Calendar of Events
Birds & Birding
Listening to the Nocturnal Migration
Every autumn, the night sky comes alive with the sound of migration as songbirds join geese, ducks, shorebirds, and others in an epic exodus that is one of the great natural wonders of the world. Join Eric Masterson for this special evening to listen, learn, and marvel at the wonder of it all.
Kestrels Young Birders Club: Nighthawk Migration Watch
Join Phil Brown and Susie Spikol for a look up at the remarkable evening migration of Common Nighthawks. If it's an average night, we should get good looks at a handful of these acrobatic flyers. If it's better than average, we just might see hundreds of nighthawks foraging in giant flocks.
Birding for All: Birding the Nighthawk Migration
Nighthawks are among the last migrants to arrive each spring and the earliest to depart each “fall,” with southbound migration peaking in late August. Join nighthawk enthusiasts Cliff Seifer and Brett Amy Thelen to search for the spectacle!
SuperSanctuary BioBlitz
Our SuperSanctuary of protected lands encompasses more than 26,000 acres, and it’s chock full of native biodiversity. We’re documenting as many of these species as possible via the community science platform iNaturalist, and we need your help to find even more.
Migratory Raptors of Pack Monadnock
Join Harris Center Bird Conservation Director and raptor aficionado Phil Brown for an overview of the upcoming hawk migration season and the soaring spectacle visible from the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory in Peterborough.
Lunch & Learn: Breeding Range of the Broad-winged Hawk with Diego Gallego García
Join biologist Diego Gallego García and the Hawk Migration Association of America (HMANA) for an online Lunch & Learn event, where we'll take a closer look at the breeding habits of the elusive Broad-winged Hawk.
Book Launch: The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada
Celebrate the publication of The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada by Lillian Stokes and Matthew Young, which reviews have hailed as “the best bird book of the year.” Refreshments and a book signing will follow this lively, information-packed talk.
Birding for All: Hawk Watch at Pack Monadnock
Want to see the "Greatest Show Above Earth"? There’s no better time or place to enjoy the migration spectacle in New Hampshire than the summit of Pack Monadnock in September. Join Phil Brown, Susie Spikol, and others to tally migratory raptors and other birds from the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory.
Birding for All: An Accessible, Inclusive Birding Outing at the Manchester Cedar Swamp All Persons Trail
Join the Harris Center and The Nature Conservancy for a 1.2-mile, roundtrip ramble along an accessible trail in the heart of New Hampshire’s largest city. With its crushed stone surface, gentle grade, and benches, this trail is perfect for people of all abilities.
Perches in Peterborough: Birds, Trees & Brews
Join Steve Roberge and Phil Brown for a leisurely stroll in downtown Peterborough to learn about the trees around us and the birds that rely on them. As evening approaches, we’ll have the option to continue our discussion over drinks at Post & Beam Brewery.
Saw-whet Owl Banding Demonstration
Join the Harris Center's saw-whet banding team to learn what owl banding efforts are revealing about this diminutive bird of prey, and to see a demonstration of the banding process.
Saw-whet Owl Banding Demonstration for Families
Join the Harris Center's saw-whet banding team to learn about this pint-sized bird of prey, and to see a demonstration of the owl banding process.
Saw-whet Owl Banding Demonstration
Join the Harris Center's saw-whet banding team to learn what owl banding efforts are revealing about this diminutive bird of prey, and to see a demonstration of the banding process.
Kestrels Young Birders Club: Saw-whet Owl Banding Demonstration
Are you a tween or a teen with an interest in birds and birding? Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with other wildlife fans, learn about saw-whet owls, and see a demonstration of the owl banding process!
Fall Waterfowl Safari
Join Phil Brown, Nate Marchessault, and other duck enthusiasts as we caravan to multiple waterbodies in search of migratory waterfowl and other late-fall migrants like eagles and gulls
Book Launch: What the Chicken Knows by Sy Montgomery
Come celebrate the launch of Sy Montgomery's latest book, What the Chicken Knows. With its winning blend of personal narrative and science, this short, delightful book reveals all the things that make chickens such remarkable creatures.
Wildlife Out Your Window
Did you know that Blue Jay feathers aren't actually blue, or that foxes can climb trees? Join wildlife biologist Brad Timm for a talk and walk inspired by his new book, Wildlife Out Your Window: Fascinating Facts About 100 Animals Commonly Seen in the Northeastern U.S.
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!
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.
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.
For the Birds: An Evening of Short Films
Join us for an evening of award-winning short films highlighting the beauty, bravery, and perils of bird migration, and the people who spend their lives working to make the world safer for birds.
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.
The Kestrels Young Birders Club: Snowy Owl Search on Plum Island
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
