American Goldfinch and Evening Grosbeak: Susan Smith/Audubon Photography Awards
Having a bird-friendly yard can make for a beautiful view. While most people think immediately of bird feeders to attract birds, Ken Elkins will also discuss how enhancing your garden with native plants can attract birds and provide sustenance throughout the seasons.
Ken Elkins is Community Conservation Manager at Audubon Connecticut where he oversees the Bird Friendly Communities program which includes Schoolyard Habitat, Urban Oases, and bird safe building programs. Ken's interest in birds started when he was ten years old, while watching the birds at his grandmother's feeders in Vermont, and he has been obsessed ever since.
Ken Elkins
After earning a degree in 1998 in Environmental Biology and Interpretation from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, he started his career in conservation education at Westmoor Park in West Hartford, CT and quickly moved onto Connecticut Audubon Society. There, he taught at all five of their Audubon Centers and became their Director of Education. He led many EcoTravel trips and organized their World Series of Birding team for eight years. In 2008, Ken moved onto National Audubon, where he was the Education Program Manager at the Audubon Center at Bent of the River in Southbury until assuming his current role. As a 2011 TogetherGreen Fellow, Ken co-developed the nationally recognized Bird Tales program and training materials with dementia care specialist Randy Griffin. He has trained over 100 dementia care staff and volunteers to implement the Bird Tales program 10 states, Canada, and Great Britain. Ken is past-President of the Connecticut Ornithological Association. He has served as the Christmas Bird Count compiler for the Woodbury-Roxbury CBC since 2012 and is a Regional Coordinator for the 2018-2020 Connecticut Bird Atlas project.