NH Audubon

Nighthawk Watch Volunteer Training
2021-06-03 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | NH
It’s nearly time for the first Common Nighthawks to return. These insect-eating birds were once common in cities throughout New Hampshire, but they are now endangered in the state. Volunteers have been helping NH Audubon and the Harris Center track nesting nighthawks since 2007, primarily in Concord, Keene, and the Ossipee pine barrens. Volunteers watch at specific sites from 8:00 – 9:30 pm recording any nighthawk activity. If you are interested in volunteering, there will be an online training on June 3 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. We will provide an introduction to nighthawk identification and instructions for nighthawk watching. Closed captioning will be available. To get the login details, please register here. Contact Becky Suomala (rsuomala@nhaudubon.org) if you have questions regarding volunteering.
Common Nighthawk female nesting on a stone rooftop. Photo by Rebecca Suomala.
Co-sponsored by the Harris Center for Conservation Education, NH Audubon, and Keene State College.

Native Bees of New England - their Diversity and Natural History
2021-06-01 19:00 - 20:30 | NH
How many kinds of bees can you name: honey bees, bumble bees, sweat bees perhaps? Most people are familiar with our non-native honey bees and their role in pollinating commercial crops, but few are aware of the great diversity of native bees that we have in our region and the roles that they play in pollinating our indigenous plants.
Join High School Biology Teacher and Native Bee Enthusiast Michael Veit for a presentation about the wild bees of our region, their diversity, beauty, importance, and fascinating life histories.
Register for this free webinar through Zoom.

This webinar is part of the year-long Exploring Connections to and Stewardship of the Natural World talks. This series is supported by a grant through the NH Humanities Council and aims to provide a public and personal space for the examination of environmental ethics, fostering a deeper understanding of, appreciation for, and care of, our natural world. Programs are free to the public, and streamed via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook Live.
For more information and to see the entire slate of talks, visit our series webpage.

Jeffreys Ledge Pelagic Birding Trip
2021-05-31 08:00 - 17:00 | Rye Harbor, 1870 Ocean Blvd (Rte 1A), Rye, NH, 03870, United States
This trip is sold out.
Location: Rye Harbor, NH
Monday, May 31 (Memorial Day), 8 am – 5 pm
Cost: $70 M/$90 NM
Join NH Audubon aboard MV Granite State as we explore Jeffreys Ledge, 20 miles off the New Hampshire coast. We’ll spend all day at sea, searching for pelagic seabirds, whales, dolphins, and anything else that happens to cross our course. Once you register, you will receive confirmation and further information. Participants need to meet at Rye Harbor at 7:30am for check-in and 8am departure. Minimum of 30 participants, maximum of 40 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Pre-registration required. ​
(To register for Intro to Pelagic Wildlife, see the event for May 30.)
Photo: Great Shearwater, by Amanda Boyd, USFWS

Intro to Pelagic Wildlife
2021-05-30 15:00 - 16:00 | NH
Sunday, May 30, 3 – 4 pm
Cost: $5 (free to those attending Pelagic Trip on May 31)
Leader: Jon Woolf
Watch an educational slideshow about some of the wildlife you might see just off NH’s coast. We’ll teach you how to identify some of our common pelagic birds as well as a few of our frequently sighted whale species.
Registration for this zoom session will close one hour before the program.
To register for the Pelagic Birding Boat Trip, see the event for May 31.
Photo: Great Shearwater, by Amanda Boyd, USFWS

Saturday Birding with Doug Bechtel
2021-05-29 08:00 - 09:00, 2021-05-15 08:00 - 09:00, 2021-05-01 08:00 - 09:00, 2021-04-17 08:00 - 09:00 | Massabesic Center, 26 Audubon Way, Auburn, NH, United States
Join NH Audubon President, Doug Bechtel, for a casual birding walk at Massabesic Center in Auburn. There is no registration necessary; this is a free program. Doug will head out from the center at 8am for a one-hour exploration. (Note: the location alternates each week from McLane Center to Massabesic Center.)
Photo: Orchard Oriole, by Len Medlock.

Pollinators 101
2021-05-25 19:00 - 20:30 | NH
Who are “the pollinators”? Learn about the most common types of wild pollinators, their vital ecological role, and how we can profoundly impact the diversity of pollinators in our own yards and communities.
Register for this free webinar through Zoom.

