Bent of the River Audubon Center

09/08/2026

We still have slots open! Have you ever wanted to see a songbird up close? Here is your opportunity! Join Audubon Connecticut's Director of Conservation, Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe, for a morning of bird banding at the charming Bent of the River Audubon Center. Meet the Bent staff in the visitors' lot at 7:30 AM. We will walk to the barn for a simple breakfast and enjoy a talk by Allison Middlemass, our Senior Coordinator of Conservation and Programs, on our Motus tower and the Bird Migration Explorer before we hike to the bird banding station. We never know which birds will land in our nets, but you might see anything from Blue-winged Warblers to Indigo Buntings! You will learn about these old field-nesting birds, why we band them, and how this information influences sanctuary management. Be sure to get your cameras ready for a great picture! This exciting experience is for ages 5 and up.

• Rain date is Friday, September 11
• Program Fee: $35
• Pre-registration is required (space is limited)
• Handicapped parking by the barn
• Accessible bathroom on site
• Please wear appropriate footwear

Register here: https://act.audubon.org/a/ct-botr-bird-banding-breakfast-fall-migration

For questions, please contact Allison Middlemass at:
[email protected] or 203-405-9115 x115

Prairie Warbler. Photo: Pat Nastri

09/03/2026

Join us THIS SATURDAY!

Fall migration has migrating birds headed south towards their wintering grounds. Join Allison Middlemass, Coordinator of Community Conservation Programs, for a guided Fall migration birding hike where we will use binoculars to get a good view of birds, see the various habitats that our birds depend on, and discuss the ways scientists are tracking birds to help protect them. Binoculars will be provided for folks without their own to borrow for the duration of the hike. On the morning of the hike, we will meet in the visitor parking lot at 9:30 AM.

• Rain date is Sunday September 6
• Program Fee: $15
• Pre-registration is required by Noon on Friday, September 4, 2026 (space is limited)
• Handicapped parking by the barn
• Accessible bathroom on site
• Please wear appropriate footwear

For questions, please contact Allison Middlemass at: [email protected] or 203-405-9115 x115

08/21/2026

Who doesn’t love a Wood Thrush? We are excited to see our story about the training we held in June reach a broader audience! We held a day-long training to teach land trusts, large landowners, and foresters forest management strategies for bird conservation impact!

If you are interested in learning more about our resources for forest landowners, follow this link!

https://www.audubon.org/connecticut/projects/forest-landowner-resources-connecticut

The melodic, flute-like song of a Wood Thrush is one of the signature sounds of summer forests in the Northeast. Have you ever heard one?

However, because Wood Thrushes need 200 acres of contiguous forest for suitable breeding habitat, that familiar song is becoming less common as forests become increasingly fragmented and habitat conditions change.

To help change this, Audubon Connecticut is helping landowners and land managers understand what the Wood Thrush needs to thrive via community workshops.

08/17/2026

An important restoration project is well underway at the Bent of the River Audubon Center!

In 2024, flooding on our grounds and throughout the region damaged roadways and waterways on our grounds. While our incredible community stepped in to restore many sections of our trails, our historic Cascade Brook channel and portions of our road sustained long-term damage.

We’re excited to announce that construction began this summer to restore these areas! These restoration efforts will make our property more climate resilient, improve rain runoff damage, and permanently fix the road washed out by the floods.

During this period of construction, the main road to the barn and center building will be closed. Accessible parking at the barn will not be available until the project is complete.

We appreciate your understanding and will be sure to update our community as construction progresses!

For additional information or assistance, please call 203-264-5098.

08/12/2026

We can thank pollinators for the fruits and veggies that we eat! Pollinators are integral to our ecosystems.

This Thursday at Woodbury Library, join Allison Middlemass, Bent of the River Audubon Center's Senior Coordinator of Community Conservation Programs, for a talk about their role in plant reproduction, why they need to be protected, the threats they face, and how people can help them.

This program is free, but please register at https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/17227163

This program is sponsored by a grant from Flight Path

07/15/2026

The Pomperaug River is the very River in our namesake at the Bent. About a mile and a half of the river runs through our sanctuary, providing valuable habitat for birds and other wildlife. Since the river is so crucial to our ecosystem, we were thrilled to have Olivia DiPalermo and Lily Mills from Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition come and give a lesson in the river to our summer campers yesterday!

They used river nets to catch macroinvertebrates like crayfish, dragonfly nymphs, fly larval, and many others. Not only was this a fun chance for campers to wade in the river, they also learned about how the presence of certain macroinvertebrates can tell us about the health of our river.

The Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition mission is to protect, sustain, and restore the water resources of the Pomperaug Watershed through community engagement, education, advocacy, and science-based action. We are so grateful to be able to work with them as a fellow conservation organization!

We still have spots open for our upcoming summer camp weeks! You can find out more about our summer camp on our website.

Photos: Robin Ladouceur/Audubon
Video: Allison Middlemass/Audubon

07/14/2026

And it’s a grand slam! Of banded birds, that is—the Bent of the River Audubon Center’s focal species, to be precise.

During a single session, their licensed bird ba**er captured and banded a Prairie Warbler, a Field Sparrow, a Blue-winged Warbler, and an Indigo Bunting!

This is the first time they’ve recorded all four in one banding session, a win staff attribute to recent intensive management of the center’s Cedar Fields.

In the fall, their team removed trees, saplings, and invasive plants from the area to create healthy early successional habitat in the spring for their focal species to nest in.

This management work was informed by the center’s regular banding and field-mapping, which tell their staff which species are using the early successional habitat, and how. Getting a banding “grand slam” is a sign that these management strategies are working!

Each of the banded birds was released with a random combination of colored “auxiliary” bands, in addition to the standard USGS aluminum band. The colored bands help staff identify individual birds in the field without having to capture them again—including that record-breaking 12-year-old Blue-winged Warbler that was re-sighted last year and this year once more!

If you sight and photograph a color-banded bird at the Bent, please email [email] to let us know! The colors we use include red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.

Please note: Bird banding is a highly regulated scientific process strictly conducted by permitted professionals and Audubon’s biologists.

06/24/2026

FRIDAY NIGHT 06/26: Join us for our annual Firefly Night!

Did you know that fireflies can be found around the world in various habitats? Or that they communicate with each other using light?

For more fun firefly facts, and a chance to view these interesting insects in person, join us for an evening stroll through the Bent of the River Audubon Center's meadows with the fireflies!

Register today: https://act.audubon.org/a/ct-bent-of-the-river-firefly-night-2026

Firefly Night 2026

Friday, June 26, 2026
Bent of the River Audubon Center
8:30 PM – 10:00 PM

Registration ($15) / OLLI Member ($10) / Children under 5 are free

This program will take place in the front meadow on our All Access Trail, next to the parking lot.

For more information, contact Allison Middlemass at [email protected] or 203-405-9115

(From left): Firefly. Photo: ruiruito/Getty Images; Fireflies at night. Photo: Diana Radicchi/Getty Images

06/19/2026

05/13/2026

We are so grateful to volunteers groups like the conservation-minded staff at the Hartford office of ERM Global for sharing their time, energy, and dedication to good works with us! 9 staff and family members made the trek from Hartford to Southbury last week to pull invasive plants! 18 volunteer hours were logged and a whole lotta big bags of garlic mustard pulled! We appreciate you!