Birdsong is selling plants this Fall! The sales will be on Saturdays from 9AM–1PM through November 13. Expert local gardeners will be available to answer questions and help you make a selection for your yard. We have a nice variety of native plants and trees, wild azaleas, and good old garden plants. We will replenish the stock every weekend as things sell out, so there will be lots to choose from.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be emailing some interesting articles on planting native trees, gardening with natives, and the wonders of wild azaleas, written by some of our longtime plant sale specialists. We hope they are helpful as you consider what kind of fall planting you want to do in your own garden this year. If you would like to receive our emails, please send a note to birdsong@birdsongnaturecenter.org.

We’ll see you at Birdsong!

See Native Azaleas for valuable information on planting native azaleas in our area!

See Native Trees - Part 1 and Native Trees - Part 2 for valuable information on planting native trees!

One year ago, we asked for your help in navigating the Covid-19 crisis and your response was heroic. Your generous gifts sustained the Center through the difficult year of Covid lockdowns and restrictions.

Thanks to your support and the exemplary work of staff and volunteers we were able to continue our active stewardship of the Center's mission and property - managing the 565 acres of irreplaceable land and its diversity of habitats, refurbishing cherished historic structures, and, with hopeful optimism, preparing for better days ahead.

We had no idea that in 2021 we would still be dealing with this pandemic, but the reality is that it continues to pose for Birdsong significant financial challenges. Major fundraising events had to be canceled earlier this year and although we were able to re-open the nature trails for visitors, customary revenue-producing programming has not been advisable given the looming public health issue.

To address the financial impact this pandemic has had on the Nature Center we are again launching a virtual and mail-in campaign to help raise recovery funds, and we ask for your help.

Would you please consider making a greatly appreciated donation to Birdsong's Summer Appeal 2021? Our goal is to raise $50,000 to help us make up for financial losses due to the extended pandemic. Thanks to generous gifts from several donors, we have already received over $7600 or 15% of our goal.

Donations can be made via US-Mail to the address shown above-right, and online via our website at Summer Appeal 2021 Donations.

Please know that your gift will make a great difference and will be deeply appreciated.

For insight into the pandemic's effect on Birdsong and how we've been able to respond please see Summer Appeal 2021 letter.. There you will find an outline of the pandemic's effect on operations, what we have been able to accomplish, and our plans for the immediate future.

Birdsong is in a phased reopening, trails only, with specific safety protocols in place. Please see Birdsong Reopen Info (PDF) for safety protocol details. Please read and become familiar with these safety procedures before arriving at Birdsong. Bring a printed copy for reference - it also contains a trail map. We want to keep our visitors and staff as safe as possible while providing access to Birdsong’s trails.

Thank you for your support of Birdsong Nature Center!

On Monday, March 8, we began using Mailchimp as our email method of keeping in touch with Birdsong's members and followers. We hope you will like it and find it useful. Feel welcome to give us feedback at birdsong@birdsongnaturecenter.org. As a start we imported into Mailchimp those email addresses that have been provided to us by members and visitors. We sincerely wish not to intrude upon those who prefer not to receive email from Birdsong, so if you should receive unwanted email from us please select the "unsubscribe" option at the bottom of any Mailchimp email. Please know that we will not over burden our subscribers with frequent emails from Birdsong!

Again, our sincere thanks for your support of Birdsong Nature Center!

Birdsong Nature Center's 565 acres of wildflower meadows, forests, ponds and swamps, are home to a myriad of birds and other wildlife. Here you can enjoy the serenity and beauty of the natural landscape and return home with a renewed spirit.

Background
From the early 1800's to the present, the land now known as Birdsong was transformed from pristine longleaf pine forest to a plantation, then farm, and now a center for conservation and learning.
 
Founders Betty and Ed Komarek created this haven for wildlife so others will have a place to experience nature and become inspired to protect natural resources everywhere. Using fire, they created habitats that support a great diversity of wildlife species. The resulting living museum and outdoor classroom are used year round for natural history instruction and hands-on learning.

Features
- Visit the Bird Window for an extraordinary and intimate bird-viewing experience. The surrounding gardens and pool have attracted over 160 species of birds, including many rare and first sightings.
- Twelve miles of Nature Trails provide the perfect setting for casual hiking and exploration.
- The Butterfly Garden, vibrant with colorful butterflies from April - November is an entrancing place to relax and observe the butterfly life cycle.
- Tune in to the sounds of nature at the Listening Place, a screened pavilion overlooking Big Bay Swamp.

We invite you to experience Birdsong for yourself. Our hours are:
Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 9 AM - 5 PM, and Sunday 1 PM - 5 PM
* At this time, only Birdsong's trails are open. *
Admission is $5 for adults, $2.50 for children 4-12 years old
Free to members