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Connecticut Audubon Society
Birdcraft Museum
in Fairfield

Birdcraft Museum and pavilion by Deanna Sojka
314 Unquowa Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
203-259-0416

New
Visitor Hours starting May 1, 2009:
Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
(Closed Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays.)

Our adjoining 6-acre Birdcraft Sanctuary is open
7 days a week from dawn to dusk year-round.

Click here for Directions

Birdcraft Museum Admission:
Adults: $2; Children under 14: $1.
Free for Connecticut Audubon Society Members

Founded in 1914 by Connecticut Audubon Society founder Mabel Osgood Wright, Birdcraft is the first private bird sanctuary in the U.S. It includes the Teaching Bridge and Pavilion that abut Birdcraft Pond. Starting in the spring the pond is teeming with Painted Turtles and Tree Swallows, many duck species, visiting Black-crowned Night Herons and many other species of song birds. Photo by Deanna Sojka.


Focus
To offer premier natural history education programs and exhibits for the benefit of school children and adults and to preserve the historic heritage of the facility as the first privately owned songbird sanctuary in the country.

History
Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary was established in 1914 by Mabel Osgood Wright, Photo of CAS founder Mabel Osgood Wright a pioneer in the American conservation movement and the founder of Connecticut Audubon Society. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, this small and intimate natural history museum with its adjacent private songbird sanctuary (the oldest in the U.S.) represents the historic heart of Connecticut Audubon Society. Changing exhibits, informative lectures and the teaching bridge and pavilion provide a unique environmental experience. Mabel Osgood Wright is also an inductee in the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, and the CAS Birdcraft Museum is one of the sites listed on the Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail. For more information please visit www.cwhf.org.

Museum and Cottage
Representing the historic heart of Connecticut Audubon Society, these buildings served as our organization's original headquarters. The museum offers dioramas of Connecticut’s wildlife and wildlife habitats as they existed at the turn of the 20th century.
The Four Seasons Room explores bird diversity throughout the years. Also, visitors can enjoy a honeybee hive, the Frederick T. Bedford Collection of African Animals, changing exhibits and hands-on children’s activities.

Sanctuary
Originally planted as a refuge to attract, harbor and feed migratory and resident birds, the six-acre site has documented records of more than 120 species of birds. Throughout the sanctuary are plantings designed to attract birds and butterflies. To enjoy this unique sanctuary and its inhabitants more fully, a new teaching bridge was constructed in 1995 over a pond on the property, allowing a unique perspective of the natural beauty of the area. A list of sanctuary plantings is available to visitors upon request.

Bird-Banding DemonstrationsBoard member and volunteer Judy Richardson demonstrates bird banding. Photo by Mara Neville.
Connecticut Audubon Society volunteers, licensed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have operated a Bird Banding Station here since 1979. More than 18,000 birds have been mist-netted, documented, banded and released unharmed. The station operates weekdays in spring (April 1 through Memorial Day) and fall (mid-August through Thanksgiving). Demonstrations are available to any group by appointment.
Photo by Mara Neville: board member and volunteer Judy Richardson demonstrates bird banding at our Birdcraft Sanctuary.

Tours
Tours of the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary are available throughout the year for school and civic groups, led by CT Audubon teacher-naturalists who emphasize conservation and environmental awareness appropriate to any age. For over 25 years, hundreds of Fairfield first-grade students also visit every spring for hands-on tours led by parent-volunteers trained by CT Audubon staff.


CAS's Environmental Education Programs
for Pre-K through Grade 6
At Birdcraft Museum or at Your Schoo
l

The 9 programs we offer comply with specific standards of the Connecticut Science Framework (noted in our brochure) and all include an outdoor component. Your class can visit Birdcraft Museum -- where programs are typically 1 hour, 90 minutes or 2 hours long. Or our teacher-naturalists will visit your school to conduct 45-minute or hour-long programs.
Our current programs are:

»Signs of the Season (Grades PreK-3)
»Nocturnal Animals (Grades PreK-5)

»Tree-Mendous Trees! (Grades PreK-3)

»Plant Power (Grades K-3)
»Birds and Their Beaks (Grades 1-5)
»Our Watery World (Grades 3-6)

»Birds on the Move (Grades 3-6)
»Feathered Friends (Grades 3-6)
»Skulls & Bones (Grades 3-6).

Check back at the beginning of September for our updated brochure and schedule for the 2009-2010 school year. Teachers can still schedule any of the programs listed above for the upcoming school year.

Click here for a copy of our 4-page brochure, which includes details about our Birdcraft Museum and Center at Fairfield Environmental Education Programs, fees, registration and contact information. Or contact Carol Kratzman, Education Coordinator, 203-259-6305 ext. 112, or ckratzman@ctaudubon.org.


CAS's CANE Program for K-Grade 2
Students and Parent-Volunteers

CAS's CANE (Connecticut Audubon Nature Explorers) Program is offered to students in the 11 Fairfield Public Schools and St. Thomas Parochial School in Fairfield. Parent-Volunteers are trained to present three science enrichment programs to their child’s class. Two units are presented in the classroom leading up to one end-of-the-year field study activity. Parents need to attend only 1 of the 3 training days offered for each program they volunteer to teach.

