Hoffmann Bird Club

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This event has been canceled.

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