where natural history meets art
Funny thing about our April bird list: two common species were not recorded (and one somewhat less frequently seen at from the viewing window, but definitely around). Does that mean they weren’t seen (and if so, where were they)? Or did they really busy themselves elsewhere in the woods?
Do you know which they were? the two I’m thinking of were recorded during our April Bird Monitoring Walk…
March is all about the this-way-and-that-way dance of winter, spring, and mud seasons. Watch for migrants returning and spring behaviors in, well, everyone. Two things we especially like:
The “Oh sweetie” song of the Black-capped Chickadee.
And those Mourning Dove males who keep getting distracted from eating—instead, they puff up and pace after the females, begging for their attention.
A few regular birds and a few less-frequently noticed ones. And surprising mammals. We even had some snow!
Hope you had a sweet and surprising month.
Happy New Year, everyone! We hope you’ll enjoy our short bird list from this month.
Stop in again and again; I’m confident our unseen blue jays will! And others…
It’s the end of 2022, and a pretty good year it’s been. We hope the same is true for you.
Thank you for following us, supporting us, and being part of the museum community.
Enjoy the brief list of this month’s birds, consider donating to our annual appeal, and keep on birding!
Happy New Year!
Many birders—and artists—have a “spark” moment that fueled a lifelong love of birds and birding and took them in unexpected directions. What’s your spark story? How did you start combining birds, birding, art, and science in your art? Does it show in your work? Continue reading “Call to Artists: Spark!”
Did you know that children make up about a third of the Museum’s visitors each year? They visit with parents, grandparents, camps, schools, and on special outings with friends. Their energy and enthusiasm are exciting and uplifting: some already have a favorite bird they want to see, others are excited to recognize birds they already know, and most are surprised the birds are not real—but really made of wood!
Donors and their gifts make sure that the museum reaches children. Continue reading “A museum for all ages: 2022 Annual Appeal”
Welcome to the first month of our by-appointment season! It’s sometimes extra quiet around here as we work to catch up on reports, projects, and prepare for our annual appeal.
And Feederwatch began! We have some volunteers who are wonderfully dedicated to helping the Museum participate in this community science program, so thank you Michele, Megan and Debbie!
This year again we offered both “virtual (self-timed)” racing option and “in-person race day” option. People could run or walk, as they chose.
We had 31 people register, 8 of whom chose the “self-timed” option (not all of them submitted their times to us; that’s fine too). Based on what we saw from the museum, more than 8 people ran in the two weeks open for that option.
We did combine the results in the table below. Let me just say that we staff are totally impressed with every runner and walker. All of you inspire us with your determination! Continue reading “Results for Race Around Birds 2022”
October is glorious! We started the month with the Dead Creek Wildlife festival, continued birding during the Big Sit!, admired pollinators on fall flowers like asters, explored and documented plants for the phenology project, and welcomed campers visiting through the Harvest Host program. We spent some time working on the Retreat, which we hope to open to overnighters sometime in the next year.
Of course, we have to sit down by the Viewing Window and just watch birds to recover from all of this.