Autumn Moonlight Walk
Surf Club
Sunday, October 13
7:00 p.m.
Bring a flashlight and join us for an evening stroll on the Garvan Trail at the Surf Club. A bagpiper will lead the way. After the walk, refreshments will be served in the Surf Club building, and members of the Astronomical Society of New Haven will set up telescopes for viewing the moon, planets and stars in the night-time sky. No strollers, please. Please be advised that terrain is uneven in some places on this trail.
Meet by the flag pole in front of the Surf Club.https://maps.app.goo.gl/HjpnQZGiD4sYZZ1t9
Harvest Festival
Bauer Park
Saturday, October 19
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Come visit the Madison Land Trust's table at this year's Harvest Festival! This is a free, old-fashioned country fair, with children's activities, live music, food, a cider press, hay rides and more!
https://www.madisonct.org/515/Harvest-Festival
Echoes of Industry
Ironwoods Preserve
Saturday, November 9
9:00 a.m.
On this hike through the Ironwoods Preserve, we’ll look at how the land was used from its time as a sawmill through its current use as a recreational and natural preserve. We’ll visit the old sawmill-turned iron works site, and read the landscape with its remnants of charcoal mounds, old forest roads and long-gone meadows, along with some newer and unexpected features. We’ll also learn to plot points of interest (and not get lost) using the Avenza navigation app. The hike is relatively easy and will be about 2.5 miles, and 2 hours long with stops to explore some of the sites. While growth should have died back, wear long pants to protect from potential brambles and ticks. Participants are asked to download the Avenza app before the hike. Meet in the Ironwoods parking lot at 201 Race Hill Rd.
https://madisonlandtrust.org/trails/ironwoods-preserve/
Red-bellied Woodpecker
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a common bird in the Land Trust forests. Its name is somewhat odd since the pinkish color on the breast area is seldom visible, but the red cap is prominent. Look for zebra-stripes on the back and flashes of white on the wings when it’s in flight. The male has the red all the way to the bill, but females only have a red crown and brown before their beak. The call is a quick quirrrr, and a ch-ch-ch-chirrrrrrr! Thirty years ago the Red-bellied Woodpecker would have been a rarity in Connecticut, but today it’s one of our most common birds.
Painting © Michael DiGiorgio