Through the Window: May 2026

Rose-breasted Grosbeak male: a chunky songbird with a black head, a pinkish-read "bib-and-tie" and a white chest and belly. Her his perched on a branch facing the viewer, although his head is turned to his right. Other thin branches are visible, and a bright blue sky is behind him.
A Veery stands adjacent to a nest with pale blue eggs. The life-like woodcarving is a small mostly brown bird carved and painted by Bob Spear, as are the eggs. The nest is real. The green fern behind the bird is made of painted metal, but also looks real.
Veery, carved by Bob Spear, overlooking eggs

May is such a bursting month! Birds, birds, buds, buds. We’ve held our regular monthly monitoring walk, and our weekly Early Birder Morning walks, and of course been amazed but what we see and hear. Next year, we might hold the first two Early Birder walks at 7:30 or 8 am (it can be a little slow and chilly at 7); let us know what you think about that!

May Bird List

Continue reading “Through the Window: May 2026”

Museum Open for Great Backyard Bird Count

black-capped chickadee eyes black oil birdseed in the platform feeder in fall-winter

Visit us February 14th, 2026,  to see what birds we’re counting for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

  • Learn to ID birds — what do we look or listen for?
  • Go birding with a friend — twice the fun!
  • Find out more about and record observations for this great community science project.

We’re open from 10-4 on Saturday for the GBBC
Members admission: Free!

About the GBBC:

Friday – Monday,  February 13-16, 2026 • All Over the World

From the Great Backyard Bird Count website:

Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.

Since then, more than 100,000 people of all ages and walks of life have joined the four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds.

For more info visit Great Backyard Bird Count website

The Great Backyard Bird Count

A golden-crowned Kinglet in profile perches on a small branch, looking upward to the right. White lettering over the image says : How Many Birds Can You Find? 29th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count February 13-16, 2026 birdcount.org Golden-crowned Kinglet / Regulus satrapa Photo: Ashle Pichon / MAcaulay Library

Friday – Monday, February 13-16, 2026 • All Over the World

Whether you are with a friend or on your own, watching one bird or counting hundreds, join a worldwide community-science and conservation project! All you have to do is observe for 15 minutes and submit your observation(s). Here are few details from https://www.birdcount.org/participate/ :

Step 1 – Decide where you will watch birds. [Suggestion: at the Museum on Saturday!]

Step 2 – Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 13-16, 2026.

Step 3 – Count all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:

For more info visit https://www.birdcount.org/