More Recent News
2025 Grants and Donations
In keeping with the DBC tradition of giving, the club provided $2,612 in grants and donations in 2025. This included renewal of our coalition membership in the Bird Conservation Network and an IOS grant of $2,462 to student Auriel Fournier, who will develop and test automated processing for recordings that can detect King Rails. Here is the full abstract of Auriel’s proposal: Development of automated processing for recordings to detect King Rails King Rails have experienced significant population decline over the past several decades, especially in the Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes Region and action is needed to sustain King Rails across the region […]
Darien Garden Club, Spring Gardening Inspiration Event March 7, Chuck’s Chateau Orleans Banquets, Darien, 8-1:30
DBC will host an exhibit table at this event, which features multiple speakers, a luncheon, and exhibits. Natalie McFaul and Elena Nelson will represent the club. Darien Garden Club has more than 100 members. To register or learn more information about this event, visit: https://dariengardenclub.com/events.
Next up for the DBC Book Club – The Feather Detective
Lauded by multiple sources as one of the best nonfiction books of 2025, The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne, by Chris Sweeney, shares the fascinating biography of the world’s first forensic ornithologist. Using nothing more than her microscope and bits of feathers, Smithsonian scientist Roxie Laybourne investigated deadly airplane crashes and helped prosecute murderers, kidnappers, and poachers. She broke down barriers for women in science and pioneered a new field in forensics. “A biography that reads like a novel,” said The Wall Street Journal. This one promises to be a great read to start […]

