Date: Saturday, September 17
Time: 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Location: Brattlebrook Park, Pittsfield, MA (SEE DIRECTIONS BELOW – The Google location of Brattlebrook Park will lead you to a random dead end.)

Ben Nickley of Berkshire Bird Observatory (BBO) will lead an early morning mist-netting demo during  Berkshire Biodiversity Day (also known as Berkshire BioBlitz) on Saturday, September 17, from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM. This demonstration is an excellent opportunity for people to experience some of the biodiversity surveying methods used to monitor birds. Ben will band (tag with a metal ring) the birds captured in the mist nets before sending them back on their way.

This year’s Biodiversity Day will take place at Brattlebrook Park in Pittsfield, MA. This conservation area exhibits a grassland-forest ecotone that provides quality habitat for wildlife. All walks and activities taking place during Berkshire Biodiversity Day are free and open to everyone of all ages. Walking conditions will be easy to moderate. The terrain might include forests with possible tree roots in the pathway and grassy meadows with some uneven terrain.

Celebrating local biodiversity during a time of unprecedented global biodiversity loss, the 13th Annual Berkshire Biodiversity Day (also known as Berkshire BioBlitz) welcomes community members of all ages to join biologists, naturalists, and environmentalists to identify as many living beings as possible during a 24-hour period. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from noon on Saturday, September 17, to noon on Sunday, September 18, at Brattlebrook Park in Pittsfield.

This year’s Berkshire Biodiversity Day is sponsored by Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Nature Academy of the Berkshires, Hoffmann Bird Club, Greylock Federal Credit Union, and Pittsfield’s Conservation Commission. If you’d like to learn more about this 24-hour biological survey, you can visit www.berkshirebioblitz.org or www.facebook.com/BerkshireBioBlitz.

DIRECTIONS

There are two ways to reach the park: (1) Maple Grove Drive, which is off Elm St; or (2) Longview Terrace, which is connected to Parkside St, and Parkside is off Newell St. There’s one gravel road that goes straight through the park and a small parking area next to a soccer field where we’ll have tables set up for people to sign in and get maps of the conservation area. Please meet there!