Join the Anti-Racist Collective of Avid Birders (ACAB) and Grow Food Northampton for an easy, casual spring birding meetup at the garden! No registration needed, masks required for this event please! 

What to expect: A short, slow walk of about half a mile total following grassy farmland perimeter, the bank of the Mill River, and a gravel path through the community garden. We could see all kinds of birds including warblers, blue birds, finches, raptors, woodpeckers, thrushes, vireos, and maybe even some exciting farmland mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and plants! We’ll learn a little bit about the work of Grow Food Northampton and the plants they grow, Florence’s abolitionist history, and the important connection between wild birds and cultivated farmland. 

Where we’ll meet: We’ll gather at the pavilion at the entrance to the community garden, and then walk the perimeter of the garden, starting at the Mill River. 

Parking: Park on the gravel road inside the garden, along Meadow Street or across the street in the parking lot at Florence Recreation Field. 

Accessibility: We will be walking about half a mile in grass that may be uncut, along farmfield and river habitat. The terrain is uneven at times. There may be bugs including ticks and mosquitos. While we will begin at a paved parking lot that may be accessible to some mobility devices, the trails themselves are not accessible to mobility devices. 

What to bring: An extra mask, bug protection (dress for ticks with pants tucked into high socks, and spray extra bug repellent on shoes and socks), water, a snack, and binoculars if you have them! We will have a few extras to use, as well as extra KN95 masks.