Mass Audubon Stony Brook Announces Its April Programming

Tiny Trekkers: Saturdays, April 1 and 15, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Start your weekend off right with a fun and knowledgeable Stony Brook teacher on the trails learning about nature. Each day will have a special topic created to excite your child about the natural world. There will be crafts, activities and lots of laughter. So come and join the fun. This month’s themes: Backyard Birds/ Taking Care of the Earth. Ages 2.9 to 6 with a parent. Fee: $5m/$6nm per person per session.
Stories in Stone: from the Ice Age to Today: Sunday, April 2, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Learn how millennia of glacial advances and retreats created the landforms and topography of New England. We will hike on the sanctuary grounds to see and identify various distinctive glacial landforms as well as the evidence of how those stones were put to use in developing New England. We’ll examine their characteristics and learn how they continue to influence the living world today. Fee: $13m/$16nm.
Early Morning Birds: Tuesdays, April 4-25, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. Spring brings a variety of birds to Stony Brook, as migrants return to nest or to stop over on their journey north. Take a morning stroll with Doug Williams and/or Jack Lash and discover the wonderful creatures of the area. Nature lovers of all levels are welcome! Fee: $8m/$10nm.
Intermediate Birding Field Trips: Tuesdays, April 4 and 18, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Jack Lash will lead this program starting at Stony Brook. Jack will refresh everyone’s knowledge of local birds, highlighting their behavior, preferred habitat, calls and other characteristics that will simplify our ability to identify them. Each Tuesday will focus on birds in different locations including the Stop River IBA, the Wrentham Great Blue Heron Rookery, and other local birding spots. Fee: $10m/$12nm.
Romance of the Woodcocks: Wednesday, April 5, from 7 to 8 p.m. Join us for a memorable evening watching the incredible displays and antics of these shorebirds that gave up the shore. The male woodcock displays for nearby females by flying from his calling grounds in an upward spiral and then fluttering like a leaf back to earth while making a very distinctive “whirring” call. Birchwold Farm in Wrentham is an ideal spot to view this magnificent show.
Fee: $6m/$8nm.
Amphibians after Dark: Saturday, April 8, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Get excited for “Big Night,” an outdoor amphibian adventure! Tour the lantern-lit trails with a guided group and encounter costumed characters waiting to teach you about amphibians through their stories and songs. Inside we’ll have live specimens from vernal pools, make crafts, and view a slide show about the animals that live in these “wicked big puddles.” Guided groups leave the Nature Center every fifteen minutes. Fee: $8m/ $10nm. Children 3 and under free.
April Vacation Week: Tuesday-Friday, April 18-21, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Your children don’t have to go far away to experience a new world or discover something new about themselves. Have them come to Stony Brook during the vacation week. We know how to make learning fun! Themes: Fantastic Flying Machines, April Showers, Weird Science, Night Stalkers. Fee: $50m/$55nm per day.
Purple Martins Moving into Stony Brook: Wednesday, April 19, from 7 to 8 p.m. Purple Martins were once familiar and much appreciated dwellers in towns and on farms throughout eastern Massachusetts. They are the largest and most gregarious members of the swallow family. Historical accounts suggest that they first arrived in New England just before the outbreak of the American Revolution, and their presence was documented by the 1830s. Their existence in MA has always been tenuous, however, as this area represents the northern extent of their range, but within the last few years a colony of these beautiful birds is becoming established at Stony Brook. Learn more about the close association between us and them and how we are encouraging and supporting their establishment at Stony Brook. Free program.
Earth Day/Arbor Day: Sunday, April 23, from 1 to 4 p.m. Come out to Stony Brook for an afternoon of timely demonstrations and information sharing, children’s nature games and crafts, music and more. Throughout the day there will be programs in tree planting and pruning techniques, a special presentation of the Aldo Leopold Foundation’s Green Fire, and a Clean and Green drop-off bin for collected litter and recyclables. For those who have never been to Stony Brook, a naturalist will be available for guided tours. We hope you will join us on this very special day. Free to all!
Pre-registration is required for all programs (except as noted). For more details, visit the Mass Audubon webpage at www.massaudubon.org or contact us at (508) 528-3140. Register by phone, email (stonybrook@massaudubon.org), fax (508-553-3864) or in person. Stony Brook is located at 108 North Street in Norfolk.