Audubon Society Workshop

If you have visited McWane any time over the last few months, you have seen the majestic tree filled with birds that dominates the middle of the second floor. The tree is the centerpiece of the NatureScope exhibit which was created as a partnership between McWane and the Birmingham Audubon Society (BAS). The exhibit includes educational displays, a stage with seating for group shows, and the BAS office itself, cleverly camouflaged as a rustic cabin. BAS Education Director Helena Uber-Wamble and Administrative Director BJ Allen share space in the BAS office. According to BAS President Maureen Shaffer, “With Helena’s professional efforts and our partnership with McWane Science Center, we are reaching a whole new audience.”

This Saturday, September 11, from 10 am-1 pm, McWane and the BAS are offering a Bluebird Box Workshop! Bring your family to learn about bluebirds together. Following a presentation on the cavity nesters of Alabama and their nesting requirements, each participant will build their very own Bluebird Box to take home! The cost for the workshop is $10.00 per person. Please call 205-714-8414 to make a reservation by Friday, September 10.

“Our partnership with the McWane Science Center has helped us launch a great series of programs at the NatureScope exhibit,” said Helena. “NatureScope offers a closeup view of birds and the chance to learn their songs. Our presence on the stage to educate visitors has inspired many folks to stop and share stories of their experiences with birds in their back yards and on their journeys. The enthusiasm is contagious!”

After visiting the new exhibit, one Mom wrote this on her blog: “On Tuesday we went to the McWane Center, our hands-on childrens' science museum. We go there regularly, but on Tuesday, we got to do something we have never done before. The Birmingham Audubon Society has recently opened an office inside the McWane Center. Along with their office, they have built a fabulous exhibit about birds commonly found in Alabama. We spent about thirty minutes with the Audubon Society's educator, who taught my daighter eight common bird calls and how to listen for them in our yard. She was fascinated, and has been reading a book about birds we got at the library. She just told me she wants to go outside tomorrow morning between 6:00 and 10:00 because that's the best time to listen for the birds. Helena, the Audubon educator, offered to come to our house to do a homeschool program about the birds found in our yard. We are so excited!”

In addition to the Audubon programs and bird exhibits, new bug exhibits are now crawling inside McWane Science Center! The new exhibits include—Bug Scope, Ant Casting, and What’s Bugging You. These fun and interactive new exhibits join the environmental area that already includes live bugs like the giant millipede, the hairy Tirantula and an Emperor Scorpion. The new additions are sure to give you the creepy crawlies as well as teach about the friends that share our big back yard.

Come see what all the excitement is about. Make plans to attend the Bluebird Box Workshop, or come visit the NatureScope exhibit at McWane this weekend!

By Dana Crisson, Manager of Community Relations