Calendar of Events
January 2012
Sat. Jan. 14 Twilight Walk
Sat. Jan. 21 Purple Martin Pole Raising
Sat. Jan. 28 A Morning in the Woods with Marvin
February 2012
Thur. Feb. 2 Butterfly Garden Workday
Sat. Feb. 4 Land Management Wagon Tour
Sat. Feb. 11 Take a Child Outside in the
Wintertime
Fri. Feb. 17 Wolf Creek Trout Lilies Field Trip
Sat. Feb. 18 Great Backyard Bird Count
Sun. Feb. 19 Great Backyard Bird Count
Upcoming Events:
March 2012
Sat. March 3 Wild Azalea Workshop
Sat. March 17 Old Timey Plant Sale
BIRD WINDOW AND TRAIL HOURS:
Wednesday 9 AM - 5 PM
Friday 9 AM - 5 PM
Saturday 9 AM - 5 PM
Sunday 1 PM - 5 PM
BUTTERFLY GARDEN WORKDAYS
Thursdays
January 6 and February 2
9:30 AM - Noon
We invite you to join us on one of our Butterfly Garden work days. The Butterfly Garden volunteers meet the first Thursday of each month to create a beautiful garden for humans and butterflies alike. For more information call Donna Legare at (850) 386-1148, or call the Birdsong office at (229) 377-4408.
VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION
Saturday, January 7
9:30 AM to Noon
You can play a major role in Birdsong’s Sustainability Initiative this year by volunteering your time, energy, and expertise. Right now, we are working hard to maintain normal operations with a significantly reduced staff. Your involvement can make a big difference and help us move ahead to better things.
There are many volunteer job opportunities available. Here are some examples: greeting visitors, Bird Window instruction, Gift Shop, hospitality, clerical support, event support – parking, registration, set-up, etc., gardening, land management projects – invasive plant removal, trail maintenance; and historic building maintenance. There are also more expertise-based opportunities such as: fundraising, teaching educational programs, marketing, technology support, artwork, photography and community outreach, among others.
Please join us for a Volunteer Orientation that will start with a discussion of Birdsong’s history, mission, and legacy; it’s organizational structure; and it’s educational and land management philosophies. We will then tour the property to acquaint participants with our reason for being: the land, its plant communities and the wildlife they support. We will conclude with a tour of the Bird Window, gardens, and historic buildings.
We can guarantee that as a Birdsong volunteer, you will get to meet some wonderful people, you will be making a difference, you will learn something new every time you come out, you will be appreciated and honored for your contribution, and most important: it will be fun! No charge.
RESERVATIONS, PLEASE. Please sign up by Friday at noon, January 6. Class limit: 15 people. Volunteer packet and continental breakfast included. Dress for the weather.
TWILIGHT WALK
Saturday, January 14
5:00-6:30PM
Enjoy a walk in the woods at twilight with Executive Director Kathleen Brady. We will cross the Gin House, circle the Farm Pond, and visit the Listening Place. As the sun sets we may observe birds preparing to roost, while owls and other animals are getting ready for a winter night’s activities. Be prepared for cold weather and bring binoculars in case it is a clear night and we can observe the stars. Bring a flashlight.
$4 Friends, $8 non-members, children half-price. Minimum number of 6 required in order to hold the walk.
RESERVATIONS PLEASE. Call or e-mail by Friday, January 7 at noon.
PURPLE MARTIN POLE RAISING
Saturday, January 21
10:00 AM
Join veteran volunteer Larry Herring to prepare the gourds for the nesting season and raise the martin pole for the Purple Martins, due to arrive in late January.
A MORNING IN THE WOODS WITH MARVIN
Saturday, January 28
8 – 11AM
Wintertime at Birdsong is a great time to go birding. Join expert birder and Birdsong Board member Marvin Collins for a long, leisurely discovery hike through a variety of excellent bird habitats. If birds are here, Marvin will find them, especially those elusive sparrows and warblers! The hike will wrap up with a visit to the Bird Window, which is typically a very busy place in the winter months. Dress for the weather and for a long walk in the woods. Bring binoculars and field guides.
$4 Friends, $8 nonmembers, children half-price
LAND MANAGEMENT TOUR
Saturday, February 4
9:30AM to Noon
Join Executive Director Kathleen Brady for a tractor-drawn wagon tour of Birdsong to discuss ways to enhance a property for the benefit of native plant communities and their associated wildlife. We have plenty of land management challenges here to discuss, including invasive species such as Crotalaria, eastern gamma grass and kudzu and those fascinating mammals that are such a mixed blessing: beavers. We also have some interesting native plant areas where we will be experimenting with fire exclusion in coming years and a bog garden we want to develop.
