2011 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) 853-5021 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:
Ever since people have been writing about birds, poets, playwrights and natural historians have been trying to translate the songs and calls of birds into the English language. Sometimes if has been as simple as a zeet or as complex as the mnemonic a little bit of bread and no cheese. Tonight on Inquiry we talk with poet, writer and artist JOHN BEVIS about his wild new compendium AAAAW TO ZZZZZD: THE WORDS OF BIRDS. John also talks about whether bird song can be considered music and the invention of bird whistles, bird imitators and bird organs. If you have ever wondered about where the words like tweet came from, tune in! To listen to this interview on your PC or download it to your I-Pod, go to: http://wicn.org/audio/inquiry-john-bevis-aaaaw-to-zzzzzd-the-words-birds(submitted by Mark Lynch).
Birds of Prey
2/19/2011, 1:00 PM-2:30 PM
Fee: $5 Mass Audubon Adult Members, $7 Adult Non-members, $3 Child
Members, $5 Child Non-members.
Description: Hawks, owls, and eagles, OH MY!! Come see live birds of
prey and learn interesting facts from Tom Ricardi. Tom is a retired
environmental police officer who operates the Massachusetts Birds of
Prey Rehabilitation Center from his home in Conway, Massachusetts. As a
bird of prey rehabilitator, he works with hawks, owls and eagles and
gives informative live presentations with these threatened species. For
more information and to register, call 508.753.6087. Sponsored by Mass
Audubon at Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary.
Winter Ducks at Sachuest Point
2/19/2011, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Fee: $30 Mass Audubon Adult Members, $37 Adult Non-members
Description: Join us as we once again make a trip to the fantastic coast
of Rhode Island as we explore Sachuest Point NWR to look for harlequin
ducks, eiders, surf scoters, scaup bobbing in choppy, cold waters and
purple sandpipers crawling over the exposed rocks. Be prepared for
bitterly cold winds. Hey, it really is FUN. Bring your lunch. Dress in
layers for cold and windy weather. For more information and to register,
call 508.753.6087. Sponsored by Mass Audubon at Broad Meadow Brook
Wildlife Sanctuary.
Peregrines and Pediments
2/20/2011, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Fee: Free for Mass Audubon Adult Members, $5 Adult Non-members, Free for
Child Members, $3 Child Non-members.
Description: Come walk downtown Worcester and look skyward as we search
for peregrine falcons and the hidden architectural details of our city.
Learn about these amazing avian hunters and the buildings they call home
right in downtown. Warm up with hot cider afterwards at Preservation
Worcester. Instructors will be Susan Ceccacci, Architectural Historian
and Education Director, Preservation Worcester and Alex Dunn, Birder and
Natural History Guide. Meet at 10 Cedar Street, Worcester. Off-street
parking is available nearby. Free to members of Mass Audubon and
Preservation Worcester. For ages 6 and older. For more information and
to register, call 508.753.6087. Sponsored by Mass Audubon at Broad
Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary.
Winter Flights
2/20/2011, 2:00 PM-4:00 PM
Fee: $6 Mass Audubon Adult Members, $8 Adult Non-members, $4 Child
Members, $6 Child Non-members.
Description: We might not be able to zip away to Florida, but we can
find wonderful winter visitors in the fields around the Worcester
Airport. We will look for snow buntings, Lapland longspurs, horned
larks, pine siskins, grosbeaks, and raptors. Meet at the parking area
on Mulberry Street, Leicester, at the end of the runway. For ages 10 and
older. For more information and to register, call 508.753.6087.
Sponsored by Mass Audubon at Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary.
For more information about any of these Mass Audubon programs, contact
Kristin Steinmetz
Mass Audubon
Broad Meadow Brook
414 Massasoit Road
Worcester, MA 01604
508-753-6087
(submitted by Kristin Steinmetz).
Throughout the course of her life, the poet Emily Dickinson wrote 222 poems
that featured birds. Author, artist and birder JO MILES SCHUMAN and teacher
and poet JOANNA BAILEY HODGMAN have chosen a collection of their favorite
Dickinson bird poems and published them in a stunning volume that pairs
these poems with some of the great works of avian art from the 19th Century.
It is a project that was years in making. Tune in and learn about Dickinson's
life, her passion for birds, and hear both authors read a selection of
their favorite works. The book is titled A SPICING OF BIRDS: POEMS BY EMILY
DICKINSON WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY EARLY MASTERS OF BIRD ART.
To listen to this interview on your PC or download it, go to:
http://wicn.org/audio/inquiry-jo-miles-schuman-and-joanna-bailey-hodgman-a-s
picing-of-birds-poems-by-emily-dickinson
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
RICHARD CROSSLEY is an internationally acclaimed birder and photographer.
His new, monumental book THE CROSSLEY ID GUIDE is not a field guide, but
something quite revolutionary: a book to use as a study guide at home to
educate a person on how to look at birds as they appear in the field. Going
against the grain of what many people think an identification guide should
be, the focus in this book is not field marks, but teaching a person how to
look at birds both near and far, at rest and in flight. It looks like no
other natural history guide you have ever seen. Tune in and listen to
Crossley describe his mission to make everyone better birders and how he
goes about it.
