March 30, 2023 — Educating the public about bird conservation is a foundation of the Connecticut Audubon Society’s work. For our 125th anniversary, here’s the story, based on archival records, of how our education programs came into being in 1898.
Author Archive
From the archives: “Something must be done besides saying, ‘Don’t wear feathers and don’t shoot birds.’ ”
Thursday, March 30th, 2023As migration heats up, here are 10 things you can do to help birds
Wednesday, March 29th, 2023March 29, 2023 — As spring migration starts to heat up, here are 10 actions you can take to help bring birds back, individually and with others.
Renewing Hartford’s Urban Bird Treaty
Friday, April 7th, 2023Hartford was designated an Urban Bird Treaty city in 2011. The designation is up for renewal and the Connecticut Audubon Society, Friends of Keney Park, and Park Watershed are collaborating on an update. The result will be better habitat for birds throughout the city’s parks, and more chances for city residents to learn about and enjoy them. The Urban Bird Treaty is a national network whose goal is to improve bird habitat in urban areas, and help city residents experience and learn about birds and the natural world.
For our 125th Anniversary, take the 125-Bird Challenge
Friday, March 24th, 2023March 24, 2023 — To encourage you to visit our sanctuaries during our 125th anniversary year, we’ve come up with a fun activity: the 125-Bird Challenge. It’s not a competition. We do hope however that it’s a good incentive. Many of our sanctuaries are big and unique, and are worth a special visit.
Benjamin D. Williams III: 1936-2023
Thursday, March 23rd, 2023March 28, 2023 — Our friend and long-time Board member Ben Williams died on March 7, 2023. Knowledgeable, affable, and dedicated to conservation, Ben served on Connecticut Audubon’s Pomfret regional board for 16 years and on the state Board of Directors for 10. As part of the Center at Pomfret’s Science in Nature school programs, he introduced thousands of kids to the wonders of nature and insects in particular. His booming voice and passion for the subject matter won him great respect and admiration.
Stratford Point
Thursday, March 23rd, 20231207 Prospect Drive, Stratford Stratford Point is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gate closes at 4, and all cars must be out by then. Dogs are not permitted. Carry out what you carry in. Directions via Google What’s on this page Size Features Trails What’s interesting Birds Other wildlife […]
March 2023: Pussy Willow
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023For March, Sarah W. Middeleer writes about a native plant whose flowers signal early spring. Sarah is a landscape designer whose work focuses on ecology and designing for wildlife. She serves as vice chair of the Connecticut Audubon Board of Directors.
Mabel Osgood Wright: A lifelong commitment to birds
Wednesday, March 8th, 2023March 8, 2023 — to help mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Connecticut Audubon Society, we’re re-publishing a short account of Mabel Osgood Wright’s life and achievements, written by a subsequent leader of the organization, Kathleen Van Der Aue, now chair emerita. Wright (1859-1934) was among a group of women who founded Connecticut Audubon in January 1898. A prolific author and an important conservationist on the national scene, she went on the serve as president of Connecticut Audubon until 1924.
Homegrown Habitat answers the mail
Monday, February 27th, 2023February 27, 2023
Sarah Middeleer is happy to answer your questions about how to make your property more attractive to birds. Write to her at homegrown@ctaudubon.org. Most recently she’s gotten questions about winterberry and native shrubs.
Register for a special screening of “Mabel Osgood Wright: Pioneering Conservationist”
Friday, March 3rd, 2023Help celebrate Connecticut Audubon’s 125th anniversary with a special online screening of “Mabel Osgood Wright: Pioneering Conservationist,” a film by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Karyl Evans.
Monday, March 20, 2023, 7 p.m. via Zoom.
Wright was among a small group of women from Fairfield who founded the Connecticut Audubon Society in 1898. The filmmaker, Karyl Evans, will open the presentation with an introduction about the movie and how she made it. A Q&A will follow the showing.
Single-use plastics are a hazard to birds. This bill will reduce the problem.
Tuesday, February 21st, 2023February 21, 2023 — Connecticut’s waters are awash in plastics, putting birds and other wildlife at risk. A bill before the General Assembly would help.
February 2023: Redosier Dogwood
Tuesday, February 21st, 2023February 21, 2023 — Redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea), also known as red-twig or red-stem dogwood, is a handsome shrub form of the genus Cornus. The fruit of the dogwood genus (Cornus) is eaten by at least 95 species of birds.
Rat and mouse poisons also kill hawks and owls. Connecticut Audubon supports banning 2nd-generation rodenticides.
Thursday, February 16th, 2023February 16, 2023 — Poisons that target rats and mice are especially insidious when it comes to birds. We submitted testimony in Hartford yesterday supporting a ban.
This pesticide kills pollinators and birds. It’s time to further restrict its use.
Wednesday, February 15th, 2023February 15, 2023 — The Connecticut Audubon Society submitted testimony yesterday in support of a bill that would ban some uses of a pesticide that is particularly bad for pollinators and birds, and also asked for the proposal to be strengthened. We’ve been collaborating with the CT Pesticide Reform Coalition.
February 1898: The archives tell a story of ambition and success in building a statewide organization to preserve birds
Sunday, February 12th, 2023February 12, 2023 — The group of people who founded the Connecticut Audubon Society 125 years ago was small, and everyone in the group was from the small town of Fairfield, population 4,500. But those realities did not hold them back. They were ambitious and well-organized, and they had plans to be part of something bigger. They didn’t stay local for long. and they didn’t stay small for long either.
January 28, 1898: 125 years ago today, the first official meeting of the Audubon Society of the State of Connecticut
Friday, January 27th, 2023
“On Jany 28th 1898 the first meeting of the Audubon Society was held at the house of Mrs. W.B. Glover, in Fairfield”
Saturday, January 28th, 2023January 28, 2023 — One hundred and twenty five years ago today, a small group of women organized to be part of a movement spreading across the country. The threat of extinction to a dozen or more birds was real, and the women wanted to do something about it. They formed the Audubon Society of the State of Connecticut
Nature on Display in New Exhibitions Celebrating Pulitzer Prize-Winning Writer and Photographer
Saturday, January 21st, 2023January 21, 2023 – More than half a century ago, naturalist writer and photographer Edwin Way Teale bought a rustic retreat in the heart of northeastern Connecticut. His work at Trail Wood, a 168-acre farmstead in Hampton, inspired a new generation of environmental conservationists to honor the land and continue his legacy. Two public exhibitions that mark Teale’s legacy are opening this month.
January 2023: Eastern Red Cedar
Friday, January 20th, 2023Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a handsome evergreen conifer that offers structure and winter interest to our gardens. It is often overlooked, but cedar has much to offer the home gardener and is a magnet for birds and many species of butterflies and moths.
Connecticut Audubon’s newest preserve: Stratford Point, a conservation centerpiece in a rich ecological region
Monday, January 9th, 2023January 9, 2023 — Connecticut Audubon is kicking off its 125th anniversary year by announcing the acquisition of the Stratford Point preserve, a 28-acre coastal habitat in the heart of one of the state’s most important environmental regions.
