Connecticut Ornithological Association | COA

CT Audubon, Deer Pond Farm: Beginner Birding (class & walk)
2026-05-09 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | CT Audubon Deer Pond Farm, 57 Wakeman Hill Road, Sherman, CT, 06784, United States
Saturday, May 9, 2026
1:00pm – 3:00pm

Join us at Deer Pond Farm with avian biologist Lori Lichtenauer on this beginner-friendly program. You’ll learn about binocular types and use, how to find and ID birds. Learn about useful apps such as Merlin & eBird to advance your skills, and how to bird on your “best” behavior! We’ll start in the classroom, and end outside.
$5 – Members / $10 Non-members
Register here: Beginner Birding (class & walk) – The Connecticut Audubon Society

Menunkatuck Audubon: Bird Feathers and Their Fascinating Functions - Zoom Meeting
2026-05-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Online, CT, United States
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
7:00 PM 8:00 PM

Join birder, photographer, and author Heather Wolf as she returns to talk about feather functions — some subtle, some spectacular, all fascinating. As always, she’ll bring beautiful images from the field and leave time for questions.

Heather is the author of Find More Birds and Birding at the Bridge. A Brooklyn-based birder, photographer, and educator, she works with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a web developer, teaches birding classes at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and gives walks and talks for various organizations in New York City and beyond.

Register to get Zoom link.

View Heather’s earlier presentations:
Birding Brooklyn Bridge Park
Find More Birds: 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are

CT Audubon, RTP Estuary Center: Birding Tricks and Tips Webinar - Zoom Meeting
2026-05-13 18:00 - 19:00 | Online, CT, United States
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Spring is an exciting time to go birding in Connecticut, as many species are making their way through and into the state during migration. However, all the singing birds and bright plumages can feel overwhelming, especially if you are new to birding.
In this webinar, Conservation and Education Coordinator Joe Attwater will share tips to help you make the most of your time outside. He will cover birding equipment, strategies for finding birds during migration, and how to identify them by sight and sound, as well as species to watch for throughout the season.
Free to Attend
Suggested donation $10
Register here: Birding Tricks & Tips Webinar – The Connecticut Audubon Society

CT Audubon, Deer Pond Farm: Birding by Ear (class & walk)
2026-05-20 09:00 - 11:00 | CT Audubon Deer Pond Farm, 57 Wakeman Hill Road, Sherman, CT, 06784, United States
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
9:00am – 11:00am
Birds are often heard before being seen. Learn about bird songs with avian biologist and Deer Pond Farm Naturalist Lori Lichtenauer. She will describe song patterns and how to hear the difference between alarm and contact calls. Discover how keen listening skills can lead to unexpected wildlife finds. We’ll start in the classroom, and end outside.
$5 – Members / $10 Non-members
Register here: Birding by Ear (class & walk) – The Connecticut Audubon Society

Sharon Audubon Center: American Kestrels: Small Falcons-Big Conservation Opportunities
2026-05-23 10:00 - 12:00 | Sharon Audubon Center, 325 Cornwall Bridge Road, Sharon, CT, 06069, United States
Saturday, May 23rd – 10am-12pm

If you’ve ever seen a kestrel, you know they’re diminutive raptors that pack a punch! If you haven’t seen one before, this is a program you won’t want to miss. Sharon Audubon Center staff will be introducing you to its role in the region’s Kestrel Nest Box Program to increase local kestrel populations in our area before taking you outdoors to visit a nest box on the Sharon Land Trust’s Twin Oaks property. Participants will learn about Kestrel natural history, conservation status and opportunities, and hopefully get to see them in the wild at the nest-box site!

This program will begin at the Sharon Audubon Center and end at the Twin Oaks property. Participants will be responsible for driving to the Twin Oaks site and/or carpooling in the center’s van.
• Fee: $20/adult, $10/youth (ages 10+)
• Pre-registration is required.
• Call 860-364-0250 (ext 115) or email Bethany at bethany.sheffer@audubon.org with questions.
Accessibility
• Public parking located fewer than 50 yards from the nature center facility.
• Wheelchair and power-chair ramp, access, and restroom located near the rear entrance of the nature center facility.
• Public restrooms are available on-site.
• Twin Oaks property is grassy and may be damp near the nest-box site (weather dependent).

