Join us for a walk around the field station to see what we can see! Led by a staff naturalist, we’ll encounter birds, bugs, plants and more. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in […]
Join us for the 24th Annual The Plains/Airlie Christmas Bird Count this December! Our goal? Count as many birds as we can in our 15-mile-diameter count circle, which includes a variety of habitats--grasslands, forests, lakes, backyards, and even parking lots. There’s always a chance for Short-eared Owl and American Tree Sparrow, and counters get to […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in […]
Winter is a great time of year to learn how to identify trees and to practice looking at bark and twigs. We will start this program with a brief presentation indoors about the tips and tricks to identify the most common trees in our forests. Then we will take you on a mile-long walk in […]
**THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER** Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend […]
On this special Walk with a Naturalist, we will walk one of the longer trails on our property. We expect to walk about 5 miles on varied terrain, some of which is steep, but we'll go slow as we look for plants and animals! Please bring a lunch and / or snacks to eat on […]
iNaturalist is a powerful tool for people to learn about nature and to contribute to science, but we’ve heard from lots of people that they aren’t sure how to use it. In this program, Co-Directors Bert and Eleanor Harris will give a brief introduction to the iNaturalist app and website and some background and why […]
**This is a virtual event. We will close registration at noon on February 9 to make sure everyone gets the Zoom link. If you have registered and have not yet received a Zoom link please email Eleanor at eharris@cliftoninstitute.org. If you would like to register after noon on February 9 you can email Eleanor, but […]
Nature journaling is a powerful tool for learning about plants and animals, a mindful practice for connecting to nature, and just a great way to spend time outside. Managing Director and passionate nature journaler Eleanor Harris runs quarterly nature journaling meetups to help people develop their nature journaling skills and meet other nature journalers in […]
Join us in the farmhouse for an afternoon making nature-inspired crafts, just in time to make something for your valentines. We will provide instructions and materials for participants to make linocut prints. If you would like to bring your own materials or crafts to work on (knitting projects! whittling projects! Coloring books!) please do. We […]
Once a year, salamanders leave their homes in the woods and head toward vernal pools, temporary ponds created by spring rains and melting winter snow. The conditions must be just right, a warm night with rainy conditions. The males arrive first and lay sperm sacks around the pond. The females come later and absorb these […]
Join us for a morning of birding at the field station. Led by expert birders. Includes a mile or two of slow walking over varied terrain. Please bring water/snacks as needed and dress for the weather. All levels welcome! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except […]
Are you ready to take a casual interest in lichens to the next level? This special all-day workshop is intended for keen beginners who would like to advance their identification abilities. We'll start with a short presentation on lichen basics, with a focus on the terminology that is used in dichotomous keys. After the presentation we'll […]
On this special Walk with a Naturalist, we will walk one of the longer trails on our property. We expect to walk about 5 miles on varied terrain, some of which is steep, but we’ll go slow as we look for plants and animals! Please bring a lunch and / or snacks to eat on […]
**This is a virtual program. We will close registration at noon on February 22 to make sure everyone gets the Zoom link. If you registered and have not received a Zoom link by that time please email Eleanor at eharris@cliftoninstitute.org. If you would like to register after that time you can email Eleanor, but she […]
Join us for a morning of birding at the field station. Led by expert birders. Includes a mile or two of slow walking over varied terrain. Please bring water/snacks as needed and dress for the weather. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of […]
The American Woodcock is one of our stealthiest birds, but it’s also one of the most fun to watch when they do show themselves. On early spring evenings, the males perform their mating displays, flying high into the air and falling back to the ground, making calls and sounds with their wings as they do […]
It’s winter and that means that rock season is upon us! This year we thought it would be nice to branch out and check out a whole new geologic province. The last two years we took a close look at rocks of the Piedmont Plateau and learned that several times in the geologic past, huge […]
Join us for a walk on our trails with one our naturalists! May include a mile or two of slow to moderate hiking over varied terrain. Please bring water/snacks as needed and dress for the weather. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in […]
On this program Executive Director and amateur lichenologist Bert Harris will guide participants on a lichen walk at Riverside Preserve. This county park hosts a fascinating community of lichens on mature American Hornbeams along the Rappahannock River. Sandstone outcrops host quite a few other interesting species. Bert will explain the basics of lichen biology and […]
Join us for a morning of birding at the field station. Led by expert birders. Includes a mile or two of slow walking over varied terrain. Please bring water/snacks as needed and dress for the weather. All levels welcome! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except […]
**This is a virtual event** In this Zoom event, Co-Director Bert Harris will present the latest results from our grassland restoration experiment! He will cover which management methods were most successful at converting fescue to native grasses and wildflowers. He will also talk about our study of the native seed bank and the recovery of […]
*This is a virtual event. Registration will close at noon on April 12 to make sure everyone gets the Zoom link. If you have not received a Zoom link by that time please email Eleanor at eharris@cliftoninstitute.org. If you would like to register at that time, you can email Eleanor but she may not see […]
In early spring, ephemeral wildflowers appear on the forest floor, taking advantage of a brief moment of sunlight before the canopy above fills out with trees. Join us for a walk exploring our wooded trails in search of early spring ephemerals such as Bloodroot, Cutleaf toothwort, Rue-anemone, and Skunk Cabbage. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and […]
Join us for a morning of birding at the field station. Led by expert birders. Includes a mile or two of slow walking over varied terrain. Please bring water/snacks as needed and dress for the weather. All levels welcome! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except […]
Join us for a walk on our trails with one our naturalists! May include a mile or two of slow to moderate hiking over varied terrain. Please bring water/snacks as needed and dress for the weather. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine […]
In this installment of our Science Saturdays series participants will have the opportunity to shadow our kestrel research team. We have been attaching GPS transmitters to kestrels since 2021. This summer we will be attaching fewer transmitters in the past, but we will still be keeping an eye on a few birds from previous summers […]
