Special Event- December 3, 2015

Don’t miss out! Join Bird Conservation’s Wayne Petersen and Joan Walsh tomorrow night at the Regent Theatre in Arlington for this documentary premiere.

Sunday, March 13, 2016 at UMASS Boston, MA

Seabirds: Divers and Their Drivers

Plans for Mass Audubon’s 24th Annual Birders Meeting are well underway! We hope that you will plan to join Mass Audubon for what promises to be another informative and fun filled event. Stay tuned for further details on our website in the weeks ahead.

This year Mass Audubon is celebrating Wayne Petersen’s 25^th anniversary of working for Mass Audubon. Wayne joined the staff in 1988 after teaching life science at the Hanover, MA, Middle School for eighteen years. His relationship with Mass Audubon began many years prior, however, when he worked as an Interpretive Naturalist and Wildlife Tour Leader at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in the 1960s.

Wayne is now Director of our Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program, promoting recognition of the most critical bird habitats across Massachusetts and working with partners to study and protect birds and their habitats. Most recently he has worked with staff from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to develop a marine bird survey protocol to monitor seabirds in one of the state’s largest and least-known IBAs.  Twenty-three years ago while employed as Mass Audubon’s Field Ornithologist, Wayne initiated the annual statewide Birders Meeting – an event that continues to this day. He also regularly leads Natural History Travel Tours to every corner of the globe.

As evidence of his durability, last year Wayne led, presented, or participated in more than 40 field trips, presentations, and lectures, reaching more than 1,500 people. Wayne is also the Voice of Audubon, a weekly summary of bird sightings across the state that is recorded on a dedicated voice line, and published in the Boston Globe every Sunday. He represents the birding and conservation community beyond Mass Audubon by serving on the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee, as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and serves on the board of the Wildlands Trust, and is president of Bird Observer magazine. Wayne is also National Audubon’s editor of New England Christmas Bird Counts and a New England regional editor for North American Birds magazine.  His writing projects have included co-authoring or co-editing Birds of Massachusetts (1993), Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 1 & 2 (2003, 2013), National Audubon Society’s Pocket Guide to Songbirds and Familiar Backyard Birds (East) (1994), and Birds of New England (2004), as well as contributing to The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding (1983), The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior (2001), and Arctic Wings (2006).  He is currently working on a Field Guide to Birds of Massachusetts for the American Birding Association.

Beyond his many accomplishments and accolades, all of our Bird Conservation staff can say that Wayne is a true mentor. He is incredibly generous with his time, passionate about sharing his love for, and knowledge of birds and he is deeply committed to Mass Audubon’s mission and work.  In 2005 Wayne received the American Birding Association’s Ludlow Griscom Award for outstanding contributions in regional ornithology.  Happy Anniversary, Wayne!

by Kristin Foresto

On March 7, three hundred birders and conservation-minded folks of varying ages assembled at Bentley University to engage in a full day of special programming on “Managing for Birds”. Predicated on results derived from Mass Audubon’s State of the Birds 2013 report, a talented lineup of expert speakers addressed avian habitat management topics ranging from grasslands and early successional habitats, to backyard garden landscapes and heavily managed sites the size of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.

The program underscored the reality that a number of once common bird species are in serious decline as a result of a host of land use and cultural factors. Happily, the various speakers offered positive and realistic management steps and examples that are, or can be, undertaken to thwart many of these declines.

In addition to the outstanding presentations, meeting attendees were treated to a host of vendor exhibits, quality raffle opportunities, and tempting silent auction options. Many of the participants also left the meeting sporting specially designed stylish T-shirts highlighting the theme of the meeting. Not only was the Birders Meeting a highly successful educational event, it also generated significant funds to support Mass Audubon’s various bird conservation projects.

Helping Young Birders Fledge

Massachusetts Young Birders Blub at the Birders Meeting

This year we were very pleased to have the Massachusetts Young Birders Club (MYBC) in attendance at the 23rd Birders Meeting. In order to encourage younger attendees, we were able to offer a subsided rate to the MYBC. On the day, the group had a table in the vendor area to help promote the club amongst the wider birding community. Whilst other birders were busy socializing over lunch indoors, the MYBC popped out to go and see the Bohemian Waxwing that was in Waltham city center – true birders!  If you have ideas about how to encourage more young birders, or are interested in supporting this initiative, please get in touch with Bird Conservation Associate Lindall Kidd at [email protected]

Bohemian Waxwing, Waltham MA, Lindall Kidd

The sixth annual Cape Winter Birding Weekend was possibly the best ever! Despite having to postpone the event for three weeks due to blizzards and bitter cold and the remaining alpine-scale snow piles preventing access to some traditional birding stops, we racked up the second highest species total for the event (64 vs. 65).

A major highlight was a spectacular alcid show on the Sunday boat trip to Stellwagen Bank with five species of alcids in flocks of 80 or more, four puffins making up for the absence of Dovekies. Most of the winter avian stars including Barrow’s Goldeneye, Harlequin Duck, King Eider, Rough-legged Hawk, both white winged gulls, including a record number of Iceland Gulls and Purple Sandpipers, as well as the alcids performed on cue, often in ideal viewing conditions.

We added two species to the cumulative total of 91: Sharp-shinned Hawk and Lesser Black-backed Gull. Also notable was the absence of two species never missed before, Peregrine Falcon and Carolina Wren. The dearth of wrens was undoubtedly related to the deep and prolonged snow cover, which makes foraging especially challenging for this “southern” species. The absent Peregrine, which is usually easily spotted on its accustomed perch on Gloucester’s City Hall, is harder to explain, since the population of its favorite urban menu item, the Rock Pig, seems unaffected by the winter weather.

In addition to outdoor activities, the Weekend is crammed with excellent lectures, live raptor programs, optics demonstrations, and art exhibits geared to all ages and levels of expertise. Plans are already underway for next year’s Weekend in February 2017. By Chris Leahy

Black-legged Kittiwake, Martha Goetschkes

Common Murre, Martha Goetschkes

Harlequin Duck, Peter Massas, Wiki Commons

SAVE THE DATE! Harlequin Ducks and at least one Snowy Owl have arrived along the rockbound shore of “the other Cape” so it’s time to sign up for the Sixth Annual Cape Ann Winter Birding Weekend: February 28 – March 1, 2015, sponsored by Mass Audubon and the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s program includes bus tours of Cape Ann’s birding hot spots led by some of the state’s best birders; an entertaining slide show on Winter Birds of Cape Ann by Mass Audubon scientist Robert Buchsbaum; Eyes on Owls – an opportunity to get up close and personal with these spectacular and fascinating creatures with Mark and Marcia Wilson; Osprey in Essex  County – The Dramatic Comeback Story of This Magnificent Bird of Prey by Dave Rimmer of the Essex County Greenbelt Association – and of course The Sunday Boat Trip on Seven Seas Whalewatch boat, Privateer IV skippered by Jay Frontierro.

As in past years, the venue is the Elks at Bass Rocks in Gloucester where you can bird in comfort from the picture windows, enjoy a variety of exhibits and try out the best birding optics on the planet, or step outside and scan the Atlantic with expert birders. For a detailed schedule and information and registration visit our website.

Please Note: Space on the busses and boat is limited, so sign-up soon so you don’t miss the fun.

For birding questions, contact Chris Leahy (cleahy at massaudubon.org).

Long-tailed Duck, Martha Goetschkes