With the spring equinox on the horizon, find your wings and migrate to us to connect with nature.

The cold, gray days of March will soon brighten and lead us to the season of renewal and growth. We’re feeling optimistic and hope you’ll join us in welcoming spring together.

Our next book club pick is a New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2019.
The Overstory is a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of – and paean to – the natural world. From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, Richard Powers’ twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. There is a world alongside ours—vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive, and almost invisible to us. This is the story of a handful of people who learn how to see that world and who are drawn up into its unfolding catastrophe.

This book is available to borrow from the Westchester Library System or is available to purchase across a variety of platforms in print, electronically and on audio.
Monday, March 8, 7:00pm. Registration required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713. A Zoom link will be emailed to participants in advance of the meeting.

What’s all that singing about?
With spring approaching, it’s the perfect time to think about why birds sing and how they learn their bird songs. Join us for a very special VIRTUAL Presentation: Learning Birdsong with Tom Stephenson that is sponsored by all five Westchester Audubon chapters – Bedford Audubon, Bronx Sound Shore Audubon, Central Westchester Audubon, Hudson River Audubon, and Saw Mill River Audubon.

It takes energy to sing. So why do most birds spend so much time vocalizing? In this information-packed online lecture, Tom will provide an overview of the different kinds of vocalizations that birds make, how they are acquired, and how the song-learning process unfolds. He’ll discuss why in early spring you might hear very odd songs from common species, and what that tells us about the singer. He’ll also cover how many different kinds of vocalizations one individual bird might make, what they may mean, and discuss species that sing only one song across the US compared with other species that have hundreds of different songs. Tom will then explore strategies to use when hearing a song we don’t recognize and why traditional field guides aren’t helpful. Finally, he’ll discuss general memorization theory and outline a simple and very effective technique for memorizing many bird songs.
Thursday, March 11, 7:00pm. Registration required through Eventbrite by CLICKING HERE. A Zoom link will be emailed to participants in advance of the meeting.

Flocks of these birds seem like “snowflakes” swirling through the air and settling on winter fields. Do you know what they are?
Snow Buntings! And there’s a chance we might see one (or more) at Naturalist Tait Johansson’s Field Trip to Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge/Black Dirt Region. We might also find Lapland Larkspur and will be in search of exciting spring migrants including Rusty Blackbird and Wood Duck, and large flocks of waterfowl that often contain hundreds of Northern Pintail and Green-winged Teal.
Saturday, March 13, 8:30am-2:00pm. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. This trip is full. To be added to the wait list, please email Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713.

Don’t miss our last walk of the winter season at a local hotspot!
Join Tait in marking the passing of the seasons and changing of birds on our monthly Third Thursday’s Bird Walk. It’s a great way to start the day whether you are an experienced birder to just starting out.
Thursday, March 18, 7:30-9:30am. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Space is limited and registration is required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713.

Believe it or not, this was the last guided walk we were able to provide before the pandemic shut-down last year.

We’re pleased that long-time Bedford Audubon member Paul Lewis will be leading this Nature Walk to Explore Vernal Pools again this year as it’s a favorite for adults and children alike. Vernal pools are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. Under Paul’s leadership, you’ll visit these hidden treasures deep in the forest and learn about the vital importance of these seasonal wetlands as spawning grounds for salamanders and other amphibians. Family friendly for children 10 years of age and older, must be accompanied by an adult.
Saturday, March 20, 1:00-3:00pm. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Space is limited and registration is required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713.

What’s on the menu for hungry pollinators?
Spring can be a challenging time for plants and pollinators alike. The weather is erratic, and hungry pollinators are emerging from hibernation to an uncertain food supply. Join Garden Director Mathew McDowell for a Virtual Workshop: Early Spring Plants for Pollinators as he explores early-blooming plants like native trees and spring ephemerals and their relationships to different insect pollinators. Learn what you can plant to help support bees early in the growing season and get them started on a productive new year.
Thursday, March 25, 6:00pm. Cost: Free. Registration required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713. A Zoom link will be emailed to participants in advance of the meeting.

Learn to identify birds in your backyard by offering a buffet on which they can feast!
Birds are super active in the springtime and a wide variety of species come home to nest. People often wonder which season is the best to feed birds – we say that any season works if you are feeding for your own enjoyment. But in the spring, birds can use some help when natural seed sources are depleted and much energy is needed during migration. Learn more with Naturalist Tait Johansson’s Virtual Workshop: Bird Feeding 101. You’ll see a “show + tell” on bird feeder styles, placement, and varieties of seed and suet that attract different bird species. After this workshop, you’ll have the knowledge to set out your feast and be entertained watching your feathered guests dig in!

Wednesday, March 31, 12:00pm. Cost: Free. Registration required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713. A Zoom link will be emailed to participants in advance of the meeting.