To listen to this show, go to:
http://www.wicn.org/audio/inquiry-richard-crossley-the-crossley-id-guide
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
Tonight, Inquiry welcomes back prolific author, teacher, tour leader and
originator of the Kaufman Field Guide Series KENN KAUFMAN. His new book is a
wonderful study guide on how to improve your field skills as a birder.
Tonight Kenn talks about why looking at the common birds around us is
important; the pitfalls of expectation and desire, why it's a useful thing
to learn taxonomy and why the best birders always leave some birds
unidentified. Whether you are a person who is just starting out birding or
are a seasoned hardcore, be sure to listen to tonight's show. Kenn's new
book is titled THE KAUFMAN FIELD GUIDE TO ADVANCED BIRDING: UNDERSTANDING
WHAT YOU SEE AND HEAR.
To listen to this show, go to:
http://wicn.org/audio/inquiry-kenn-kaufman-the-kaufman-field-guide-to-advanced-birding
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
Birds are great barometers of an areas environmental degradation. When bird
populations are healthy and species diversity is high, you know you have
found a place with a variety of protected natural habitats. There are 10,000
species of birds in the world today. Alarmingly one in eight of those
species (c. 1240 species) are now threatened and a number of them are near
extinction. How have we come to this point? Tonight on Inquiry we speak with
writer, editor and natural historian MARTIN WALTERS. He has consulted with
BirdLife International to create a beautiful and serious book on the rare
birds of the world, where they are and how they came to be so rare: BIRD
WATCH: A SURVEY OF PLANET EARTH'S CHANGING ECOSYSTEMS.
To listen to this show, go to:
http://wicn.org/audio/inquiry-martin-walters-bird-watch
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
Every bird's nest is a wonderful example of non-human architecture. Imagine
trying to weave an intricate tight cup of moss, lichen and spider's webs
using only your mouth and sometimes your feet! Yet birds do this every
breeding season. Tonight on Inquiry, we welcome PETER GOODFELLOW, retired
English teacher and lifelong birder, who has written one of the most
beautiful books on the nests that birds create and how they build them:
AVIAN ARCHITECTURE: HOW BIRDS DESIGN, ENGINEER AND BUILD. From simple
scrapes in the ground, to monumental platforms high in trees, from enormous
mounds of sand to mind-boggling complex hanging woven baskets, birds create
structures of stunning complexity and variety. If you have ever marveled at
the nest of a robin or oriole, be sure to tune in.
To listen to this interview, go to:
http://www.wicn.org/podcasts/audio/peter-goodfellow-avian-architecture
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
There will be a memorial event
to mark the passing of one year since we've lost our friend and fellow
birder, Chris Ellison. Chris' friends, family and EQLT (East Quabbin Land
Trust) will be holding a
dedication on July 28th at 6:30
p.m.
at the site where a birding platform will be built upon one of
Chris' favorite places to bird, Mandell Hill in Hardwick.
From EQLT:
"Site dedication for the Chris Ellison Memorial Birding Platform, at
Mandell Hill, Barre Road, Hardwick.
We will be gathering at the site where a bird observation platform will be
constructed to encourage and inspire birders and nature enthusiasts to get
out and observe our surroundings. Chris Ellison loved to bird at Mandell
Hill (among other places!) and the platform will be located to take
advantage of the view over the Ware River valley and across the grasslands
on the
ridge. There will be an opportunity to share any thoughts and remembrances
of Chris on this one-year anniversary of his passing."
All are welcomed. Please feel free to contact myself or the East Quabbin
Land Trust for more information.
Chris Buelow - dryoptera@yahoo.com - Hardwick, MA
East Quabbin Land Trust - eqlt.org - chenshaw@eqlt.org - (413) 477-8229
Mandell Hill -
http://www.eastquabbinbirdclub.com/mandell_hill_hardwick_6.html or
http://www.eastquabbinbirdclub.com/mandell_hill_management_6.html
(submitted by Chris Buelow fide Alan Marble).
Inquiry welcomes journalist and birder MARK OBMASCIK. His gripping and
hilarious book THE BIG YEAR is a fast paced account of a crazy three-way
race between hardcore birders to see how many species they can spot in North
America in a year. This is a tale of obsession and competition unlike
anything non-birders are likely to be familiar with. The Big Year is now
also a major motion picture starring Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen
Wilson.
To listen to this show, go to:
http://www.wicn.org/podcasts/audio/mark-obmascik-big-year
(submitted by Mark Lynch).
Birds are important indicators of the health of an environment. Mass Audubon
has just published an important summary of what is known about the health of
bird populations in Massachusetts, what species are increasing, what species
are declining and what habitats are endangered. Tonight on Inquiry, we
welcome JOAN WALSH, Director of Bird Monitoring at Mass Audubon and one of
the authors of STATE OF THE BIRDS 2011: DOCUMENTATING CHANGES IN
MASSACHUSETTS BIRD LIFE. If you love natural history, are concerned about
the future of open space in the state and especially if you enjoy birds, be
sure to tune in. To obtain a PDF copy of this beautiful and important
report, go to:
http://www.massaudubon.org/StateoftheBirds
To listen to this program, go to:
http://www.wicn.org/podcasts/audio/joan-walsh-state-birds-2011
(submitted by Mark Lynch).