Events update
Dave Small
Athol Bird & Nature Club
Field Trips & Meetings 2013
Unless otherwise noted, programs meet at
the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street, Athol.
If weather is questionable on a field trip day,
please call the trip leader at least an hour before the scheduled meeting time.
Scroll down for more special events around the region
Our website has been upgraded and is now live. www.atholbirdclub.org is our new address our old address at millersriver.net will auto direct you to the new site for now but you should update your browser to point to the new address. Please let us know what you think. There are a few edits needed as we moved the entire old site to our new server. Not everything is yet visible but our archives section has many interesting pages from the last couple decades…. We are hoping the new format will allow speedy updates, Facebook interface, and options for more member input and sharing of images. Many thanks to Gwen Pearson who did the heavy lifting and your entire board for spending the time to make this work. We will be eternally grateful to Bruce (Pan) Wilson for many years of managing our web presence. His support plus technical and artistic talent has been invaluable.
Sunday, March 24, 7 a.m. South Shore Land and Water
Meet Ernie LeBlanc here at the Center to carpool to the South Shore. Itinerary will depend on local intelligence and includes the Cumberland Farms area, lakes and land around the South Shore, and coastal areas. We should get a good number of waterfowl, some leftover winter birds, and some early migrants. Info: Ernie at 978-249-4064 or lebr...@aol.com.
Sunday, April 7, 7 a.m. “Early Bird” Birding with Jeff
Join Jeff here at the Center before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for spring migrant birds. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Info: Jeff Johnstone, 978-249-9052.
Tuesday, April 9, 8-10 a.m. Accessible Birding with Joe
Join Joe Superchi on the second Tuesday of the month in a search for birds at local sites. Open to birders of all abilities. Meet at the Center. Call ahead for wheelchair van access, 978-248-9491.
<<>>Wednesday, April 10, 7 p.m. Naturally Curious
Join us here at the Center for our regular meeting, when naturalist/photographer Mary Holland will share her passion for the flora, fauna, and landscapes of New England with a presentation and display of her natural artifacts collection. Holland is the author of Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England, copies of which will be available for purchase.
Sunday, April 14, 7 a.m. “Early Bird” Birding with Jeff
Join Jeff here at the Center before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for spring migrant birds. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Info: Jeff Johnstone, 978-249-9052.
Monday, April 15. 6 p.m. Potluck & Skydance
We will join our MREC partners, the North Quabbin Trails Association, for their monthly pot luck supper here at the Center followed by a visit to Cass Meadow at sunset to witness the mating ritual of the woodcock. Bring a dish to share and your own drink. Info: Bob Curley, atph...@yahoo.com.
Sunday, April 21, 7 a.m. “Early Bird” Birding with Jeff
Join Jeff here at the Center before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for spring migrant birds. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Info: Jeff Johnstone, 978-249-9052.
Saturday, April 27, 6 a.m. Warblers at Mount Auburn
Visit this beautiful historic cemetery, a famous spring hotspot for migrating songbirds. Meet at the Center for carpooling at 6 a.m. or let us know if you wish to meet us at the gate of the cemetery at 7:30 a.m. If time allows, we’ll also visit the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Bring snacks or a lunch, and water. Info: Joan or Larry Duprey, 978-249-4964.
Sunday, April 28, 7 a.m. “Early Bird” Birding with Jeff
Join Jeff here at the Center before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for spring migrant birds. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Info: Jeff
Tuesday March 26 at 7:30 pm, “Beavers and the Law”
the Warwick Conservation Commission is sponsoring this talk at the Warwick Town Hall.
Come learn about the biology and ecology of beavers in Massachusetts. We will also discuss the legal management options for homeowners and towns regarding damage caused by beavers in this state, and hopefully prevent conflicts! The presentation will be by Trina Moruzzi, a wildlife biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. She has a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and an M.S. in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has spent the last 12 years with the Division assisting on a number of different projects from waterfowl banding to black bear capture and radio telemetry, overseeing the deer hunt for paraplegic sportsmen, as well as providing outreach to communities on wildlife related issues. Please spread the word to people in other towns too! Warwick isn't the only town who has had some beaver issues. The presentation is open to the public. Questions or directions? I can be reached at karro...@gmail.com or call my cell phone at 978-633-9452 (local call) and leave me a message.
Karro Frost, Chair
Warwick Conservation Commission
Petersham Craft Center
Award winning photographer, Gail Hansche Godin, will visit the Petersham Art Center for a two-part program on using creative digital photoshopping techniques. The classes will be held on Saturday, April 13, and Saturday, April 20, from 9AM-12 Noon. The Photoshop Elements program will be the basis of the instruction, but the ideas reviewed would be useful for anyone. Beginning to experienced photographers will benefit from the class to learn how to create any imaginable work, from funny and whimsical to the classically beautiful.
