A Bird's Eye View of Local Agricultural Ecology at Arthur's Point Farm in Ghent

Saturday, September 12, 9–10:30am | Ghent, NY

Scenic Hudson and Arthur's Point Farm present "Abundant Birds on Farms" on September 12, a bird walk through the farm's fields and riparian areas led by artist Mayuko Fujino and Columbia County birder Spencer Crawford. The walk covers rare and important species in the area and looks at how a working nursery can be managed to support native bird populations rather than compete with them.

The talk is one stop in Arthur's Point Farm's Fall 2026 Stewardship Series, a run of Saturday morning events through October 3 built around a desire to bring growers, conservationists, ecologists, and other local experts to the nursery to talk through the role native plants play in restoring local ecology, then let visitors wander the grounds afterward. The series opened August 22 with farm founders David Newman and Stephanie Lazar walking through the property's ecological restoration and agroforestry projects, followed by Kyle Bradford of the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program on insects and native plants. After this Saturday's bird walk, the series continues September 19 with a talk on invasive species management from the Capital Region's Partnership for Invasive Species Management, September 26 with a session on native medicinal plants from Heart Spring Gardens, and closes October 3 with a native seed collection workshop led by botanist Molly Marquand.

Arthur's Point Farm itself grows regionally adapted trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses for ecological restoration, agroforestry, and long-term land stewardship, with a focus on species that rebuild soil and strengthen biodiversity in the local climate zone.

Fujino, a self-taught paper cutout and stencil artist originally from Japan and now based in Copake, works in a tradition inspired by Japanese stencil textile design and the Mingei folk art movement, often using pigments made from rocks and plants she gathers around the Hudson Valley. A board member of the Alan Devoe Bird Club, she's the founder of Beakuency: Meet Bird People in the Hudson Valley, a print zine and monthly radio program on Wave Farm's WGXC 90.7FM built from conversations with local birders, ecologists, and farmers. The project received a 2025 Statewide Community Regrant, and her work has appeared in National Audubon Society's Aviary series alongside clients including The Atlantic and The Nature Conservancy.

Arthur's Point Farm, 274 Normung Road, Ghent, NY. Free, registration at eventbrite.com.