WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Ben Nickley, founder and executive director of the Berkshire Bird Observatory, will be the guest speaker at the second of West Stockbridge Historical Society's Berkshire Nature Talk Series on Friday, March 15, at 7 PM in the Old Town Hall, 9 Main Street, West Stockbridge.

 

The Berkshire Bird Observatory began as part of Green Berkshires' lower Taconic range biodiversity survey. Nickley,

who started the program and leads the bird-banding in summer and fall at Jug End State Reservation in South Egremont, is now spinning off the observatory and pursuing its non-profit status.

 

He'll discuss the origins and goals of the observatory, along with its current and future research projects and their importance to the knowledge of the region's bird populations.

 

Nickley's talk and slide presentation, "The Birds in Our Hands: Berkshire Bird Observatory's First Two Years of Conservation Science," will feature plenty of photos of the migratory and resident birds of the Berkshire-Taconic region and will be followed by a reception downstairs in the Old Town Hall.

 

The Berkshire Nature Talk Series, curated and hosted by author Scott Edward Anderson, started with its sold-out February program, which featured Leila Philip, author of "Beaverland," talking about the curious rodent and its impacts on the landscape. Future talks in the series will include programs on bears, mushrooms, and other fauna and flora of the

Berkshires and beyond.

 

The event is free, but the West Stockbridge Historical Society encourages those interested to register in advance as the capacity is limited to 100. Register for this free event by sending an email to: info@weststockbridgehistory.org