If you are looking for something specific to schedule, we offer special programs for groups. We bring the program to your group or you may choose to host a talk at one of our centers. If you are interested in scheduling a special program with us, please start by filling out this program inquiry form.
Choose a Naturalist or Senior Biologist Program topic and inquire with Devin Guilfoyle for programming at any location, from yours to ours. Reserve a NH Audubon Senior Biologist as a keynote speaker for your event and learn about leading conservation efforts around the state. Virtual meeting options are available. If requesting an interactive activity or hiking, there is a limit of 25 participants per program/facilitator. Lecture-only participation is limited by selected site’s capacity.
All supplies needed for the program are included in the cost.
Join our educators on a guided hike along one of our trails (or one of yours) to explore the world around us. Hikes can be catered to all seasons and a variety of nature topics. In the winter, snowshoes are provided, and we can introduce their use to newcomers. Programs can last from one to four hours at an hourly rate. If you are requesting a visit to your site, please include a trail map and information about trail conditions with your inquiry. Mileage rates apply. Nature Walks will take place in most weather conditions so please plan ahead. Cancellation fees may apply.
Get a good sense of bird identification, binocular usage, and the wide diversity of New Hampshire’s birds. Whether you’re a lifelong birder or still learning your yearlong residents, we can adapt our program to your group’s skill level with birding.
Learn some tips on how to identify animal tracks and evidence of animals, then go off to look for some!
Learn about the trees that make up New Hampshire’s forests and some tips to identifying them!
Find out what happens in nature outside when the sun goes down. Consider requesting a focus area such as owls or bats!
Investigate invertebrates that live in riparian habitats and the diversity and importance of these organisms. Option to choose a pond exploration.
Our naturalist presentations are adapted to engage learners of any age, and some include live animals! We can facilitate programming at your location, or you may choose to bring your group to one of our Centers (McLane Center in Concord, Massabesic Center in Auburn, or Newfound Center in Hebron – summer only).
Get hands-on with the “Herps,” animals otherwise known as reptiles and amphibians. We’ll discuss turtle shells, snake skins, and other artifacts. Compare and contrast these two cool groups and find out which species call NH home. We’ll have live animal ambassadors with us to demonstrate the unique features of these amazing creatures.
Live animals included upon request.
Get up-close and personal with NH’s birds of prey and meet a live animal ambassador! Check out the talons of a Red-tailed Hawk and discover the biology behind what makes raptors such efficient hunters.
Live animals included upon request.
Discover what unique traits birds have in this beginner birding class. Learn the basics of bird identification, the wide diversity of New Hampshire’s birds, and how to name the birds around you.
Discover what could happen to pollinators and plants if the pollinator population continues to decline. Learn ways in which we can help these amazing creatures continue assisting their plant allies by ensuring that their pollen is transported across the garden.
A NH Audubon Senior Biologist is a great option for a keynote speaker for your event or to learn about leading conservation efforts around the state. These informative and entertaining lectures can be done at your facility, at one of our centers, or virtually.
Why do birds migrate? How do they know where they’re going? The phenomenon of bird migration has fascinated people for millennia, and in this program the answers are finally revealed! Pam Hunt will provide an overview of the nuts and bolts of bird migration, including how scientists study it. We’ll also discuss examples of migration routes of some familiar (and unfamiliar) species and touch on the conservation issues facing migratory birds.
Welcome to the fascinating world of the insect order Odonata! You may be familiar with the dragonflies buzzing over your yard in the summer, or the damselflies that land on your kayak, but what do you REALLY know about these ancient insects? This program provides an overview of the biology and ecology of dragonflies and damselflies, from their amazing life cycle (content alert: some pretty crazy reproductive behavior is involved!) to their incredible diversity. It also highlights a few of NH’s notable species and their stories, and closes with some results from the “NH Dragonfly Survey,” a five year volunteer-based project that documented the distribution of these insects across the state.
We are already seeing some of the effects of climate change in New Hampshire, with a trend toward warmer winters, more extreme weather, and drier summers. How will our birds – both breeding and migrant – be affected by these changes as they manifest over the next several decades? In most cases we don’t know the answers, but there is often enough information to allow some informed speculation. In this talk, we explore subjects as diverse as range shifts, declining food supplies, and changes in migration patterns as they apply to the birds of New Hampshire. What will birders in the 22nd Century encounter in the Granite States forests, fields, and wetlands? Learn a little about the possibilities.
