Spring is in the Air: April Environmental Education Events with Bedford Audubon

It’s still a little chilly, but the birds know spring is here! Join us for a walk, field trip and/or lecture this April to see what our feathered friends are up to!

Plants are for the birds!
We’re thrilled to welcome our own Elizabeth Stein as she presents Planting for Birds and Pollinators at our Monthly Lecture Series this month. Join us and learn how to incorporate natives into your gardens to attract more birds and pollinators. Simply swapping out exotics for native plants as often as possible is an excellent way to support birds and other wildlife. But if you want to take the next step in planting for wildlife, you need to design for them, and that can be done without having to abandon the principles that make gardens pleasing to people, as well. Liz’s lecture addresses the basics of designing and maintaining a beautiful garden that is alive with birdsong, buzzing, and butterflies. Wednesday, April 10, 7pm. Please join us for refreshments at 7:00 pm, lecture begins at 7:30pm. Katonah Village Library. Cost: Free. This is a free event made possible by the generosity of the members and donors of the Bedford Audubon Society.

What unique bird that is sometimes called a timberdoodle performs sky dancing as a courting ritual?  The American Woodcock!
Join Naturalist Tait Johansson for an amazing Bird Walk: Dance of the Woodcock at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation to see this extraordinary ritual, where the male American Woodcock “peents”, struts, hurls himself into the evening sky, and glides back down to the ground again, all in hopes of attracting a mate.  Thursday, April 11, 7:15-8:30pm. Meet in the parking area just before the toll booth and bring a flashlight or headlamp. Cost: Free. Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate. Please register with Susan Fisher at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914-302-9713.

Birds are the most visible wildlife around and are great indicators of a healthy environment. But do you know what’s really out there?
Get ready for spring migration by participating in our Birding 101 Workshop led by our award-winning Naturalist Tait Johansson.  This workshop focuses on identification by both sight and sound. It’s a great choice for beginning birders, as well as intermediate birders who want to refresh their skills before peak spring migration. The workshop will include some time in the classroom at Bylane Farm and in the field in our Leon Levy Native Garden and Hunt-Parker Sanctuary. Saturday, April 13, 9am-12noon. Cost for the workshop is $25 for members, $35 for non-members. Register with Susan Fisher at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Ready, set, GO… with us to a local birding hotspot before the leaves come out!
Join Naturalist Tait Johansson for our Third Thursdays Bird Walk on Maple Avenue in Katonah to check out the action this spring! This morning walk is perfect for before-work birding, or just to start the day engaging with nature. Third Thursdays is a monthly walk that marks the passing of the seasons and changing of birds, and there is always something amazing to see! Thursday, April 18, 7:30-9:30am. Meet at the dam. Cost: Free. Level of physical difficulty: Easy. Please let us know if you’d like to borrow binoculars. Please register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

What 200+ acre sanctuary is the home to Barred Owls, Wild Turkeys, Pileated Woodpeckers, Louisiana Waterthrush, and more?
Why, Bedford Audubon’s Franklin-Fel’s Sanctuary, of course! Join Naturalist Tait Johansson to look for signs of spring on Drew’s Walk, a Nature Hike that is in memory of Andrew Reynolds. Drew was a longtime friend, member, and supporter of Bedford Audubon, who marked and surveyed the trail system in Franklin-Fels Sanctuary. Tuesday, April 23, 9:00-11:30am. Depart Bylane at 8:30am or meet at the Sanctuary entrance on Lakeview Drive at 9am. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Moderate. Please register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914-302-9713.

The Eastern Hemlock is one of the best wildlife shelter trees in the US, and many birds depend on it for winter survival and nesting.
When you join Naturalist Tait Johansson on a Nature Hike at the William Clough Preserve in Brewster, you’ll walk through a mostly-hemlock forest! Putnam County’s Clough Preserve and Ice Pond area hold a nice variety of breeding birds, including Green Heron and Virginia Rail, and can be a nice spot for spring migrants. Thursday, April 25, 7:30-11:30am. Secure your spot now as this trip is limited to 10 registrants due to limited parking. Depart Bylane at 6:45am. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Moderate. Please register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914-302-9713.

March Madness is for basketball, but MIGRATION MADNESS is for the birds!
Naturalist Tait Johansson for Migration Madness on Maple Avenue in Katonah, a local hotspot, to find birds part of the first large-scale arrival of migrants from the tropics: spring warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles and many others possible.Tuesday, April 30, 7:00-9:00am. Meet at the dam. Cost: Free. Level of physical difficulty: Easy. Please let us know if you’d like to borrow binoculars. Please register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Photo Credit: Bluebirds at Bylane Farm taken by Amy Lyons.