Bird walks, plant sale to be held in spring

The Lake Michigan Bird Observatory has a host of events, including a tree giveaway and bird walks at Afterglow Farm in the Town of Port Washington, scheduled for spring.

A number of saplings will be given away during an Earth Day and Arbor Day celebration from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 25.

Available sapling species are bur oak, red oak, swamp white oak, red maple, arrowwood viburnum, black chokeberry, American filbert, eastern redbud and American plum. The trees are 2 to 3 years old and one to two feet tall. There’s a limit of two trees per household while supplies last. 

Those attending are asked to bring a bag to transport their trees.

Guided walks at Afterglow Farm will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 14, and Wednesdays, June 17 and July 15. 

The guided walking tours will be led by observatory staff members and showcase some birding hot spots on the property. The address and parking details will be sent to participants after they register at  https://tinyurl.com/mry924bp

The observatory’s annual native plant sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 30, in Port Washington’s Upper Lake Park.

In addition to the sale, the event includes a guided bird walk, live raptor show, plant advice and booths by a variety of groups that partner with the observatory.

The observatory is also seeking volunteers for a number of programs. It is seeking nesting navigators, who need to complete a training program, birdscape botanist vegetation observers, wing collision volunteers to monitor bird collisions with buildings in downtown Port Washington and transfer injured birds who need care, which also requires a training session, and to help with events.

For more information, visit https://lmbo.org/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities.