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Indoor Program – Theresa Feo – Feather Development and Differentiation

Whitney Center, Cultural Arts Center 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT, United States

Clothes may make the man, but feathers make the bird. Birds sport thousands of feathers that come in myriad shapes and sizes for various uses including flying, attracting a mate, and even carrying water. The diversity of feathers is stunning but it is not always clear how the different feather shapes are produced. Teresa Feo will present her ongoing research

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The Big Sit

see our Big Sit page for more information THE BIG SIT! ®, established by the NHBC, has become an international event, with birders from all over the world participating in it. The object is to record as many species of birds as possible in one day from one 17-foot diameter circle. The circles are located at a number of birding

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Hammonasset State Park, Madison

Visit one of our state’s best fall birding spots, where the abun- dance of some migrants and sightings of less common species can make for a truly memorable trip.  The walking is easy as it is on level ground. Flo has been leading this trip for years and it has been great every year. Meet at the park entrance. Leader:Florence

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NHBC 22nd Annual Winter Feeder Survey

This is a yearly census to determine the number and frequency of birds visiting feeders in the greater New Haven area. You are invited to watch and record the activity at your feeder at least once a week for the entire time period.  Contact: Peter Vitali at 203-288-0621 or vitali_peter_e@sbcglobal.net.

Fargeorge Wildlife Preserve, Quinnipiac River, New Haven

This is a joint trip with the New Haven Land Trust.Join us as we visit the Trust’s property along the Quinnipiac River. With its varied habitat, this location is a good place to see raptors, shorebirds, and waterfowl. Sightings here have included Snow Goose, Bald Eagle, and American Woodcock. Directions: Go south on Quinnipiac Ave. from Rt. 80. Turn right

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First Wednesday Walk: Westport Hotspots, Westport

We’ll visit Compo Beach, Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve, Burying Hill Beach, and the CT Audubon Tree Farm, all excellent birding locations.  We’ll look for gulls, waterfowl, sparrows, and late fall migrants. Meet at the commuter lot off Rt. I-95 at Exit 18. From there, we’ll carpool to each location.  Leader and contact person: Tina Green: 203-247-2660 or tina@renaissancestudios.com

Indoor Program – Mark Seth Lender -Bird Whispering: The True Relationship of Humans and Wildlife

Whitney Center, Cultural Arts Center 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT, United States

While you are watching birds, the birds are very likely watching you. We often misapprehend our relationship with wildlife, igno- ring warnings, mistaking curiosity for aggression, seeing same- ness when there is difference, difference when confronted with sameness. Above all, we are quick to assume that we are the species in control when the opposite is just as likely to

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Lake Chamberlain & Cooper and Calabresi Farms, Bethany

Join us on this fall walk to see what can be found at these picturesque locations.  Lake Chamberlain, a Regional Water Authority property, has an active bluebird population, many woodpeckers, and a number of waterfowl that visit the lake before heading further south when the lake freezes over. The walk at Lake Chamberlain is relatively easy. After birding the RWA property, we will

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Sherwood Island State Park, Westport

Spend some time at one of Fairfield County's top-notch birding locations. We will look for a wide range of species from waterfowl to finches and everything in between. Meet at the park entrance. Note change: Leader and contact person: Chris Loscalzo: 203-389-6508 or closcalz@optonline.net

Bombay Hook NWR, Leipsic, Delaware Eastern Neck Island NWR, Rock Hall, MD

We enter Bombay Hook’s main gate at 6:25 am SHARP and tour the many ponds, pools and fields where we may see and photo- graph as many as 100,000 Snow Geese and many other fall migrants, from raptors to shorebirds. We will also visit other spots in the area including Eastern Neck Island NWR where we’ll see Tundra Swans. There

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First Wednesday Walk: Hammonasset State Park, Madison

Any time of year, Hammonasset is a true gem. Enjoy a mid-week trip to explore this birding hotspot for fall migrants. The varied habitat attracts shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and songbirds. Meet at the park entrance.  Leader:  Jerry Connolly.  Contact: Tina Green: 203-247-2660 or tina@renaissancestudios.com

Indoor Program – Sean Murtha – Birds and Art of Long Island

Whitney Center, Cultural Arts Center 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT, United States

Artist Sean Murtha is most inspired by the north shore of Long Island Sound where he was raised and still resides. Settling early into the two areas of painting that would remain a lifelong interest—wildlife and landscape—he is dedicated to the land- scapes and birds of the Sound. He sketches birds from life and at tonight's meeting will describe his

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115th Annual New Haven Christmas Bird Count

