Walks & Events
Bell’s Neck Bird ID and Ecology Field Classes
Date: March 21, 2025Time: 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Meeting Place: Bell's Neck Conservation Lands
Leader: Peter Trull
Price: 20
Attendee Limit: 12
March is an exciting time to immerse yourself into the avian world with field naturalist Peter Trull. As winter begins to soften in lieu of spring's milder temperatures and longer days, the first migrants arrive and a frenzy of bird activity begins including singing, courting, and searching for nest sites.
Join us at Bell's Neck Conservation Lands to enjoy scenic trails through forest and wetland habitats as species of all kinds awaken. These days are highlighted by the first singing northern cardinals, the whistling songs of tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees, and the familiar “kon-ka-ree” of the first returning red-winged blackbirds. We'll also train our binoculars across the open water and marshes of Bell's Neck to scout for returning osprey, great blue herons, and other waterbirds. We might even spot a bald eagle!
All birding interest and experience levels welcome. Please bring binoculars.
Photos by Janet DiMattia
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World Poetry Day Mindful Outdoor Experience
Date: March 21, 2025Time: 8:30 am - 10:30 am
Meeting Place: Coy's Brook Woodlands
Leader: Andrea Higgins
Price: 18
Attendee Limit: 15
Please join us for a Mindful Outdoor Experience led by Andrea Higgins in celebration of World Poetry Day. Practice meditation, mindful movement, and poetry writing at HCT's 28-acre Coy's Brook Woodlands. Quietly stroll the forested trails and immerse yourself in the beauty of nature, then reflect upon your observations through the written word. Time will be given to both write and, if you wish, share your poetry. No prior poetry writing experience is necessary to enjoy and participate in this unique offering.
The World Poetry Day theme for 2025 is "Poetry as a Bridge for Peace and Inclusion". The theme aims to highlight poetry's transformative role in the promotion of peace, inclusion and creativity.
Photo by Gerry Beetham.
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Botany Walks
Date: March 22, 2025Time: 10:00 am
Meeting Place: Sand Pond Woodlands
Leader: Rich Eldred
Price: 15
Attendee Limit: 15
Spring is within our grasp! As the days lengthen, the ground thaws, and nourishing showers rehydrate the land, plants begin to wake up and prepare for the growing season. Identifying plants is especially interesting this time of year, before summer leaves grow back in, when we have to rely on alternative ID clues.
Bring your detective's cap to study branching patterns, twig color, bark color, location in the landscape, and even smell the difference between some of the twigs to differentiate between species. Botanist and environmental reporter Rich Eldred will guide this educational tour of your local conservation lands to teach about plant communities, ID, and botany basics.
Photo by David Constance
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Welcoming Spring Retreat: QiGong and Mindful Outdoor Experience
Date: March 23, 2025Time: 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Meeting Place: Event location emailed with registration confirmation.
Leader: Andrea Higgins and Andrea Belford
Price: 40
Attendee Limit: 15
Please join us for a QiGong and Mindfulness Retreat to welcome spring at Cornelius Pond Woodlands with guides Andrea Higgins (Kripalu Certified Mindful Outdoor Guide) and Andrea Belford (QiGong Instructor, capecodqigong.org).
Standing at the edge of meadow and forest habitats, we will begin with a QiGong session, which is the ancient Chinese practice of cultivating life force energy. We'll follow a series of slow and gentle movements that combine proper posture, healthy breathing, and mindfulness. Centering our attention on the Wood element of QiGong, which represents spring, we will move our bodies with fluidity to help us to remove tension and stress from the nervous system. This helps us to maintain health, healing and vitality of the body, mind, and spirit.
Following the QiGong practice, we will enjoy a guided meditative walk along peaceful trails through rich habitats including forest, meadow, and a coastal plain pond. We will settle our awareness on nature's soothing atmosphere and gain inspiration from the living earth to welcome spring. There will be moments to pause and appreciate the details and beauty found in nature along the way.
Please dress for weather, warmth, and comfort.