The Kindergarten Fall and Winter Units are puppet shows; the Spring Unit is held on the school grounds.
The Grade 1 Fall Unit is a puppet show, the Winter Unit is a hands-on activity about bird beak adapations, and the Spring Unit is a trip to CAS's Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield.
The Grade 2 Units include the set-up of a salt water tank in the classroom, a "Mystery in the Marsh" activity that challenges students’ detective skills, and a trip to Southport Beach to investigate the variety of wildlife and habitats found there.


In addition to training, Connecticut Audubon Society provides all materials that CANE Parent-Volunteers will need in the classroon. There are also CANE Coordinators at each of the 11 Fairfield Public Schools and at St. Thomas Parochial School; they will have more information and complete presentation schedules available at the beginning of the school year.

Connecticut Audubon Society's CANE program began in the 1970s. Currently we have approximately 200 parents who volunteer every school year. During the 2007-08 school year they taught 2,300 students in Kindergarten and Grades 1-2!

Check back at the end of August for the complete schedule of training dates for Parent-Volunteers for the 2009-2010 school year.

Questions? Please contact Carol Kratzman, CANE Program Coordinator, 203-259-6305, ext. 112, ckratzman@ctaudubon.org


Directions
From I-95:
Take Exit 21. Go north on Mill Plain Road about 1/2 mile.
Take a right onto Unquowa Road.
After you go under I-95 overpass, immediately take driveway on left into parking lot.


From I-84
:
Take Routes 25, 8 or 91 south to Wilbur Cross/Merritt Parkway (Route 15) and follow Merritt Parkway directions below. **

**From Merritt Parkway (Route 15):
Take Exit 44.
--Going northbound, turn right immediately onto Congress Sreet.

--Going southbound, turn left at light, go about 200 yards and turn left onto Black Rock Turnpike, then go under Parkway and take first right onto Congress Street.
Continuing on Congress Street, turn left at first stop sign (Burr Street) and go straight (Burr Street becomes Mill Plain Road) to 4th stop sign.

Turn left onto Unquowa Road. After you go under I-95 overpass, immediately take driveway on left into parking lot.


Our Thanks for Jobs Well Done!
Many thanks to the following Eagle Scouts for all their hard work in the Birdcraft Sanctuary:
To Nick Helm, for trail repairs along the handicap-accessible trail and the trail to the Pond overlook.
To Eric Nadolny, for new benches in the teaching circle and for trail repairs.
To Andy Coppola, for clearing invasive species from the pond hillside.
There’s always more work to be done! If your Cub Scout den or pack or your Scout troop is interested in a community service project, or if you are considering an Eagle Scout project at the Center at Fairfield or at the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary, please contact Carol Kratzman, Education Coordinator, at 203-259-6305 ext. 112 or ckratzman@ctaudubon.org.


See Listings below or
Click on the Links below for:


*   *   *

2009 Summer Camp Brochure

and
2009 Summer Camp Registration Form

*   *   * 

Birthday Party Brochure

*   *  * 
Scout Programs Brochure

*   *   * 
2009-10 Environmental Education
Programs for Grades PreK-6 Classes


*   *   * 
CANE Program for K-Grade 2 Students
& Training Dates for Parent-Volunteers


*   *   *
Cottage Collectibles at our Nature Store

Grey-cheeked Thrush photo by E.H. Soderberg














Grey-cheeked Thrush © 2007 E.H. Soderberg.


Birdcraft Museum Nature Store
314 Unquowa Road, Fairfield

New hours starting May 1, 2009:

Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
(Closed Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays.)

We have wonderful gifts for tots, children, teens and adults – and, of course, a wide selection for avid birders and our backyard buddies. We have unique bird- and nature-themed gifts, cards, jewelry, books, toys, games and more. Best of all, CAS members receive 10% off all purchases!


New "Cottage Collectibles" Corner

Our special new Cottage Collectibles corner at Birdcraft Museum's Nature Store is a delightfully eclectic collection of vintage gifts and collectibles. You'll find a wonderful assortment of books, gifts, glassware, household and decorative items. Many of our special treasures have bird motifs or nature themes. You can create a one-of-a-kind gift by combining a treasure from Cottage Collectibles with a nature-themed item from our Nature Store. Cottage Collectibles offers a wide variety of unique vintage gifts sure to please everyone. Are you moving, downsizing or cleaning house? Why not “go green” and donate your “gently used” collectibles to Cottage Collectibles. What better way to care for the environment and support Connecticut Audubon Society at the same time -- and your donation is tax-deductible! (No clothes, electronics, small appliances or furniture, please!) We accept items for donation Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m.  to noon, or call 203-259-6305 ext. 403 for more information. Visit often because we add new products all the time!


2009 Summer Nature Weeks

Exploration, discovery and curiosity are at the heart of our 2009 "Summer Nature Weeks." Children explore the wonders of nature as the outdoors becomes an exciting learning place. Participants become naturalists each week as they discover the pond and the forest, catch butterflies, use binoculars to look at birds, and search for reptiles and amphibians. They will enjoy crafts, games, stories and hikes that enhance the fun and learning. All programs are held rain or shine. In case of inclement weather, an outdoor activity will be replaced with an equivalent indoor activity.


