Mass Audubon

Some days it’s hard to tell if we are in summer, autumn, or winter. Fortunately, birds are usually pretty good calendar keepers. For example, Snow buntings began to arrive about two weeks ago and, bingo, the next day we had snow!

Between the falling of leaves, the silencing of crickets, and the emergence of winter moths, the change of season can hardly be denied. A different transition underway at Mass Audubon right now is the arrival of our new Chief Scientist, Dr. Kim Peters. We are very pleased to welcome Kim and wish her well as she helps the organization chart a future course for bird conservation. I hope the coming season brings some bird-related excitement your way, too. Do let us know.

Good Birding!
Wayne
Wayne Petersen, Director
Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program

We’re very pleased to announce that Dr. Kim Peters has joined Mass Audubon as Chief Scientist and Director of Bird Conservation. Kim comes to us after spending six years as senior scientist and director of Research and Monitoring Programs at NJ Audubon.

Having grown up in the Boston area and with research experience that includes work on grassland birds, shorebirds, wading birds, forested wetlands, and the impacts of wind turbines on birds and bats, Kim is poised for great success in steering Mass Audubon’s Bird Conservation work. One of her primary goals will be to implement the recommendations put forth in the newly-released State of the Birds report.

Kim notes, “I am so excited to be back in Massachusetts with its incredible diversity of birds and habitats. I’m looking forward to seeing birds I haven’t seen in a while, like some of the winter finches, as well as favorites I’ve worked with in the past, like American oystercatcher and grasshopper sparrow. I am very encouraged to hear about the state’s vibrant birding community and Mass Audubon’s talented and dedicated citizen scientists -- I hope to run into some of you in the field soon!”

If you are searching for a special gift for a birder in your life, please consider sponsoring a bird species in that birder's name.

As we work to put the amazing Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2 online, you can help by sponsoring a species web page of your choice with a gift of $1,000 to our Birds Campaign.

Your honoree's name will be listed along with the detailed species account, distribution map, and beautiful illustration of your selected bird - be it cliff swallow, chipping sparrow, or any bird in between!

Be part of this amazing project, 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!

Mountain Bluebird by Allan & Elaine Wilson For many birders the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a rite of early winter. Since its inception in 1900 the annual participation in the CBC by thousands of citizen scientists across the country has made it possible to track long-term changes in winter bird populations on a continent-wide basis. Without CBC data it would have been impossible for Mass Audubon ornithologists to accurately assess the changes taking place in Massachusetts winter bird populations reported in the recently released State of the Birds report.

A Christmas Bird Count is a day filled with adventure and camaraderie, the mystery of what birds will be found and tallied, and the uncertainty of what winter weather conditions will prevail on count day. Just as he has done since childhood, New England CBC regional editor and Mass Audubon ornithologist, Wayne Petersen, will be counting birds on several CBCs this year. And who knows what this year’s counts will produce? Among the most notable species found in Massachusetts last year were Ross’s goose, Allen’s hummingbird, and mountain bluebird. To participate in a CBC in your area or to get more information, visit the Christmas Bird Count site.

Time to Go Already?

Piping Plovers by Andy Northrup
It seems hard to believe, but another Coastal Waterbird Program field season has gone by. Our chicks have learned to fly and are well on their way south--whether to the Bahamas, Cedar Key, the Caribbean, or Brazil.

2011 was not a bad year for piping plovers; it’s likely over 650 pairs nested in Massachusetts. A season highlight was when CWP staff and volunteers found plovers at four brand-new nesting sites, including our newest urban location -- South Boston!

In other fun news, for the second year in a row, 11 piping plovers colorbanded by the Canadian Wildlife Service returned to our coastline. We monitored 8 of them, including “Bahama Betty” of Harwich, who fledged 4 chicks and then stuck around for 3 weeks after her chicks and mate departed.

Despite the positive signs, we still have a lot of work to do. Overall, we monitored 247 piping plover pairs and observed a relatively low productivity rate at 1.06 chicks per pair. We'll spend the winter getting ready to get back out there and work for the birds when they return to our shores, come April.