Sharon Audubon raises funds for new facility

Sharon Audubon raises funds for new facility

Audubon staff showing one of the birds to patrons before the release.

Matthew Kreta

SHARON — The Sharon Audubon Center held its annual “Raptors & Riesling” fundraising event on Sunday, May 26. The event ran for about two hours, explained plans for the Audubon’s new facility and culminated in the release of several birds back to the wild.

“Raptors & Rieslings” was held under a large tent near several bird enclosures for patrons to see. There were drinks and waiting staff provided by the Sharon Package Store and J.P. Gifford, and a band played music throughout the event to about 250 attendees.

The majority of the two hours were spent with guests socializing and enjoying the refreshments provided.

Eileen Fielding, host and director of the Sharon Audubon Center, thanked Hudson Sebranek and his fellow Eagle Scouts for their work on the Audubon’s Deer Trail repairing boardwalks along the path. This project, Fielding said, is just one part of the Audubon Center’s ongoing efforts to create healthy habitats for the hundreds of birds the community brings to them each year.

Fielding continued by elaborating on the topic of community, thanking everyone for their generosity and commitment to helping the area’s birds, as well as highlighting the many programs and school trips the Audubon Center hosts.

“As anyone who’s been in our clinic or our teaching spaces can tell you, our programs have outgrown our buildings”, Fielding said.

The Sharon Audubon Center has started a capital project and capital campaign for new facilities that will provide more space for classes and programs, as well as bring the Center’s facilities closer to the organization’s goal of green practices and low emissions. Mock-ups of what the future facility may look like were available for patrons to view.

The evening ended with the release of four birds back into the wild, after their recovery over the last few weeks at the Audubon. Attendees were shown the birds by a handful of staff before they were released and flew off to cheers and applause.

A preliminary version of what the new rehab clinic Matthew Kreta

Latest News

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Help Wanted

PART-TIME CARE-GIVER NEEDED: possibly LIVE-IN. Bright private STUDIO on 10 acres. Queen Bed, En-Suite Bathroom, Kitchenette & Garage. SHARON 407-620-7777.

The Salisbury Association’s Land Trust seeks part-time Land Steward: Responsibilities include monitoring easements and preserves, filing monitoring reports, documenting and reporting violations or encroachments, and recruiting and supervising volunteer monitors. The Steward will also execute preserve and trail stewardship according to Management Plans and manage contractor activity. Up to 10 hours per week, compensation commensurate with experience. Further details and requirements are available on request. To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and references to info@salisburyassociation.org. The Salisbury Association is an equal opportunity employer.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

To save birds, plant for caterpillars

Fireweed attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth.

Photo provided by Wild Seed Project

You must figure that, as rough as the cold weather has been for us, it’s worse for wildlife. Here, by the banks of the Housatonic, flocks of dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees have taken up residence in the boxwood — presumably because of its proximity to the breakfast bar. I no longer have a bird feeder after bears destroyed two versions and simply throw chili-flavored birdseed onto the snow twice a day. The tiny creatures from the boxwood are joined by blue jays, cardinals and a solitary flicker.

These birds will soon enough be nesting, and their babies will require a nonstop diet of caterpillars. This source of soft-bodied protein makes up more than 90 percent of native bird chicks’ diets, with each clutch consuming between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge. That means we need a lot of caterpillars if we want our bird population to survive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett and the home for American illustration

Stephanie Haboush Plunkett

L. Tomaino
"The field of illustration is very close to my heart"
— Stephanie Plunkett

For more than three decades, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett has worked to elevate illustration as a serious art form. As chief curator and Rockwell Center director at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, she has helped bring national and international attention to an art form long dismissed as merely commercial.

Her commitment to illustration is deeply personal. Plunkett grew up watching her father, Joseph Haboush, an illustrator and graphic designer, work late into the night in his home studio creating art and hand-lettered logos for package designs, toys and licensed-character products for the Walt Disney Co. and other clients.

Keep ReadingShow less
Free film screening and talk on end-of-life care
‘Come See Me in the Good Light’ is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards.
Provided

Craig Davis, co-founder and board chair of East Mountain House, an end-of-life care facility in Lakeville, will sponsor a March 5 screening of the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” at The Moviehouse in Millerton, followed by a discussion with attendees.

The film, which is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards, follows the poet Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley as they are suddenly and unimaginably forced to navigate a terminal illness. The free screening invites audiences to gather not just for a film but for reflection on mortality, healing, connection and the ways communities support one another through difficult life transitions.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.