, or clomp around the galleries in wellies! This will be the easiest way to tick Purple Swamphen on your MA list TRUST ME. This is also one of the few trips in which I get to hand out the trip list BEFORE we start. What a lot of us do is bird some choice spot in Central MA (like Quabbin); for the morning and then head over to WAM for the tour. The musuem also has a nice place to have have lunch. Hope to see you there!Here are details and directions to the musuem. (submitted by Mark Lynch, teacher and docent at the Worcester Art Museum).
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4 AT 9:30PM ON WICN (90.5FM): At 9:30, Inquiry talks with JULIE ELLIS, PhD seabird ecologist from Tufts University and Program Director of SEANET, the Seabird Ecological Assessment Network. This is part of a nation-wide attempt to track large-scale mortality events of gulls, alcids, loons, grebes, ducks and gannets and through necropsy, see if a cause of death can be found. It is no exaggeration to say that SEANET is like a "CSI" for the ocean environment. By looking at dead seabirds, SEANET is learning about how birds and other marine animals are being affected by pollution, disease and invasives. This cutting edge and important research is also dependent on volunteers willing to walk Massachusetts�s beaches and look for dead seabirds.Here is a link to learn more about SEANET
WICN (90.5FM) is broadcast throughout central New England and is also
webcast throughout the world. To get WICN on your PC, go to:
www.wicn.org
and click on "Listen Online".
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
THIS SUNDAY NOVEMBER 25 ON WICN (90.5FM) beginning at 9PM: One of the most popular natural history books in the English language is Gilbert White's "The Natural History of Selbourne". This book is a fascinating account of White's meticulous observations of the plant and animal life in the small eighteenth-century village where he lived and served as curate. Though almost unknown in America, this book is considered the cornerstone of all environmental writing. Tonight, Inquiry speaks with ecology writer RICHARD MABEY about his definitive biography GILBERT WHITE. NEXT: What sage advice would the nation's expert birders give to novices? Minimize the khaki? Clean your binoculars? At 9:30 we talk with LISA WHITE, an editor at Houghton Mifflin. She has compiled a book titled GOOD BIRDERS DON'T WEAR WHITE: 50 TIPS FROM NORTH AMERICA'S TOP BIRDERS, and it's filled with useful information to help you better enjoy looking at the feathered tribes.
WICN (90.5FM) is broadcast throughout central New England and is also
webcast throughout the world. To get WICN on your PC, go to:
www.wicn.org
and click on "Listen Online".
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
1/8/2008 - 3/11/2008, 7:00 PM-9:00 PM
10 class sessions: January 8, 15, 22, 29,
February 5, 12, 19, 26
and March 4, 11
Fees: Mass Audubon Adult Members $100.00, Adult Non-members $120.00
Program Description: This 10-week class is the second of three sessions
covering birds in Massachusetts. We'll discuss identification of the species
in detail through the use of slides, field guides, and visits to various
locations around the state. The birds covered in the winter session will
include loons, grebes, owls, finches, gulls, and alcids.
(submitted by Kristin Steinmetz).