Gail will begin the first part of the program by demonstrating image enhancement by adjusting lighting, color and clarity. She will discuss the use of proper work flow and how to use short cuts to speed up the work. Function of tools, using layers, burning (darkening) and dodging (lightening) areas of a photo, removing unwanted areas of a photo, cloning from one image to another (adding images), filters, and converting to black and white will be some of the discussion points. For the second day of the program, participants come back to the class with questions from practicing assignments from the first program.
The classes will be tailored to the level and needs of each individual participant.
Gail is a well-regarded teacher and artist who has won numerous awards in international photography competitions. She has had her photographs published in National Wildlife, Massachusetts Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy and Massachusetts Audubon Connections magazines. She is especially passionate about advocating for preservation of our wildlife treasures and natural heritage through photographic art.
The two-part class is $30 for members and $45 for nonmembers. There are no computers provided but the instructor will demonstrate on her own computer, or participants may bring their own computers. Call the Petersham Art Center at 978-724-3415 to register or for more information. The Art Center is located at 8 North St, just off Rt. 32, near the Petersham Common.
MassWildlife News
Commonwealth of Massachusetts – Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
Wayne F. MacCallum, Director
Phone: (508) 389-6300, Fax: (508) 389-7890, Email: Mass.W...@state.ma.us
Visit our Website! www.mass.gov/masswildlife
NEW SPRING EAGLE COUNT IN EARLY APRIL
Eagle and other wildlife enthusiasts are asked to save April 5, 2013 to participate in a new statewide spring eagle count. This effort will include a concentrated survey of the major rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across the Commonwealth. Organized by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) the survey will be conducted by agency staff and volunteers. Teams will be checking known eagle territories and exploring areas with potential eagle habitat to try to locate “new” eagle nests. If inclement weather prevents the survey on April 5, the backup date is April 12, 2013. Additionally, the Division encourages anyone to submit eagle sightings throughout the year by email to natural....@state.ma.usor by postal service to “Eagle Survey”, MassWildlife, Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, 100 Hartwell Street, Suite 230, West Boylston, MA 01583.
The new spring Bald Eagle Survey will replace the Division’s long-standing Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey. “Although MassWildlife has participated in the winter eagle surveys for over 30 years, the federally administered Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey was designed to monitor the North American population of Bald Eagles,” said Andrew Vitz, State Ornithologist. “Now that Bald Eagle numbers have greatly increased and have been removed from the Federal Endangered Species List, the need to monitor nationwide populations has been reduced. At the same time, as the number of eagles has increased across the Commonwealth and a spring eagle count meets the Division’s need to more closely monitor eagle breeding status and distribution in Massachusetts.”
Programs at the Quabbin Visitor Center
Sunday, March 24, 2-3pm DCR and Anglers : working together to Protect Quabbin’s Water Supply and Fisheries
In 2010 DCR Quabbin instituted a boat seal program for private boats entering the Quabbin to protect the reservoir against the threat of aquatic invasives. Join DCR Aquatic Biologist Paula Packard as she discusses the outcome of this program, results of pond surveys and the serious threat from Spiny water flea and other new invasives on the horizons Belchertown - The DCR Quabbin Visitor Center will host several free presentations in the coming months. All ages are welcome. Reservations suggested. Please call (413) 323-7221 for more information.
American Chestnut Foundation (ACF) and restoration program
being introduced/led by the ERS staff and students
Date: April 20th, 2013
Time: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Cost: FREE
Taught by: Vice President of the ACF MA/RI Chapter; Lois Breault-Melican
This class is introducing the ERS's new involvement of preserving New England's lost species of the American Chestnut. Due to a major airborne fungal blight the American Chestnut has dropped population to a point where there is very few trees that even come to fruition. This will be explained in detail at the talk. The ERS is receiving some trees to aid in this cause and will be planted on this day and monitored thereafter by Daniel Larrabee and his team. You may visit their website for more information: http://masschestnut.org/index.php. Matt Waldrip (See Class Below: Delineating Wetland Species) will briefly discuss the characteristics that make up wetlands and the values they provide to society (e.g. 8 interests of the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act). We will follow up with discussing on how human development and landscape alteration have led to wetland degradation and in turn has had a direct influence on the values wetlands provided for people and wildlife. We are hoping to have a talk concerning the Emerald Ash Borer and the Japanese Longhorn Beetle and hopefully a discussion about invasive plant and endangered and threatened species. We will keep you posted. All are welcome to participate in the assistance of protecting our native trees and plants. We will be having a much larger class than normal, but space is still limited. A free 2013 membership for all attending.
From our friends at Blue Crow Botanicals
10 Essential Herbs For A Healthy Life
Learn 10 or a few more essential herbs to strengthen, restore and harmonize the body and mind.
