Calendar of Events
Outings
51st Annual Peterborough-Hancock Christmas Bird Count
Every winter for more than 50 years, volunteers have scoured a 15-mile diameter circle in the Peterborough-Hancock area for birds as part of the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) – the largest and longest-running community science project in the world. New volunteers are always welcome!
Kestrels Young Birders Club: Christmas Bird Count
Are you a tween or a teen with an interest in birds and birding? Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your skills, connect with other wildlife fans, and contribute to community science!
Early Winter Ramble for Veterans
Search for early signposts of winter in the Harris Center woods with naturalist Susie Spikol. We’ll take a slow meander to the Big Boulders, stopping to look and listen for winter bird calls, evergreen boughs, and evidence of mammals preparing for the cold months ahead. This hike is only for veterans.
Easygoing Hike at Pisgah State Park
Join Brett Amy Thelen and John Kondos for a relaxed ramble along Pisgah State Park's newly revamped Habitat Loop Trail — a 2.5-mile roundtrip route featuring stone walls, cellar holes, tranquil streams, and more.
Winter Tree Identification Workshop
Join Mike Gagnon and Matt Tarr of UNH Cooperative Extension for a relaxed ramble focused on winter tree identification. We’ll examine branching, buds, and bark while the leaves are off the trees, and discuss how each species functions as habitat for wildlife.
Easygoing Hike at McCabe Forest
Join Harris Center naturalist Susie Spikol, Ben Haubrich, and Dave Anderson for an easygoing exploration of an exceptional Forest Society property near downtown Antrim. We’ll discover the diverse cultural and natural history of this site as we hike through a variety of habitats.
Kids Count: Juggernaut Pond Mammal Survey
Calling all kids ages 8 through 18 who love wildlife! Join Harris Center naturalist Susie Spikol to try your hand at field research and develop your naturalist skills.
Hiking the Hiroshi Loop
Join Harris Center ecologists Phil Brown and Brett Amy Thelen to hike the 1.9-mile Hiroshi Loop Trail, which winds gently through field and forest and along Nubanusit Brook to gorgeous views of Dinsmore Pond.
Environmental Studies Institute — Unraveling the Mysteries of a Murder: The Roosting Crows of Lawrence, MA
Join fellow Corvid enthusiasts Dan Gardoqui and Phil Brown in the urban wilds of downtown Lawrence, Massachusetts, where we’ll observe the massive winter roost of American Crows, which draws nearly 20,000 birds each night.
LGBTQIA+ Community Hike on the Monadnock Branch Rail Trail
Join Richard Doherty (he/him), Audrey Dunn (she/her), and Hunter Kirschner (he/they) for an LGBTQIA+ community hike along the Monadnock Branch Rail Trail in Jaffrey.
Birding the Dillant-Hopkins Airport
Join Harris Center ecologist Nate Marchessault and the Monadnock Bird and Nature Club (MBNC) for a morning of easygoing birding at the Dillant-Hopkins Airport — a local birding hotspot with great views of wetlands, woodlands, and fields.
The Kestrels Young Birders Club: Great Backyard Bird Count
Are you a teenager or tween with an interest in birds and birding? Join a growing movement of young adults who are honing their wildlife observation skills, learning to recognize birds and their calls, and spending time outside building community with other young birders.
Winter Tracking Adventure for Families
Join Harris Center naturalist Nikko Gagnon for a family tracking adventure in the wilds of Ashuelot River Park. We’ll search the woods and river edges for leapers, bounders, waddlers, and walkers, and find out which wildlife call this special place home.
Trees & Tracks at Beech Hill
Join Jeremy Wilson and Susie Spikol to explore the highlands of Dublin from the beautiful Beech Hill trail network. Along the way, we’ll discuss the natural history of trees in winter and search for tracks, scat, and other signs of animals who make their homes in these woods.
Easygoing Hike at The Shattuck
Join Harris Center naturalist Phil Brown and avid hiker Jessie James for a leisurely, 3-mile meander along the paths of the Shattuck Golf Club, where we'll search for signs of wildlife and take in all that late winter has to offer.
Birding Plum Island
Join avid birders Kim Snyder and Nate Marchessault to search for seabirds, shorebirds, and maybe even Snowy Owls along the 8-mile barrier beach and adjacent marshes of Plum Island — a prime spot for winter birding.