This webinar is part of the year-long Exploring Connections to and Stewardship of the Natural World talks. This series is supported by a grant through the NH Humanities Council and aims to provide a public and personal space for the examination of environmental ethics, fostering a deeper understanding of, appreciation for, and care of, our natural world. Programs are free to the public, and streamed via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook Live.
For more information and to see the entire slate of talks, visit our series webpage.
Speaker Bio:
Vicki J. Brown traded life as a marketing executive in Boston for NH’s woods, waters and wildlife in 2016. Today, she consults with mission-oriented organizations in healthcare and the environment. A Founding Organizer for Pollinator Pathways NH, a NH Natural Resources Steward, and a Coverts Volunteer, Vicki is slowly turning her lawn into pollinator and wildlife habitat. She enjoys observing nature while walking, hiking, paddling and cycling.

Saturday Birding with Doug Bechtel
2021-05-22 08:00 - 09:00, 2021-05-08 08:00 - 09:00, 2021-04-24 08:00 - 09:00, 2021-04-10 08:00 - 09:00 | McLane Center, 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH, 03301, United States
Join NH Audubon President, Doug Bechtel, for a casual birding walk at McLane Center in Concord. There is no registration necessary; this is a free program. Doug will head out from the center at 8am for a one-hour exploration. (Note: the location alternates each week from McLane Center to Massabesic Center.)
Photo: Orchard Oriole, by Len Medlock.

Flowering Trees and Shrubs for Pollinators
2021-05-18 19:00 - 20:30 | NH
When gardeners think of designing a landscape for pollinators, they may imagine a colorful bed of herbaceous flowers. However, flowering trees and shrubs are essential parts of the habitat required to support a wide variety of pollinators and other wildlife species. Not only do they provide food, but they also offer year-round shelter and nesting places. In this presentation you’ll learn about blooming trees and shrubs that provide both beauty and important habitat in the garden.
Register for this free webinar through Zoom.

This webinar is part of the year-long Exploring Connections to and Stewardship of the Natural World talks. This series is supported by a grant through the NH Humanities Council and aims to provide a public and personal space for the examination of environmental ethics, fostering a deeper understanding of, appreciation for, and care of, our natural world. Programs are free to the public, and streamed via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook Live.
For more information and to see the entire slate of talks, visit our series webpage.
Speaker Bio:
Emma Erler is a field specialist with UNH Cooperative Extension. She provides research-based programming and technical assistance to green-industry businesses throughout the state, including nursery, garden center, and landscape operations, while also serving the broader agricultural community of Hillsborough County. Emma also shares her expertise regularly on WMUR’s Grow it Green gardening feature and through her weekly gardening column, as well as through workshops, courses, and new programs.

The American Prairie Reserve
2021-05-12 19:30 - 20:30 | NH
New Hampshire Audubon Seacoast Chapter
Wednesday May 12, 2021 7:30 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada) Zoom Program: The American Prairie Reserve
Betsy Robinson and Steve Gehman, who have had careers as wildlife biologists and naturalist guides, will present an introduction to the ongoing effort to create a 3 million acre prairie reserve in central Montana. They will discuss some of the unique characteristics of the prairie ecosystem and will feature some of their favorite birds and experiences from their time documenting bird species presence and abundance on the Reserve. Other topics include the value of prairie dogs and the presence of native large mammals and carnivores, and the importance of establishing a large herd of free-ranging bison.
Bio: Betsy and Steve both grew up in the East, followed different paths westward, and then pursued careers as wildlife biologists and naturalist guides. They met while working for National Audubon’s Camp in The West at Dubois, Wyoming. They later married and founded Wild Things Unlimited, a non-profit organization that they ran for 22 years. Operating out of Bozeman, Montana, they conducted studies of wolverines, Canada lynx and grizzly bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, as well as prairie birds in central Montana. Between 2005 and 2013, Betsy and Steve spent parts of four summers documenting bird species presence and abundance on the American Prairie Reserve. They moved to New Hampshire in 2019 and live in Hillsborough with their two golden retrievers.
All are welcome to attend our Wednesday May 12, 2021 program via Zoom. The Zoom program Meeting begins at 7:30 PM, but feel free to sign on early after 7 pm to socialize. You may need to download Zoom to attend the program.
Please register in advance for this meeting. You can register right up through the start time.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
For more information see our website. Cancellations will be announced on the programs page.
The Seacoast Chapter of NH Audubon thanks AARP New Hampshire for their sponsorship.
Photos: Ferruginous Hawk; American Prairie Reserve, by Steven Gehman.

