While many people think most, if not all birds fly south for the winter, all you have to do is take a look out the window and see that quite a few feathered friends have hung around the Capital District through the snow and bitter cold.
The Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center wants to show people of all ages just how many birds make their nests in New York through the winter months in their two-month long exhibit, “Snowbirds: Birds That Call New York State Home.”
• What: “Snowbirds: Birds That Call New York State Home”
• When: Through February; “Live Birds of Prey” 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25
• Where: Albany Area Visitor’s Center, 25 Quackenbush Square, Albany
• How much: Free
• Info: www.albany.org/
visitors-center
The exhibit runs through February and will feature all kinds of interesting activities about New York birds.
“It’s an opportunity to see an owl and a hawk,” said Carol Ann Margolis, education coordinator for Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center.
Although hawks and bald eagles can often be found flying above the Twin Bridges, and the owl most known for its role in Harry Potter — the snowy owl — has been spotted hanging around at the Albany Airport, people will get an up close and personal view of these birds at the exhibit’s free “Live Birds of Prey” event Saturday, Jan. 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Wildlife Institute of Eastern NY will present shows at 11:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 1 p.m. in The Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center theater.
“There will be three live animal shows with a lot of owls,” Margolis said. “I think, truthfully, live birds are what fascinates people. There is nothing like a live animal. To see these animals up close … it’s incredible.”
Margolis said the shows will be about 20 minutes long.
“They will not get to touch the birds. It’s very unusual that they have you touching birds, but you can touch the feathers and look at nests and other things at the exhibit,” Margolis said.
Last year the visitor’s center presented “I Love Birds.”
“This year is a different focus,” Margolis said. “The snowy owls will be here, and that is a main draw.”
The snowy owl has recently been spotted hanging around the Albany International Airport where birders anxiously await the chance to see one of these northern creatures and log the sighting into ebird.com, an online database of bird observations. Read about the local birding community’s reaction to the snowy owl sightings on Page 1.
Of course, the birds seen at the exhibit can’t be logged into the database, but the Capital Region Audubon Society will be there to show people how to spot birds and keep a tally of those seen.
“They will have binoculars and teach people how to look and count,” Margolis said. “Kids can practice and go around our building looking for hidden birds, which will actually be stuffed birds.”
Margolis said the practice is part of being a citizen scientist and can help kids prepare for a real urban bird tally and the Great Backyard Bird Count, which takes place Feb. 14 through 17, where bird watchers of all ages throughout the country will count birds to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are living.
“We have pictures of the most common species that they would see, and they will get to take them home,” Margolis said.
Margolis said she encourages people to go out and look and become part of science.
“It’s cool to count birds and look at birds,” she said. “Scientists can’t be in all places. If we spot the Snow Owl and let people know, it let’s us know what is out there in nature.”
Other activities at the exhibit will include an Owls Jeopardy Game provided by Five Rivers, an interactive table on bird watching in the Pine Bush, a chance to make backyard bird feeders and bird seed packages, and photographs by award-winning nature photographers, Scott Stoner and Denise Hackert-Stoner.
Margolis said the exhibit will intrigue people of all ages.
“I like to say from womb to tomb,” laughed Margolis. “Everybody would enjoy or get something out of the exhibit.”
The Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center is home to a variety of exhibits throughout the year.
“We do a lot of different things. We have Earth Day events and things about the Hudson River,” Margolis said. “And we are home to the Henry Hudson Planetarium.”
Margolis said that most people are not aware of what the visitor’s center has to offer.
“We are more than a visitor’s center for information,” Margolis said. “We are here to educate people about the history of Albany. Plus the building is a historic building from the 1800s … a diamond in the city.”
“Snowbirds: Birds That Call New York State Home” will be on exhibit at the Albany Area Visitor’s Center at 25 Quackenbush Square in Albany through February. The free interactive bird event, “Live Birds of Prey” will take place on Jan. 25, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.albany.org/visitors-center.