Each year our fields, forests, lakes and rivers provide the habitat needed for and amazing number of nesting and migratory bird species. Learn more about the avian friends who rely on our conserved spaces and how they are indicators of our ability to provide diverse habitas. Resources for beginning birders and opportunities to participate in Bobolink Monitoring at the McAllister Wildlife Refuge will also be provided. 

Program Agenda:
1:00 - 1:20 Welcome and Annual Meeting business
1:20 - 1:45 Chip Blake, The Birds of Berkshire County
1:45 - 2:10 Ben Nickley, Berkshire Bird Observatory
2:10 - 2:30 Questions

GBLC Presents Birds of the Berkshires:
Chip Blake is a freelance editor and writing instructor. Earlier he served for 25 years as the editor of Orion magazine. Chip has lived in Berkshire County for almost three decades, exploring every corner of it as a naturalist and birdwatcher. He is the president of the Hoffmann Bird Club and the author of The Birds of Berkshire County: An Annotated Checklist, to be published later this year by the Nuttall Ornithological Club.
Ben Nickley is a scientist with a passion for birds and the ecosystems they are an integral part of. He has a MS in biology, is the author of several peer-reviewed articles, and has travelled across North America to study birds for several nonprofit organizations. Helping others connect with the natural world through birds is his forte and his mission. Ben founded Berkshire Bird Observatory in 2023 and serves as its Executive Director. Ben feels privileged to have landed in the Berkshires and could not think of a better place to do the work he loves.