If you own property of any size and want to attract more native wildlife and enhance the ecological values of your land, we would be pleased to have your company on this tour to discuss land management issues.
$10 Friends, $15 non-members. This program is geared for adults.
RESERVATIONS, PLEASE. The trailer can only accommodate 20 people. Please call by noon on Friday, February 3 to reserve a space. Dress for the weather. Drinks and a snack are included in the cost. Bring a picnic lunch if you would like to stay after the tour.
TAKE A CHILD OUTSIDE IN THE WINTERTIME!
Saturday, February 11
9:30-11:30AM
Bring your favorite child to Birdsong and let them lead you on a natural adventure in the winter woods with Sandra Sallee. Give an ongoing gift to your child: an appreciation of nature, a better understanding of the where they live, and use of all their senses. We will walk the trails to search for evidence of animal homes, sign, and winter behavior. Enjoy the fresh air, some exercise, and time with your child in the great outdoors. $3 Friends, $5 nonmembers, children half- price.
RESERVATIONS PLEASE, so we know how many to prepare for. Includes a handout and resource list for year-round outdoor activities with children.
WOLF CREEK FIELD TRIP
Friday, February 17
1:00 PM-4:00 PM
The Wolf Creek Tract is a biologically diverse 140-acre hardwood forest about 5 miles west of Cairo in Grady County, Georgia. It is home to one of the largest (about 15 acres) and most dense population (nearly every square inch) the Trout Lily, Erythronium umbilicatum, known to exist anywhere.The beautiful Trout Lily is a threatened species in Florida and rarely found in south Georgia.Also present are several other rare plants:Trillium maculatum; Uvularia floridana; Bloodroot; Crane Fly, Green Fly and Southern Tway Blade orchids, among others.
For more info see www.flwildflowers.com/wolfcreek. Dan Miller, Wolf Creek Coordinator, of Trillium Gardens and Magnolia Chapter Florida Native Plant Society, will lead us on a tour of this fantastic property. Bring cameras, water and field guides and dress for the weather.
PLEASE REGISTER BY PHONE! Call to let us know if you plan to attend so Dan knows how many people to expect. If there is a big response he may have to limit numbers. Meet at the Wolf Creek entrance at 1:00 PM. Call Birdsong (229) 377-4408 or 1(800) 953-2473 for directions.
15th ANNUAL GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT
Friday & Saturday February 17 & 18
9:00AM - 4:00PM
Sunday, February 19, 2012
1:00 - 4:00PM
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), one of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Citizen Science projects, will be held February 17-20, 2012. You are invited to count birds at birdfeeders, in your yard, local parks or other outdoor locations, and then report the findings online through the BirdSource website at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc
If you have some birding experience come out by yourself or with friends and observe an area of Birdsong for at least one hour! You can start anytime between 9 AM and 4 PM on Friday or Saturday and 1 to 4 PM on Sunday. Pick up a GBBC tally sheet before you head out to find your birds and simply turn in the sheet when you return. Birdsong will collate data and enter our final counts. If you prefer you can help count at the Bird Window. Beginning birders can help at the Bird Window or join with more experienced birders in the field. No pre-registration required.
Friends: no charge, non-members $5, children half-price.
BIRDSONG’S OLD TIMEY PLANT SALE
Saturday, March 17, 2012
9am - 1pm
Birdsong Nature Center will host an old timey plant sale on Saturday, March 17, 2012 from 9:00 AM—1:00 PM. As before, some of the plants are rare or unusual, and not often available in nurseries or catalogues. Some are good old pass-along plants. Some have interesting stories of their beginnings and culture through generations of family gardens. All the plants have a long history of growing successfully in our area. Also for sale: native trees, basic landscape plants, and lots of wild azaleas.
We would greatly appreciate it if you can loan us a garden cart or wagon for transporting pots of plants to customer’s cars on the day of the event. Please call the number below.
All proceeds go to Birdsong Nature Center.
Please call (229)377-4408 or 1(800)953-2473, or email birdsong@birdsongnaturecenter.org for more information or see Old Timey Plant Sale on our Web Site.
Call
229-377-4408 or email birdsong@birdsongnaturecenter.org for more information