Learn the tricks to attracting birds to your backyard, discover the best birdhouses and be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count this month at Powell Gardens. Here are upcoming events for bird lovers of all ages:
Homes Birds Love – February 13 and 14
Visitors can stop by Powell Gardens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Valentine’s Day weekend to learn how to attract birds to their yards with the right birdhouse. Learn which bird favors what house and why, and how size and shape matter. There will also be tips on how to encourage birds to nest in your yard with birdhouses.
Homes Birds Love will be located at the visitor center at no additional cost to the price of garden admissions.
Great Backyard Bird Count and Birding Hike – February 14
Visitors can be part of a team that identifies and counts the birds at Powell Gardens as part of the national Great Backyard Bird Count. The count, a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, helps track changes in bird populations on a massive scale.
Alan Branhagen, horticulture director, will lead two sessions. The morning session (9 a.m. to 12 p.m.) is designed for all ages and focuses on the birds around the Visitor Education Center. For the afternoon session (1 to 4 p.m.), the count will include a hike on the Byron Shutz Nature Trail.
The cost is $9/adult, $5/members of Powell Gardens and free for members of Burroughs Audubon Society. The fee covers one or both sessions.
Gourd Birdhouse Class – February 21
Learn how to prepare and decorate a gourd birdhouse at Powell Gardens’ upcoming class. Placement and care instructions are provided.
This event will be held 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Cost is $29/person and $22/member, and $15 for each additional gourd birdhouse. At registration, specify the number of gourd birdhouses you would like.
Bird Banding Demonstration – February 28
Missouri River Bird Observatory experts will demonstrate bird banding, which helps monitor lifespan and return rates of resident and wintering bird species at the gardens. Visitors of all ages are welcome to attend this demonstration from 1-3:30 p.m. The event cost is $7/person and free for members.
Powell Gardens is located at 1609 NW US Hwy 50, Kingsville, MO. Through March 11, admission is $7/adult, $6 for seniors 60 and over, and $3 for children ages 5-12. For more information and to register for upcoming events, visit www.powellgardens.org.
Top photo: By Linda Williams
Thank you.
The cardinals and sparrows that actually live in my back yard but who were attracted by my green thumb neighbor GIVE hours of joy.