Birdscaping – Native Plants for our Native Birds

March 22, 2010
6:30pm

Michael Corcoran

How do you turn your yard into an inviting sanctuary where birds will come to nest, raise their young and seek shelter for the winter? Join avid birder Michael Corcoran as he discusses “Birdscaping”, or ways in which our landscape choices can provide sanctuary to our native songbirds and help restore our native plants.

With a practical-minded approach, Michael will share some of the steps he took in creating a bird-friendly habitat, utilizing native plants, trees and shrubs on his property. He will provide tips on design and plant selection for making even the smallest of spaces more attractive to our native songbirds.

Over the past 20 years, Michael has participated in numerous citizen-based bird population studies. He has helped maintain the bird banding station at the Birdcraft Sanctuary which is the oldest privately owned bird sanctuaries in the country and one of the earliest examples of “Birdscaping”.

Mr. Corcoran is a 2010 coverts cooperator through the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Coverts Project promotes sound forest stewardship practices for wildlife, clean water and forest sustainability. It advocates for the management of grassland, scrubland and young forest habitat for wildlife on Connecticut’s private lands. Michael has taken the knowledge of bird behavior gained as a bird bander, and his experience in the field, and applied it to his own 3 acres in South Glastonbury. With a simple understanding of how our native songbird and native plant communities are linked, he has provided safe haven for breeding birds and created a migratory “stop-over” for birds during their seasonal movements. To date, he boasts 125 bird species on a 12-year “yard-list”.

The lecture is free for Members and $5 for Non-members. To register or for more information about the Birdscaping class, call 203-259-0416 ext 407.

Visit the Calendar page for a complete listing of programs and special events.

CT Audubon Society Birdcraft Museum, Unquowa Road, Fairfield, CT 06824
203-259-0416