Join other NHBC members in this fun event. Take part for a few hours or all day. Results of the count are sent to the National Audubon Society for inclusion in an international census of early winter bird populations. The compilation dinner starts at 5:00 pm at the Whitney Center, 200 Leeder Hill  Drive, Hamden. Compiler and contact person: Chris

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First Wednesday Walk: Sherwood Island State Park, Westport

Join us on a mid-week trip to this outstanding birding spot on Long Island Sound. We will check the Sound for loons, grebes, goldeneye, and other sea ducks.  The fields are a good place to look for Snow Buntings, Horned Larks, and sparrows.  Drive into the park and meet at the main parking lot.  Leader and contact: Tina Green: 203-247-2660

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Indoor Program – John Himmelman – Birds: Their Side of the Story

Whitney Center, Cultural Arts Center 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT, United States

How and why did our best known birds get to be so well known? And what are some of the crazy things they make us do? John will share light-hearted stories of birds and birding, from cuisine to cartoons, ornaments to icons, murmurs to murders. You’ll get a whole new look at the avian friends we so admire (and some, not so

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Stratford/Milford Birding Tour

Today we visit the marshes and beaches in Stratford and Milford.  We’ll be looking for sea ducks, including scoters, grebes, loons and scaup, as well as raptors, gulls, and shorebirds. Meet at the commuter lot on Schoolhouse Road, Milford just south of Exit 35 on I-95.   Leader: Chris Loscalzo: 203-389-6508 or closcalz@optonline.net.

Birds in Words

Whitney Center, Cultural Arts Center 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT, United States

BOOK GROUP Birds in words next book will be  A Feathered River Across the Sky; the Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction by Joel Greenberg and the date has been set for January 20,2015 (Tuesday), from 7-9 in the Sixth Floor Conference Room at Whitney Center.

Hammonasset State Park, Madison

Join us as we visit this premier CT birding location for a mid-winter excursion.  We will be looking for sea ducks, shorebirds, grassland species, and winter finches. Meet at the Nature Center parking lot.  We will check several areas in the park, including the campgrounds area.  Leader and contact person: Paul Wolter: 860-681-5548 or pwolter6@earthlink.net.

First Wednesday Walk: Hammonasset State Park, Madison

Enjoy a mid-week field trip to Hammo, one of the state’s best birding locations in any season of the year.  We will look for sea ducks, grassland species, and rarities. Meet at the park entrance at 8:00 am. Leader:  Greg Hanisek.  Contact person: Tina Green: 203-247-2660 or tina@renaissancestudios.com.  

Indoor Program – Kevin Burgio – The History, Biology, and Extinction of the Carolina Parakeet

Whitney Center, Cultural Arts Center 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT, United States

Few would argue that the saddest word in a birder’s ID vocabulary is extinction. Yet that’s been the fate of too many avian species in the past and the threat ever grows. At this meeting, Kevin will discuss what is known about the history, biology, and extinction of one such vanished bird, the splendidly colorful Carolina Parakeet, described by some

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Sachuest Point NWR and Rhode Island Coast

This all-day trip includes stops at Sachuest Pt., Beavertail State Park, Moonstone Beach, and Trustum Pond, all great RI birding sites. We should see grebes, loons, scoters, eiders, Purple Sandpipers, and Harlequin Ducks. Dress warmly—it’s cold and windy on the coast. The walk is a bit strenuous. Bring lunch and a scope if you have one. Meet at the Branford

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Sachuest Point NWR and RI Coast: Weekend Retreat

This very special birding experience will be made available to 15 club members by advance registration. We’ll be staying in the recently renovated farmhouse at the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, RI, near Sachuest Point.  We’ll go birding each day, starting with a sea watch each morning in search of alcids, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and other pelagic species.  We’ll enjoy comfortable

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First Wednesday Walk: Stratford Shore & Great Meadows

Join us on a visit to this excellent birding area. We will meet at the Long Beach parking lot and bird the marsh and beach and then visit Sikorsky airport and Frash Pond. We’ll look for oceanic birds such as Long-tailed Duck and scoters, as well as raptors and shorebirds.  Directions: Exit 30 off I-95, follow signs to Sikorsky Airport.

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Indoor Program – Tom Stephenson & Scott Wittle – The Warbler Guide

Whitney Center, Cultural Arts Center 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT, United States

The Warbler Guide: A New System for Identifying and Learning Vocalizations Identifying warblers and other species singing in the field is one of the most satisfying aspects of birding, but learning and re- membering the important ID points of bird vocalizations can be a challenge. At this meeting, Tom will cover some new techniques that make it easier to identify

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Gull and Gannet Frenzy, Stratford Seawall, Stratford

We'll look at and study potentially thousands of gulls and dozens of gannets as they feast on the annual plankton bloom along the coast. Meet at the Lordship Seawall at the south end of Wash- ington Pkwy (near Marnick's Restaurant). Leader and contact person:  Frank Mantlik: 203-984-9410 or mantlik@sbcglobal.net.

