Laura’s Best Bird EVER: A Lifetime of Magical Encounters

Have you ever had such a perfect look at a bird, or watched it in such perfect circumstances, that you thought it had to be the best bird ever? Laura Erickson has found herself saying exactly that on many occasions, from special glimpses at Pileated Woodpeckers and a Five-striped Sparrow family to her one and only glimpse at one of the rarest birds on the planet, the Horned Guan. Some of the birds she’s seen in her travels to four continents made the grade, but so did some of the special individuals she’s seen in her own backyard. Sometimes looking for the best bird ever can open our minds and hearts to much, much more.

Saturday October 19, 2019

7:30 pm –8:30 pm (social hour with refreshments from 6:30 pm)

Geological Lecture Theater, Harvard University. 24 Oxford St, Cambridge.

FREE parking at the garage at 52 Oxford St.

About Laura:

LAURA ERICKSON, 2014 recipient of the American Birding Association’s prestigious Roger Tory Peterson Award, has been a scientist, teacher, writer, wildlife rehabilitator, professional blogger, public speaker, photographer, American Robin and Whooping Crane Expert for the popular Journey North educational website, and Science Editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She’s written eleven books about birds, including the ABA Field Guide to the Birds of Minnesota, National Geographic Pocket Guide to Birds of North America, the best-selling Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds (co-authored by photographer Marie Read); the National Outdoor Book Award-winning Sharing the Wonder of Birds with Kids; 101 Ways to Help Birds; and The Bird Watching Answer Book for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She’s currently a columnist and contributing editor for BirdWatching magazine. Since 1986 she has been producing the long-running “For the Birds” radio program for many public radio stations; the program is podcast on iTunes. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with her husband, one indoor cat, and her little birding dog Pip.

More about Laura at: https://www.lauraerickson.com.

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Upcoming Field Trips

  • Members Webinar with Tiffany Kirsten – Birdie Big Year: Elevating Women Birders

    DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THIS WEBINAR HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FROM MARCH 10 TO MARCH 24. IF YOU PREVIOUSLY SIGNED UP, YOUR REGISTRATION AND ZOOM LINK WILL STILL WORK FOR THE MARCH 24 DATE. Please join the BBC on the evening of March 24 from 7PM to 8:30PM for a member only webinar with Tiffany Kirsten,

  • Woodcock Walk, North Easton

    North Easton - Edwin A. Keach Park Chestnut Street, Easton, MA, United States

    From the playground, we will walk a short distance to an open area where we can observe 2 fields for Woodcock. Sunset is around 6:30 pm so bring a camp chair and relax for the Woodcock flight.

  • CANCELLED Pine Hill Road Grasslands (was rescheduled from March 14)

    Lancaster - Pine Hill Road Grasslands Pine Hill Road, Lancaster, MA, United States

    We scheduled this trip too early. It was a mistake in retrospect. We are cancelling this trip. The birding will get better in mid to late April. We have trips in May and June that will be in prime season for this location.

  • Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge

    Mount Auburn Cemetery 536 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA, United States

    Mount Auburn Cemetery is lovely in all seasons.  In late March, we may see the very earliest migrants from the south (Red-winged Blackbird, others) as well as the remaining seasonal visitors from the north (e.g. White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco).  And our usual year-round resident species will have just started to sing!

  • Franklin Park – Scarboro Pond

    Boston - Franklin Park Tennis Courts (Meeting Spot) Roxbury, MA, United States

    We will look for early spring migrants in Franklin Park. Beginners welcome and encouraged. Expect to walk up to 2 miles on paved paths. Loaner binoculars available. Co-sponsored with the Franklin Park Coalition and Franklin Park Tennis Association.

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