Calendar of Events
Wildlife
Ask A Naturalist
Join our team of talented naturalists as they explore some of the region’s most intriguing natural history mysteries. If you have questions you’d like us to answer (“what’s this thing I found in the woods?!”), submit them by January 23!
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 Acorn: A Kids’ Nature-Inspired Newspaper
Hancock Town Library 25 Main Street, Hancock, NH, United StatesCome be part of the Hancock Town Library and the Harris Center’s first-ever, kid-created nature newspaper, The Acorn: Where We Are Nuts About Nature. Work with mentor writers and artists and publish the winter edition. For children in grades 2 through 4.
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.
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.
iNaturalist ID Session
Join avid iNatters Nate Marchessault and Steven Lamonde for a cozy morning of improving iNaturalist data quality by adding identifications and annotations to existing iNaturalist observations. With mugs of warm beverages in our hands and field guides by our sides, we'll enjoy the outdoors through the eyes of others and contribute to community science in the process.
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.
Animal Songs & Stories Family Concert
At this special concert preschoolers and their families will take a musical journey into the animal world through song and dance. Teacher-naturalist and musician Jazimina Creamer-MacNeil will head up a fun, free hour-long program where children and parents learn about local animals. All ages are welcome.
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.
Salamander Crossing Brigade Workshop
Every year, the Harris Center trains community scientists to serve on Salamander Crossing Brigades at amphibian road crossings throughout the Monadnock Region. Attend this fun, information-packed volunteer training to join their ranks – or simply to learn more about the remarkable spring amphibian migration.
Safe Crossing: Spring Amphibians with Kari Percival
Join award-winning children’s book author Kari Percival as she shares from her newest book, Safe Crossing, which tells the story of how people of all ages come together on the first rainy nights of spring to help salamanders and frogs cross roads during their spring migration.
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.
Book Launch: Forest Magic for Kids
Celebrate the release of Harris Center naturalist Susie Spikol’s second book, Forest Magic for Kids — a playful activity guide that invites children, families, educators, and caregivers to explore the imaginative spaces that nature holds for all of us.
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.
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.
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!
Turtles of New Hampshire & How You Can Help
Join NH Fish and Game wildlife biologist Josh Megyesy for an introduction to turtle conservation in the Granite State. Josh will discuss how to identify turtle habitat, the impact of road mortality on turtles, strategies to reduce roadkill, what landowners can do to help, and more.
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.
Bird Walk for Families in Antrim
Every spring, millions of migratory birds bring color and joyful sounds to our landscape. Uncover some of their secrets on this leisurely walk with Phil Brown, the Harris Center’s Bird Conservation Director. Our route will cover up to a half-mile along paved paths or roads.
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: World Migratory Bird Day Walk
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day by joining avid birders Nate Marchessault and Chris Liazos for an easygoing outing at the Dillant-Hopkins Airport – a local birding hotspot with great views of wetlands, woodlands, and fields. Beginning birders welcome!
Family Ponding Trip at Robin Hood Park
Hop, scoot, and dive into an adventure at Robin Hood Park with Harris Center teacher-naturalist Nikko Gagnon! Together, we’ll explore the pond and discover what watery critters call it home, from dragonflies and frogs to beetles and turtles.
Turtle Transport Volunteer Training
From spring through fall, turtles leave the water to find mates, nest sites, and habitat, facing dangers like cars, pets, and mowers. NH Turtle Rescue relies on volunteer "turtle transporters" to quickly get injured turtles into care — and more helpers are always needed. This training covers everything you need to join the team!
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.