First Wednesday Walk: CT Audubon Coastal Center, Milford

Join us on this early spring trip to one of the best local birding spots.  We’ll look out into the marsh and along the shore for waterfowl, shorebirds, waders, and raptors. Meet at the Coastal Center parking lot. Leader: Steven Spector. Contact person: Tina Green: 203-247-2660 or tina@renaissancestudios.com.  

Beginners’ Bird Walk at Little Pond, Litchfield

Every spring Rusty Blackbirds, a species recognized as globally vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, use the grounds of the White Memorial Foundation IBA before moving on to their nesting areas.  We will look for this and other species on a walk around Little Pond and enter our sightings into ebird.org to increase awareness about habitats used by

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Indoor Program – Patrick Comins – Ornithology and Meteorology

Whitney Center, Cultural Arts Center 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT, United States

No one escapes the weather, least of all birds. Because they basically spend their entire lives outside, weather has a huge influence on their movements and migration. The more that birders understand about the impact of weather on birds, the more productive their birding decisions will be. From something as mundane as knowing to keep feeders full to invite birds

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East Rock Birding and Trail Maintenance, New Haven

Meet at the Eli Whitney Museum parking lot for a bird walk from 8 to 9:30 am. Then join Park Ranger Dan Barvir to help with light trail maintenance along the river until noon.  Bring pruning shears and workgloves, if you have them. Leader: Dan Barvir: 203-946-6086. 

Ansonia Nature Center, Ansonia

Enjoy a walk at this great birding location. The nature center has a small pond, grassy fields, thickets, wetlands, and woods.  The woods have had Northern Goshawk and Great Horned Owls nesting there and there are often surprises.  Meet at the nature center parking lot on Deerfield Lane (off Benz Road.) in Ansonia. Leader, Maria Stockmal: 203-488-3876 or m.stockmal@snet.net.

President’s Walk at Lake Chamberlain, Bethany

Join club president Bill Batsford to check out this excellent birding area. Lake Chamberlain, a Regional Water Authority property, is surrounded by coniferous forest and it has open fields and thickets. Early spring migrants likely to be seen are Palm and Pine Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Phoebe, and Blue-headed Vireo. Bluebirds and Tree Swallows nest in bird houses. Meet at

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East Rock Park with Ranger Dan, New Haven

Join Ranger Dan Barvir at this premier site for warblers and other spring migrants.  We will meet at the Rice Field (baseball field) end of East Rock Park on English Drive. Leader: Ranger Dan Barvir: 203-946-6086.      Please read next entry associated with Dan’s walk/garlic pull. click here

Bird Walk for Families at East Rock Park, New Haven

On this walk by the park's Mill River, children, accompanied by adults, will search for warblers and other spring migrants. Other interested adults are also welcome to join the walk in this famous spring birding site.  Meet at the Eli Whitney Museum parking lot.  Bring binoculars and a field guide if you have them. Leader: Florence McBride: 203 -288-6777 or

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East Rock Park Garlic Mustard Pull

Dan’s bird walk will end around 11:30, and after a lunch break, we’ll  get  to  work  pulling  garlic  mustard  in  a  heavily infested area of the park. This invasive plant is a pernicious, prolific pest that can overrun forested areas, squeeze out native spring flowers, kill butterfly caterpillars, and alter the habitat of our native birds. The rampant growth can be

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Bent of the River Wildlife Sanctuary, Southbury

Explore a prime birding location along the Pomperaug River in Southbury where more than 100 species of birds have been observed in a single day.  This beautiful and highly diverse habitat is owned and maintained by the National Audubon Society. Take Exit 14 off Rte. 84. Go north on Rte. 172 , then turn left onto East Flat Hill Rd.

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First Wednesday Walk: East Rock Park, New Haven

East Rock Park in early May is one of the best places in the state to see migrant warblers.  Fifteen to twenty species are possible on a good day.  Meet at the covered bridge near the Eli Whitney Museum. Leaders: Bill Batsford, Frank Mantlik, and John Oshlick. Contact person: Tina Green: 203-247-2660 or tina@renaissancestudios.com.  

