Please join in community celebrating the amazing birds across the street from our campus in Forest Lawn Cemetery!
Sunday, May 4 (Star Wars costumes encouraged!), 10am-12pm. This outing is in partnership with the Feminist Bird Club of Buffalo and the WNY Young Birders Club so bring out all your family! Please register in advance at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/may-the-spark-be-with-you-bird-outing-at-forest-lawn-tickets-1309237176639?aff=
Monday, May 5, 9am-11am. No RSVP required, just come and have fun!
Directions & Parking
Please meet at the Chapel (yellow 2 on Forest Lawn Map – https://forest-lawn.com/plan-your-visit/map/) by the group holding The Spark Bird Project flag. To find the Chapel, enter Forest Lawn at either the Delaware/Delavan (yellow 9) or Main/Delavan (yellow 8) entrance and follow the white lines. Forest Lawn is accessible on multiple bus routes and from the Delavan/Canisius station as well as by car, bicycle, and foot. Please consider carpooling if you are driving! Parking including accessible parking is generally available for approximately two dozen cars near the Chapel.
Outing Details
Our outing will start with a round of introductions including learning a little bit about The Spark Bird Project and sharing your spark bird or favorite bird. We will then meander approximately 1 – 1.5 miles around Mirror Lake and along the Scajaquada Creek. Our primary path will be on level, paved surfaces including regularly spaced benches and shade with opportunities to explore grassy and hilly spots or enjoy a more stationary birding experience for interested individuals. Everyone should dress for the weather to be comfortable for an hour or two outside – sunscreen, raingear, etc. as appropriate! A limited number of binoculars are available on request with advance notice and at least one spotting scope will be available for use by the group. Bathrooms are not always available at Forest Lawn so please plan accordingly. Because this outing is happening in an active cemetery, please note that memorial activities always take priority. Be respectful of the other users of Forest Lawn and ensure you are familiar with the rules & regulations (https://forest-lawn.com/about/rules-regulations/).
The Birds of Forest Lawn
May is the peak time of year for birds at Forest Lawn! Warblers and other migratory songbirds are the highlight species. They are often quite vocal and active this time of year so taking some time to familiarize yourself with songs may be a fun and helpful activity! Other birds are present too from waterfowl to raptors! Here are some eBird lists from last May to give you a sense of who we might encounter: https://ebird.org/checklist/S171940584 & https://ebird.org/checklist/S173501998.
Submitted by: Jenn Lodi-Smith, professor of psychology
Did you know? Canisius alumnus Alex Sidare’s award-winning honors thesis estimated that between 700,000 and 2.5 million birds die annually in Western New York alone from residential window collisions. When commercial buildings are included in estimates, this would at least double. Recent research suggests these numbers may be underestimates. One of the ways that our community can be more bird friendly is to participate in the national Lights Out Program.
Visit BirdCast (co-developed by Canisius alumnus Kyle Horton!) to see peak migration times when these actions are most important but consider adopting them year-round to protect our local birds as well as those visiting on their migration journey.
Turn off all nonessential (don’t compromise safety) lights and close window blinds between 10 p.m. and dawn from April 15-May 31 and Aug. 15-Nov. 15.
Did you know? Canisius alumnus Alex Sidare’s award-winning Honors thesis estimated that 700,000 to more than 2.5 million birds die annually in Western New York (WNY) alone from residential window collisions. When commercial buildings are included in estimates, this would at least double. Recent research suggests these numbers may be underestimates.One of the ways that our community can be more bird-friendly is by taking part in the national Lights Out effort.
Visit BirdCast (co-developed by Canisius alumnus Kyle Horton!) to see peak migration times when these actions are most important but consider adopting them year-round to protect our local birds as well as those visiting on their migration journey.
Turn off all non-essential (don’t compromise safety) lights and close window blinds between 10:00 pm and dawn from April 15-May 31 and August 15-November 15.
A short documentary from the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) features Jenn Lodi-Smith, professor of psychology, as the director of The Spark Bird Project and mentor of the Western New York Young Birder Club.
Jenn, along with Janet McNally, are currently scholars-in-residence at RTPI, supporting their work on The Spark Bird Podcast, which comes out later this summer. The video also features Jenn’s daughter, Maisie, who started the WNY Young Birder Club.
Submitted by: Jennifer Lodi-Smith, Professor of Psychology
Did you know? Canisius alumnus Alex Sidare’s award-winning Honors thesis estimated that 700,000 to more than 2.5 million birds die annually in Western New York (WNY) alone from residential window collisions. When commercial buildings are included in estimates, this would at least double. Recent research suggests these numbers may be underestimates.
One of the ways that our community can be more bird-friendly is by taking part in the national Lights Outeffort.
VisitBirdCast (co-developed by Canisius alumnus Kyle Horton!) to see peak migration times when these actions are most important but consider adopting them year-round to protect our local birds as well as those visiting on their migration journey.
Turn off all non-essential (don’t compromise safety) lights and close window blinds between 10:00 pm and dawn from April 15-May 31 and August 15-November 15.
