GBLC Presents Birds of the Berkshires:
Great Barrington Land Conservancy invites you to learn more about our avian friends from two local experts, Chip Blake and Ben Nickley.
Each year our fields, forests, lakes, and rivers provide the habitat needed for an amazing array of nesting and migratory bird species. Birds rely on conserved spaces and are indicators of our ability to care for healthy native habitats. See photos and find out about the many birds to be found in Berkshire County and how our conserved places support this avian diversity.
Ways to be involved in the Bobolink Monitoring at the McAllister Wildlife Refuge will be provided.
Please register for this free program HERE. All are welcome.
Meet at Saint James Place, East Room, Main Street, Great Barrington.
Resources for beginning birders and opportunities to participate in local Bobolink Monitoring will be included.
Program Agenda:
1:00 - 1:20 Welcome and Annual Meeting business
1:20 - 1:45 Chip Blake, The Birds of Berkshire County
1:45 - 2:10 Ben Nickley, Berkshire Bird Observatory
2:10 - 2:30 Questions
Chip Blake is a freelance editor and writing instructor. Earlier he served for 25 years as the editor of Orion magazine. Chip has lived in Berkshire County for almost three decades, exploring every corner of it as a naturalist and birdwatcher. He is the president of the Hoffmann Bird Club and the author of The Birds of Berkshire County: An Annotated Checklist, to be published later this year by the Nuttall Ornithological Club.
Ben Nickley is a scientist with a passion for birds and the ecosystems they are an integral part of. He has a MS in biology, is the author of several peer-reviewed articles, and has travelled across North America to study birds for several nonprofit organizations. Helping others connect with the natural world through birds is his forte and his mission. Ben founded Berkshire Bird Observatory in 2023 and serves as its Executive Director. Ben feels privileged to have landed in the Berkshires and could not think of a better place to do the work he loves.
Cedar Waxwing photo credit: Sharon Siter
