Provided

Visitors can view eagles, owls, hawks at Migration Celebration 2013, May 11.

Migration Celebration

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology welcomes the return of migrating songbirds with Migration Celebration 2013, an event connecting nature, conservation and research work at the lab, Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the observatory and trails, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca. Free.

Visitors can learn more about birds and migration, take guided bird walks along the Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary trails, watch wild birds being banded and see live eagles, owls, hawks and other birds from the Cornell raptor program.

The event also features exhibits on conservation and Cornell research, opportunities to meet the scientists, a presentation on gardening for birds, a book display on bird’s nests, ice cream from Cayuga Creamery, and interactive learning games and activities for kids.

Information: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdday, cornellbirds@cornell.edu, 800-843-BIRD (2473).

Game day

Guide a flock of birds in their migration over a pastoral landscape, or get shot at by biplanes and dirigibles in a violent steampunk environment. These and other original student-designed games are available to play at the Cornell Game Design Initiative at Cornell’s 2013 Showcase, Saturday, May 11, from 3 to 6 p.m. in the ACCEL Labs, 242 Carpenter Hall. Free.

The showcase features several independent study projects that explore concepts such as sound-only gameplay. A record number of projects from students in CS/INFO 3152 and CS/INFO 4152 are being presented this year, including several games for mobile devices.

The showcase is open to the public and all ages, so everyone can play and experience the projects. The public can vote for their favorite game; an award ceremony will close the event.

Running au naturel

Area joggers and runners can see Cornell Plantations’ gorges, gardens and green spaces in a whole new way on a guided running tour, Saturday, May 11.

Runners can choose either a 5k (10-11 a.m.) or 10k outing (noon-2 p.m.), each led by Plantations staff. The pace is a moderate jog, with stops along the way to interpret plants and landscapes, or admire the view from scenic overlooks.

Participants should be in good physical condition, wear appropriate running shoes and attire, and bring a water bottle; a water refill stop will be made. The fee is $12. Information: http://www.cornellplantations.org

Plantations also celebrates National Public Gardens Day May 10, with a morning bird walk at 8 a.m., a botanical garden highlights tour at 11 a.m. and a 2 p.m. wildflower walk. Gardens and trails are open from dawn to dusk. Free admission; free parking at the Mundy Wildflower Garden.

A new exhibition, “Plant Medicine and Myths of the Ancient Western World,” opens with a reception May 10, 5-7 p.m., in the Nevin Welcome Center. On display through June 30, the exhibition was prepared by Pamela Shade, curator of the Robison York State Herb 
Garden, and features prints depicting deities from Egyptian and Greek mythology thought to have healing powers. Free.

Dance evolution

The Schwartz Center hosts four free performances May 11-12 by edgeofthegorge, a new collaborative faculty, student and community ensemble.

The company will showcase some of its developing work in dance, theater and multimedia. Performances are at 6 and 8 p.m. each night in the Class of ’56 Dance Theatre, which will be reconfigured to allow the pieces to be seen in different ways.

The company is directed by Performing and Media Arts faculty member Byron Suber, who collaborated with the performers on creating the eight developing projects being presented. The work will continue to evolve and add new material over the next five years, exploring the relation of dance to place through performances in different settings on campus and in other cities including Toronto in November, Suber said.

Information: http://pma.cornell.edu, http://edgeofthegorge.com

More student films

Cornell Cinema ends its spring 2013 season Sunday, May 12, with a program of new works by 16 students in visiting lecturer Tara Nelson’s Introductory and Intermediate Film Production classes, at 7:15 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre.

Several of the films (in digital or HD video and 16mm) are set at Cornell, including “Big Red Circus” by Khamila Alebiosu and “Five AM” by Joyce Wu. Other projects include “Autobiophobia,” a music video by Darah Barnes; “Directed by …” by Mark Sacks DiStefano, mashing up five different directors’ styles; and “Illusions,” a film inspired by synesthesia and the natural world, by Shannon Lawrence. Information: http://www.pma.cornell.edu.

Also showing May 10-11: “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” a fantasy set in rural Louisiana that earned four major Academy Award nominations this year, including Best Picture; and Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers.”

Information: http://cinema.cornell.edu

Keyboard salon

Westfield International Keyboard Competition prizewinners Mike Lee and Ignacio Prego will give a keyboard salon concert Thursday, May 16, at the Carriage House Café, 305 Stewart Ave., Ithaca.

The concert will raise funds for the 2013 Westfield Organ Competition and Academy, to be held in September at Cornell and the Eastman School of Music.

The intimate performance, reminiscent of a 19th century salon concert, will feature early keyboard music, conversation and creativity, with professors Malcolm Bilson (emeritus), Roger Moseley and Annette Richards joining the program.

Lee will perform Mozart sonatas for violin and piano, on a five-octave Viennese Walter copy fortepiano modeled on Mozart’s own Walter piano; with violinist Wayne Lee. Prego will perform solo works on a reproduction harpsichord from the Cornell Department of Music collection.

Lee took second prize and the audience prize at the 2011 Westfield Fortepiano Competition, and Prego won first prize in the 2012 Westfield Harpsichord Competition.

Tickets are available at http://westfield.org/Salon and at the door. For information on the fall competition: http://westfield.org/competition or call 607-255-3065.

Niche architecture

“Natural Selection,” a new exhibition in the Milstein Hall Gallery by Caroline O’Donnell, the Richard Meier Assistant Professor of Architecture, features recent competition entries by O’Donnell’s design firm CODA, exploring the relationship between architecture and its niche.

Curated by Suanne Lettieri, the projects are on display through May 26. Projects and proposed sites featured are: Nóatún (Klaksvik, Faroe Islands); Urban Punc. (Leisnig, Germany) and Counterspace (Dublin, Ireland). Project designers are Suzanne Lettieri and Leslie Mignin; Urban Punc. was designed in collaboration with Troy Schaum of Schaum/Shieh. Information: aapgalleries@cornell.edu