A birding group meets regularly on Wednesdays to bird near Great Barrington. 

• The location will vary, and our calendar on the website will list the locations.
• The locations will also be announced in the eNews.  

A walk along fields, wetlands, and hedgerows. Up to 2 mostly flat miles with some uneven terrain. This is restricted access property and not often open to the public.

• Meet at 303 Rannapo Road.

Join us as we search for migrating fall birds, but we will especially focus on sparrows. The trip will consist of visiting 2-4 birdy spots with easy to moderate walking on grassy or gravel paths or along the roadsides. Walking is easy.

• Meet at the Williamstown Public Library, 1095 Main Street, at the intersection of Routes 2 and 7.

Look for migrating fall birds, including waterfowl, along the .6-mile trail and boardwalk. The walk features a small meadow, woodlands, and an overlook at one of the largest marshes in the central Berkshires.    ADA ACCESSIBLE

• Meet at 170 Undermountain Road, Lenox (42.3644, -73.3049).

This will be a collegial outing focusing on how to approach taking photos of a small number of species, especially waterfowl.  We will start at Laurel Lake in Lee and move onto Stockbridge Bowl if time permits.  Limited to 6 participants on a first-come basis. Must sign up ahead of time.  Bring your equipment, including a long lens (or a zoom camera) if you have one.

• Meet at the causeway on Laurel Lake Road (between Summer St. in Lee and Plunkett St. in Lenox).

This event is an annual census of Central Berkshire lakes and wetlands. The trip involves driving in cars to many lakes, getting out, and counting every bird. Bring a scope and lunch, the trip ends at about 3:00 PM. There is very little walking on this trip. There will be a stop for apples at Bartlett’s Orchard in Richmond!

• Meet at the Berkshire Museum on South Street.
  • Be aware, today Daylight Savings Time Ends!

This trip is an annual census of Northwest Connecticut lakes. Bring lunch and a scope. The trip ends about 2:00 PM.

• Meet at Bartholomew’s Cobble.

Hosted by the Berkshire School in Sheffield 

Come help celebrate the incredible diversity of Berkshire County, once again. The great mix of speakers, exhibitors, displays, and participants (you!) have come to make this enjoyable and educational.

• All the information will be included in an eNews closer to the date! 
• Here is the Conference website link

Look for waterfowl, herons, and other birds on and around Laurel Lake.  The group will be walking along Laurel Lake Road.

• Meet at the causeway on Laurel Lake Road, between Summer Street in Lee and Plunkett Street in Lenox.

Join a team in the North Adams/Williamstown Count Circle. Details will be announced in the eNews.

Join a team and keep the tradition going. Sign up at the December Member’s Night meeting for the club, or contact count leader. The Blizzard date is Saturday 12/16. Countup plans will be announced in the eNews.

Join a team and welcome the new year with some winter birding. The first day of the year is a great way to start your annual bird list.  Contact the coordinator to sign up or for more information about the time and locations.

We will start at Ozzie’s Restaurant at 8:00 AM for breakfast. We will then look for wintering birds around Hinsdale and nearby towns. Mostly roadside birding.

• Meet at Ozzie’s Restaurant, 26 Maple Street, Hinsdale, at 8:00 AM for breakfast.

Evening Trip – Williamstown

We will visit 1-2 locations in Williamstown, listening to their nasal “peent” calls and watching the amazing aerial displays of the American Woodcock.

• Meet at the Williamstown Public Library, 1095 Main Street, at the intersection of Routes 2 and 7. Time and date to be announced in the eNews after scouting for the best locations. Bring a headlamp or flashlight if you have one, as we may be walking into some fields;  we hope to find some areas where we can view them from the road.

Spring is a great time to look for waterfowl on our local lakes wherever there is open water. This trip will involve driving to multiple lakes and wetlands. There is limited walking.

• Meet at Farnams Causeway (off of Rte. 8) on Cheshire Lake.

Join us as we look for arriving migrants at one or more hotspots in this birdy little town. The trip will consist of visiting 3-4 birdy spots with easy to moderate walking on grass or gravel paths, or along the roadsides.

• Meet at the Williamstown Public Library, 1095 Main Street at the intersection of Routes 2 and 7.

Search for American Bittern, waterthrushes, Virginia Rails, cuckoos & more! This trip involves driving to 4-6 birding spots, some easy to moderate walking on grassy paths or along roadsides.

• Meet at The Creamery on Route 9 in Cummington.

Let’s join together for our Annual Meeting and Banquet at Crissey Farm, Berkshire Banquet House, 426 Stockbridge Rd, Great Barrington. Cocktails (cash bar) at 5:00 and buffet-style dinner at 6:00. Details will be announced in the HBC eNews.

Join a naturalist for a guided walk along the Housatonic River looking for spring ephemerals and migrating warblers. Bartholomew’s Cobble is famous for its spring wildflowers and is the top birding location in the Berkshires according to eBird. This joint program is offered by the Trustees in partnership with the Hoffmann Bird Club. 

Easy to moderate hiking, most likely we will be walking Ledges and Bailey Trails, down to the cottonwood. Expected birds: mergansers in the river, pine warblers in the trees, maybe a glimpse of a bald eagle or black vulture, shore birds on exposed mudflats, and returning tree/rough-winged swallows over Corbin’s Neck.

• Meet at Bartholomew’s Cobble, 105 Weatogue Road, Sheffield

Join us to explore birding spots in the New Ashford area.

