Thursday, February 26, 2015 4:00 am
Cape Ann Winter Birding Weekend, which had to be rescheduled because of the harsh winter, is on for this weekend.
The Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, working with Massachusetts Audubon, has planned a variety of events Feb. 27 to March 1 for all levels of birders. The Elks at Bass Rocks in Gloucester will serve as headquarters.
Bird watchers from throughout New England will flock to Cape Ann to participate in the sixth annual Cape Ann Winter Birding Weekend because this area is known for its concentrations of winter seabirds.
Robert Buchsbaum of MassAudubon and Jim MacDougall, a bird naturalist, will be featured speakers during the weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 28, there will be a live owl presentation hosted by Eyes on Owls at the Elks Club.
Looking for birds
Expert guides will lead bus trips to many of the birding hot spots around Cape Ann. For those who cannot make it on the guided tours, other expert guides will be on site at the Elks throughout the day on Saturday, Feb. 28.
A bird-watching excursion aboard 7 Seas Whale Watch’s Privateer IV will take place Sunday, March 1 (weather permitting), out of Gloucester Harbor. Cost for the boat trip is $60 per person. Seats are still available.
Bird art
Trident Art Gallery in downtown Gloucester has collaborated with organizers to host some free events
On Friday, Feb. 27, from 1 to 3 p.m., the gallery at 189 Main St. will kick off the weekend by hosting the workshop “Drawing Birds and Wildlife from Nature.” Artist Sandy McDermott will guide participants on the close observation and field sketching of birds and other wildlife. No prior drawing experience is necessary. Reservations are required as space is limited.
The gallery will also host the exhibition “The Art of Natural History.” This is the second annual exhibition in partnership with the Museum of American Bird Art in Canton, the home of MassAudubon’s collection of art.
This exhibition will display detailed watercolor paintings by Robert Verity Clem (1933-2010) from the museum’s collection. This year’s selection includes the Northern Shrike and a painting never seen before in public, a gouache of Sanderlings also painted in the late 1960s. Also on display from the museum’s collection will be four small sculptures by Larry Barth (b. 1957), considered by many to be the preeminent contemporary bird sculptor. Additionally, there will be works of art for sale: a selection of drawings and new photographs by Charlie Carroll, watercolors of birds by Marion Hall, and drawings by Gabrielle Barzaghi and Susan Erony.
Gallery owner Matthew Swift, who curated the show, was inspired by Charles Darwin’s famous closing paragraph of “On The Origin of Species,” in which the figure of an entangled bank “testifies eloquently to the extraordinary complexity and interdependency of the natural world.”
The exhibition is extended until March 15.
For more information, visit tridentgallery.com.
Registration
To register and to find more information, including a detailed schedule of the weekend’s activities, visit the chamber website at www.capeannchamber.com.
Those interested are encouraged to register in advance for certain events because space may be limited.
The weekend events are presented by The Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, Swarovski Optik, The Retirement Financial Center, Thomas T. Riquier, CFP; and MassAudubon.