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 March 2012
Dear Friends,
What an exciting and fascinating five months I've had since coming aboard Mass Audubon’s Bird Conservation Team. When I joined the organization, our landmark State of the Birds report had just been published, identifying and highlighting bird species that need our focus. With this report, the groundwork has been laid for the next phase of our work -- ensuring that these species receive our attention in the most effective way possible.
Ideas on the horizon include expanding the Birds To Watch Program to include aerial insectivores (get ready for “The Big Barn Study”!), working with academic and state agency partners to identify habitats for shrubland and grassland birds, and creating a Bird Conservation Tool for scientists and landowners. See below for info on our interns' work on this project. Many other great ideas are in the works, and we'll keep you informed as we go forward.
Thanks again for your continued interest and support. It really does make a difference!
Kim
Kimberly Peters, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist/Director of Bird Conservation
State of the Birds Update 
American Black Duck, Eastern Meadowlark, American Kestrel, Brown Thrasher, Cliff Swallow – if you've read our State of the Birds 2011 report, this list likely brings to mind a parade of species slowly but surely disappearing from the state. Now that we know which birds are in trouble, we need to design programs to sustain biodiversity in the Commonwealth. This document is actively serving as our cornerstone for building a new generation of bird conservation programs at Mass Audubon.
We learned that birds that nest in grasslands, agricultural settings, and in early-successional habitats need our help. Ground-nesting birds are also declining, and many freshwater wetland nesting birds continue to decline, despite protection. Importantly, we identified many new species needing intervention – a critical step in creating the right bird conservation strategies.
You can find the State of the Birds online or purchase a print copy at the Audubon Shop at Drumlin Farm. This project was supported by everyone who has donated to Bird Conservation at Mass Audubon. Our success in the future depends on your continued support. Be sure to select Bird Conservation as the designation for your gift.
American Kestrels and Nest Boxes
As the weather gets warmer, we look forward to the return of many migratory bird species. Among the feathered masses winging their way northward is the American Kestrel, our smallest raptor and also the one in the greatest conservation need. Mass Audubon’s American Kestrel nest box program has installed nest boxes especially for kestrels all around the state, from the Pioneer Valley to Cape Cod.
Whether or not these boxes are used, they will provide valuable information about the birds’ use of different habitats, as well as the effects of increasing the number of available nesting cavities. When this information is combined with existing data on known nest locations, we can create a habitat model capable of drawing scientifically relevant conclusions about the sorts of places that kestrels do – and, just as importantly, do not – reproduce successfully. Learn more about kestrels and report a kestrel sighting online with our Kestrel Report Tool.
To the Finish Line – with Your Help!
 With just over $100,000 left to raise in the $1,000,000 Preserving a Commonwealth of Birds Campaign, we aim to reach our goal by June 30!
The campaign’s success will strengthen our ability to protect birds and their habitat, and will allow us to develop creative strategies addressing the conservation issues we are now beginning to understand.
Key actions funded by this campaign include: hiring a Bird Conservation Action Coordinator, as well as publishing the Breeding Bird Atlas 2 in both print and web versions. Our landmark State of the Birds report was also funded through the Campaign.
Help support this work while acknowledging your passion for birds or honoring someone special! Sponsor a species web page in the Breeding Bird Atlas 2 online with your gift of $1,000. Your or your honoree's name will be listed along with the detailed species account, distribution map, and beautiful illustration of your chosen bird.
Support bird conservation AND pay tribute to a special birder and bird at the same time. Contact Henrietta Yelle at 781-259-2239 to reserve your favorite bird now!
Meet the Bird Conservation Interns
Mass Audubon is pleased to welcome aboard our spring 2012 Bird Conservation interns. Ben Rifkin and Margo Servison are already hard at work poring over academic journals for useful information on the Commonwealth’s most at-risk bird species.
“We’re looking for papers that specifically talk about the management of the species,” says Servison, a Brookline native and graduate of Hamilton College, where she majored in Environmental Studies.
“Anything pertinent to the conservation of the species, we’re pulling into a database,” adds Ben Rifkin, who grew up in Sudbury MA and will graduate from Brandeis University this May with degrees in Environmental Studies and International and Global Studies.
The database that the interns are assembling will be a critical resource for Mass Audubon scientists in creating a comprehensive guide for how to best manage land for the benefit of both birds and people all across Massachusetts. Bird species identified in the State of the Birds report as needing monitoring or urgent conservation action will be priorities for Ben and Margo’s research.
 AN EVENT TO BE REMEMBERED
The 20th Annual Mass Audubon Birders Meeting, co-hosted by the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, was held March 3 at Bentley University. With the theme Birds, Baleen, and 20 Years of Marine Conservation, the conference treated 250 people to a cadre of talented speakers, including Stephen Kress talking about his efforts to re-establish Atlantic Puffins to the Gulf of Maine, David Wiley and his remarkable underwater studies of humpback whale foraging behavior, Debi Shearwater vividly describing a history of 35 years of sea birding in California, and a stunning shorebird video presentation by local photographers Shawn Carey and Jim Grady.
Among the other speakers were Anne-Marie Runfola, Julie Ellis, and Brian Harrington. In addition, Mass Audubon’s Joan Walsh discussed results from the recently released State of the Birds report. Attendees also enjoyed access to a variety of vendors, including artists David Sibley and Barry Van Dusen, along with event sponsors Hunt’s Camera & Video, Zeiss optics, and REI. This was a day not to be missed!
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