Birdathon
2021-05-08 00:00 - 23:59 | NH
May 8, 2021 (with May 9 as a weather option)
We encourage folks to get outside and go birding on SATURDAY, MAY 8 and report what you find to NH Audubon. As before, we encourage staying close to home, whether in your yard, neighborhood, or town, although more broad-ranging expeditions are also welcome. By registering, you sign up for our Birdathon mailing list to receive more information, including an online species list to let us know what you saw.
Can we beat 160 species? Unless it snows again I suspect we can! And of course we’re retaining the fundraising component. Feel free to donate online and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Visit the webpage for full details, registration and video links.

Garden for Wildlife: Attracting Birds, Butterflies and other Backyard Wildlife
2021-05-03 19:00 - 20:30 | NH
Naturalist David Mizejewski shares how to create a beautiful garden or landscape that fits into the local ecosystem and supports birds, butterflies, bees and a whole host of other wonderful wildlife neighbors. David will discuss native plants, the four components of habitat and sustainable gardening. He’ll also share how you can achieve the National Wildlife Federation’s “Certified Wildlife Habitat” recognition for your garden space.
Register for this free webinar through Zoom.

This webinar is part of the year-long Exploring Connections to and Stewardship of the Natural World talks. This series is supported by a grant through the NH Humanities Council and aims to provide a public and personal space for the examination of environmental ethics, fostering a deeper understanding of, appreciation for, and care of, our natural world. Programs are free to the public, and streamed via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook Live.
For more information and to see the entire slate of talks, visit our series webpage.
Speaker Bio:
David Mizejewski has been fascinated by our natural world for as long as he can remember. A lifelong naturalist, he spent his youth exploring the woods, fields and wetlands, observing and learning about the surprising diversity of wildlife that inhabits them. David is a naturalist and television host with the National Wildlife Federation. He holds a degree in Human and Natural Ecology from Emory University and is an expert on wildlife and our environment. He’s dedicated to using his knowledge and his enthusiasm to help others understand and protect wildlife. David regularly appears in the media to promote wildlife conservation. He hosted and co-produced Backyard Habitat, a television series on Animal Planet that showed people how to transform their yards and gardens into thriving habitats for birds and other local wildlife. He appeared in the Animal Planet mini-series Springwatch U.S.A. that looked at the effect seasonal change has on wildlife, from salamanders and flying squirrels to great horned owls and black bears. He’s appeared on NatGeo WILD on series such as Are You Smarter Than, How Human Are You, and Unlikely Animal Friends and co-hosted the network’s prime time television series Pet Talk. David is a regular guest on NBC’s Today Show, Conan, The Wendy Williams Show, Hallmark Home and Family, Access Hollywood, Inside Edition, Build Series NYC and Good Day.

Invasive Species Awareness Walk - in-person walk at MAC
2021-04-30 15:00 - 17:00 | NH
What is the difference between a native and an invasive species? When does an invasive become native? These questions, among others, will be discussed during a tour of NH Audubon Massabesic Center fields and woods. Take a look at some of our invasive plant species and learn their identifiable marks to pick these pesky plants out of the crowd.
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

Barred Owl - live-streamed animal talk
2021-04-30 10:00 - 11:00 | NH
“Who cooks for you?” Well, ask the Barred Owl! Meet our most common owl species during this live animal presentation via Zoom. Owls are mysterious creatures, and everyone loves to find them. We will go over Barred Owl biology, diet, and where these great creatures live. Join us during April Adventure week to find out more.
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

Pond Adventures - in-person walk at MAC
2021-04-29 15:00 - 17:00 | NH
Birds, beavers, reptiles, and amphibians all love spending their days either in the pond or near the pond. Have you ever gone out to find these amazing species but had no luck? Well, spend some time here at NH Audubon Massabesic Center to get your feet wet, your hands dirty, and lock eyes on the amazing critters in our pond.
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

Turtles - live-streamed animal talk
2021-04-29 10:00 - 11:00 | NH
What is our most common aquatic turtle in New Hampshire? Does New Hampshire have box turtles? These are two common questions people have here in the great granite state. Join us for a live animal presentation where you’ll be introduced to our ambassador turtles and these questions plus more will be answered!
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