April 6 1-4 pm $50 147 Main Road Gill, MA
Call or email for more info or to pre-register 413.768.9253 or bluecrowb...@gmail.com and
With Bonnie Bloom, Clinical Herbalist
Basic 4 Month Herb Study Course
Learn how to identify medicinal plants in the wild and also to grow them and make medicine with them. Study the systems of the body and the pathology that arises and how herbs can help.
Class meets 8 times March 24 – mid July. $775
Call or email for more info or to pre-register 413.768.9253 or bluecrowb...@gmail.com and
With Bonnie Bloom, Clinical Herbalist
Dave Small
president
Athol Bird and Nature Club
Millers River Environmental Center
100 Main Street Athol Ma 01331
Dave Small
Athol Bird & Nature Club
Field Trips & Meetings 2013
Unless otherwise noted, programs meet at
the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street, Athol.
If weather is questionable on a field trip day,
please call the trip leader at least an hour before the scheduled meeting time.
Scroll down for more special events around the region
Special Fundraising announcement: The Blind Pig, 98 Exchange Street in Athol, Has pledged to donate to the Athol Bird and Nature Club .25 cents for every glass of "Athol Ale" served in March and April. So if you're in town, have a great sandwich or other delicious meal add a cool glass of Athol Ale and help support our club.
A special thanks to the North Quabbin Trails Association for the many hours of hard work in making our Center look great! We look forward to collaborating the NQTA, North Quabbin Garden Club and the Millers River Watershed Council on projects and displays to make the Center a real destination in the North Quabbin.
Sunday, April 7, 7 a.m. “Early Bird” Birding with Jeff
Join Jeff here at the Center before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for spring migrant birds. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Info: Jeff Johnstone, 978-249-9052.
Tuesday, April 9, 8-10 a.m. Accessible Birding with Joe
Join Joe Superchi on the second Tuesday of the month in a search for birds at local sites. Open to birders of all abilities. Meet at the Center. Call ahead for wheelchair van access, 978-248-9491.
<<>>Wednesday, April 10, 7 p.m. Naturally Curious
Join us here at the Center for our regular meeting, when naturalist/photographer Mary Holland will share her passion for the flora, fauna, and landscapes of New England with a presentation and display of her natural artifacts collection. Holland is the author of Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England, copies of which will be available for purchase.
Sunday, April 14, 7 a.m. “Early Bird” Birding with Jeff
Join Jeff here at the Center before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for spring migrant birds. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Info: Jeff Johnstone, 978-249-9052.
Monday, April 15. 6 p.m. Potluck & Skydance
We will join our MREC partners, the North Quabbin Trails Association, for their monthly pot luck supper here at the Center followed by a visit to Cass Meadow at sunset to witness the mating ritual of the woodcock. Bring a dish to share and your own drink. Info: Bob Curley, atph...@yahoo.com.
Sunday, April 21, 7 a.m. “Early Bird” Birding with Jeff
Join Jeff here at the Center before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for spring migrant birds. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Info: Jeff Johnstone, 978-249-9052.
Saturday, April 27, 6 a.m. Warblers at Mount Auburn
Visit this beautiful historic cemetery, a famous spring hotspot for migrating songbirds. Meet at the Center for carpooling at 6 a.m. or let us know if you wish to meet us at the gate of the cemetery at 7:30 a.m. If time allows, we’ll also visit the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Bring snacks or a lunch, and water. Info: Joan or Larry Duprey, 978-249-4964.
Sunday, April 28, 7 a.m. “Early Bird” Birding with Jeff
Join Jeff here at the Center before heading out to explore the North Quabbin area for spring migrant birds. Come for as long as your schedule allows. Severe weather cancels. Info: Jeff
Thursday April 4th Native Bees and Pollinators with Tom Sullivan
Orange Innovation Center – 131 West Main Street, Orange
Native Bee expert Tom Sullivan will speak about the importance of native bees and other pollinators in sustaining our agricultural and natural systems. He will discuss native bee habitat needs, including forage and nesting requirements, the threats they face, and human practices that can ensure they survive and potentially thrive. Tom will give you the tools and the inspiration to help increase native bee population so that we can rely on them to pollinate flowering plants. This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP with Willa Caughey at outreach_...@mountgrace.org or at (978) 248-2055 x24.
MassWildlife News
Commonwealth of Massachusetts – Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
Wayne F. MacCallum, Director
Phone: (508) 389-6300, Fax: (508) 389-7890, Email: Mass.W...@state.ma.us
Visit our Website! www.mass.gov/masswildlife
NEW SPRING EAGLE COUNT IN EARLY APRIL
Eagle and other wildlife enthusiasts are asked to save April 5, 2013 to participate in a new statewide spring eagle count. This effort will include a concentrated survey of the major rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across the Commonwealth. Organized by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) the survey will be conducted by agency staff and volunteers. Teams will be checking known eagle territories and exploring areas with potential eagle habitat to try to locate “new” eagle nests. If inclement weather prevents the survey on April 5, the backup date is April 12, 2013. Additionally, the Division encourages anyone to submit eagle sightings throughout the year by email to natural....@state.ma.usor by postal service to “Eagle Survey”, MassWildlife, Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, 100 Hartwell Street, Suite 230, West Boylston, MA 01583.
