Feathers, Flowers, and Frogs!

(March 6, 2024) – Nothing says spring like a chorus of frogs! Bring the kids and see if you can spot species in the ponds and listen to their croaks, trills, and gunks! Grab a friend and hit the trails for guided birding or pollinator walks. Get outside, enjoy the warmer weather, and look for signs of spring!

Unless noted, registration is required for all programs. Register online and view a complete listing of programs through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Audubon Wednesday Morning Bird Walks
Locations Across Rhode Island
April 3, 10, 17, 24, 2024; 9:00 – 11:00 am
Audubon offers small-group Wednesday Morning Bird Walks with naturalist Laura Carberry. Each week a new birding destination will be chosen. Advance registration is required. Location will be sent to registered participants in advance.
Locations determined weekly; Every Wednesday through June 2024; Fee: $5/member, $10/non-member. Ages: 14+. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Watching Woodcocks: Supper and Saunter
Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, Smithfield, RI
April 5, 2024; 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Join Audubon for an evening dedicated to the mysterious American Woodcock. The evening will begin at Powder Mill Ledges for a soup and salad supper with fresh bread. Enjoy an introduction to this bird and its exuberant mating flights. Then venture by van to the nearby Audubon Newman Wildlife Refuge to view the mating flights and songs. Wear sturdy shoes, dress warmly and bring a bright flashlight.
Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI; Fee: $25/member; $35/non-member. Ages: 9 and up. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Audubon Society of Rhode Island
Wildlife Carving and Art Exposition
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 6-7, 2024; 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Acclaimed and award-winning artists from the Northeast will return with incredibly life-like carvings of birds and other wildlife. New for 2024! Nature photographers, illustrators, painters, and other nature-inspired artists will join this annual exposition of wildlife carving.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Fee: $6/person. Children 3 and under are free. Ages: All.

Lecture and Book Signing with Author Ann Parson
The Birds of Dog; An Historical Novel Based on Mostly True Events
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 11, 2024; 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Join local author Ann Parson for an illustrated talk about America’s early days of science. It opens with the launch of the Boston Society of Natural History, closes with the founding of the Audubon Society, and along the way tells diverse stories about 19th-century America’s emerging sciences and its first scientists. Ann will share forgotten scientific milestones, read from her book, and explain what inspired her to write her first fiction after several nonfiction titles. Registration required.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; April 11, 2024; 7:00-8:30 pm; Fee: $5/member, $7/non-member. Ages: Teen to Adult. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Free Family Fun Day
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 13, 2024; 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
The Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium is open free to the public the first Saturday of every month. Join us for nature stories, animal discoveries, hikes and more. No need to register!
10:00 am - 3:00 pm: Craft Table
10:00 am: Nature Story
11:00 am and 2:30 pm: Animal Interview
1:00 pm: Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose
Join an Audubon naturalist and learn how to patch clothing, explore different repair techniques, and share tips and tricks on how to extend the life of your clothing. For ages 6 and up.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Free. Ages: All.

April School Vacation Week with Audubon
Six Audubon Locations
Bristol, Coventry, Exeter, Smithfield and North Smithfield, RI, and Seekonk, MA
April 13 – 21, 2024
Audubon naturalists lead families on the trails to search for frogs in the ponds and build fairy houses in the forest. There are art classes, turtle races, owl pellet dissections, crafts, games and more! Audubon offers vacation week fun at six locations across the state to keep the kids busy, engaged and immersed in nature. Visit the events calendar at asri.org/calendar for a complete listing of vacation week programs.

Editor’s note: Please reference the press release listing all Audubon April Vacation Week Programs.

Frogs in the Forest
Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, Seekonk, MA
Fort Wildlife Refuge, North Smithfield, RI
See Dates and Times below
Join Audubon for a morning walk to learn about amphibians, their adaptations, and a favorite habitat: vernal pools. Learn who lives on the refuge and when they can be heard or sometimes seen. Advance registration required. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA; April 15, 2024; 10:00 am-12:00 pm; Fee: $10/member adult, $5/member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child. Ages: 4 and up (A shorter walk for young children)

Fort Wildlife Refuge, (Rt. 5), 1443 Providence Pike, North Smithfield, RI; April 18, 2024; 10:00 am-12:00 pm; Fee: $10/member adult, $5/member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child. Ages: 8 and up. (A longer walk for older children.)

Froggy Nights
Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, Seekonk, MA
Fort Wildlife Refuge, North Smithfield, RI
See Dates and Times below
Come on an evening hike to learn and listen to the calls of spring peepers and wood frogs found in the forested wetlands. You might see deer or hear owls and other night active birds too. Be sure to dress for the weather and bring a flashlight. This is a family program for children ages 10 and up. Advance registration required. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA; April 17, 2024; 7:00-8:30 pm; Fee: $10/member adult, $5/member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child. Ages: 10 and up.