• Meet at JW Kelly’s Real Estate, Route 7, New Ashford. 

Morning walk in search of warblers and other migrants. The Hand Hollow portion is an easy 2-hour walk.

Steepletop is a Berkshire Natural Resource Council property in New Marlborough. The property consists of wood roads and trails through deciduous and mixed conifer forests.  The terrain has easy, gentle grades with smooth footing.

• Meet at the Steepletop, 648 North Road, New Marlborough. For directions and more trail information follow this link.

• Scope out waterfowl and bullfrogs at South Stream Pond, and stroll wooded paths searching for warblers and flycatchers. This trip is a great warbler tune-up before the Century Run trip.  The birding takes place along a possibly muddy and grassy road, that skirts the pond, surrounded by deciduous trees. The trip ends before lunch.  

• Meet at the Williamstown Public Library, 1095 Main Street at the intersection of Routes 2 and 7; We will carpool or caravan to the site from the library.

Join a team and continue the tradition of a Big Day! The challenge of our Hoffmann Century Run is to try and see or hear 100 species of birds in Berkshire County in  24 hours!  Contacts, count format, and other details will be announced in the Hoffmann eNews.

View the breeding Bobolinks at the peak of their activity! This established seasonal community of birds has been monitored annually for over 15 years as part of a citizen science project. Easy walking on mowed paths around grassy fields and meadows.

• Field Farm is a Trustees of Reservations property at 554 Sloan Road in Williamstown.

• Search for spring migrating and resident warblers, flycatchers, swallows, and raptors at several sites in the beautiful Tyringham Valley. Fairly easy walking on roads and trails. The trip will be approximately 3 hours.
  • Meet at Lee’s Big Y parking lot at 7 AM and plan to carpool.

• Join our annual trip to October Mountain State Forest. This trip involves driving to multiple birding spots with some walking along roadsides. One stop at the marsh involves walking on narrow grassy paths down to a marsh.
  • Meet at Washington Town Park on Route 8 in Washington.

• We’ll bird the Mount Greylock State Reservation Bellow’s Pipe trail.  The trailhead is near the Notch Road / Reservoir Road intersection in North Adams. Park at the Notch Gate lot and we will walk together about 100 yards downhill on Notch Rd to the trailhead.
• The trail is wide, designed for both hiking and mountain biking. Terrain includes flat sections for the first quarter mile, followed by moderate inclines. We’ll follow the trail approximately one mile, and return the same way. 
• The city of North Adams plans to conduct forest management operations in this area, including logging, in the near future. Data gathered during this and subsequent trips will provide an important record of breeding birds that may be affected. 

We will bird Rockwell Road, several stops driving up the mountain, and the summit. Breakfast at Bascom Lodge will follow the birding.

• Meet at the Greylock Visitor’s Center on the Lanesborough side at the mountain’s base.

June is perfect for finding active family groups, parents feeding chicks, and fledglings begging for food. We will choose an active road, meet at the top, leave some cars at each end, then walk leisurely to the bottom while watching and listening to all of the rich activity taking place.

• Location to be announced in the HBC eNews.

11th Annual Hoffmann Hackers Golf Tournament and picnic for everyone

• The event will occur at the Donnybrook Country Club, 775 Williamstown Road, Lanesborough, MA 01237, on Friday, June 21, 2024, starting with a “shotgun start” at 4:00 PM.  The public is welcome to participate.  The 9-hole golf tournament is a fundraiser for Berkshire County’s premier Ornithological Society.  All proceeds will go to the Hoffmann Bird Club. 

• The format will be a “Captain and Crew” or “Best Ball”, but comes with a twist; each team of four golfers is responsible for noting as many different bird species as possible during the tournament.  The number of birds identified may be deducted from that team’s final golf score! Special prizes will also be awarded for “birdies” and “eagles.”

Focusing on ‘Birding by Ear’ and using the Merlin App

• A walk along an even, gravel trail looking and listening for breeding birds in this lovely area on the slopes of Mount Greylock. The Glen Meadow Loop trail is a 1.7 ml loop trail near the Welcome Center of the Greylock Glen.  The path leads us through the varied habitats of the Glen, including forests, meadows, and two ponds. 
• On this trip, we will focus on identifying birds through their song using the Merlin cell phone app and our own ears! Learn how to enhance your birding experience beyond identifying bird species and learn about the natural history of the birds we hear.
  • Meet at the Adams Visitor’s Center, 3 Hoosac Street, next to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, to carpool to the newly-constructed Greylock Glen Welcome Center

Three of the main goals of the North American Butterfly Association’s Butterfly Count Program are to (1) gather data that will monitor butterfly populations, (2) give butterfliers a chance to socialize and have fun, and (3) raise public awareness by hosting events that will increase general interest in butterflies. Join a team and learn how to identify butterflies! 15 mile count circles are already established in our county. Details will be listed in the club eNews.

• Friday 7/5/24 – Southern Berkshire Butterfly Count

In 2023 this count recorded 30 species of butterflies!

• July 2024  – Central Berkshire Butterfly Count

 In 2023 this count recorded 45 species of butterflies!

• July 2024  – North Berkshire Butterfly Count

• Mount Hope Park, and you will see picnic tables near the bridge over the river.  You will continue driving on this road for about 4 miles, as it turns from pavement to dirt, and rises in altitude. At a fork in the road, bear left. The road ends at a parking lot next to Haley Farm. There is a kiosk and map in the parking lot.
• Here’s a link to more info about the Trail and directions