Bird the Berkshires

Photo credit mensatic

The Berkshires is one of the best locations for bird watching. A low cost, easy and interesting pastime, bird watching gives you the opportunity to commune with the wildlife and see some of the most beautiful parts of the Berkshires at the same time. Most years and seasons over 200 different species of birds are visible including several types of warblers, flycatchers and thrushes.

All you need for bird watching is a good bird field guide and good set of binoculars.

Massbird.org is a great place to get information about suggested books to read, clubs in the area, blogs and more.

From December 14 to January 5, the North Berkshire Audubon invites area bird watchers

to participate in the 113th national Christmas Bird Count. The Audubon

The NBA Count will be held on Saturday December 15. The 24-hour count period begins at midnight Friday and extends to midnight Saturday.

There are four groups going out in the area; Adams, East Williamstown and North Adams, Central and western WIlliamstown and South WIlliamstown.

Teams of at least 2 armed with birdbooks, binoculars and checklists, will visit as many habitats as possible during the day, and also go out owling, to identify as many species and count as many individual birds as possible.

Audubon and other organizations use the data collected in this long running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations and to help guide conservation action. 

North Berkshire Audubon is an informal group that sponsors bird walks and trips throughout the year. For more information about the Christmas Count or NBA, contact Leslie Reed-Evans at 413-458-5150 or at lre@wrlf.org.  http://www.wrlf.org/

A couple of interesting related birding in the Berkshires links

Birds of Mt. Greylock http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/mtGreylock/downloads/birdsOfGreylockGuideList.pdf

Massachusetts bird watching

http://www.birding.com/wheretobird/massachusetts.asp

Birding in a Winter Wonderland.

While wintertime may seem a strange time to go bird watching, there is nothing more beautiful then going on a cross country ski and seeing eagles and other non transitory birds or on a moonlit snowshoe hike and calling for owls and then returning to curl up in front of cozy fire and hot cup of cocoa or cider at the 6' House Pub,

Some activities of interest for bird lovers.

Taking Flight: Audubon and the World of Birds

January 21 – June 17, 2012

Berkshire Museum’s new exhibition Taking Flight: Audubon and the World of Birds centers on John James Audubon and his passion for birds, which drove him to create The Birds of America, a revolutionary work of science and art that launched Audubon’s reputation as the world’s most renowned wildlife artist.

More than thirty original Havell prints from The Birds of America paired with bird specimens from the Museum’s collection comprise the centerpiece of the exhibition. Learn how Audubon’s obsession drove him to extremes to produce the watercolors for the engravings that comprise the most valuable book in the world. Experience Audubon’s rugged wilderness existence while researching for The Birds of America. Understand the science of feathers and flight, the many different bird habitats, the highly-evolved senses of birds, bird intelligence, and bird behavior in a series of galleries containing a wide array of photographs and video, art, objects, specimens, and samples of birds, eggs, and nests.

From http://berkshiremuseum.org/exhibitions/taking-flight-audubon-and-the-world-of-birds/

Berkshire Museum

39 South Street (Route 7), Pittsfield, MA 01201

http://berkshiremuseum.org

Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Also check out events going on at the area Autubon centers, Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox is a short hop from the 1896 House.  http://hilltownfamilies.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/hf-341/

A bird banding demonstration and Eagle watch at Quabbin Reservoir is coming up in February as well as a Full Moon Snowshoe Hike - February 7 http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Pleasant_Valley/news.php?id=1833&event=no

Download and print a bird checklist http://www.massaudubon.org/PDF/birdchecklists/checklist_PValley.pdf After your visit, you can use your checklist to contribute to the sanctuary's knowledge of birdlife at their wildlife sanctuaries. Submit your observations at www.massaudubon.org/ebird.

Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

472 West Mountain Road, Lenox, MA 01240

http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Pleasant_Valley/