Build homes for bluebirds and toads, pick up some gardening skills, take a bird photography workshop, explore life in vernal pools, and more this weekend. See all the programs and register online.
Bluebird copyright Dorrie Holmes
Greater Boston
Learn how to Plant for Canning at Boston Nature Center. We’ll cover perennials vs. annuals, site selection, and what to plant to make your favorite pickles, preserves, and party favors. Everyone will take home a vegetable or herb seedling. (Adults, registration required)
Go Wild for Reptiles at Broadmoor in Natick. Meet baby turtles and snakes up close, learn more about our wonderful scaly friends, and take a short walk to see reptiles in the wild. (Families, registration required)
Learn how to Photograph Birds and Other Wildlife in an all-day photography workshop at the Museum of American Bird Art in Canton. Nature photographer Shawn Carey will discuss equipment, techniques, and tips. (Adults, registration required)
Stop by the Blue Hills Trailside Museum in Milton on Saturday or Sunday to Build and Decorate a Toad Home to add to your garden. (Families)
North of Boston
Celebrate spring by Building a Bluebird House at Ipswich River in Topsfield. In addition to making the house, we will introduce families to the natural history and behavior of birds in Massachusetts and take a short walk to look and listen for bluebirds. (Families, registration required)
South of Boston
Go on a guided Family Nature Hike at Oak Knoll in Attleboro to learn about local flora and fauna. Free for Mass Audubon members. (Families, registration required)
Discover how vernal pools are formed, and investigate the different organisms that inhabit these temporary bodies of water during Moose Hill’s Vernal Pools and Quacking Frogs in Sharon. (Adult, registration required)
Central Massachusetts
Vernal pools are essential breeding habitat for migrating amphibians, and also require our stewardship and protection. During Big Night and Vernal Pool Ecology at Wachusett Meadow in Princeton, meet local species, explore vernal pools, and find out what you can do to help. (All ages, registration required)
Connecticut River Valley
Come witness one of the most spectacular dances on earth: the courtship display of the American woodcock. Normally a reclusive forest dweller, the male takes center stage in his springtime dance to attract a female. See it for yourself at Park Hill Orchard in Easthampton (Adults) or at Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Hampden (Families). (Registration required)
More in the Connecticut River Valley
Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard
Join naturalists from Wellfleet Bay at Herring Cove and Race Point in Provincetown to take a Family Whale Walk. Observe right whales and other species from the shores of local beaches. Plus, we’ll bring whale bones and other artifacts and tell stories about whale evolution, adaptation, and conservation. (Families, registration required)
Ospreys are a signature species for the Vineyard. Felix Neck in Edgartown is expanding its monitoring program and is looking for volunteers. Want to get involved? Attend the Osprey Monitoring Program Training to find out how. (Adults, registration required)
Berkshires
Interested in joining the Community Garden at Canoe Meadows in Pittsfield? Take our Introduction to Organic Gardening at Pleasant Valley in Lenox to reserve your plot in the garden. (Adults, registration required)