Easygoing Hike Along the Boulder Trail
Join Phil Brown and Ben Haubrich for a leisurely one-mile ramble on the Harris Center’s East Side Trails, where we’ll look for mammal tracks, listen to spring birdsong, and take in the beauty of the giant glacial boulders.
Family Owl Prowl
Have a hoot with naturalists and owl lovers Jaime Hutchinson and Susie Spikol as we dare to be animal adventurers! We’ll quietly prowl the twilight woods in search of wild owls, find out how these amazing nighttime hunters catch their meals, and even learn to speak owl. Perfect for families with children age 5 and up.
41st Annual Connecticut River Waterfowl Safari
Join Harris Center bird brains Eric Masterson, Phil Brown, and Nate Marchessault for a morning of waterfowl watching and welcoming spring arrivals back to the fields and waterways of the Connecticut River Valley.
Babies in Backpacks & Toddlers in Tow at Casalis State Forest
Casalis State Forest Elm Hill Road, Peterborough, NH, United StatesJoin Harris Center educator Jazimina MacNeil-Creamer to explore, wander, and discover the magic of nearby nature. These pint-sized adventures are perfect for little legs and for babies in front packs, backpacks, slings, or wraps — and a great way to meet other families with little ones who love spending time outside.
Mushroom Meander with the Morel Quandary Club at the Horatio Colony Nature Preserve
Join the fung-tastic duo of John Benjamin and George Caughey for an early spring meander in search of polypores, slime molds, brave early-fruiting mushrooms, and fungi long gone by.
Kestrels Young Birders Club: Hawkwatching at Pitcher Mountain
Are you a teenager or tween with an interest in birds and birding? Join a growing movement of young adults who are honing their wildlife observation skills, learning to recognize birds and their calls, and spending time outside building community with other young birders.
Babies in Backpacks & Toddlers in Tow at Children’s Woods
Children's Woods Jaffrey, NH, United StatesJoin Harris Center educator Jazimina MacNeil-Creamer to explore, wander, and discover the magic of nearby nature. These pint-sized adventures are perfect for little legs and for babies in front packs, backpacks, slings, or wraps — and a great way to meet other families with little ones who love spending time outside.
Easygoing Hike to Pine Point at Willard Pond
Join Susie Spikol and Trish Harper on an out-and-back adventure along NH Audubon’s Tudor Trail, which follows the western shoreline of pristine Willard Pond. Along the way, we’ll search for signs of spring and take in the beautiful view from sandy Pine Point.
Spring Wildlife Walk for Veterans
Join Harris Center naturalists for an easygoing ramble along the edge of MacDowell Lake, where we’ll search for spring birds, mammal sign, and nature of all kinds. No experience necessary! This hike is only for veterans.
Vernal Pool Hike at the Horatio Colony Nature Preserve
Join Harris Center ecologist Brett Amy Thelen for a 1.2-mile roundtrip hike to a hilltop vernal pool, where we'll explore the exquisite, ephemeral world of spring-breeding amphibians.
Mushroom Meander with the Morel Quandary Club at Beech Hill
Join the fung-tastic duo of John Benjamin and George Caughey for an early spring meander in search of polypores, slime molds, brave early-fruiting mushrooms, and fungi long gone by.
Coffee with the Birds ESI Course: Mindful Meanderings through Micro-Exploring
local field sitesJoin Phil Brown and Ignacio Oreamuno for a series of spring-season wanderings in tucked-away places close to the Harris Center. Each exploration will focus on a different natural history theme related to the conditions that present themselves that day.
Rock Hounders Family Rock Club: Chickering Mine
Calling all rock hounds! Join naturalists Susie Spikol and Julie Brown for a rockin’ adventure at an old mine, where we’ll search for feldspar, mica, quartz, beryl, and other geological treasures. For families with elementary-aged children and up.
Birding for All: An Accessible, Inclusive Birding Outing at MacDowell Lake
Join Phil Brown and Susie Spikol for a morning of birding at MacDowell Lake, where a hard-packed gravel path provides ample opportunity to enjoy birds of wetland and woodland alike. Beginning birders and all ages welcome!
