Author Archives: Mass Audubon

Report Cards for Our Birds

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Mass Audubon

killdeerConservation is a gamble on the future. While a complex array of drivers act on our natural systems to cause rapid changes in the landscape and the species we have come to love, we need to quickly adapt to make the best choices to preserve our natural heritage. That is not easy.

How do we make plans for protecting the most vulnerable species in the state? How can we ensure that we are making the right choices when we advocate for land acquisition and management? How can we be sure that our grandchildren will have the same opportunities to find wonder and solace in the Nature of Massachusetts?

One of the actions Mass Audubon took 10 years ago to help us prepare for the changing world we face today was to get a real inventory of the changes we had seen over the previous 35 years, and us that to help set priorities for our actions for the next 10 years. That inventory was the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2.

From 2007 to 2011, more than 650 of your friends and neighbors joined Mass Audubon to conduct the massive Breeding Bird Atlas 2. We combed every bit of the Commonwealth, from Williamstown to New Marlboro, and from Nantucket to Salisbury in search of breeding birds. We compared the results of that work to work done in the 1970s and the results are amazing.

BBA2We have two reports for you to dig into to learn all about the changes in the 222 species that nest in the state. First, we have the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2—available as an eBook at iTunes, on our website species-by-species, and, coming soon, a print-on-demand book.

Next, we have a summary of this work, State of the Birds 2013, which gives you the highlights of the Atlas project, and walks you through the planning process of designing recovery plans for declining species.

These documents are a milestone for Mass Audubon and for our members. Join us by reading, glancing through, browsing or devouring these document, then join us for discussion about what these data mean for the state and the region, and for our plans to continue to be the leader in protecting the birds of the state. Start the journey right here.

– Joan Walsh, Director of Bird Monitoring

Snowy Owl Update

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Mass Audubon

Snowy Owl copyright David Larson

Currently New England is hosting a major incursion of snowy owls, many of which will likely spend the winter in our area.

Typically these Arctic visitors tend to appear most frequently near the coast, but the first report this year was inland at Mount Wachusett in Princeton on November 17. Since then, snowy owls have been showing up all over Massachusetts. See a map of recent sightings on eBird.

Why So Many Snowy Owls?

The snowy owl is considered an “irruptive” species—one that responds to changes in the conditions on its home territory by moving elsewhere in search of food.  Some of the factors that may trigger these irruptions include variations in food supply in the Arctic, severe snow and ice cover in their usual wintering areas, or a superabundance of owls resulting from an exceptional nesting season prior to a southward irruption.

For many years it was assumed that snowy owl irruptions only occurred in years when the lemmings that comprise the snowy owls’ primary food in the Arctic were in short supply, thus forcing the starving owls to move south in search of food.

However, Norman Smith, sanctuary director of Blue Hills Trailside Museum and lead of Mass Audubon’s Snowy Owl Project says “We actually see the most snowy owls in New England after an Arctic lemming population boom, not bust.” High lemming populations improve breeding success, and irruptions typically consist mostly of hatch-year birds (ones born this year).

Where to See Snowy Owls

Snowy owls arriving in Massachusetts tend to seek local habitats that mimic the Arctic tundra where they spend most of their lives, such as large salt marshes, extensive agricultural fields, and even airports. Popular sightings include Westport, New Bedford, Nantucket, Orleans, Duxbury Beach, and of course, Plum Island.

Accordingly, if you are passing a large open field this winter, that white spot in the distance might only be an errant piece of plastic, but it could also be a snowy owl!

If you do see a snowy owl, do enjoy from afar as to not disturb their normal behavior.

Have you seen a snowy owl this season? Is so, please share where and when in the comments and report to eBird.

Text by Marj Rines; Photo © Dave Larson