By Scott Surner
Looking at the Calendar, the month of May is the time when both serious and slightly less serious birder’s wait for with great eagerness. Every month offers something a little different during the birding calendar year, but it’s May that brings out the biggest birding crowds of the year. During the month of May dozens and dozens of species from their wintering grounds in the Caribbean, Central and South American make their way to the valley to establish breeding territories, while others continue their long journey to northern New England and some all the way to the arctic.
by Katie Koerten
John Green is a naturalist, birdwatcher, photographer and nature tour leader living in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts. He’s been leading programs for the Hitchcock Center for the Environment and other environmental education organizations for almost five decades. As a fellow bird enthusiast and educator, I owe my foundation for bird song identification to John; he was my most formative birding mentor. He agreed to sit down with me this week as part of #BlackBirdersWeek for a conversation about his life and experiences as a birdwatcher and naturalist.
by Scott Surner
While many of us are still at home because of the coronavirus, I’ve mentioned in the last couple of weeks about monitoring what’s moving through your yard and at your feeding station. Well if you want to up your game a little bit more and potentially attract even a few more species into your yard, consider (If you haven’t already) putting out a bird bath. Believe it or not bird baths fill an important niche in your yard’s ecosystem supplying a source for drinking water and of course as the name suggests, a bathing area.
Today, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. In the midst of a global pandemic and physical distancing, many of us are finding solace and hope in the miracle of spring emerging around us. We hope you can get outside and allow nature to bring you peace and joy.
By Scott Surner
Today I’d like to touch upon some of the birds that are returning, but are not seed eaters. The birds I have in mind require or prefer a slightly different menu. In the next ten to fourteen days, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Gray Catbirds and Baltimore Orioles will be returning to our area from their wintering grounds. If you’ve never tried to entice one of these species into your yard, now maybe the time to give it a try.
By David Spector
Each fall billions of birds fly south from northern breeding grounds, and each spring those that survived migration and the non-breeding season return north. Among those are that are easiest to observe in these migrations are the diurnal birds of prey — hawks, falcons, and vultures — spectacular birds that, unlike most smaller birds, migrate by day.
By Scott Surner
The great thing about birding is you can do it from any location! In this time of the coronavirus your own backyard could be your best and safest choice to view migration and nesting birds. I certainly understand not one yard is like another, some have very large yards, while others might have more modest surroundings, either way it’s amazing what moves through and over our yards during the year. If you haven’t already, start a yard list and you will be amazed at what you see.
By Micky McKinley and Jaana Cutson
This is a descending trail that leads to a deep, ancient gorge carved by glacial meltwater to falls that plunge 45 feet into a basin. One of the things that make the falls so special is its remote location. It is well worth the rather difficult 0.8-mile hike to the edge of a half-hidden forested ravine. Please note that the trek is not an easy one, and can be very wet in places, so you should use extreme caution when walking here. The 0.8 mile-trek down to Falls Brook is part of the much longer Metacomet-Monadnock Trail. The M-M Trail extends for 117 miles from the border with Connecticut near Springfield to Mount Monadnock in southwest New Hampshire.
Sustainability is for everyone. You can make a difference! April is Earth Month, and we’re issuing a challenge to you and your family: can you be a Salamander Superhero by […]
Social distancing is a new and hopefully temporary norm with the threat of COVID-19 in our communities. As we continue to adjust to this way of living the Hitchcock Center remains committed to the importance of getting outside in nature for healing and exercise. We know that with trailheads being crowded, you may be looking for other places to get outside while also keeping a safe distance from others. So we are bringing back our 50th Anniversary blog on 50 places to explore around the Valley, written by a variety of local authors. Look for them roughly mid-week to inspire your explorations outdoors.
Hitchcock Center for the Environment
at Hampshire College
845 West Street | Amherst MA 01002 | 413.256.6006 | 413.253.2809 fax