Yule Birding at the Farm

Explore the Farm and surrounding forest this Yuletide season with birder Clifton Avery of Ventures Birding Tours (@bigbaldbirder on IG) to spot the various species of birds that can be found in WNC!

• Edge habitat birding, learn how planned grazing benefits the local avian population as they face a long winter in WNC.
• We will be hiking in uneven and sometimes steep terrain, so please wear sturdy shoes and be dressed for the weather.
• Learn about our Holistic Land Management from Farm Director Virginia, and how this practice works in tandem with the local flora and fauna.
• Robins, cardinals, titmice, nuthatches aplenty in NC even during winter months. This is also a great time to catch a display of a starling murmuration backdropped with bare trees, or to watch the more active predator birds dive and hunt, red-shouldered hawks, cooper hawks, sharp-shinned hawks and bald eagles to name a few!
• Attendees will break for an included biscuit brunch* from butcher Brian’s kitchen, as birding is hungry work. When attending classes, you will receive a 5% discount in the Farm Store & Butchery, just ask for the Savory Student Discount!
• Birding courses are part of our Savory Naturalist Series! A portion of the proceeds for these events and classes support our activities as a Savory Hub, and further the reach of regenerative agriculture.

Date: Saturday, December 20th, 2025

Time: 9am-11:30am

Cost: $30/person, biscuit brunch is included.

*If you have dietary restrictions, please reach out to [email protected] and we can accommodate.

ABOUT CLIFTON: Clifton Avery is a wildlife biologist and professional bird watching guide. He was born and raised in the foothills of western North Carolina. He has always had a passion for nature and the outdoors but did not discover his love for birds until he saw a Painted Bunting off the coast of North Carolina on an early summer morning. Soon after this eye-opening experience, Clifton had the opportunity to participate in a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course in Brazil where he was overwhelmed by the beauty and diversity of the birds of the Amazon Rainforest. Following this experience, Clifton went to Appalachian State University where he majored in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a focus in Ornithology.

Clifton worked for various ornithological research projects after college where he banded and nest searched for a wide range of avian species in Peru, Colombia, and Nicaragua. He also worked a couple seasons for the NC Audubon Society studying the Golden-winged Warbler on its breeding grounds in northwestern NC. For the past 7 years Clifton has worked for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as the Mountain Wildlife Diversity Technician. His duties include conducting surveying, monitoring, habitat management, and public outreach for wildlife conservation projects focusing on species of greatest conservation need that occur in western North Carolina. He mostly focuses on birds, flying squirrels, and Hellbender salamanders. He also works for Ventures Birding Tours, a birding and natural history tour company based out of Asheville, NC as a bird watching guide. He leads tours in western NC but also all over North and South America. He currently lives in Asheville, NC with his girlfriend and is the father of 7-year-old son, Banks. He does not have any inside pets but the bears and turkeys that pass through his yard regularly suffice.