SNOW What Fun! December Programs

Let’s talk crows and other creatures…
Join the Bylane Book Club discussion of Margaret Renkl’s The Comfort of Crows – “A howling love letter to the world” (Ann Patchett), a New York Times bestseller, and Reese’s Book Club pick #100! In this book, Renkl, a New York Times opinion writer and bestselling author, presents a literary devotional: fifty-two chapters that follow the creatures and plants in her backyard over the course of a year. With fifty-two original color artworks by Billy Renkl, the author’s brother, The Comfort of Crows is a lovely and deeply moving book from a beloved writer. We will meet at Bylane and enjoy a seasonal get-together with some shared drinks and nibbles. Melanie will bring along suggestions for the 2025 book club picks so the group can decide together what to read in the year ahead.
Monday, December 2, 6:30pm. Cost: Free. Please email Susan to register.

Get outside for some post-Thanksgiving birding!
Our December visit to Deans Bridge in Somers will complete the annual cycle of tracking the changing seasons through the numbers and bird species we see in the different habitats on this walk: water, wetland, grassland, and woodland areas. Join Naturalist Tait Johansson for our First Wednesday’s Bird Walk where we’ll be hoping for sightings of Gadwall and other waterfowl, Red-shouldered Hawk, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Swamp Sparrow.
Wednesday, December 4, 7:30-9:30am. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Moderate
(due to a steep incline on the trail). Please email Susan to register.

Wildlife lives outside year-round, so let’s keep their habitat up-to-snuff.
Naturalist and Board Member Steve Ricker will provide tips to discern native plants from invasives when you volunteer with him at our monthly Habitat Renewal Day! This vital restoration work enhances the quality of the rare habitat that surrounds Bylane Farm and supports birds and other wildlife. Various projects are underway, and work may include transplanting native plants, removing invasive vines, and rescuing native habitats from other invasive species. Steve will also be happy to answer questions throughout the session. Tools and gloves will be provided, or you can bring your own (loppers and hand pruners are the most used tools). Plants with thorns, and poison ivy may be present. 
Saturday, December 7, 11:00am-12:30pm. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy-moderate. Please email Susan to register.

Great Horned Owls can swivel their heads more than 180% in any direction; on the flip side, their eyes are fixed in their sockets and don’t move.
Join us for a Field Trip to Edith Read Sanctuary and the Marshlands Conservancy, two Important Bird Areas (IBA) that together boast a mix of forest, meadow, fresh water, salt marsh, and shore habitats for us to explore! Naturalist Tait Johansson will lead the way as we look out for possible sightings of Greater and Lesser Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Red-throated and Common Loons, Fox Sparrow, and yes… Great Horned Owl.
Wednesday, December 11, 8:30am-12:00pm. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy-Moderate. Please email Susan to register.

Don’t miss our last bird walk of 2024!
Join Naturalist Tait Johansson for his Third Thursday’s Bird Walk, an easy local walk in the Cross River Reservoir area of Katonah. As the last walk of the year, it’s sure to be popular!  We hope to spy wintering waterfowl such as Common Mergansers on the reservoir, Common Ravens, some lingering songbirds like Hermit Thrush or Eastern Towhee, and possibly a Bald Eagle.
Thursday, December 19, 7:30-9:30am. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Please email Susan to register.

Consider winter’s shorter days as nature’s invitation to slow down and take care of yourself…
The solstice is a time when the sun stands still, offering time for reflection of the past and starting to focus on new ideas and inspirations for the new year. Join local ANFT certified Forest Therapy Guide Catherine Downs for Winter Solstice Forest Bathing, an immersive experience that focuses attention on the senses in relation to the natural world. Based on the Japanese philosophy of Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku), Catherine will guide the group through a series of invitations to allow the possibility to slow down, drop into the body, and find balance and harmony within the natural world. We’ll share a meditation to help boost our inner light, take a slow, quiet walk together, and when prompted, explore our own private experience, then come together to share over tea and snacks. The goal is to observe nature, soak up the botanical properties of the flora and fauna, listen to the birds, relax our minds, and come into alignment with the environment around us. This practice can help to calm the nervous system, reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure and heart rate. This is NOT an exercise walk – please wear extra layers as we will not generate heat through movement.
Thursday, December 19, 3:00-5:00pm. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy-Moderate (depending on the location of the walk). Please email Susan to register.

It’s Christmas Bird Count time!
The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running community science bird project in the U.S. This early-winter bird census is a National Audubon Society community science program that relies on volunteers across the Western Hemisphere to count birds during a 24-hour period on one calendar day. There are three local Counts in our area, each organized by a compiler who assigns volunteers to specific routes through a 15-mile diameter circle. New or experienced birders will be paired with more experienced people, and everyone is sure to have fun! If you want to participate, email the compiler for the Count you’d like to join:

• Saturday, December 14 – Peekskill, NY.
  Compiler: Sean Camillieri  scamillieri@gmail.com
• Sunday, December 15 – Greenwich-Stamford, CT.
  Compiler: Cynthia Ehlinger – 
• Saturday, December 28 – Putnam County, NY.
  Compiler: Kyle Bardwell  ktbardwell@gmail.com

Click here to learn more about Christmas Bird Count.