BRO submission by Tifft Nature Preserve’s Experience Manager, Lauren Makeyenko:
Did you know that you can visit a 264-acre urban nature preserve within the city limits of Buffalo? Tifft Nature Preserve, which is located just minutes from downtown and has been operated by the Buffalo Museum of Science for 28 years, is open year round to visitors for self-led nature walks, snowshoeing, photography and a variety of special programs. As Tifft’s Experience Manager, I’ve often heard visitors tell me it’s their first visit to the preserve or that they haven’t visited since their fourth grade field trip 20 years ago. If you are one of these people, we would be happy to welcome and inform you of all the wonderful happenings taking place at Tifft throughout the year.
Spring is a wonderful time for birding at Tifft. Designated by Audubon as an Important Bird Area (IBA), Tifft annually welcomes over 170 species of birds. A total of 265 species total have been sited at Tifft – right here in the city of Buffalo! Spring migration is in full swing and we have already recorded the arrival of species such as Tundra Swan, Eastern Bluebird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Green-winged Teal. Soon our woods will be singing with warblers and other songbirds. You may even catch a glimpse of a Pied-billed Grebe or Least Bittern this summer in the 75-acre cattail marsh. An updated bird list is kept in the Visitor Center or on the Tifft blog maintained by AmeriCorps ABLE members stationed at Tifft. You can also record your sightings on your next visit through our 5 miles of trails, which are free and open to the public from dawn until dusk 365 days a year.
If you are a novice birder, stop by the Visitor Center and rent a pair of binoculars to explore on your own or join a guided Wellness Walk every Thursday at 10am led by experienced Tifft volunteers. The Visitor Center is open Wednesday – Saturday from 10am – 4pm and Sundays from 12 – 4pm. Guided tours of the preserve are also led at 2pm on Sundays by Friends of Tifft volunteers. Both tours are free to the public.
An upcoming program that celebrates our feathered friends is our Spring Egg-stravaganza! – a celebration of animals that hatch from eggs taking place on Friday, April 2nd from 10am-2pm. The program will feature egg dyeing with natural dyes made from beets, red cabbage, blueberries and more (bring your own hard-boiled eggs – limit 6 per person). We’ll also investigate live animals that hatch from eggs including birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Visitors can participate in egg-cellent crafts, egg-stremely fun sing-alongs and story times, and a Who’s Hatching guided tour of the preserve. No registration is required. The program cost is $7 per person and Buffalo Museum of Science members receive a 10% discount; children under 3 are free.
If you haven’t already done so, take a trip to Tifft and enjoy all that nature has to offer. Stop by our library and view a vast selection of field guides and try your hand at identifying birds, insects or other creatures that cross your path during your visit. For more information, please feel free to give us a call at 716-825-6397 or visit the museum’s website at www.sciencebuff.org.