Archives

Great Backyard Bird Count Supports Nature-Based Learning

Let your interests in ornithology, local habitat, conservation, and citizen science take flight this year by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Category: Citizen Scientist, Hilltown Families, Nature Based Education Tags: Bird Watching, Birds, Great Backyard Bird Count, Native Species, Ornithology

February is National Bird Feeding Month

Category: Community Based Education, Hilltown Families, Nature Based Education Tags: bird feeding, Bird Watching, Birding, Birds, Citizen Science, National Bird Feeding Month, Native Species, Ornithology

Bird Language Connects Citizens to Their Habitat

Why do birds vocalize simple chirps sometimes while at other times they emit elaborate, melodious songs? “Bird language” is a term referring to the combined chirps, songs, and behaviors which allow birds to communicate with each other. Humans can study the sounds and behaviors of birds in order to gain an understanding of what they are communicating.

Category: Animals, Nature Based Education Tags: Birds, Nature Based Learning, Ornithology

Learn the Ways of Pollinators and then Support Them!

It’s been the summer of love for pollinators! We have been reminded how much we need these important and industrious little creatures. The Berkshire Museum BeMuse Program series is offering two upcoming events which are particularly intriguing and inviting for those of you who want to get to know your local pollinators and how you can help them along the way!

Category: Berkshire County, Berkshire Museum, Hilltown Families, Video Tags: bees, Birds, Butterflies, butterfly garden, educational talk, Insects, nature education, Pollinators

Let Them Grow: Backyard Bird Paradise Brings Toddlers Closer to Nature

Stimulate your toddlers’ instincts for nature by easily facilitating a bird paradise in your own backyard! This month in “Let Them Grow: Fresh Ways to Engage Toddlers in Creative Free Play,” Candice shares encouragement and tips on how to creatively feed native birds while feeding the natural curiosity of your toddler as they develop their relationship with nature.

Category: Candice Chouinard, Contributing Writer, Nature Based Education Tags: bird feeders, Birds, Nature, toddlers, woodpeckers

School Vacation Week is For the Birds!

Raptors to songbirds, school vacation week is an excellent time to learn about and support our fine feathered friends here in Western MA…

Call for Citizen Scientists: Mass Audubon Invites Public to “Focus on Feeders”

Mass Audubon invites public to “Focus on Feeders.” This annual midwinter backyard bird survey is a fun way for families to participate as citizen scientists!

Category: Citizen Scientist Tags: backyard bird feeder, Birds, Citizen Scientist, Focus on Feeders, Mass Audubon, Ornithology

Neighborhood Nestwatch Citizen Scientist Opportunity for Families in the Pioneer Valley

Citizen Scientists Wanted to Monitor Backyard Birds: Neighborhood Nestwatch Citizen Scientist Opportunity for Families in the Pioneer Valley Ever wonder if the robins nesting in your backyard are the same birds that nested there last year? If they were color banded then you would know. Amazingly, many birds nest in the same place year after year. By joining the Smithsonian’s Neighborhood Nestwatch Citizen Science project, you can help scientists answer important questions… Read More

Category: Citizen Scientist, Hampden County, Hampshire County, Video Tags: band birds, Bird Banding, Birds, citizen science project, Citizen Scientist, Citizen Scientists, Neighborhood Nestwatch, Ornithology, pioneer valley area, Smithsonian Institution, western massachusetts

Citizen Scientists Wanted for Mass Audubon Winter Bird Count

Focus on Feeders Mass Audubon Winter Bird Count February 2nd & 3rd, 2013 Does your family enjoy watching birds at your feeder during the winter? Backyard feeders provide a consistent, easily accessible source of food for a wide variety of bird species during the winter, and feeder-watching is a great way for families to learn about the many different species who live in their neighborhood. This weekend, Mass Audubon is offering a… Read More

Category: Citizen Scientist Tags: bird enthusiasts, Birds, Citizen Scientist, Environment, Mass Audubon, Nature, Ornithology, Science

Citizen Scientists Wanted for Annual Christmas Bird Count

Christmas Bird Count: An Annual Citizen Scientist 24 Hour Hunt for Bird Species Leslie Reed-Evans writes: Imagine standing at the edge of a frosty field on a chill December morning. Out of the corner of your eye you see an electric flash of blue- a male Eastern Bluebird flying to a wild rose bush to munch on its fruit1 – This is a scene played out all over New England, and indeed… Read More

Category: Citizen Scientist, Volunteer Opportunity Tags: Berkshires, Birds, Christmas Bird Count, Citizen Scientists, Environment, Mass Audubon Society, Nature, Ornithology, Pioneer Valley, Science, western massachusetts

Calling All Backyard Bird Feeders!

Citizen Scientists Wanted to Participate in Mass Audubon’s Focus on Feeders Weekend February 5th & 6th, 2011 Families in western MA are invited to take part in the Mass Audubon’s free annual Focus on Feeders Weekend. During the first weekend of February, take note of the diversity of bird species visiting your bird feeders. Kids will have fun identifying cardinals and blue jays as their bright colors enliven your backyard, and bird… Read More

Category: Science, Suggested Activity Tags: Birds, Citizen Scientists, Focus on Feeders Weekend, Mass Audubon, Massachusetts, Ornithology

111 Years of Counting

Citizen Science: Audubon Christmas Bird Count From December 14th, 2010 through January 5th, 2011, family volunteers throughout New England will bundle up and head out into the cold to participate as citizen scientists as part of the Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). 111 years ago, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count began when Frank Chapman, founder of the Audubon magazine, suggested an alternative to hunting birds and proposed that people “hunt” them… Read More

Category: Northampton, Springfield, Suggested Activity Tags: Audubon, Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Berkshires, Birding, Birds, Citizen Science, Hilltowns, Pioneer Valley, western massachusetts

Mass Audubon’s Annual Bird-a-thon: Where the Wild Things Are

Mass Audubon’s Annual Bird-a-thon Blends Birding Fun and Funds: May 14th-15th, 2010 On May 14th and 15th go where the wild things are with Mass Audubon’s Bird-a-thon. This fun annual event, for people of all abilities and ages, offers birders and nature enthusiasts the opportunity to participate in friendly competition while raising funds for Mass Audubon’s wildlife sanctuaries and programs. In fact, the Bird-a-thon pledges that you earn through your birding, or… Read More