Mass Audubon – Your Great Outdoors | A Mass Audubon Blog

On May 13 at 6 pm, teams across the state will begin a 24-hour effort to record the most bird species in Massachusetts as part of Bird-a-thon, an annual fundraiser that raises money to support our sanctuaries and programs.

Last year, Team Drumlin Farm squeaked out a win over Team Moose Hill by just one species. Such close competition makes spotting a rare species all that much more enticing. Enter the Elusive 8, eight species, which due to rarity, nesting behavior, preferred location, and/or being difficult to identify, are the most challenging to spot (or hear) during Bird-a-thon.

Northern Goshawk

Northern Goshawk via USFWS

Most likely to be found in Western Massachusetts, the northern goshawk is very uncommon and nests in the interior forest. The largest and most seldom-seen accipiter in Massachusetts, it is swift, strong, tenacious, and often aggressive near a nest.

King Rail

King Rail via USFWS

Massachusetts is near the northern limit of the king rail’s breeding range. These rare and local freshwater marsh breeders are more often heard than seen.

Arctic Tern

Arctic tern via USFWS

Massachusetts represents the southern edge of the breeding range for the Arctic tern, and those few individuals that breed in the Bay State (typically less than 3 nesting pairs annually) are state listed as a Species of Special Concern. Non-breeding Arctic terns are sometimes found adjacent to common tern colonies but are frequently misidentified.

Long-eared Owl

Long-eared owl via Matt Knoth/Flickr

The long-eared owl is a rare breeder in Massachusetts with very few known breeding locations. The species presents a particular challenge by being completely nocturnal and is often much quieter than other owl species. In recent years, the long-eared owl has been the least frequently recorded species during Bird-a-thon.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher via Budgora/Flickr

There are only a few places in the Bay State today where the olive-sided flycatcher may be reliably encountered. Plum Island is a good place to look for these late migrants in late May through early June.

Bicknell’s Thrush

Bicknell’s Thrush via Aaron Maizlish/Flickr

Due to its close resemblance to the gray-cheeked thrush, Bicknell’s thrush is a difficult species to identify correctly in the field. It’s also a rare migrant to Massachusetts: In recent years, Bicknell’s thrush has been one of the least recorded species during Bird-a-thon.

Golden-winged Warbler

Golden-winged Warbler via Kent McFarland/Flickr

Most likely extirpated as a breeder in Massachusetts and a rare migrant, the Golden-winged Warbler is a hard box to check on the Bird-a-thon species checklist; Try looking for it where Blue-winged Warblers nest. In recent years, the Golden-winged Warbler has been one of the least recorded species during Bird-a-thon.

Cerulean Warbler

Cerulean Warbler via USFWS

This bird’s fondness for the canopy heights, as well as its rarity in the state, makes it one of the most difficult breeding warblers to find and observe. A local breeder, the cerulean warbler does have several well-known nesting sites and is usually a persistent songster.

A Note on Birding Etiquette

Remember, always bird respectfully, and take special care not to disturb these species! Bird-a-thoners should acquaint themselves with the Bird-a-thon rules, including Bird-a-thon etiquette, prior to the event. Of course, if encountered during your team’s normal birding activity, consider yourselves lucky and proudly check these species off your list!

Join the Flock! Be a part of Bird-a-thon

There’s still time to be part of Bird-a-thon! You can join a team, fundraise for a team, or donate to the event, team, or team member. Get the details >

By Jonah Keane, Sanctuary Director

Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Northampton and Easthampton is Mass Audubon’s flagship sanctuary in the Connecticut River Valley. Sandwiched between the two cities’ downtown areas, its 700+ acres of forest, river, wetlands, and restored grasslands are remarkably diverse and easily accessible.

Even though the wildlife sanctuary has been around from more than 70 years and thousands of visitors have walked the trails, canoed the river, or taken a program, you might be surprised by some of Arcadia’s lesser known history and inhabitants.

A River Runs Through It

RiverRunsThroughIt

The heart of Arcadia is an ancient oxbow of the Connecticut River. You know the large oxbow visible from Interstate 91? It used to be a part of the river prior to 1840, when the river changed course and separated the bend from the channel. That same process occurred 800 years ago directly to the west, meaning that if you were on what is now Arcadia’s Fern Trail back then, you would have been in the river!

Hotel Heronry

Located in the wetland known as Ned’s Ditch (sadly, the origin of this moniker remains unknown) in the middle of the meadows is a great blue heron rookery. A rookery is the place where great blue herons nest communally.

Herons typically use the same rookery every year, until, eventually, the trees collapse. As many as 59 nesting pairs have called this rookery home. And more recently, a pair of bald eagles successfully nested here as well!

Bird’s-Eye View

The viewing tower (think big tree house) on the Fern Trail has been overlooking the marsh for decades. From the tower, you can observe ducks, geese, herons, otters, beavers, and many more critters. In the winter, you can see out through the trees to the Arcadia Meadows, too.

The tower sits squarely in the yearly floodplain, and markers on the tower’s legs indicate just how high the water level has reached during two of the area’s biggest storms (the highest coming from the Great New England Hurricane of 1938).

Imperiled but Protected

MassAudubonArcadiaMillRiver

Arcadia is home to three “Priority Natural Communities” that are state listed as rare and imperiled, which means these communities of plants are found in only 20 or fewer locations across the Commonwealth. The most visible from the trail network is the floodplain forest. This forest contains lovely large silver maple, shagbark hickory, and black birch trees, a treat for the budding botanists out there.

Nature For All

The rope-and-post accessible trail. The round bead means there a stop with braille signage and/or audio tour.

Arcadia is home to one of Mass Audubon’s universally accessible multi-sensory interpretative trails. The goal of these trails is to create a richer experience for visitors with a wide range of vision, hearing, and mobility levels. In addition to Braille signage and a rope-and-post guiding system, Arcadia’s Sensory All Person’s Trail features an audio tour that you can download or listen to via cell phone.

This post was adapted from a guest blog post on MassVacation.com.

A Mass Audubon Blog

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