Events Calendar 2010
6/9 19:00 National Garden Week Celebration
The Garden Keepers will be celebrating National Garden week with the unveiling of a new educational program entitled ‘Using Native Plants in the Garden'. The program will be held in the Visitor Center Auditorium. Light refreshments will be served.
6/12 09:00 - 10:00 ‘Bob WHITE......Bob WHITE’ Quail Program
Chris Williams, Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, will give a presentation on the status of quail habitat in the region and highlight research that has been conducted in the area. Dr. Williams is a leading expert on the subject of quail habitat, population and restoration. He conducts classes in Wildlife Population Ecology, Introduction to Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, and Wildlife Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware.
6/16 09:30 - 11:30 Garden Keepers
The Garden Keepers are garden enthusiasts who meet monthly to learn about gardening with native plants in the mid-Atlantic region and to maintain a native landscape near the Visitor Center at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. The sessions are free and open to everyone but reservations are suggested since many activities are limited.

Meet in the Visitor Center Auditorium. To register, contact Quentin Schlieder at (302) 653-6449 or qcsjr@comcast.net. June’s program is ‘Softwood Cutting Techniques and a Picnic Lunch and Tour of a Private Garden.’ Softwood cuttings are an easy way to raise choice native shrubs for the home garden. Gardeners will learn how to make and root cuttings for their own homes. Following the workshop, participants will perform seasonal maintenance on the landscape around the Visitor Center and then visit a nearby private garden in Smyrna for a picnic luncheon.
8/7 08:30 - 14:30 Shorebirds/Birding by Impression Workshop with Kevin Karlson
8:00 am – 12 noon Outdoor Field Trip:

Join author and professional field trip leader Kevin Karlson as he shares a simple and more effective approach to shorebird ID highlighted in his bestselling book The Shorebird Guide. With an initial focus on basic impressions of size, shape and body motion for all birds seen, a more effective starting point is achieved for your ID pursuit. Appreciation of this different and exciting field approach is best experienced in field conditions, and Kevin has been fine tuning his teaching approach over the last five years. Beginners and expert level tips will be shared, with something for everyone involved.

Kevin will also show how this simpler ID approach may be applied to all birds in the field. He is presently completing a new book titled Birding by Impression for the publishing house of Houghton Mifflin Company, with a release date of late 2011 in the Roger Tory Peterson Reference Series. Come and see how a field approach using basic impressions of size, shape and body motion may be combined with a traditional, detail oriented approach to reach a more effective ID conclusion. Kevin has written a number of articles on this subject for Living Bird, Wild Bird and Birding magazines, and gives workshops at major birding and nature festivals around North America.

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Indoor Workshop:

This interactive indoor workshop will share a different approach to field identification that Kevin calls Birding by Impression. This exciting ID approach concentrates on basic impressions of size, shape and body motion to form a surprisingly accurate initial mental picture of every bird seen in the field. These non-changeable field characters may be combined with traditional ID approaches using details of feather patterns and plumage to reach a more comprehensive ID picture. A similar approach was used in Kevin’s best selling book, The Shorebird Guide (Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006), which will be for sale during the day.

The second half shows how to apply this approach to all bird families, and uses a number of digitized, comparative photos from Kevin’s new book Birding by Impression. These photos allow the viewer to see similar species in side-by-side comparison that is rarely, if ever, possible in field conditions. The end result is a surprising recognition of obvious and subtle structural and plumage differences between these similar species that is not possible otherwise. Come and share in this innovative new approach to bird ID, with audience participation encouraged with the digitized photo section. Reservation required. Call 302-653-6872 to register for the workshop. Space is limited.
9/22 09:30 - 11:30 Garden Keepers
The Garden Keepers are garden enthusiasts who meet monthly to learn about gardening with native plants in the mid-Atlantic region and to maintain a native landscape near the Visitor Center at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. The sessions are free and open to everyone but reservations are suggested since many activities are limited.

Meet in the Visitor Center Auditorium. To register, contact Quentin Schlieder at (302) 653-6449 or qcsjr@comcast.net. September’s program is ‘Garden Planning and Wildflower Program.’ Gardeners will learn how to perform a site analysis and prepare a scaled plan for a garden. Afterwards, there will be a presentation on native plants which can provide year round interest and thrive in almost any growing conditions. Following the workshop, participants will perform seasonal maintenance on the landscape around the Visitor Center. Light refreshments will be served.
11/13 15:00 - 17:00 'Bringing Nature Home': A Presentation and Book-signing
Noted University of Delaware author and lecturer Doug Tallamy will present this incredible research-based presentation enhanced with engaging personal stories. He offers inspirational native plant design ideas with a focus on creating balanced landscapes and increasing biodiversity. His presentation is logical and convincing. Tallamy’s book is an essential guide for anyone interested in increasing biodiversity in the garden. This is a life-changing program you won’t want to miss!