Big Day Marathon

Take part in all or part of this event.  We'll focus on New Haven area hotspots, seeking 100-130 species.  We start at East Rock and search several other local migrant traps, as well as the coast from Lordship to Hammonasset.  Meet at the Eli Whitney Museum parking lot at 6:00 or 7:30 am.  Leader: to be determined.  Consult the website

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Racebrook Tract, Orange and Woodbridge

Celebrate Mother’s Day with us as we walk the trails at this former Regional Water Authority property in search of spring migrants and summer residents.  There are extensive woods, riparian habitats, open fields and a powerline cut.  Meet at the Tract parking lot on Racebrook Road (Route 114) just north of Derby Turnpike (Route 34).  Leaders: Chris Loscalzo and Judy

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River Road, Kent “Travels along a riparian woodland corridor”

The New Haven Bird Club traveled to River Road in May 1991 and documented the first nesting of Yellow-throated Warbler in Connecticut. Subsequent NHBC trips to River Road have produced a nice variety of Northwestern Connecticut nesting species.  We return this year to River Road at the peak of the spring migration.  In his 1978 publication, 25 Birding Areas in

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Annual Banquet

Svalbard: An Arctic Naturalist’s Paradise Presented by Wayne Petersen The stunning Svalbard archipelago, one of the dramatic lands of the midnight sun, belongs to Norway but is located far north of the country. Its endless summer hours of daylight, towering sea cliffs teeming with breeding seabirds, immense slopes of rocky talus, and gleaming tidewater glaciers are a constant reminder that

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Naugatuck State Forest, Naugatuck

Enjoy the peak of spring migration in this superb birding location where we’ll search for both migrants and residents. The mixed hardwood forest is a great spot for Hooded and Worm-eating Warblers and many other species.  Last year on this trip we saw many different warbler species including Bay-breasted, Hooded, Blackburnian, and Lawrence’s. Meet at the commuter lot at Exit

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Nehantic State Forest and Hartman’s Park, Lyme

Today we explore two prime birding locations in Lyme. Nehantic State Forest, a 1,200-acre woodland, is home to Hooded and Worm-eating Warblers and numerous other species.  There are large ponds where we can find waterfowl, flycatchers and other species. Nearby Hartman’s Park is known for its breeding population of Cerulean Warblers.  Meet at 6:30 at the commuter lot at Exit

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Barn Island Wildlife Management Area, Stonington

This will be our eleventh annual trip to this excellent birding spot.  We'll meet at the commuter lot at Exit 55 of I-95 and carpool to Barn Island. The management area consists of large expanses of salt marsh, tidal pools, wetlands, woodlands, and open fields. We should see wading birds, shorebirds, and area residents such as Saltmarsh Sparrow, Marsh Wren, 

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West River Ravine, Bethany

Come to look and listen for birds in a variety of habitats within a small area.  We’ll do a loop trail that includes a powerline right-of-way, a deep ravine, and the typical deciduous and coniferous forests between the two.  There are steep areas going down and up the ravine so wear sturdy shoes.  Meet at the Regional Wa-ter Authority recreation parking lot

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Kellogg Environmental Center/Osbornedale St. Park, Derby

Join us on a visit to this excellent birding location where we’ll look for late spring migrants and early nesting species. The center and park have open fields, woods, ponds, and streams.  Meet at the Kellogg Center parking lot,  500 Hawthorne Avenue. Leader: Maria Stockmal: 203-488-3876 or m.stockmal@snet.net.

First Wednesday Walk: Mohawk Mountain State Park and Forest, Cornwall

Greg, one of the best birders in the state, will lead the walk in this scenic and spacious forest in the northern part of the state.  Nesting species here include Blue-headed Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Canada  Warbler and  Black-throated  Blue Warbler.  Meet at the park entrance on Rte. 4 in Cornwall, four miles west of Goshen.  Leader: Greg Hanisek.  Contact: Tina

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New Haven Summer Bird Count

This is a wonderful opportunity to work on your song identification skills and see what birds are nesting in your area. For the names of area captains and other information, contact leader Steve Mayo: 203-393-0694 or rsdmayo@sbcglobal.net

National Trails Day Hike at Naugatuck State Forest

National Trails Day is celebrated across the country with hikes, trail work, and naturalist events. NHBC will commemorate the day with a birding hike on the oldest hiking trail in CT, the Quinnipiac Trail. We’ll leave from the Downes Road parking area entrance of Naugatuck SP and go through the mountain laurel, beech, birch, hickory and oak forest; then up

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Beginners’ Bird Walk: Grassland and Shrubland Bird Tour

On this trip we will look for grassland and shrubland birds, inclu-ding Bobolink, American Kestrel, Blue-winged Warbler, and Indi- go Bunting. Grasslands and shrublands are uncommon in CT so it is a treat to see and hear species associated with these habitats.  We will meet at the Bent of the River Important Bird Area, then carpool to Good Hill Farm IBA,

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