(WNY News Now) – Education Coordinator Sarah Hatfield and birder Don Watts will present “Adventures in Bird Banding” at the 2023 Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) Thanksgiving with the Birds.
Jamestown, N.Y. – A longstanding Audubon tradition that dates back to its beginning, this year’s Thanksgiving with the Birds is Saturday, November 18, 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
In the event’s early days, Audubon’s hardy founders cooked soup in an outdoor pot, brought lawn chairs, and ate their Thanksgiving dinner outside in the brisk, occasionally snowy, air amongst the trees and birds.
Some of those traditions survive, but not all. Participants are asked to bring a can or container of soup to add to the communal pot on the fire (broth-based, not creamy, and nothing with seafood, please) in addition to a dish to share. Rather than outdoor dining, the meal now takes place indoors.
Audubon provides turkey, gravy, and beverages. Participants are asked to bring their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, desserts, and soup to share. Soup will be mixed in the front yard, followed by dinner and a program in the Nature Center’s auditorium.
Thanksgiving with the Birds will be extra “birdy” this year, featuring stories by Hatfield and Watts of bird banding from ACNC and beyond. From Gray Catbirds to Robins that have made incredible journeys, bird banding provides a glimpse into the lives of birds that travel the globe far more than most people. This is an opportunity to learn more about bird banding and the stories of the lives of the birds that have been found.
Cost is $8, $6 for Nature Center members and children 3–15, free 2 and under. Paid reservations are required by Wednesday, November 15, and can be made by calling (716) 569-2345 or through “Programs and Events” at AudubonCNC.org.
Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, N.Y., and Warren, Pa. You can visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, enjoy the natural play space, and hike over five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.
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