Register here:

Art, Culture & CommunityIn-Person

American Kestrels: Small Falcons with Big Conservation Opportunities

Sharon Audubon Center: Homeowner Series: Backyards that Support Birds
2026-05-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Sharon Audubon Center, 325 Cornwall Bridge Road, Sharon, CT, 06069, United States
Saturday, May 30th – 10am-12pm

Join us in this exciting new three-part series where we explore how homeowners can manage their land for the betterment of birds. We’ll be diving into backyards, fields, and forests and discussing management opportunities for each of these unique ecosystems. If you own land and have one or more of them on your property, you won’t want to miss this! Each program will be hosted at a private residence in the Sharon area, so please look carefully at the address for each.
Our backyard environments present a growing opportunity for bird habitat as much of their natural habitat is fragmented or altered in some way. Whether we’re striving to eliminate lawn grass, install native plant gardens, or swap non-native trees (think Norway Maple) for native ones, there are numerous opportunities we can seize, big and small, that can have a positive impact on our native wildlife and begin to restore our local biodiversity. Join Sharon Audubon Center Senior Coordinator of Conservation and Volunteer Programs, Bethany Sheffer, along with Beverly Sullivan, in a deep dive into how we can leverage our backyards for the betterment of birds.
• Fee: $15/adult, ages 18+
• Pre-registration required
• Call 860-364-0250 (ext 115) or email Bethany at bethany.sheffer@audubon.org with questions.

Accessibility
• Parking details will be emailed to participants closer to the program date.
• Terrain is grassy and walking distance will be 100-200 meters.
• Restroom available on site.
Register here: Homeowner Series: Backyards that Support Birds (5/30/2026) | Sharon Audubon Center

CT Audubon, RTP Estuary Center: Nesting Basics Webinar
2026-06-03 18:00 - 19:00 | Online, CT, United States
Nesting Basics Webinar

Wednesday, June 3, 2026
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Zoom
Free to Attend
Suggested donation $10

Early summer can be a quieter time for birding, as many species are breeding and nesting and prefer not to draw attention to themselves or their chicks. Discovering a nest or observing parent birds’ nesting behaviors is always a thrill. In this webinar, Conservation & Education Coordinator Joe Attwater will explore the different types, sizes, and shapes of nests, discuss how they’re built, and highlight nesting behaviors and specific nests to look for in Connecticut this summer.

Register here: Nesting Basics Webinar | Jun 3, 6:00pm – 7:00pm | RTP Estuary Center | The Connecticut Audubon Society\

CT Audubon, Greater Hartford Region: Birding By Ear
2026-06-09 14:00 - 15:00 | Avon Public Library, 281 Country Club Rd, Avon, 06001, United States
Birding by Ear

Tuesday, June 9, 2026
2:00pm – 3:00pm
Avon Free Public Library
281 Country Club Rd
Avon, CT, 06001
860-673-9712

Finding and identifying birds can be difficult, particularly in summer. Join CT Audubon for an introduction to the joys of birding by ear. Learn tricks to help you recognize common bird songs and some of the tools available to help.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Avon Library

Register here: Birding by Ear (In-Person Event) – Avon Free Public Library

CT Audubon RTP Estuary Center: Planting for Birds
2026-06-13 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-09-12 10:00 - 12:00 | Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center, 100 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, United States
RTP Estuary Center: Planting For Birds

Winter Session – Saturday, December 13; 10 am – 12 p.m.
Spring Session – Saturday, March 14; 10 am – 12 p.m.
Summer Session – Saturday, June 13; 10 am – 12 p.m.
Fall Session – Saturday, September 12; 10 am – 12 p.m.

