Birds and Bunnies and Speckled Eggs!
April 2019 Highlights from the Audubon Society of Rhode Island
SCARLET TANAGER BY ED HUGHES
It’s spring! Head outside in the warmer temperatures and watch for American Woodcocks, join a beginner birding program, learn all about cottontail rabbits or bring the kids and search for camouflaged eggs. April is an awesome time at Audubon!
Unless noted, registration is required for all programs. Register online and view a complete listing of programs through the events calendar at www.asri.org.
FREE Wednesday Morning Bird Walks
Locations Across the State
April 3, 10, 17, 24, 2019; 9:00 – 11:00 am
Audubon offers FREE Wednesday Morning Bird Walks with naturalist Laura Carberry. Each week a new birding destination will be chosen. Please visit the Audubon website (ww.asri.org) or Facebook Page for the location. Contact Laura at lcarberry@asri.org for more information.
Locations determined weekly; Every Wednesday through June 2019; 9:00-11:00 am; Ages: 14+.
Explore Prudence Island
Prudence Island, RI
April 4, 2019; 1:30 – 6:30 pm
Spend an afternoon exploring beautiful Prudence Island at a leisurely pace. We will look for harbor seals hauled out on the rocks offshore, search for a variety of birds along the shoreline and in the woods, and take some short walks to give you a nice overview of the island and the Reserve.
Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Prudence Island, RI; Fee: $8/member adult, $4/member child; $12/non-member adult, $8/non-member child. Ages: 8+. For more information on Prudence Island trips and to register, visit the events calendar at www.asri.org.
Watching Woodcocks: Supper and Saunter
Audubon Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, Smithfield, RI
April 5, 2019; 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Join Audubon for an evening dedicated to the mysterious American Woodcock. Begin at Powder Mill Ledges for a soup and salad supper and an introduction to this bird and its exuberant mating flights. Then venture outdoors, either at Powder Mill or the nearby Newman Wildlife Refuge to view and listen for the mating flights and songs. Wear sturdy shoes, dress warmly and bring a bright flashlight. Program will be postponed in the event of rain or otherwise poor viewing conditions.
Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI; Fee: $25/member; $30/non-member. Ages: 9+. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org
Citizens Bank Free Family Fun Day
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 6, 2019; 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thanks to the Citizens Bank, the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium is open free to the public the first Saturday of every month. Join us for crafts, nature stories, animal discoveries, hikes and more. No need to register!
April 6, 2019: Flowers and Soil
10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Master Gardener’s Soil Testing
10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Nature Craft Table
10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Spot the Flower. Can you spot 10 flowers in our exhibit hall? Spot them all and receive a prize to take home.
10:30 am and 2:30 pm: Nature Story
11:00 am: Tissue Paper Flower Activity
1:30 pm: Animal Interview
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; April 6, 2019; 9:00 am-5:00 pm; Free. Ages: All.
Soil Testing
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 6, 2019; 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Get ready for the planting season and have a master gardener check the pH level of your soil. Collect four to six samples from different locations in the area you would like tested. Dig down three to six inches to the root depth. Place the samples in an open tray, mix together well and allow the soil to air-dry overnight. Fill a small paper bag with ½ cup of your sample and label it with the location from where it was collected.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; April 6, 2019; 10:00 am-2:00 pm; Free. Ages: All.
Sea Glass Jewelry Workshop
Two Dates Offered
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 6, May 11, 2019; 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Come design and create a beautiful pendant with sea glass found on local beaches. Learn how to choose the right piece of glass and transform it using quick and easy wire wrapping techniques. Program includes all materials. Find something special on the beach? Bring that too! Advance registration is required.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Fee: $20/member; $25/non-member. Ages: Adult. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org.
Audubon Camouflaged Egg Hunt
Four Locations Offered – See Below
April 13, 2019; Check-in 9:30 am, Egg Hunt 10:00 – 11:00 am
Audubon offers a fun alternative to the same old Easter Egg Hunt! Children, ages 3 to 10, hunt for brown eggs in a natural setting and quickly learn how well the eggs camouflage. Prizes are awarded to all children, with grand prizes given to the finders of the “golden eggs.” Please bring a basket. Check-in will begin at 9:30 am. The Egg Hunt will start promptly at 10:00 am and is held rain or shine. Advance registration is required.
