Join Heather Wolf, one of our very favorite speakers and the author of Find More Birds: 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are and Birding at the Bridge: In Search of Every Bird on the Brooklyn Waterfront, as she discusses what to look for during fall migration, which is happening right now! Come with your questions because, as always, Heather will share beautiful pictures, and we're keeping plenty of time for Q&A.
Heather Wolf is a Brooklyn-based birder, photographer, and educator. She works with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a web developer, teaches birding classes at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and gives walks and talks for various organizations in New York City and beyond.
Heather’s previous talks for Menunkatuck can be found here:
Bird Feathers and Their Fascinating Functions
Find More Birds: 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are
New Haven Parks will celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with the 2026 Bird Migration Festival on October 10, from 8 am to 3 pm.
World Migratory Bird Day celebrates and brings attention to one of the most important and spectacular events in the Americas – bird migration.
The theme for WMBD 2026, “Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter,” highlights the role of public participation in collecting data on migratory bird populations, their habitats, and the factors that impact them, contributing to our knowledge of how to protect them. Community science, ranging from backyard bird counts to large-scale coordinated surveys/schemes, provides information on species distribution, abundance trends, migration timing, and breeding success. This data is important for identifying conservation priorities and informing effective conservation action plans and strategies. By engaging individuals and communities in monitoring efforts, we not only gather scientific data but also build a deeper connection to nature, raise awareness about the challenges migratory birds face, and inspire direct conservation action.
Enjoy fun, free, family-friendly activities at Lighthouse Point Park
Hawk Watch, 8 am - 3 pm
Educational Activities, 8:30 am - 3 pm
Kids’ Activities, 8:30 am - 3 pm
Lighthouse Tours, 9 am - 1 pm
Guided Bird Walks, 8 am - 9 am, 9 am - 10 am & 11 am - 11:30 am (for kids and new birders)
Hawk ID Workshop, 10 am - 11 am
Community Science Blitz, 11 am - 1 pm
Live Raptor Show, 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Plus Retail, Food, and Beverage Vendors!
Partners: Menunkatuck Audubon Society, Audubon Connecticut/New York, Lights Out Connecticut, New Haven Bird Club, Stewart B McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, Community Placemaking Engagement Network, Blue Moon Raptors
Connecticut’s landscape has changed dramatically over the past 500 years, from forest to field to thicket and back to forest.
Before colonial deforestation, Native peoples had already cleared land for agriculture, but European settlement accelerated the process dramatically. By the mid-1800s, roughly 70-80% of Connecticut's forests had been cleared for farmland, timber, and fuel. Species tied to deep forests — elk, gray wolf, mountain lion, and eventually black bear — were extirpated from the state.
As farming shifted west and industrialized, Connecticut farms were abandoned en masse, and forests returned.
Post-WWII development fragmented the reforested land into a patchwork of suburbs, roads, and woodlots rather than a continuous forest.
As the land has changed, so have our wildlife. Join Margery Winters to learn how our current land-use and gardening practices affect our wild areas.
Margery is the Assistant Director and instructor at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, where she is delighted to share her passion for earth science and nature with students of all ages. She manages the Nature Center’s native plant gardens and advocates for the role of natives in our designed landscapes. She is a Master Landscape Design Consultant.