The Impact of Rodenticides on Wildlife - Wednesday September 10th 7:00 PM Zoom only
Da...@dhsmall.net
Athol Bird & Nature Club
Field Trips & Meetings 2025
http://www.atholbirdclub.org
Note: September calendar error resolution is explained at the bottom of this email
Stay tuned for a new look to the email updates. “MailChimp” is coming!
Field Trips in Brown Text – Indoor Meetings in Black Text
Wednesday 7:00 pm September 10th, The Impact of Rodenticides on Wildlife in New England. Register for Zoom event A zoom only presentation with Stephanie Ellis and Laura Kiesel. Hawks, owls, eagles, foxes and other predators are highly 
effective at keeping rodent populations in check and ecosystems in balance. But the increased use of rodenticides, particularly second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, poses a growing threat to wildlife. These highly toxic and persistent pesticides are having a wide-ranging impact on predator and prey species in both urban and rural environments, sickening and killing non target species and becoming widespread in the wildlife food web. Several states have introduced legislation to restrict or ban anticoagulant rodenticides, and some municipalities in Massachusetts have successfully worked to pass regulations restricting or prohibiting their use. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VAUepEbJREmvX4Ycp2AMjQ Follow link to register.
Stephanie Ellis, wildlife rehabilitator and Director of Wild Care, Inc. in Eastham, and Laura Kiesel, journalist and founder of Save Arlington Wildlife and the nonprofit Save Massachusetts Wildlife, will lead a discussion around the reasons behind the rise of the use of anticoagulant rodenticides, how they are impacting wildlife, and how citizens can advocate for safer and more effective alternatives to rodent poisons in their communities.
Fridays September 12, 19, 26, and October 3, 10, @ 7:30 am - Early 
Bird Birding with Jeff Johnstone. Join Jeff Johnstone here at the Center (100 Main St, Athol) before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for fall migrant birds. These are great events for the novice birder to learn from one of our best field naturalists. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Call to reserve your spot: Jeff Johnstone, 978-249-9052.
September 19th, 2025, 9:30 am The North Central Mass. Nature Journal collaborative - to look at Tully Lake. We will park on Doanes fall road. Please rsvp Trina at thewa...@gardnerale.com if you want to join us in case of schedule change due to weather.
Membership Renewal Time
It’s that time of year again when the Athol Bird and Nature Club asks you to please consider renewing your membership that helps us to enhance the appreciation of natural history in the Athol/North Quabbin/Mount Grace region, and to provide activities, including field trips and programs, in natural history observation, management, and conservation. Your membership also supports the Millers River Environmental Center.
Our fiscal year will be moving to the calendar year beginning January 1, 2026,
so renewed memberships will be valid until December 31, 2026.
Click on this link to renew and pay online or to print a membership renewal form and mail us a check: RENEW HERE
Our event notifications are delivered via email and are also available any time on our website www.atholbirdclub.org .
We very much appreciate your past support and we hope to see you at one of our many upcoming events.
DCR Less and Terry Campbell Quabbin Visitor Center
Thursday September 25, 2025, 10am-12pm Restoring Barrens Habitat at Gate 31
QuabbinVis...@mass.gov for more information. Meet at Quabbin Fishing Are 2 parking lot
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gE7FzBUiQmaDcFCw6. The road to the popular DCR fishing area at Gate 31 in New Salem looks a little different this year due to an ongoing, multi-step project that seeks to restore and protect a globally rare Barrens habitat and the many, many species that depend on it. Find out more in this educational walk on how DWSP is using silviculture and prescribed fire to restore fire dependent communities to achieve our diversity goals on the landscape. Trail and portapotties are relatively accessible. Please call 413-323-7221 or email QuabbinVis...@mass.gov for more information. Register here: Explore Watershed Forestry-Restoring Barrens Habitats Thursday September 25, 2025 10am-12pm
Sunday October 5, 2025, 1:30 pm Enjoy the beautiful month of October with Linda and Ernie Leblanc at the 
New England Equestrian Center. We will be walking the Elwin Bacon Trail, a 1.2-mile loop through the park's several habitats including forest, meadow, early successional field, and vernal type pond. The Witch Hazel is blooming, the Hobblebush carries ripening berries, and the Wood Frogs are underfoot. The trees will still have leaves, so Ernie will be scanning for birds! This beautiful trail has one spot with rougher terrain, so wear good walking shoes. Bring a water bottle, wear a hat for the sun and bring bug spray just in case. Please meet in the park's clearly labeled Trailer Parking Lot at 1:30 P.M. 802 New Sherborn Rd, Athol, MA 01331 The walk will last about two hours.
News from the Cornell Ornithological Lab:
The fall bird migration is underway. Use Cornell's "Migration Dashboard" to see what's happening in your area.
We love our Garlic and Arts volunteers.
We hope you will join us once again on September 27th and 28th in 2025 to work with the Organizers on the field. Sign up to volunteer as an individual or a team.
2025 ABNC Calendar Error
As previously communicated, an error was identified on two pages of the 2025 ABNC calendar. The starting day for August was shown as occurring on Saturday, when it should have been Friday. The starting day for September was shown as occurring on Tuesday when it should have been Monday.
There are several options for correcting this mistake:
- Request corrected sheets with an adhesive back peel-off cover for each of the two months. Complete the request on the ABNC website, including your mailing address and the number of calendars you are amending. The sheets will be sent to this address free of charge.
- PDF copies of the corrected months are available on the ABNC website. Simply download the corrected months, print, and either tape or glue the PDF copies over the impacted months. If you would like to have the PDF copies sent to your mailing address, please complete the request on the ABNC website, including your mailing address and the number of calendars you are amending. The sheets will be sent to this address free of charge.
- You can simply make a notation on the impacted months indicating the change in the starting date.
Use this link to request corrected pages - ABNC Calendar Revision - Athol Bird & Nature Club
We regret this error and appreciate your continued support when purchasing this unique calendar.
Dave Small
978-413-1772
Athol Bird and Nature Club
Millers River Environmental Center
100 Main Street, Athol Ma 01331
The Environmental Center is now open by appointment and available for use by our partners
