The Virtual ABNC is here
With the closure of our building and continued concerns about the safety of our members ABNC has canceled all of our in-person events. That doesn’t mean we are hiding and not partaking in natural history pursuits.
The warm weather of the end of May has brought the close of migrating birds and the opening of the invertebrate season. Moths are out in numbers and butterflies and dragonflies are active.
We have held 2 webinars with the help of Mount Grace Land Trust If you missed the Butterfly watching Webinar or our Dragonfly webinar they were recorded and posted on the ABNC website. We are gearing up to host several more virtual programs and our next meeting will likely be an online event.
A recent grant from the Grassroots Fund will allow us to increase our visibility and connect in new ways with our diverse membership. We are seeking ideas on topics you would like to learn more about and ideas on including families with children in engaging online activities.
June 19 – 21 2020 MIIDGE Massachusetts Invertebrate Interlude Days
Using iNaturalist
In normal years, the Athol Bird and Nature Club hosts a Moth Ball at president Dave Small’s house in June, concentrating on attracting moths to lights and baits at night. We can’t do that this year, but we thought instead the club could host a virtual Moth Ball and, in fact, widen the net to include all invertebrates (yes, I meant that pun!). Please join us for the first Massachusetts Invertebrate Interlude Days with Great Expectations, or MIIDGE for short, on June 19th through the 21st. This project is set up to automatically collect all observations of invertebrates in Massachusetts made on those three days, but if you join this project, you’ll get notifications of all of those observations as they’re posted, as well as any announcements we make leading up to the event and afterward. Pull your moth lights out of the closet, pile all the field guides next to the couch for easy reading, and get ready for a bit of fun in this crazy year.
Sign-up for iNaturalist a very easy to use and helpful app for your phone or computer. Learn about Blacklighting for nocturnal insects with Ryan “the Bug Man”
Stay Tuned there is much more to come.
Get outdoors, wear a mask, and keep a safe distance