Fort Wildlife Refuge, (Rt. 5), 1443 Providence Pike, North Smithfield, RI; April 19, 2024; 7:00-8:30 pm; Fee: $10/member adult, $5/member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child. Ages: 10 and up.

Butterfly Monitoring
Community Science Training Sessions
Monarch Butterfly populations are declining due to pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change. Collecting data on Monarch butterflies will help Audubon with conservation efforts. Volunteers are needed to become a part of this community-science monitoring project from May through July. No experience is needed. Questions? Contact Nathan Archer at narcher@asri.org. 

Volunteers are asked to attend one virtual and one in-person training session. For details and to register, visit www.asri.org/calendar. 

VIRTUAL PROGRAMS: April 18, 23, 2024; 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
IN-PERSON PROGRAMS: Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI
April 27, May 3, 2024; 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Preschool Adventures
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 2024; 10:00 – 11:00 am
This popular series returns for spring! Nature comes alive for children ages 3 to 5 through games, hikes, crafts, songs, hands-on activities and more! Space is limited to 12 children so please register early. Adults must accompany children.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Fee: $40/Member child, $50/Two Member siblings; $45/Non-member child, $55/Two Non-member siblings. Ages: 3-5. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Meet and Greet Darwin the Turtle
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
April 21, 2024; 10:00 – 11:00 am
Join an Audubon naturalist and education ambassador Darwin the Turtle for a family-friendly meet and great. Learn about Darwin's natural habitat, why he lives at Audubon, how he is cared for, and the amazing adaptations that turtles have. Stay after to create a turtle-themed craft!
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; Fee: $8/member adult/child pair, $5/each additional member; $12/non-member adult/child pair; $7/each additional non-member. Ages: All. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

The Wonders of Water: Earth Day Celebration
Roger Williams Park Boat House Lawn, Providence, RI
April 22, 2024; 12:00 – 4:00 pm
Head to Roger Williams Park Boathouse Lawn on April 22 to celebrate Earth Day! Try your hand at stormwater mural painting, head out on a green infrastructure tour, enjoy food, art, and community clean-ups. It’s all part of the fun! Co-hosted by the Providence Parks Department, P3 (The Partnership for Providence Parks, Recreation Centers, and Streetscapes), Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and Stormwater Innovation Center. Free and open to the public. For details visit www.asri.org/calendar. 

'Spring' on Over to Prudence Island!
Prudence Island, RI
April 24, 2024; 9:45 am – 4:45 pm
Come celebrate the longer and warmer days by exploring Prudence Island, a hidden gem in the middle of Narragansett Bay. Explore whatever areas Mother Nature deems suitable for travel, which will likely include forest, salt marsh and shoreline, both on foot and via passenger van. With an afternoon low tide, stop by the south end of the island to look for any late season basking harbor seals just offshore. Spring birds will have begun arriving too! Expect to cover 3 to 4 miles by foot throughout the day.
Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Prudence Island, RI; Fee: $12/member, $14/non-member. Ages: Adult. For more information and to register for Prudence Island programs, visit the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Searching for Spring Pollinators
Audubon Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge, Coventry, RI
April 26, 2024; 9:30 am – 12:00 pm
In spring, many forest flowers are opening and their native bees, flies, and beetle pollinators are often overlooked. Join a spring hike and wildflower search in one of Audubon's largest wildlife refuges. Dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy shoes for trail hiking.
Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge, Maple Valley Road, Coventry, RI; Fee: $10/member adult, $5/member child; $14/non-member adult, $7/non-member child. Ages: 10 and up. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. 

Bird Walk at Hunts Mills
Hunt’s Mills, Rumford, RI
April 27, 2024; 8:30 – 9:30 am
Join an Audubon naturalist for an early morning bird walk at the historic Hunts Mills property in East Providence. Located along the Ten Mile River, this lovely park has big trees, gardens, and a nature trail. We will look for resident and migrating songbirds as well as water birds in the river. Bring binoculars and wear sturdy walking shoes. Extra binoculars will be available.
Advance registration required. Walks are weather dependent. This is a collaborative effort between Audubon Society of Rhode Island, East Providence Historical Society, and the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.
Hunt’s Mills, 65 Hunt’s Mills Road, Rumford, RI; Fee: $5/member*, $7/non-member. Ages: 12 and up. Register online through the events calendar at www.asri.org/calendar. (Fee for both Audubon and Providence Historical Society members.)

Small Wonders: Art Exhibit by Katie Khan
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, Bristol, RI
Through April 30, 2024; 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
From the lives of insects, the colors found in several seconds worth of sunset, to the texture of a bird’s feather, Katie Khan’s work focuses on things in nature that astound us when we take the time to look. Khan works in watercolor and gouache, from larger-scale landscapes to miniatures only a few inches tall.
Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI; March 3-April 30, 2024; 9:30 am-4:30 pm. Free with Admission. Ages: All.