Mid-Winter Owl Prowl – February 11 Sponsored by the Lloyd Center for the Environment

Feb 2, 2018

Are you fascinated by owls?  Do you enjoy a good old fashioned New England winter morning, especially before sunrise?  If so, join Lloyd Center Research Associate Jamie Bogart on this outing scheduled during hours of peak owl activity! Owls are mysterious and fascinating creatures that become more vocal as they establish nesting territories across an otherwise quiet winter landscape. Screech, great horned, and barred owls are all resident species possibly encountered in the woods of Dartmouth.

Using the Lloyd Center property and other local stops, participants will venture onto woodland trails in an attempt to attract, hear, and see owls. At sunrise, you’ll enjoy an invigorating walk along a pristine coastal beach in search of other winter birds such as waterfowl, raptors, and with luck, a wandering snowy owl.

Back at the Lloyd Center, warm up with some coffee, and enjoy an encounter with Koko, the Lloyd Center’s resident screech owl. Since seeing a wild owl is never a guarantee, this is an added bonus!

Participants should bring (if available) binoculars, camera, and flashlight, and wear footwear for light walking on forest trails, and possibly snow. (Note: stormy weather or excessively windy conditions will cause postponement).

Lead by Jamie Bogart, the Mid-Winter Owl Prowl will take place on Sunday, February 11th from 3:30am – 8am (willingness to carpool if needed much appreciated). Inclement weather date is Sunday, February 18th.  Participants will meet in the lower parking lot of the Lloyd Center for the Environment’s Hardscrabble Nature Preserve located at 430 Potomska Road in Dartmouth. This event is $15 for Lloyd Center members, and $19 for non-members.

Pre-registration for the Mid-Winter Owl Prowl is required by Friday, February 9th, 4pm. Space is limited to 20 participants. This event is suitable for ages 15 and older. If you have any questions about the event please contact Jamie Bogart at 508-990-0505 x 23 or jbogart@lloydcenter.org.

The Lloyd Center for the Environment, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1978 and situated with its headquarters and spectacular nature preserve overlooking the scenic Slocum River estuary, has achieved a well-earned reputation for excellence in environmental research and education. Through its innovative outreach programs, it has established itself as a highly regarded leader in the ongoing effort to raise awareness of the area’s fragile coastal resources and the importance of protecting them.

The Center’s 82-acre property offers over five miles of walking trails, the “Bridge to Discovery” dock on the Slocum River, vernal pools, oak-hickory forest, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh, estuary views, and is home to two injured raptors (a screech owl and red-shouldered hawk).

The Visitor Center is open from 10am to 4pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays, and on Sundays, June - September, free of charge. There, aquarium exhibits offer unique views of live freshwater and saltwater species of fish and other marine critters.

The Center is also home to a fascinating collection of live local reptiles, amphibian and fish species. At the always popular touch-tank, youngsters learn the hands-on joy of socializing with gentle spider crabs, elusive minnows, sea stars (starfish), whelks, hermit crabs, periwinkles and mussels.

The top-floor Osprey Room Observatory, with its magnificent views of the Elizabeth Islands and Buzzards Bay, has been designated by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs as one of the Commonwealth’s top-fifteen “Special Places”. Through telescopes there, one can get a close-up view of formerly endangered Ospreys, and their chicks, nesting on platforms erected by members of the Center’s research staff.

Trails are open from dawn to dusk, seven days a week. The Lloyd Center for the Environment is located at 430 Potomska Road, Dartmouth, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.lloydcenter.org or call 508-990-0505.