Photos courtesy of Gerry Beetham (bee on petal and daffodils) and Janet DiMattia (fiddleheads and red-winged blackbird)
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Cold Brook Bird ID, Behavior, & Ecology Field Classes
Date: March 25, 2025Time: 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Meeting Place: Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve
Leader: Peter Trull
Price: 20
Attendee Limit: 12
March is a busy time in the world of birds. As spring approaches and the days grow longer, early migrants begin their northward journeys. Red-winged blackbirds and ospreys will be among the first to return, a sure sign of the shifting seasons. Avian activity will increase as birds search for mates and nest sites, creating a lovely chorus of birdsong as courting begins.
Please join field naturalist Peter Trull at the Cold Brook Preserve to enjoy the sun's warming rays and be the first to welcome our seasonal feathered friends to this newly restored sanctuary. The diverse array of pristine habitats provide an idyllic home for a range of songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors. Let's see which species answer the call of the rewilded land. Winter brought a number of unique and rare-to-Cape-Cod bird species. Now it's time to find out who will make this treasured landscape home during the breeding season.
Birding enthusiasts from all experience levels are welcome. Please bring binoculars.
Photos by Vicki Goldsmith (red-winged blackbird & tufted titmouse) and Gerry Beetham (osprey, red-tailed hawk, & bluebird)
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Newbies in Nature
Date: March 25, 2025Time: 8:00 am - 9:00 am
Meeting Place: Event location emailed with registration confirmation.
Leader: Andrea Higgins
Price: FREE
Attendee Limit: 10
Walks on March 25th are cosponsored by Taylor-Bray Farm.
Please join naturalist and Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide Andrea Higgins for a Newbies in Nature outing. Carry your baby in a front sling or backpack and enjoy the company of other young families while walking the trails of local conservation lands. With spring just around the corner, take a moment to celebrate the changing seasons as the ground thaws and habitats awaken. Find newfound joy while sharing these experiences with your baby and seeing the wonder in their eyes as they discover the wild world around them.
Andrea will offer gentle prompts to engage your senses and encourage a deeper connection to nature and your child to create memories that will last a lifetime.
Trails are not suitable for strollers so please carry your baby in a front sling or backpack.
Thanks to generous community support, these programs are free. Space is limited so please reserve in advance. Locations and driving directions will be included in your registration confirmation email.
Photos by Halley Steinmetz
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Newbies in Nature
Date: March 25, 2025Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Meeting Place: Event location emailed with registration confirmation.
Leader: Andrea Higgins
Price: FREE
Attendee Limit: 10
Walks on March 25th are cosponsored by Taylor-Bray Farm.
Please join naturalist and Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide Andrea Higgins for a Newbies in Nature outing. Carry your baby in a front sling or backpack and enjoy the company of other young families while walking the trails of local conservation lands. With spring just around the corner, take a moment to celebrate the changing seasons as the ground thaws and habitats awaken. Find newfound joy while sharing these experiences with your baby and seeing the wonder in their eyes as they discover the wild world around them.
Andrea will offer gentle prompts to engage your senses and encourage a deeper connection to nature and your child to create memories that will last a lifetime.
Trails are not suitable for strollers so please carry your baby in a front sling or backpack.
Thanks to generous community support, these programs are free. Space is limited so please reserve in advance. Locations and driving directions will be included in your registration confirmation email.
Photos by Halley Steinmetz
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Preschool Explorer Adventures
Date: March 25, 2025Time: 9:30 am - 11:00 am
Meeting Place: Event location emailed with registration confirmation.
Leader: Andrea Higgins
Price: FREE
Attendee Limit: 8
Age Limit: 2 - 5
Adventures on March 25th and 26th are cosponsored by Taylor-Bray Farm.
Spring is just around the corner! If you have kids or grandkids ages 2-5, please join a Preschool Explorer Adventure to welcome the return of red-winged blackbirds, ospreys, river herring, and singing spring peepers. Join Naturalist Ms. Andrea at a different Preserve each week to learn about nature, explore the trails, listen to stories, create art, and play. Each child must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent or caregiver.
Space is limited so reservation is required. Each week's Tuesday and Wednesday offerings will be the same program (same lessons, location, books, and art projects) so please select only one session per week. Locations and driving directions will be included in your registration confirmation email.