“Bug-A-Rama”
June 23-25, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m.

Bugs are everywhere! Butterflies, spiders and millipedes are just a few of the creepy crawlies we’ll meet this week. Come along and get a worm’s-eye view of their habitat. For 3-5 year olds who are toilet-trained and able to attend without an adult. Fee: $120/child CAS Members; $175/child Non-members (includes free 1-year CAS Family Membership). 


“Come To Your Senses”

June 30-July 2, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m.

Examine your senses -- sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing -- and see which of these you share with our friends, the mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. The answers may surprise you! For 3-5 year olds who are toilet-trained and able to attend without an adult. Fee: $120/child CAS Members; $175/child Non-members (includes free 1-year CAS Family Membership). 


“Creature Feature”

July 7-9, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m.

Explore different animal habitats as we learn about the feathered, furry, scaly and slimy creatures that fascinate us. For 3-5 year olds who are toilet-trained and able to attend without an adult. Fee: $120/child CAS Members; $175/child Non-members (includes free 1-year CAS Family Membership). 


“Friday Family Fun” in July & August

July 10, 17, 24, 31, Aug. 7, 14, 10-10:45 a.m.

Come and experience the joy of discovering crabs and periwinkles and listening to the magnificent sound of birds at Fairfield’s Ash Creek Open Space. Parents and guardians, enjoy nature discoveries through stories and explorations with your child. For 3-5 year olds accompanied by an adult. Fee (includes 1 child and 1 adult): $15 per program or $84 for 6 programs CAS Members; $21 per program or $120 for 6 programs Non-members.


"Beach Bums"Young girl holding a tiny crab by the seashore; photo by Deanna Sojka.
Search for birds, crabs, fish and more while getting wet at Fairfield’s Ash Creek Open Space (drop off at Ash Creek, directions will be provided). In case of inclement weather, classes will be held at Birdcraft Museum. Per-session fee: $135/child CAS Members; $190/child Non-members (includes free 1-year CAS Family Membership).

Beach Bums Schedule:
--July 14-16, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m. for 3-5 year olds.

--July 14-16, 1-4 p.m. for Grades K-2.

--July 14-16, 1-4 p.m. for Grades 3-6.

--July 28-30, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m. for 3-5 year olds.

--July 28-30, 1-4 p.m. for Grades K-2.

--Aug. 11-13, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m. for 3-5 year olds.

--Aug. 11-13, 1-4 p.m. for Grades K-2.
Photo by Deanna Sojka.


“Safari Treasures”
July 21-23, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m.

Grab your passport and let’s travel to Africa in search of a different animal each day. We are sure to find lions, tigers and rhinos, oh my! For 3-5 year olds who are toilet-trained and able to attend without an adult. Fee: $120/child CAS Members; $175/child Non-members (includes free 1-year CAS Family Membership). 


"Beach Bums"
--
July 28-30, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m. for 3-5 year olds.

--July 28-30, 1-4 p.m. for Grades K-2.

--Aug. 11-13, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m. for 3-5 year olds.

--Aug. 11-13, 1-4 p.m. for Grades K-2.
Click here for more info.


“Walkers, Trotters, Creepers, Crawlers”

Aug. 4-6, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m.Turtle in the grass; photo by Tricia Kevalis.

Explore the world of creatures that crawl, trot, walk and creep on many legs, four legs or no legs at all! Find footprints and patterns on the ground, share stories and create crafts about the creatures that move through the forest. For 3-5 year olds who are toilet-trained and able to attend without an adult. Fee: $120/child CAS Members; $175/child Non-members (includes free 1-year CAS Family Membership). Photo by Tricia Kevalis.


"Beach Bums"

--Aug. 11-13, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m. for 3-5 year olds.

--Aug. 11-13, 1-4 p.m. for Grades K-2.
Click here for more info.


YOUTH, FAMILY & ADULT PROGRAMS


Birthday Parties at Birdcraft
Look no further! CAS's Birdcraft Museum is the perfect place to hold your child's next birthday party! Our teacher/naturalists have designed a wide range of "theme" parties to provide your child and their friends with a memorable and fun hands-on learning experience.Call 203-259-0416 ext. 403 for a copy of our free Birthday Party Brochure or click here to read it.


Calling All Scouts!

We have programs designed just for you. Our experienced teacher/naturalists will provide your group with a hands-on learning experience that will fulfill badge requirements for Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Call 203-259-0416 ext. 403 for more information or click here for our Scouts Program brochure.


Bird-Banding Demonstrations
Connecticut Audubon Society volunteers, licensed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have operated a Bird Banding Station at CAS Birdcraft Museum since 1979. Here, over 18,000 birds have been mist-netted, documented, banded and released unharmed. The station operates weekdays in spring (April 1 through Memorial Day) and fall (mid-August through Thanksgiving). Demonstrations are available to any group by appointment. Call 203-259-0416 ext. 403 for more information.