2022 Global Big Day at Hicks Orchard

On Saturday, May 14th, spend Global Big Day 2022 with Grassland Bird Trust (GBT) and Hicks Orchard! Global Big Day is a day for people around the world to celebrate birds by getting outside and reporting their bird observations to eBird (created by Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Recorded observations help scientists understand global bird populations. Since apple and cherry trees will be in bloom, we expect to see orioles, waxwings, warblers, and dozens more species during this peak of spring bird migration!

Events:

• 8:00 and 9:00 - Birdwatching with experienced bird guides (limited tickets! – see below)
• 10:00 - “Singing with the Birds” talk with Dr. Samantha Carouso Peck, Executive Director of the Grassland Bird Trust (limited tickets! – see below)
• 11:00 - LIVE bird of prey program with Trish Marki from Wildlife Institute of Eastern New York (free and open to everyone!)
• All day – Bird photography gallery featuring three local photographers, with framed photos for sale
• 12:00 - Lunch available for purchase following bird of prey show. Hot cider and donuts available for purchase throughout the event.

Guided Bird Walks

We will have two groups going out to explore the orchard and forest:

1. Early Bird Enthusiasts (starting 8 am) - this walk includes a moderately steep uphill portion on an unpaved surface as well as walking along a grassy meadow.
2. Intro to Birding (starting 9 am) - this walk will go through the Hicks Orchard, with some brief, gentle uphill portions. If you are bringing kids, please select this group.

Tickets to either walk includes FREE hot cider, coffee, and cider donuts. You may select tickets based on what group/time works best for you. GBT members receive a discount. Please buy one ticket per person in your party. A ticket purchase will also grant you a 1-year GBT membership, or renew your existing membership! To limit disturbance to the birds, tickets are limited.

DISCLAIMER: By registering for a bird walk and providing your contact information, you agree to the terms of our trip liability release.

“Singing with the Birds” Talk in the Cidery

Grassland Bird Trust Executive Director, Dr. Samantha Carouso Peck, will be presenting a lecture and discussion on her research into how and why birds sing. She will explore the ways in which birdsong resembles human song and speech, and how birds learn to sing by shaping up their tunes using feedback from parents and peers that is imperceptible to the human eye. Dr. Peck will discuss the incredible vocal flexibility of songbirds, parrots, and other mimics that incorporate human sounds into their repertories, and how birds pass down songs through the generations. She will also take a ‘bird’s eye view’ of how birds perceive time, sound, and motion differently from us, and how this affects their learning of song and dance, from acoustic acrobatics to backflips to tapdancing – get ready for some wild song and dance!

Dr. Peck began her animal research career studying word learning in African grey parrots at Brandeis University and Harvard University. Her doctoral research at Cornell University focused on social effects on song learning in zebra finches, studying how tiny social cues imperceptible to humans are a driving force in shaping a young finch’s song. Her research has been featured in Science magazine, Scientific American, at Google SciFoo and dozens of scientific conferences, and published in Current Biology, Proceedings of the Royal Society, Philosophical Transactions, and Animal Behaviour.

Tickets are limited to 30 attendees due to limited space in the cidery. A ticket purchase will also grant you a 1-year GBT membership, or renew your existing membership!

Proceeds from this event will support the incredible work that both Grassland Bird Trust and Hicks Orchard are doing for the birds and the community. We hope to raise $5,000 from this event to help fund our work. Other ways that you can help us achieve our goal (purchase online or day-of at Global Big Day):

• Purchase any cider from Slyboro Cider House (Hicks Orchard is donating 10% of sales to GBT for the month of May)
• Make a Donation (add a donation at check-out or go to our donate page)
• Purchase photography from our bird photos show! 45% of proceeds go to GBT.
• Can't make it?! Pledge $5 or more (as a donation) to TeamGBT as we seek to register as many birds as we can on eBird!

Notes: 1) If you don't know if you are a member, or have any other questions, please contact info@grasslandbirdtrust.org. 2) You do not have to report your sightings to eBird, but it is encouraged! Learn more about eBird and Global Big Day here. 3) We will be following COVID safety protocols at this event.

Thank you and see you soon!

MOTHER'S DAY SALE! USE PROMO CODE MOTHERSDAY10 FOR $10 OFF ANY BIRDWALK. EXTENDED TO BE AVAILABLE UNTIL MAY 14TH. LIMIT TO 30 PARTICIPANTS.

Thank you to our collaborators, Hicks Orchard & Slyboro Cider, and leading sponsors, Eden Renewables and Stewart’s Shops, for helping us make this event a reality!