On Tuesday, May 14, the Hudson Valley Farm Hub hosted Public Birding Day, a free, open-to-the-public self-guided birding day. The event attracted nearly 60 people from the community, many of them avid birders. Attendees enjoyed spotting various birds as they walked a 1.3-mile “loop” around the grassland bird field and explored the different habitats, such as a pond, creeks, meadows, and the floodplain forest. The Applied Farmscape Ecology Program team was stationed in the middle of the loop with different bird field guides to answer any questions. Community members were welcome to come between 7:30am and 4:30pm to observe birds on the trail as long as desired.
Elizabeth Martine was thrilled to spot birds, including Sandpipers, Baltimore Orioles, Warblers, and a Savannah Sparrow. “There’s a nice variety of birds and the land is beautiful here,” she says. Jamie Kennard, another attendee, captured an Eastern Screech Owl with his camera. To date, some 189 bird species have been identified at the farm.
