Enjoy land trust walks, talks

#Middlebury #MiddleburyLandTrust

Three of Middlebury’s bears, a mom and her two yearling cubs, seek refuge around a maple tree after a very surprised homeowner chased them off her deck earlier this year. (Janine Sullivan-Wiley)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

The Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) will present a bird walk and a bear talk in September and follow them with guided hikes at Brookdale Farm (aka Fenn’s Farm) in October. The bird walk is scheduled for Saturday, September 10, at 8 a.m. with a rain date of Saturday, September 24, in the Sperry (Juniper Hill) Preserve meeting at 312 Park Road Extension.

Robert Buck, an avid birder who has trained extensively with Kristi Dranginis of Litchfield in the BirdMentor.com programs, will lead the walk, which will run about two hours. Buck has recorded as many as 21 species in previous forays in the Sperry Preserve at this time of year, so those on the walk may see regular avian residents as well as those migrating through the area.

Both woodland and water birds are found in the Sperry Preserve. Buck’s interests include bird identification visually, by bird song, and by bird behavior. His philosophy should ensure a broadly meaningful experience as he said he is “into the deeper nature connection as I view ourselves (humans) as part of the interconnected web of nature.” This will be an excellent opportunity for those interested in moving past bird identification by book alone … a path Buck has taken himself.

The second event shifts to Middlebury’s largest wildlife denizens as the MLT hosts Paul Colburn in a talk on “Black Bears in Connecticut” on Tuesday, September 13, from 6 to 7:45 p.m. in the Larkin Room of the Middlebury Public Library. The talk will focus on the natural history of black bears in Connecticut, including black bear habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction and current research efforts. Black bear artifacts, including a real black bear pelt and skull, will be shared with the audience. This is a great opportunity to learn all about – and to also learn how to coexist peacefully with – Middlebury’s bear population.

Colburn is an experienced wildlife enthusiast who graduated from Connecticut DEEP’s Master Wildlife Conservationist Program in 2015 and is a CT DEEP certified Master Wildlife Conservationist. He has provided hundreds of wildlife presentations about bears, coyotes, bobcats and more throughout Connecticut. He describes himself as an avid outdoorsman, a graduate of Wesleyan University and one who served honorably in the United States Army.

Planning ahead, the MLT will – for the first time ever – offer guided hikes during the annual Brookdale/Fenn’s Farm Tour Day Saturday, October 1, with a rain date Saturday, October 8. Hikers who join the hikes at at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. will explore trails on the Brookdale/Fenn’s Farm property, taking over an hour going up, across and then back down the “mountain.” Some of the hike will be on trails, other parts across a field, so long pants and bug spray are suggested. Preregistration is strongly recommended for all three events, as we expect these to fill up fast; additional people will be accommodated if space remains.

The Annual Farm Tour, a collaboration of several organizations, is scheduled for Saturday, October 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Brookdale (Fenn’s) Farm on Artillery Road in Middlebury. Tour the farm outbuildings and enjoy complimentary hot dogs, doughnuts, cider and coffee.

For more information, or to register for any of the MLT events (bird walk, bear talk or hikes at Fenn’s Farm in October), please contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com

You can visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org. Happy hiking!

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