NH Audubon’s “Backyard Winter Bird Survey” is a citizen science project that has been collecting data on the state’s birds since 1967. In this program, Dr. Pamela Hunt uses the Survey’s data to illustrate how populations of our common winter birds have been changing over time. In the process, we’ll explore many other aspects of bird biology.
In the last 50 years, scientists estimate that North America has lost roughly 3 billion birds, meaning that there are only three quarters as many birds around as there used to be. New Hampshire Audubon has been tracking bird populations for almost as long, and in our “State of the Birds” report we present a summary of how birds are doing here in the Granite State. Almost 300 species occur regularly here, and this report outlines general population trends, major threats facing birds and their habitats, and some of the conservation strategies that might help them recover. The bad news is that birds are declining here as well. The good news is that there are things we can do about it.
This talk is a celebration of everything with six legs. Insects are by far the most abundant and diverse group of organisms on earth, with by some estimates well over a million species – or slightly over half of ALL species known to live on our planet. And yet what do we REALLY know about these critters? Some of the things insects do are stranger than fiction, but rest assured that they are doing it all the time right under our noses. For example, did you know that male dragonflies can scoop sperm from a previous male out of females’ reproductive organs? Or that some wasps lay eggs inside living caterpillars, and the wasp larvae eat the caterpillar alive from the inside out? And then there are the more familiar stories involving metamorphosis, pollination, and mimicry. Join us to learn some of the basics of insect biology, including an overview of the major groups.
This program is based on NH Audubon’s 2021 publication: “The State of NH’s Birds: A Conservation Guide.” It presents a summary of bird populations in the state, an overview of the threats they face, and provides examples of things that individuals and communities can do to help birds and their habitats.
This program examines the dramatic Bald Eagle population recovery in New Hampshire and describes management efforts and partnerships that have helped eagles. Chris Martin has been a raptor biologist for NH Audubon for more than three decades. His work focuses on recovery of the state’s endangered and threatened raptors in close collaboration with NH Fish & Game. He recruits, trains, and supervises an enthusiastic corps of NH Audubon volunteer field observers who monitor these species all across the state.
This program reviews decades of effort to restore Peregrine Falcons in New Hampshire and describes management and partnerships that have helped these aerial predators. Chris Martin has been a raptor biologist for NH Audubon for more than three decades. His work focuses on recovery of the state’s endangered and threatened raptors in close collaboration with NH Fish & Game. He recruits, trains, and supervises an enthusiastic corps of NH Audubon volunteer field observers who monitor these species all across the state.
Learn how automated radio telemetry has transformed the way biologists study bird migration and how New Hampshire plays a role in this global network. Explore the travels of birds that travel New Hampshire skies in spring and fall and follow the paths of Monarch Butterflies and Rusty Blackbirds tagged by NH Audubon biologists.
Unlike the nearly ubiquitous Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle, this declining songbird is seldom seen in New Hampshire. However, in remote forests and wetlands of Coos County, a small breeding population lurks out of public view for nearly six months of the year. NH Audubon biologists have been studying these birds since 2009 and have uncovered many secrets of their ecology. With the help of new technologies, we are now expanding our knowledge to their migration routes and wintering areas. This program shares the adventures and findings of our intrepid field crews as they brave clouds of black flies and mosquitoes, dense spruce-fir forests, and pre-dawn darkness to investigate the challenges facing these intriguing birds.
Join us for an exploration of New Hampshire’s salt marshes and the diverse bird life in this dynamic habitat. With experience researching coastal bird populations across the Seacoast, Grace will share insights into the birds that depend on these unique ecosystems and the incredible story of the Saltmarsh Sparrow—a true “canary in the coastline” for salt marshes and coastal communities, in general. Hear about innovative restoration techniques aimed at mitigating the effects of accelerated sea-level rise and what the future holds for the wildlife that call these habitats home.
Join us for a fascinating look at NH Audubon’s flagship participatory science project, the Backyard Winter Bird Survey. With more than 35 years of data, we’ll explore how New Hampshire’s winter bird populations have changed over time and how participatory science (also known as citizen science) helps expand our understanding of these trends. Ever wondered why Eastern Bluebirds and American Robins are now spending the winter in New Hampshire? This engaging talk will cover those shifts and more, offering insights into backyard bird identification and what our data reveals about the impacts of a warming climate.
Photos, from the top: Hoyt Sanctuary by Phil Brown, Senior Biologist Carol Foss with Alder (staff photo).
