Bird Walk at The Mount

A group of 16 bird-watchers gathered at The Mount, Edith Wharton's historic estate in Lenox, Massachusetts, on May 30, 2009 for a morning of splendor as they walked throughout the immaculate grounds observing nature and spotting birds. The walk was led by naturalist Dave St. James and hosted by Jody Soules of Wild Birds Country Store in Great Barrington.

The bird walk began with the song of the red eyed vireo, and as we ambled through the spectacular gardens, we spotted robins, gold finches, woodpeckers and a few warblers. We were searching for the Louisiana waterthrush which had been nesting by the stream, but on this day he alluded our sight. Great blue herons were down by the swamp which made for a spectacular vista as the sun rose higher in the delicate morning sky.

The 16 avid Berkshires birding enthusiasts who joined us were thrilled with the truly magnificent grounds and the majestically historic home itself. As with the two earlier bird walks this season, Wild Birds Country Store has provided yet another memorable excursion for those who participated. Be sure to join us next time!

The Mount is in need of your continuing support, so please be sure to visit EdithWharton.org for information about their wonderful programs and the summer schedule of events which consistently receives worldwide acclaim.

Wild Birds Walk at Project Native

The threat of rain did not stop 12 people from enjoying up-close observation of many species of bird life set amongst the lovely native plants and gardens at Project Native in Housatonic, Massachusetts on May 9, 2009. Participants saw 21 species of birds, from the usually secretive red eyed vireo to the mating dance of the tree swallows. We hope you can join us for our next birding adventure at The Mount, the lovely Edith Wharton estate in Lenox, Massachusetts on Saturday, May 30, 2009 @ 7:30am. Visit Wild Birds Country Store for more details.

First Bird Walk of Spring 2009

We enjoyed a lovely birdwalk this past Saturday, April 25th with 13 participants led by knowledgable naturalist Dave St. James.  The native flowers were just starting to come into bloom; hepatica, trout lily, bloodroot, dutchman's briches, wild ginger and trillium. A lonely muskrat floated peacefully down the river.  We had 15 species of birds seen and 7  were heard calling to mates. Gliding first into our view was the graceful great blue heron, red winged blackbird, song sparrow, chipping sparrow, downey woodpecker, ruby crowned kinglet, turkey vulture, blk/wht. warbler, red bellied woodpecker, white breasted nuthatch, black throated green warbler, phoebe, spotted sandpiper (first of season), red tailed hawk, robin. Heard were hermit thrush, cardinal, blue headed vireo and raven. We had a wonderful time looking for newly sprouting ferns of which Bart's Cobble has 44 species more than any area in MA. Thank you all for joining us. Our next birdwalk will be @ Project Native Sat May 9th @7:45am. Visit Wild Birds Country Store for more information.