Celery Farm • Common Buckeye

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

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.

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.

March 27, 2026, Friday - Monthly Meeting 8 PM Live at the Allendale Community Center

Birds of Southern Africa and Madagascar – Endemics Galore! - Featuring Kevin Watson

Drakensberg Rockjumper

Kevin Watson

Join birder and photographer Kevin Watson for an exploration of the fascinating birds (and a few animals) of southern Africa and Madagascar. We’ll visit deserts, mountains, grasslands and seashores of Namibia and South Africa.

Then we’ll head east to the island of Madagascar, where millions of years of isolation have resulted in many strange and unique species. As well as a multitude of endemic plants and animals, Madagascar is home to over one hundred endemic bird species, including five bird families found nowhere else on Earth. Kevin will share images of many of these unique creatures.

No registration is required.

The Allendale Community Center is located at 210 West Crescent Avenue in Allendale.

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