The new spring Bald Eagle Survey will replace the Division’s long-standing Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey. “Although MassWildlife has participated in the winter eagle surveys for over 30 years, the federally administered Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey was designed to monitor the North American population of Bald Eagles,” said Andrew Vitz, State Ornithologist. “Now that Bald Eagle numbers have greatly increased and have been removed from the Federal Endangered Species List, the need to monitor nationwide populations has been reduced. At the same time, as the number of eagles has increased across the Commonwealth and a spring eagle count meets the Division’s need to more closely monitor eagle breeding status and distribution in Massachusetts.”
Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary
30 Peck Road
Monson, Massachusetts 01057
Phone / Fax:(413) 267-9654
Vernal Pools for Educators
Saturday, April 6, 2013
9:00am – 2:00pm
This workshop is for teachers who are interested in bringing vernal pool studies into their classrooms. You don’t have to be a science teacher!
In this workshop we will learn about the ecology of a vernal pool and how to identify the animals and plants that you will find in them, including a diverse array of invertebrates . You will discover a variety of interdisciplinary activities which tie vernal pool studies to State Frameworks and learn the locations of vernal pools in your community so you and your class can study them. We will even take a short walk to see a vernal pool at the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary (weather permitting).
Workshop Leaders: Leo Kenney (Vernal Pool Association) and Matt Burne (Walden Woods Project).
Workshop is free, lunch is included and space is limited! To reserve your place, e-mail Jennifer at oh...@norcrossws.org
Petersham Craft Center
Award winning photographer, Gail Hansche Godin, will visit the Petersham Art Center for a two-part program on using creative digital photo-shopping techniques. The classes will be held on Saturday, April 13, and Saturday, April 20, from 9AM-12 Noon. The Photoshop Elements program will be the basis of the instruction, but the ideas reviewed would be useful for anyone. Beginning to experienced photographers will benefit from the class to learn how to create any imaginable work, from funny and whimsical to the classically beautiful.
Gail will begin the first part of the program by demonstrating image enhancement by adjusting lighting, color and clarity. She will discuss the use of proper work flow and how to use short cuts to speed up the work. Function of tools, using layers, burning (darkening) and dodging (lightening) areas of a photo, removing unwanted areas of a photo, cloning from one image to another (adding images), filters, and converting to black and white will be some of the discussion points. For the second day of the program, participants come back to the class with questions from practicing assignments from the first program.
The classes will be tailored to the level and needs of each individual participant.
Gail is a well-regarded teacher and artist who has won numerous awards in international photography competitions. She has had her photographs published in National Wildlife, Massachusetts Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy and Massachusetts Audubon Connections magazines. She is especially passionate about advocating for preservation of our wildlife treasures and natural heritage through photographic art.
The two-part class is $30 for members and $45 for nonmembers. There are no computers provided but the instructor will demonstrate on her own computer, or participants may bring their own computers. Call the Petersham Art Center at 978-724-3415 to register or for more information. The Art Center is located at 8 North St, just off Rt. 32, near the Petersham Common.
American Chestnut Foundation (ACF) and restoration program
being introduced/led by the ERS staff and students
Date: April 20th, 2013
Time: 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Cost: FREE
Taught by: Vice President of the ACF MA/RI Chapter; Lois Breault-Melican
This class is introducing the ERS's new involvement of preserving New England's lost species of the American Chestnut. Due to a major airborne fungal blight the American Chestnut has dropped population to a point where there is very few trees that even come to fruition. This will be explained in detail at the talk. The ERS is receiving some trees to aid in this cause and will be planted on this day and monitored thereafter by Daniel Larrabee and his team. You may visit their website for more information: http://masschestnut.org/index.php. Matt Waldrip (See Class Below: Delineating Wetland Species) will briefly discuss the characteristics that make up wetlands and the values they provide to society (e.g. 8 interests of the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act). We will follow up with discussing on how human development and landscape alteration have led to wetland degradation and in turn has had a direct influence on the values wetlands provided for people and wildlife. We are hoping to have a talk concerning the Emerald Ash Borer and the Japanese Longhorn Beetle and hopefully a discussion about invasive plant and endangered and threatened species. We will keep you posted. All are welcome to participate in the assistance of protecting our native trees and plants. We will be having a much larger class than normal, but space is still limited. A free 2013 membership for all attending.
Dave Small
