Celery Farm • Blue-headed Vireo

Monthly Programs

Since 2015 Fyke's monthly speaker costs have been funded by a generous grant from the Winifred M. and George P. Pitkin Foundation

October 24, 2025, Friday - Monthly Meeting, 8:00 PM, via Zoom

Long-time Fyke Member Jerry Barrack Presents Some of His Favorite Bird Images

Duck Enough to Fly

Jerry Barrack

Jerry will present some of his favorite images of birds from his extensive collection taken over more than 65 years. While many will be from the Celery Farm, which he has been photographing for over 35 years, many others will be from Florida, where he has been living for the last ten years as well as a few from Belize and South Africa.

Jerry has been a member of Fyke for over 35 years and has presented many times over the years, initially by himself and then later with his friend, Jim Wright. He has given over 100 nature programs and together with Jim and Doug Goodell, written In the Presence of Nature, better known as “The Celery Farm” book. They also produced a book entitled Jungle of the Maya, a celebration of the magnificent rain forest that encompasses much of Belize, Guatemala, and the Yucatan Peninsula. Jerry and Jim have also written three children’s books about the Celery Farm; Duck Enough to Fly; Icky, the Hungry Heron; and Swan Babies.

December 5, 2025, Friday - Monthly Meeting, 8 PM, live at the Allendale Community Center, 210 W. Crescent Ave., Allendale

A Social Get-Together Celebrating Fyke Members and Celery Farm Volunteers

Our social held last December was so successful we decided to hold it again. Join us as we come together to celebrate the dedication and passion of our incredible volunteers and members. During this in-person meeting, we’ll enjoy light refreshments and conversation. Bring your questions, suggestions, nature-inspired poems, stories or art related to the preserve. It’s a great opportunity to get to know one another. We look forward to seeing everyone, and celebrating the heart and soul of our preserve—you!

January 23, 2026, Friday - Monthly Meeting 8 PM via Zoom

Nomadic Birds and Their Stories with Rick Wright

Bohemian Waxwings

Rick Wright

Many birds travel regularly between one place and another, migrating from site to predictable site, season by season. Others are less reliable in their movements; crossbills, nutcrackers, waxwings, and chickadees can appear at virtually any time of the year virtually anywhere, staging massive incursions into an area in one season and utterly absent the next. How have humans sought to explain these irregular invasions? Join Rick Wright to examine the sometimes startling and often humorous interpretations put forth over the ages.

A widely published writer and sought-after speaker, Rick leads Birds and Art tours worldwide for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, ventbird.com. His recent books include the Peterson Reference Guide to Sparrows of North America; the second edition of his American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of New Jersey appeared this autumn. Rick lives in Bloomfield and in Carrboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Alison Beringer, and their jet-black lab, Quetzal.

Registration is required. A link to register will be available early January. It will be emailed to Fyke members and posted on the website under Programs. Presentations will be recorded and posted to the website soon afterward.

February 27, 2026, Friday - Monthly Meeting 8 PM via Zoom

A Fascination with Finches with Matt Young

Crossbills

Matt Young

From backyards to wilderness peaks, finches are some of the most exciting, mysterious, and popular group of songbirds. In this information-packed presentation, finch expert Matthew Young will introduce you to the 43 finches of the United States and Canada from feeder-favorite goldfinches to Red Crossbill tribes, to poorly known mountain-top Black Rosy-Finches to endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers.

Matt co-authored with Judy Stokes The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada, which covers detailed finch identification, language, behavior, irruptions, specialized maps and foraging charts on crossbills, conservation, and much more.

Registration is required. A link to register will be available early February. It will be emailed to Fyke members and posted on the website under Programs. Presentations will be recorded and posted to the website soon afterward.

Click on the presentation title or the thumbnail to view the presentation.