As we begin to again safely visit our wonderful system of Mass Audubon sanctuaries, this post is a reminder of how you can contribute to our knowledge of birds at these sites. Mass Audubon uses eBird data as part of bird monitoring and inventory efforts, and visitors’ observations help demonstrate how birds use the places we protect. The more information we have, the more we can bolster bird populations amid changing climate conditions and surrounding land use. Your observations help us help birds!
Mass Audubon has updated guidelines for submitting sanctuary observations to eBird, some of which may be new even for experienced eBirders. Most importantly, we ask that, unless you are contributing to a specific project, eBirders only submit sightings under the most general eBird hotspot for each sanctuary, instead of using latitude/longitude coordinates or specific locations within each sanctuary.
American Kestrels, Barn Swallows, and Cliff Swallows are all declining in Massachusetts, like many other open-country birds. The Bird Conservation team is initiating two exciting studies on these species during this spring and summer, and data from the community will be integral to both studies’ success!
Barn Swallow young on nest (Photo by Ginger Lane)
Have you seen these birds nesting?
If you have any information on these species’ current (2020) nest sites, or are willing to look for them, please submit data via our swallow project and kestrel project webpages on Anecdata (a citizen science website).
You’ll need to set up an Anecdata account first. Click on “register” to first create an account, and click on “join project” once you’ve signed up with Anecdata.
Both projects are fairly simple for users: simply click on “add an observation” and report the coordinates of nesting American Kestrels, Barn Swallows, and Cliff Swallows. In the case of both swallow species’, it’s also useful to know if you observe structures that do NOT host a colony but which you think potentially could (e.g., old barns or small wooden bridges near open grassland and freshwater). Note that this study is focused on nesting sites, not places where birds are observed foraging or flying around.
What we hope to accomplish with your help
The purpose of the swallow project is straightforward: we want to identify sites where Barn and Cliff Swallows are nesting that may not yet be known to biologists.
Mass Audubon’s work on the kestrel project on the other hand, will be a little more involved. After compiling a list of remaining nest sites, the Bird Conservation Department will team up with state biologists in 2021 to fit kestrels with radio tags. These tags will track their movements around the region after nesting, and eventually to their wintering grounds.
Kestrels breed widely throughout Massachusetts, but there are many Breeding Bird Atlas blocks that showed declines between Atlas 1 (1974-1979) and Atlas 2 (2007-2011). Interestingly, there are both urban-nesting and farmland-nesting American Kestrels, and the two populations may be showing different population trajectories. Studying the life histories of these birds, including tracking their movements away from nest sites, could hold clues as to why so much apparently good kestrel habitat goes unoccupied in the state.
As always, all nest data is kept strictly within the community of biologists working to conserve these species.
American Kestrel at nest box (Photo by Mark Grimason)
More Tips For Searching
Both projects run from May 20 – August 20, to reduce potential confusion between nesting birds and migrants.
The focus is on nest sites and not on places where birds are seen flying around.
If you need a refresher on identifying Barn and Cliff Swallows in the field, check out our ID tips for these similar-looking birds.
Please participate only if you can do so in your own local communities.
It’s likely that some sites will be on private property where direct observer access is impossible.Please don’t trespass! Even if you’re only able to observe from a road edge and can’t collect, it’s helpful to know that you saw swallows or kestrels entering or leaving a particular cavity or structure.
All three of these species were once common sightings in rural parts of Massachusetts, and they’re all a joy to observe and spend time near. Thank you for helping Mass Audubon protect them, and happy birding!
The Avian Collision Team is a volunteer effort to monitor bird-window strikes in downtown Boston. This fall was the second season, running from early August to mid-October. Volunteers walked 7 survey routes from Saturday to Tuesday between 6 and 9 a.m., finding a total of 74 individuals. This makes 193 total strikes between the fall and spring seasons.
Note: Mass Audubon’s volunteers collect specimen with a permit from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. It is illegal to collect birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
A Commmon Yellowthroat outside of University Hall at UMass Boston
Table 1 shows a preliminary roundup of the window-strike species found by ACT volunteers. Locations and images can be found on iNaturalist, where other citizen scientists around the world are submitting similar window-strike data on a project called “Bird-window collisions”.
Table 1: Number of individuals of each species found by ACT
White-throated Sparrow. . .
23
House Finch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
Black-billed Cuckoo. . . . . . . . .
1
Ovenbird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22
Northern Waterthrush. . . . . . .
3
Yellow-billed Cuckoo . . . . . . .
