Our nature preserves are open to the public 365 days per year from sunrise to sunset, providing natural places that offer peace and respite for all. Willistown Conservation Trust owns and manages Hartman Meadow, Ashbridge, Kirkwood, Kestrel Hill and Rushton Woods Preserves. We maintain these lands to preserve and enhance … Learn more about our nature preserves.
Avian Adventures with Aaron ft. Gryphon Coffee Co.
This month’s bird walk will explore the farm fields and hedgerows of Rushton Farm, with a visit to our on-site bird feeders. Blue Jay and American Robin are abundant this time of year, as they move from tree-to-tree, shrub-to-shrub, searching for insects, caching away nuts and seeds, and stripping the last of the available fruits. Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglet frantically scramble between the branches as if wearing a tinkerbell, and Carolina Chickadee delight with their eponymous Chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee calls. Waterfowl flocks of Canada Geese and Mallard continue to commute overhead between corn- and hay-stubble fields, small ponds, and slow-moving waterways. We’ll talk about why it is important to leave herbaceous vegetation standing throughout the winter, and which plants are the earliest blooming flowers to anticipate (that are easily overlooked), and how this all connects back to the birds and animals we love to watch.
In addition, we will have a special treat for this Avian Adventure! Gryphon Coffee Co., (our first local partner in our new WCT Bird Friendly® Coffee Coalition) will be brewing our collaborative Bird Friendly® blend, Blackburnian Brew! An expert from Gryphon will demonstrate the proper technique for pour-over style coffee, and participants can enjoy the warm brew while learning about how choosing Bird Friendly® certified coffee helps save our migratory birds.
