Take Adventures Everyday

08/28/2026

Since it's been so popular, and so much fun, we're adding one more BTKC on Tuesday. The sun is setting earlier and earlier, so this one will be a one hour trip from State Park back to Beer Tree.

Another week for Beer Tree Kayak Crew was just added. Join us on Tuesday, September 1st for another trip with Take Adventures Everyday.
You'll meet at Farm at 4:45pm and get shuttled to State Park, then you'll kayak back to Farm. It will be a nice hour long kayak trip.

Reserve your spot: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/takeadventureseveryday/items/742065/availability/2114357417/book/?full-items=yes

08/27/2026

Happy Wing Wednesday! Today, we are celebrating the Cedar Waxwing. You can identify this bird by their silky brown plumage, black facial mask, bright yellow tail tip, and unique waxy droplets on their wing feathers. They survive primarily on berries and small fruits, and can live on fruit alone for several months. They are highly nomadic and social. They travel in large flocks even during mating season. You can find cedar waxwings in orchards and subrurban trees across southern Canada and northern United States. They migrate to the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America depending on where fruit is available.

Here are a few fascinating facts about cedar waxwings:

They occasionally eat overripe berries that have fermented in the sun. The natural alcohol can intoxicate the birds, making them disoriented or clumsy.

Their bright yellow tail tips can sometimes turn orange. This happens when young birds eat the berries of non-native honeysuckle plants while their tail feathers are growing.

Flocks of cedar waxwings are famously courteous. If a tight space or twig holds a line of berries, birds have been observed passing individual berries down the line from bill to bill so every bird gets a turn to eat.

Have you seen a cedar waxwing in your area? Leave your observations in the comments!

08/26/2026

Happy Tuesday in the Trees! This week, we are celebrating the sturdy Northern Red Oak. This tree is known for being a fast-growing, low maintenance shade tree with a brilliant scarlet fall color. You can find red oak trees natively growing across the eastern and central regions of America. It can be identified by bristle-tipped leaf lobes, smooth reddish-brown buds clustered at twig tips, bark with flat-topped ridges resembling ski tracks, and short, flat acorn caps that look like a small beret. This tree is praised for its ability to thrive in varying conditions and it is favored by landscapers as it provides ample shade and is attractive, especially in the fall.
 
Here are some fascinating facts about the red oak:
 
Red oak acorns contain higher levels of tannins than white oak acorns, meaning wildlife often ignores them initially and saves them as a crucial food source for deep winter.
 
It was one of the first North American trees exported to Europe, finding a home in England’s Bishop Compton garden in the late 17th century. Despite its size, it transplants easily due to a minimal taproot and tolerates city pollution and salt well.
 
They support hundreds of species of caterpillars, native insects, and birds making them as essential anchor of the forest food web.
 
Have you spotted a red oak in your area? Leave your observations in the comments!

08/25/2026

Proud to be part of Village Alliance of the Southern Tier -VAST and am very grateful for the time they gave this weekend to help keep our rivers beautiful.

08/19/2026

Happy Wing Wednesday! Today, we are celebrating the White-breasted Nuthatch. Identifiable by their black, gray, and white markings, they are known for jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. You might have spotted a White-breasted Nuthatch along the main branches of large deciduous trees and in small flocks of chickadees and titmice. They are common feeder birds and can be attracted with sunflower, peanuts, or suet.
 
Here are a few fascinating facts about the White-breasted Nuthatch:
 
The oldest known White-breasted Nuthatch was at last 9 years and 9 months old when it was found in Colorado in 1971. They typically live 2-4 years in the wild.
 
If you see a White-breasted Nuthatch making lots of quick trips with too much food for one bird to consume, they may be storing the seeds for later in the winter, wedging them into the bark of trees.
 
Parents smear crushed, smelly blister beetles around their nesting cavity entrance to deter squirrels and other competitors.
 
Have you spotted a White-breasted Nuthatch in your area? Leave your observations in the comments!

08/18/2026

Happy Tuesday in the Trees! Today, we are celebrating the majestic White Pine, native to eastern North America. You can identify this tree by its light-colored wood and long soft needles grouped in fives. The white pine is a versatile tree having uses ranging from construction and traditional medicine to cooking and decoration. It is a source of vitamins and antioxidants and even has expectorant and antiseptic properties. Its slender trunks were prized for making ship masts which unfortunately led to intensive logging and a significant reduction in its natural populations.
 
Here are a few fascinating facts about the white pine:
 
This tree can have a lifespan exceeding 200 years and sometimes reaching over 450 years in optimal conditions.
 
The white pine has a fresh, resinous, and slightly lemony taste. The young shoots, called buds or pine candles, are aromatic offering a sweet tangy flavor with sap notes. As an infusion, you might detect notes of citrus, rosemary, or even honey.  White pine herbal tea can be used to soothe sore throats, coughs, and symptoms of cold and flu.
 
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Mohawk nations regard the white pine as the sacred “Tree of Peace,” having formed their historic alliance beneath its branches. The white pine also appears on the flag and coat of arms of the City of Montreal, further symbolizing peace.
 
Have you spotted a white pine in your area? Leave your observations in the comments!

08/12/2026

Happy Wing Wednesday! Today, we are celebrating the Swift, known for nonstop flying and extremely small feet that make it impossible for them to perch. Widely distributed, they can be found on 6 continents. Swifts are mostly dark brown or dark all over with boomerang-shaped wings and very short tails. The common swift can stay airborne for up to 10 months straight without ever landing. This means they eat, drink, sleep, and even mate mid-air. Swifts are often mistaken for swallows, but upon closer inspection, you can tell them apart based on color, body shape, and behavior.
 
Here are a few fascinating facts about swifts:
 
Swifts sleep while gliding through the sky, shutting down half of their brain at a time.
 
Their legs and feet are tiny and not suitable for perching or walking on the ground, so you will only see them midair or on surfaces they can grip onto such as brick walls and chimneys.
 
Parents gather thousands of insects a day, binding them into a sticky ball with their specialized, glue-like saliva to feed their young. They use this same sticky saliva to construct nests on vertical structures.
 
Have you seen a swift soaring through your area? Leave your observations in the comments!

08/12/2026

Happy Tuesday in the Trees! Today, we are celebrating the White Ash Tree. This tree can be identified by its oval leaflets and light gray, diamond patterned bark. Sadly, the ash tree is under attack from several environmental and man-made factors. Ash decline contributors include drought, diseases, fungi, insects, and air pollution. The invasive Emerald Ash Borer is one of the insects threatening the white ash. Female beetles lay eggs on ash tree bark and the hatching larvae tunnel underneath, eating the inner tissue and killing the tree by blocking water and nutrients. EAB can be identified by its unique D-shaped exit hole when the insects emerge in June or July. The ash dieback is a serious problem because ash is widely distributed in the eastern states and is an important component of hardwood forests. If you see an ash tree, you can report it using this link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/nrs/tools/ash/. This is what you can do to help keep ash trees alive.
 
On a lighter note, here are some fascinating facts about ash trees:
 
White ash is notoriously celebrated for supplying America’s pastime with baseball bats. The wood’s grain pattern contributes to its resistance to splintering while its light weight allows hitters to get the bat around quickly.
 
You can identify a white ash twig because its leaf scar (where a leaf previously fell off the stem) has an upward-curving leaf bud nestled right inside it, making it look like a tiny, smiling face.
 
Their peeling bark and trunk cavities create natural nesting spots and homes for cavity-nesting birds, while various mammals eat their seeds and tender twigs.
 
Have you spotted an ash tree in your area? Leave your observations in the comments and don’t forget to report the sighting!