While habitat loss poses challenges for birds and wildlife worldwide, creating backyard habitats offers a solution! In this four-part series, participants will learn about ways to improve backyard habitats throughout different seasons. Each program will focus on the seasonal needs of birds and specific ways to support them, using examples from the sanctuary grounds of the RTP Estuary Center in Old Lyme. Each session will include an indoor presentation and an outdoor exploration of the sanctuary grounds and gardens, accompanied by handouts that list the plants mentioned for each session.

Click here to learn about each session!

$20 for members/$25 for non-members for individual sessions
$75 for members/$95 for non-members for all four sessions

Register Here for All Four Sessions

Register Here for a Single Session

CT Audubon, Deer Pond Farm: Pileated Woodpeckers & Forest Birds (class/walk)
2026-06-14 10:00 - 12:00 | CT Audubon Deer Pond Farm, 57 Wakeman Hill Road, Sherman, CT, 06784, United States
Sunday, June 14, 2026
10:00am – 12:00pm
Join us at Deer Pond Farm for a program on Pileated Woodpeckers, and other forest birds, sharing the same habitat. Lori Lichtenauer Sanctuary Manager / Naturalist will share unique adaptations of the Pileated Woodpeckers to survive and thrive year-round in the forests of the northeast. You will learn how Pileateds excavate holes in trees for nesting and to find wood boring insects to eat. Pileated woodpeckers are some of the only birds capable of creating large cavities for nesting, roosting, and shelter in bad weather for a variety of bird species. Non-migratory birds like tufted titmice, house wrens, chickadees and more use old Pileated cavities as their nest sites. Learn about the ways the forest community benefits from the industrious nature of the Pileated. The program will start in our classroom, then we’ll be on the wooded trails around our main campus birding. All birding levels welcome. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Registration required.$5 members; $10 non-members
Register here: Pileated Woodpeckers & Forest Birds (class / walk) – The Connecticut Audubon Society

CT Audubon, Greater Hartford Region/ Avon Library: Welcoming Hummingbirds
2026-06-16 14:00 - 15:00 | Avon Public Library, 281 Country Club Rd, Avon, 06001, United States
Welcoming Hummingbirds

Tuesday, June 16, 2026
2:00pm – 3:00pm

Avon Free Public Library
281 Country Club Rd
Avon, CT, 06001
860-673-9712

Learn about the behavioral and structural adaptations that make hummingbirds unique, what threats they face, and how you can help protect them.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Avon Library

Register here: Welcoming Hummingbirds (In-Person Event) – Avon Free Public Library

CT Audubon, Deer Pond Farm: Summer Bird Behaviors (class and walk)
2026-07-29 09:00 - 11:00 | CT Audubon Deer Pond Farm, 57 Wakeman Hill Road, Sherman, CT, 06784, United States
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
9:00am – 11:00am
Deer Pond Farm
57 Wakeman Hill Road
Sherman, CT 06784
860.799.4074

chagadorn@ctaudubon.org

Registration required.
$5 members; $10 non-members

Springtime is busy for birds with song, nesting, and breeding. By July, most young birds have fledged from their nests, and are venturing on their long journeys south for the very first time.

Join us at Deer Pond Farm for our Summer Bird Behaviors program to learn more about these amazing natural phenomena.

Starting in the classroom, avian expert Lori Lichtenauer will discuss how parent birds care for fledglings, bird molting patterns, when and how birds prepare for their long-distance migratory journeys. We will hit the trails for the last hour of the program.

Register here: Summer Bird Behaviors (class & walk) | Jul 29, 9:00am – 11:00am | Deer Pond Farm | The Connecticut Audubon Society

Roaring Brook Nature Center: All About Owls
2026-08-05 13:00 - 15:30 | Roaring Brook Nature Center, 70 Gracey Road, Canton, CT, 06019, United States
Family Event – All About Owls

Wednesday, August 5 | 1 PM– 3:30 PM | Storytime at 1:30 PM

Drop in to celebrate International Owl Awareness Day (one day late) and learn about our wonderful owl residents. Meet Owlie.

Crafts and special themed activities.

Event free with paid admission to the Nature Center
No need to pre-register.