Thanks to generous community support of HCT’s early childhood family programs, these adventures are free.
Photos by Halley Steinmetz
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Preschool Explorer Adventures
Date: March 25, 2025Time: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Meeting Place: Event location emailed with registration confirmation.
Leader: Andrea Higgins
Price: FREE
Attendee Limit: 8
Age Limit: 2 - 5
Adventures on March 25th and 26th are cosponsored by Taylor-Bray Farm.
Spring is just around the corner! If you have kids or grandkids ages 2-5, please join a Preschool Explorer Adventure to welcome the return of red-winged blackbirds, ospreys, river herring, and singing spring peepers. Join Naturalist Ms. Andrea at a different Preserve each week to learn about nature, explore the trails, listen to stories, create art, and play. Each child must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent or caregiver.
Space is limited so reservation is required. Each week's Tuesday and Wednesday offerings will be the same program (same lessons, location, books, and art projects) so please select only one session per week. Locations and driving directions will be included in your registration confirmation email.
Thanks to generous community support of HCT’s early childhood family programs, these adventures are free.
Photos by Halley Steinmetz
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Preschool Explorer Adventures
Date: March 26, 2025Time: 9:30 am - 11:00 am
Meeting Place: Event location emailed with registration confirmation.
Leader: Andrea Higgins
Price: FREE
Attendee Limit: 8
Age Limit: 2 - 5
Adventures on March 25th and 26th are cosponsored by Taylor-Bray Farm.
Spring is just around the corner! If you have kids or grandkids ages 2-5, please join a Preschool Explorer Adventure to welcome the return of red-winged blackbirds, ospreys, river herring, and singing spring peepers. Join Naturalist Ms. Andrea at a different Preserve each week to learn about nature, explore the trails, listen to stories, create art, and play. Each child must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent or caregiver.
Space is limited so reservation is required. Each week's Tuesday and Wednesday offerings will be the same program (same lessons, location, books, and art projects) so please select only one session per week. Locations and driving directions will be included in your registration confirmation email.
Thanks to generous community support of HCT’s early childhood family programs, these adventures are free.
Photos by Halley Steinmetz
Register For This Event
Cold Brook Bird ID, Behavior, & Ecology Field Classes
Date: March 28, 2025Time: 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Meeting Place: Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve
Leader: Peter Trull
Price: 20
Attendee Limit: 12
March is a busy time in the world of birds. As spring approaches and the days grow longer, early migrants begin their northward journeys. Red-winged blackbirds and ospreys will be among the first to return, a sure sign of the shifting seasons. Avian activity will increase as birds search for mates and nest sites, creating a lovely chorus of birdsong as courting begins.
Please join field naturalist Peter Trull at the Cold Brook Preserve to enjoy the sun's warming rays and be the first to welcome our seasonal feathered friends to this newly restored sanctuary. The diverse array of pristine habitats provide an idyllic home for a range of songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors. Let's see which species answer the call of the rewilded land. Winter brought a number of unique and rare-to-Cape-Cod bird species. Now it's time to find out who will make this treasured landscape home during the breeding season.
Birding enthusiasts from all experience levels are welcome. Please bring binoculars.
Photos by Vicki Goldsmith (red-winged blackbird & tufted titmouse) and Gerry Beetham (osprey, red-tailed hawk, & bluebird)
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Preschool Explorer Adventure- Orleans
Date: March 28, 2025Time: 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Meeting Place: Event location emailed with registration confirmation.
Leader: Andrea Higgins
Price: FREE
Attendee Limit: 8
Age Limit: 2 - 5
Sponsored by Orleans Conservation Trust and Harwich Conservation Trust.
With spring just around the corner, we eagerly await the return of red-winged blackbirds, osprey, alewives, and singing spring peepers. If you have kids or grandkids ages 2-5, we hope you'll join a Preschool Explorer Adventure with Naturalist Ms. Andrea to get outside, get creative, and get moving while noticing all the signs of spring! Breathe in the fresh air, see signs of wildlife, and learn about the land we live on.
These adventures are free, but space is limited so advance reservation is required. Location and driving directions will be included in your registration confirmation email.
Photos courtesy of Halley Steinmetz.
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