1
Common Yellowthroat . . . .
19
Blackpoll Warbler. . . . . . . . . . .
3
Red-eyed Vireo. . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Hermit Thrush . . . . . . . . . . .
7
Northern Flicker . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
Blue-headed Vireo . . . . . . . . .
1
Black-and-white Warbler. .
7
American Robin. . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
Blue Jay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Lincoln’s Sparrow . . . . . . . .
6
Song Sparrow. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
European Starling . . . . . . . . . .
1
Magnolia Warbler. . . . . . . .
5
Nashville Warbler. . . . . . . . . . .
2
Cedar Waxwing . . . . . . . . . . .
1
American Redstart . . . . . . .
5
Chestnut-sided Warbler. . . . . .
2
Veery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Brown Creeper . . . . . . . . . .
4
Black-throated Green Warbler
2
Chipping Sparrow. . . . . . . . . .
1
Golden-crowned Kinglet . .
4
Canada Warbler. . . . . . . . . . . .
2
Clay-colored Sparrow. . . . . .
.
1
Dark-eyed Junco . . . . . . . . .
4
Indigo Bunting. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
Swamp Sparrow . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Savannah Sparrow. . . . . . .
4
Virginia Rail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Pine Warbler. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Northern Parula . . . . . . . . .
4
Belted Kingfisher. . . . . . . . . . .
1
Black-throated Blue Warbler
1
American Woodcock . . . . .
3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. . . . .
1
Palm Warbler. . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
3
Red-bellied Woodpecker . . . .
1
House Sparrow. . . . . . . . . . .
1
Mourning Dove . . . . . . . . . . .
3
Red-breasted Nuthatch. . . . . .
1
Brown-headed Cowbird . . .
1
Swainson’s Thrush . . . . . . . . .
3
White-breasted Nuthatch. . . .
1
Baltimore Oriole . . . . . . . . .
1
Note: This list is still being updated as we finalize our data
As evident in Table 1, window collisions in downtown Boston during the times in which we survey are primarily migratory species. Much like moths to a light bulb, migrating birds are drawn to city lights during their nighttime migratory journeys. They land in cities and in the early mornings when they re-orient themselves and look for food, they fly into glass windows. Learn more about this hazard and how you can do something about it on Mass Audubon’s website.
A Lincoln’s Sparrow at the John Hancock Tower
ACT will start again during spring migration, running its third season from April 11 – June 2. Sign up to be a volunteer and direct questions to [email protected].
The Eastern Meadowlark is in serious decline in our state and nationwide. To understand what we can do to turn this around, we’re enlisting the help of volunteer birders and citizen scientists. By entering observations on our project webpage, anyone can contribute to conservation efforts for this iconic species.
Photo by Phil Brown
Meadowlarks disappeared from over 78% of their Massachusetts breeding sites since 1979, according to Mass Audubon’s Breeding Bird Atlas. This decline is only partially explained by meadowlarks’ habitat requirements.
Conservation scientists know that meadowlarks need a certain kind of grassland habitat— vegetation that’s short, but not too short; fields over 20 acres with no standing trees. These days, however, suitable fields that once rang with meadowlark song are quiet and still.
Agricultural intensification certainly plays a role: 95% of Eastern Meadowlarks nest on private land. Fallow farm fields are harder to come by and pesticide application increases apace; more and more pastures and grassy fields are either overgrazed or developed. But this is only part of the story, and it’s up to us to figure out the rest.
Go Birding—For Science!
All you need to do is visit our Anecdata webpage and select sites where you can help look for meadowlarks. To view a map of sites, click on “add an observation,” then click “use a hotspot” in the upper left, and then click “map.” Be sure to sign up for the hotspots you choose on the signup list mentioned in the project description!
To keep our data uniform and reliable, a volunteer should survey a site three times between April 20 and June 15, for any ten-minute period between 5:30AM and 9:30AM. Not all of our sites may have meadowlarks, and that’s perfectly fine— knowing where they aren’t, and figuring out why, is just important to us as knowing where they are.
These surveys can be great fun. It’s no longer every day that casual observers see the bold pattern and lemon-yellow blaze of a meadowlark standing, flaglike, atop a fencepost. Fewer and fewer people recognize their ringing whistle. There’s always some pride in finding an uncommon bird. But the joy of a meadowlark sighting can also be colored by nostalgia, whether for the historical abundance of grassland birds, or the broader decline of pastoral landscapes.
Photo by Phil Brown