Early spring Bird Walk - in-person walk at MAC
2021-04-28 15:00 - 17:00 | NH
Bird migration is one of the most spectacular events in nature. Join us here at NH Audubon Massabesic Center to learn about spring migration. At the same time, enjoy a guided nature walk through the fields to find those beautiful birds that migrate through our land.
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

Bald Eagle - live-streamed animal talk
2021-04-28 10:00 - 11:00 | NH
The Bald Eagle is a fascinating creature! Meet our ambassador Eagle with NH Audubon’s Shelby Morelli. You will also learn about what Bald Eagles eat, their habitat, and their biology. You’ll even get to see him enjoy his favorite activity, a shower! Join us with Zoom for this amazing live animal presentation during April Adventure week and meet our Bald Eagle.
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

The Power of Place-based Writing
2021-04-27 19:00 - 20:30 | NH
Participants will explore the power of place-based writing to galvanize citizens to protect special places in our NH communities and regions. We will experience how place-based writing clarifies our thinking, connects us to the places we live, and how powerful writing can help shape environmental policy and spur citizens to proactive stewardship of natural resources. Our cultural, ecological, historical (think about land acknowledgements) and social identities contribute to our sense of place. Participants will write, responding to place-based prompts and then read/share our work with others in attendance.
Register for this free webinar through Zoom.

This webinar is part of the year-long Exploring Connections to and Stewardship of the Natural World talks. This series is supported by a grant through the NH Humanities Council and aims to provide a public and personal space for the examination of environmental ethics, fostering a deeper understanding of, appreciation for, and care of, our natural world. Programs are free to the public, and streamed via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook Live.
For more information and to see the entire slate of talks, visit our series webpage.
Speaker Bio:
Mary Ann McGarry is the former Natural Resource Educator for the Maine Department of Conservation, Director of Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute, and Director of Education for the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, NH. She has been a professor of environmental science and policy at Plymouth State University (PSU) since 2004, having helped create the master’s and undergraduate programs. She is currently the Endowed Abbott Professor of Environmental Studies. MaryAnn is also one of the founding members of the Sustainability Council which offers a minor. McGarry has led a two major interdisciplinary projects on campus: 1) Forest to Forest: Bicknell’s Thrush– Raising awareness about the Bicknell’s Thrush as a catalyst for focusing on international sustainable development on the island of Hispaniola and in the northeastern U.S. where the birds come to breed on the peaks over 2800 feet; and 2) Valuing Our Campus Trees and Community Forests which led PSU in becoming NH’s first and only higher education institution with Tree Campus USA and Bee Campus USA status. This latter project has involved having her students calculate the ecosystem service of trees on campus using the USFS i-tree software and conducting tree tours of the 106 species on the campus for the community and prospective students. McGarry has conducted environmental place-based writing workshops and courses for local, national and International audiences. She has completed 23 graduate credit hours towards a masters in creative writing, focused on environmental writing. McGarry enjoys uses rhyming poetry to educate citizens about environmental topics.

Signs of Spring Tour and Scavenger Hunt - in-person walk at MAC
2021-04-27 15:00 - 17:00 | NH
Spring is one of the most magical seasons we have here in New England. Plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and migrating birds begin are visible and active once again. Join NH Audubon Massabesic Center on a walk and a scavenger hunt to find signs of spring. If you enjoy adventure, getting out in the mild, wet fields, and simply love the outdoors then enjoy an afternoon here at Audubon!
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

The Wonderful World of Snakes - live-streamed animal talk
2021-04-27 10:00 - 11:00 | NH
Snakes are often feared creatures due to how they move and how they look. However, snakes are amazing reptiles! This live animal Zoom talk will highlight different snake features and some snake biology. Plus, Shelby will introduce you to our resident snake ambassadors! By the end, we hope you will no longer fear these wonderful creatures.
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

Vernal Pool Adventures - in-person walk at MAC
2021-04-26 15:00 - 17:00 | NH
Spring brings wonderful snowmelts to our New Hampshire landscape. When the snow melts in the woods vernal pools arrive. This brings new life to the woods and they can become very loud! Join NH Audubon for a walk at Massabesic Center to learn about vernal pools and see what lives in them during the spring and early summer months.
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

Red-tailed Hawk - live-streamed animal talk
2021-04-26 10:00 - 11:00 | NH
Have you ever wondered what that big bird is, perched near the road? Well, join NH Audubon educator, Shelby Morelli, for a live animal talk and meet our resident Red-tailed Hawk. Learn all about these magnificent raptors via Zoom during our April Adventure week!
Registration required; cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-members. Purchase tickets below.

