NEW JERSEY AUDUBON at DUKE FARMS

THE DUKE FARMS TRAM HAS BEGUN RUNNING ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE FOR THE SEASON

Check the Duke Farms website for any updates and details on property conditions.

(Hours: Thursday through Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; closed on Wednesday)

Details at: www.dukefarms.org

New Jersey Audubon has been working closely with Duke Farms as they transformed the more than 2700 acre property located in Hillsborough into an environmental center. The NJ Audubon Education Department has been conducting on-site programming and is constantly working with Duke Farms to plan expanded long-term educational activities on the property. NJ Audubon Research and Conservation departments are also working with Duke Farms staff to improve wildlife habitat and measure the success of land stewardship activities.

UPCOMING NATURALIST LED PROGRAMS

SPECIAL/NEW/FREE: Weekday Birding by Bicycle led by NJA Associate Naturalist Pete Axelrod. Dates currently scheduled are April 15, April 23, May 6, and May 20. NOTE: Duke Farms now has a bicycle loan program and there MAY be a bicycle for you to borrow for this program. Please see the Duke Farms Website for details on this program.

WARBLER ID WORKSHOP, Thursday, April 18, 2013, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

This is a program offering an opportunity for you to sharpen your skills at identifying America’s most beautiful songsters in their finest breeding attire. The program will cover 35 species of eastern resident and migrant warblers. Images will illustrate diagnostic field marks to help you separate members of this difficult group in the field. This program will be presented by Pete Bacinski, NJA All Things Birds

THIRD SATURDAY UP WITH THE BIRDS, Saturday, April 20, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

WARBLERS BY EAR, Saturday, April 27, 2013, 7:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Although this will be an ideal follow-up to Pete Bacinski’s indoor Spring Warbler ID, it is not necessary that you attend both to enjoy the beauty of these migrants in our woodlands. This program will be a field experience lead by Carole Hughes and sponsored by NJA All Things Birds. Duke Farms serves as a wonderful migrant trap in Central NJ and this morning should provide ample opportunity to learn or sharpen your skills in listening for birds. Some previous birding experience it is recommended but you do not need to have experience with identification by ear to participate.

J. Michael Pollock

NJAS On-site Teacher/Naturalist

Dale Rosselet

VP of Education

Individual programs are conducted by New Jersey Audubon staff and Associate Naturalists from throughout the organization.

Educational Programming

JOIN us for an exciting educational program at Duke Farms.

Registration MUST be done through Duke Farms. Call (908) 722-3700 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. or on-line in the Program section of the Duke Farms Website at: http://www.dukefarms.org

Check out our upcoming programs for:

SPRING 2013

Research and Conservation

The NJA Research Department and Citizen Scientists have been monitoring bird populations throughout the Duke Farms property. Again this year, there were abundant nesting grasshopper sparrows, bobolink, and kestrel in the grasslands.

Last spring, the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife banded 22 young kestrel born in 7 nest boxes on the Duke Farms property. The American Kestrel is becoming one of the most abundant raptors in the area thanks to this effort.