Author Archives: Ryan D.

About Ryan D.

Where: Mass Audubon Headquarters, Lincoln | Who: A Vermont ex-pat, lifelong skier, musician, photographer, motorcycle enthusiast, budding native plant gardener, and pun master | Favorite part of the job: Working with wonderful colleagues to make nature accessible to everyone

Getting Fired up for Summer Camp!

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Ryan D.

Over the next few weeks, Mass Audubon will be welcoming new and returning campers across Massachusetts and in Rindge, NH. Last week, Wildwood overnight camp hosted 140 new and returning Mass Audubon camp counselors from Pleasant Valley in Lenox to Joppa Flats in Newburyport and everywhere in between for the annual Field School.

Field School is a unique opportunity for counselors from camps across Mass Audubon’s sanctuaries to come together to share songs, stories, and experiences, and learn new skills and fun nature activities to share with their campers.

Check out photos and stories from Field School at the Word from Wildwood blog, and let us know in the comments: What are you most excited for at camp this summer?

Counselors learned about the life cycles of butterflies and dragonflies, lessons they can share with their campers this summer, and went on a Bug Hunt. This counselor captured something neat in her bug cup! What could it be?

Counselors learned about the life cycles of butterflies and dragonflies, lessons they can share with their campers this summer, and went on a Bug Hunt. This counselor captured something neat in her bug cup! What could it be?

Take 5: Loony Tunes

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Ryan D.

Loons are famous for their beautifully haunting, eerie calls, which echo across the waters they call home. They have a variety of calls for different purposes—territorial, alarm sounds, mating, or to locate one another, to name a few.

Loons are water birds, venturing ashore only to mate and incubate eggs. They can dive almost noiselessly into the water to catch fish, and are agile underwater swimmers, propelling themselves with their feet. Their solid bones are perfectly designed to make them less buoyant and better at diving than most hollow-boned birds.

Have you heard any loons on your local lakes and ponds? Tell us below in the comments! And check out this beautiful Loon Flute from the Audubon Shop to make your own loon calls (just not during the summer because it can interfere with breeding).

Enjoy these five photos of loons in their striking black and white plumage, and submit your own wildlife photos to the 2016 Picture This: Your Great Outdoors Photo Contest, open now!

Common Loon and Chicks © Michael Phillips, 2014 Photo Contest Entry

Common Loon and Chicks © Michael Phillips, 2014 Photo Contest Entry

Common Loon © Mark Stone, 2015 Photo Contest Entry

Common Loon © Mark Stone, 2015 Photo Contest Entry

Common Loon and Chicks © Emily Eaton, 2014 Photo Contest Entry

Common Loon and Chicks © Emily Eaton, 2014 Photo Contest Entry

Common Loon © Ari Dinerman, 2013 Photo Contest Entry

Common Loon © Ari Dinerman, 2013 Photo Contest Entry

Common Loon © Linda MacMillan, 2015 Photo Contest Entry

Common Loon © Linda MacMillan, 2015 Photo Contest Entry