Ravens, Wolves and People
2021-04-14 19:30 - 20:30 | NH
Wednesday April 14, 2021 7:30 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada) Zoom Program
Join the New Hampshire Audubon Seacoast Chapter for their April program: Ravens, Wolves and People.
Wolves chasing ravens; photo by John Marzluff.
Common ravens are known to scavenge from wolves and people, but the degree to which they exploit these and other sources of food has not been studied in detail. In 2019, Matthias Loretto and presenter John Marzluff began tagging ravens in Yellowstone National Park with long-lasting GSM transmitters. After tagging >60 ravens and relating their movements to those of people and wolves, they are gaining an appreciation of the raven’s reliance on both providers. John will describe the movements of territorial and non-breeding ravens and relate these to wolf- and human-provisioned foods. He will focus on the exploits of individual birds to emphasize variability. They observed ravens using wolf kills, but the ravens’ discovery appears more incidental than a result of following or purposeful search. As they begin to quantify the relationship between wolves and ravens, they may learn more about raven and wolf synchrony, but at present, it appears to be weak, with discovery of kills occurring during the day rather than after communal roosting. Ravens made extensive use of anthropogenic resources, including direct handouts, wastewater treatment ponds, dumps, agriculture, roadkills, and hunter offal. Territorial ravens have extensive knowledge of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and exploit areas in excess of 6500 square miles to obtain their yearly needs.
John Marzluff is James W. Ridgeway Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington. His graduate (Northern Arizona University) and initial post-doctoral (University of Vermont) research focused on the social behavior and ecology of jays and ravens. He continues this theme investigating the intriguing behavior of crows, ravens, and jays. His current research focuses on the interactions of ravens and wolves in Yellowstone. He teaches Ornithology, Governance and Conservation of Rare Species, Field Research in Yellowstone, and Natural and Cultural History of Costa Rica.
Professor Marzluff has written five books and edited several others. His Welcome to Subirdia (2014 Yale) discovers that moderately settled lands host a splendid array of biological diversity and suggests ways in which people can steward these riches to benefit birds and themselves. His most recent book, In Search of Meadowlarks (2020 Yale) connects our agriculture and diets to the conservation of birds and other wildlife.
Dr. Marzluff has mentored over 40 graduate students and authored over 140 scientific papers on various aspects of bird behavior and wildlife management. He is a member of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Recovery Team for the critically endangered Mariana Crow, a former member of the Washington Biodiversity Council, a Fellow of the American Ornithologist’s Union, and a National Geographic Explorer.
All are welcome to attend our Wednesday April 14, 2021 program via Zoom. The Zoom program Meeting begins at 7:30pm, but feel free to sign on early after 7pm to socialize. You may need to download Zoom (https://zoom.us/download) to attend the program.
Please register in advance for this meeting. You can register right up through the start time:
https://unh.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUofuGtqjwjH9GmEQj_YML95AjhNMqqpsaw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
For more information see our web site at http://www.seacoastchapter.org/programs. Cancellations will be announced on http://www.seacoastchapter.org/programs.

Community Science: Nexus of People and Place
2021-04-13 19:00 - 20:30 | NH
Join NH Audubon staff in an exploration of ways to engage people and place to more fully understand our planet. Community Science is on the rise with increasing numbers of volunteers collecting data to expand scientific knowledge. We will share examples of how Community Scientists collaborate with researchers to gather data on the timing of seasons, precipitation, bird migration and more. Staff will discuss current projects that you can get involved in through NH Audubon and other partner organizations.
Register for this free webinar through Zoom.

This webinar is part of the year-long Exploring Connections to and Stewardship of the Natural World talks. This series is supported by a grant through the NH Humanities Council and aims to provide a public and personal space for the examination of environmental ethics, fostering a deeper understanding of, appreciation for, and care of, our natural world. Programs are free to the public, and streamed via Zoom, YouTube, and Facebook Live.
For more information and to see the entire slate of talks, visit our series webpage.
Speakers:
Marc Nutter, Diane De Luca, and others
