Spring bird migration is in full swing in Western New York. On Saturday, May 20, the Western New York Land Conservancy is hosting a birdwatching hike in the Niagara Gorge from 8 to 10 a.m. Attendees will look for colorful songbirds as they pass through the region on their way to their breeding grounds. The Niagara River is famous for its gulls and other migrating birds and is a globally significant Important Bird Area, a designation shared with Yellowstone and the Everglades!

Last spring, a generous landowner donated a beautiful eight-acre forest on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie in Derby to the Western New York Land Conservancy. The Land Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that protects forests, farms and scenic vistas forever; including places like the Stella Niagara Preserve in Lewiston and The Owens Falls Sanctuary in Aurora.  

There is very little natural land like this left along the Lake Erie shoreline. The forest has trees that are more than 100 years old. Many birds find food and shelter in these trees during their long spring and fall migrations. Scattered wetlands provide habitat for frogs, toads and salamanders. It will be a great place to take a walk, enjoy nature and marvel at the spectacular sunsets over Lake Erie.

Jamestown, NY – You are invited to go birding -- or make a pledge to someone who does -- to support the Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) and a local student.

On Saturday, May 6, you can join the Audubon Education Staff and their friends to see as many birds as you can on the Fledgling Birdathon, a one-day-only birdathon that raises money for the Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship.

At 6 a.m., the group will start on the Nature Center grounds and other locations to find as many species of birds as possible. Participants are encouraged to stay at least till noon, but for the ACNC naturalists it will be an (almost) all-day event.

The Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship is awarded every year to a local student heading off to college with an interest in pursuing the natural sciences. Generous supporters pledge an amount, either per species or in total, and the end result is a $500 scholarship. You can bird with the team or show your support by pledging.