Program Fee: $5/member child; $7/non-member child. Ages: 3-10. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI
Powder Mill Ledges, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI
Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, 99 Pardon Joslin Road, Exeter, RI
Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA
Cottontail Scavenger Hunt
Audubon Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, Seekonk, MA
April 16, 2019; 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Following a brief introduction to cottontail rabbits (learn where they live, identify their tracks and discover what they eat), families will set off across the refuge trails to find clues hinting at the presence of these charming creatures. Bring a digital camera (or cell phone camera) to document your findings and receive a prize. No experience is necessary to have a great time! Prizes will be awarded based on the number of clues found and photographed.
Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA; Fee: $12/members team, $15/non-members team. Ages: All. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org.
Birding for Beginners
Five Sessions
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 25, 2019; 9:00 – 11:00 am
Bird watching is one of the fastest growing outdoor recreational activities. Join the fun! Audubon offers a five-week class providing a basic understanding of bird biology as well as visual and aural identification techniques. Led by Lauren Parmelee, long time birder and Audubon senior director of education, time will be spent in both the classroom and the field (weather dependent) to practice birding skills. Please bring binoculars and a field guide if you have them, and dress appropriately for the weather. Class is limited to 15 adults; register early.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Note there is no class May 18; Fee: $70/member, $85/non-member. Ages: Teen to Adult.
Author Meet and Greet: Eating with the Ecosystem
Kate Masury Co-author of Simmering the Sea
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 25, 2019; 7:00 – 8:00 pm
You’ve heard that variety is the spice of life, but did you know that eating a wide assortment of seafood can actually help sustain ocean ecosystems? Simmering the Sea is an underwater culinary adventure where you will meet (and learn how to prepare) forty underappreciated fish and shellfish that populate the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Sample species as varied as the coastal slipper limpet to the deep-water Acadian redfish, while learning how each one contributes to a flourishing ecosystem in the sea. Produced through a partnership between the University of Rhode Island, the nonprofit Eating with the Ecosystem, and Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts, this is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind cookbook that can serve as your manual for a more intimate and balanced relationship with the marine ecosystems off New England’s shores. Join Audubon for a book signing and talk by Kate Masury, co-author of Simmering the Sea and Program Director at Eating with the Ecosystem. “Simmering with the Sea” cookbook will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; April 25, 2019; 7:00-8:00 pm; Fee: $5/member, $7/non-member. Ages: Adult. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org.
Eppley Wildlife Refuge Spring Hike
Audubon Marion Eppley Wildlife Refuge, West Kingston, RI
April 25, 2019; 9:30 am – 12:00 pm
Join Audubon senior director of conservation Scott Ruhren on an easy hike in this special refuge. Walk the trails looking for spring flowers and listening for newly arriving birds. Dress appropriately for the weather and bring binoculars and field guides if you have them.
Marion Eppley Wildlife Refuge, Dugway Bridge Road, West Kingston, RI; Fee: $10/member adult, $5/member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child. Ages: 8+. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org.
Friday Morning Bird Walks at Fisherville Brook
Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, Exeter, RI
April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 2019
Experience spring migration at Fisherville Brook! Explore the wildlife refuge each week with an expert guide in search of new neo-tropical migrants. Observe birds like Northern Waterthrush, Prairie Warblers, Bluebirds, Scarlet Tanagers and more. You never know what birds may be spotted. Don’t forget your binoculars! Meet in the parking lot.
Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, 99 Pardon Joslin Road, Exeter, RI; 8:30-10:30 am; Fee: Free. Ages: 12+.
Air Plant Log: Make & Take Workshop
Audubon Caratunk Willdife Refuge, Seekonk, MA
April 28, 2019; 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Unleash your creativity and join Audubon for this fun Make & Take workshop. We’ll provide the logs, air plants, moss, stones, sea glass, shells, lady bugs, mushrooms and more with care instructions. Create your own mini-garden to take home! Refreshments will be served. Fee includes instruction and materials for one garden.
Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA; Fee: $30/member; $35/non-member. Ages: Teen to Adult. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org.
Secrets of the Blossom: Poison, Medicine, Art
Photography by Jason Hack, MD
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
Through April 30, 2019; 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Jason Hack is an emergency physician and medical toxicologist who photographs both living and inanimate objects he finds in the environment around him. This collection includes many of the medicinal or poisonous flowers that he has come upon in Rhode Island— just waiting to be discovered and recognized. There is no outward indication of whether a blossom is used as a medicine or contains an injurious chemical—but it is often both. He views these flowering plants as if they hiding secrets within. Meet the artist at the exhibit opening and introductory talk on March 10, 2019 from 1:00 to 3:00pm
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Free with Admission. Ages: All.
12 Sanderson Road ~ Smithfield, RI 02917-2600 ~ Phone: (401) 949-5454 ~ Fax: (401) 949-5788
email: audubon@asri.org