Be a citizen scientist and join one of the many Christmas bird counts that the National Audubon Society will hold from Thursday, Dec. 14 to Friday, Jan. 5. The Christmas bird counts have been taking place for more than 120 years. The information from these has been used in hundreds of analyses, peer-reviewed publications and government reports over the decades. One thing that scientists have discovered from the bird counts is that the number of birds has decreased dramatically in…...
FeederWatch is a November-April survey of birds—and now mammals!—that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas and other locales in the United States and Canada. Despite the name, you don’t need a feeder. All you need is an area with plantings, habitat, water or food that attracts birds. You can participate from inside looking out a window. The schedule is completely flexible. Count your birds for as long as you like on days of your choosing, then enter your counts online. The…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Where do our pollinators go in the winter? A lot of them stay right here in Western New York. You may have created a welcoming habitat for them in spring, summer and autumn with native plants. Now it’s time for us to create a welcoming habitat for them during winter. It’s easy, too! Just leave the leaves. Why leave the leaves? We need pollinators, and pollinators need those fallen leaves in order to survive over the…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here are six reminders–or perhaps new ideas–for activities that Western New York gardeners can do in autumn. Start roses from seeds Yes, you can actually start roses from seeds, and autumn is the time to do it, said David Clark, CNLP. The seeds are inside the rose hip, which is the fruit of the plant. It’s a green or red ball that forms when the rose flower drops off. See more in the article “How to…...
Two events celebrating monarch butterflies will be held by the Audubon Community Nature Center, 1600 Riverside Rd., Jamestown. Butterflies and Brews Butterflies and Brews, an adults-only event, will be held from 6–9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25. Learn about the life cycle and migration of the monarch butterfly while enjoying great food and drinks. There will be free-flying butterflies and you can see some of the butterflies being tagged with tracking numbers to assist with national efforts to track the monarch migration…....
Check out these two publications from Master Gardeners in Western New York–they’re full of great information. Learn about soil blocks in the newest edition of The Optimistic Gardener, produced by the Master Gardeners in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. You don’t need containers for seedlings when you have soil blocks, according to Mark Messinger, Master Gardener apprentice. “You can see the roots fill out the blockscompletely, and instead of swirling around and tangling themselves, each root just stopswhen it hits the…...
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Master Gardener Program is celebrating National Pollinator month by sharing information and resources to help create a garden for your favorite pollinators. by Shannon Rinow, Master Gardener Coordinator, Chautauqua County Butterflies and honeybees may come to mind when you think of pollinators, but pollinators also include wild native bees (there are 450 native species of bees in New York State), beetles, moths, bats, wasps, birds, specialized flies and other beneficial insects. They all play an important…...
The Genesee County Master Gardeners will hold monthly Garden Talks starting in February. Garden Talk programs start at noon and can be 30 to 60 minutes long, depending on the topic. They will be held on Thursdays. This free series is open to all, but registration is required. You can attend in person at the Cornell Cooperative Extension office, 420 East Main St., Batavia, or online via Zoom. To attend in person, contact Mandy at 585-343-3040, ext. 101 or amm532@cornell.edu. For a Zoom…...
You can help scientists learn how birds are faring in Western New York by volunteering for Audubon’s 123rd Christmas Bird Count. It’s one of the longest-running wildlife censuses in the world. Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count will take place between Wednesday, Dec. 14 and Thursday, Jan. 5. Each individual count takes place over the course of 24 hours, in a 15-mile-wide circle, and is led by a compiler responsible for organizing volunteers and submitting observations directly to Audubon. Participation is free. Within each circle, participants tally…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Hang your hummingbird feeder two weeks before hummingbirds are expected in Western New York. Get more details below as well as tips on attracting hummingbirds to your garden and When to expect hummingbirds in Western New York Hummingbirds will return to Western New York in about mid-May, said Penny Durnin of North Tonawanda, who for many years was moderator of the Hummingbird Forum. (That forum is no longer online.) Hummingbirds could arrive earlier if they get a…...
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