Bring Back Bobolinks!

This year the BBC is introducing new Endangered Species Program. Each year we plan to focus on a single bird species facing serious threats in Massachusetts and elsewhere. With this effort we hope to provide a way for all of us to address the decline of birds in our state. Our initial focus is on a charismatic grassland bird – Bring Back Bobolinks!

Bobolink Raffle Results are In!

Congratulations to club member Ruth MacNutt, who is the lucky winner of the raffle drawing for Barry van Dusen’s original watercolor of Bobolinks titled “Batholomew’s Cobble”!  This painting was generously donated to the “Bring Back Bobolinks” campaign by artist Barry van Dusen. You can view Barry’s artwork, books, prints, and cards at his website www.barryvandusen.com.

Together club members raised $2,500 to be donated between The Bobolink Project and the Trustees Grassland Birds Monitoring Project, two organizations dedicated to protecting this beautiful species. 

Thank you all for your support of the Brookline Bird Club’s Endangered Species Program “Bring Back Bobolinks”.  The Bobolinks are the true winners of your generosity!

About Bobolinks

According to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, bird populations have declined by nearly 3 billion, or over 25% since 1970. The 2025 State of the Birds report by National Audubon highlighted declines in grassland areas, where populations have dropped by 43%.

With these facts in mind, your board has picked the Bobolink as the first subject of our program. Your club will provide a number of fun ways you can actively participate in learning about these birds, their habitat, and conservation efforts to stem their decline.

Bobolink Stickers

You might already have seen our new Bobolink Sticker at the tables at the entrance. To get one just attend one of our Bobolink walks or join the BBC.

Bobolinks on the Brink: What do Bobolinks Tell Us about Our Relationship with the Land, and How Can We Protect Them?

Hyla Howe - Boblinks on the Brink

Mass Audubon’s Grassland Bird Biologist Hyla Howe spoke about our first endangered species spotlight: the Bobolink!

Bobolink populations closely intertwine with shifting land use patterns and agricultural practices. Conservation solutions to protect them are complex.

Hyla shared observations from the field, insights from conversations with farmers and landowners, takeaways from efforts to improve and scale the Bobolink Project, and results from a regional land use change analysis. She describes where Bobolink conservation stands today, and what you can do to help.

More to Come!

We have more fun activities lined up, so stay tuned to our newsletters, website and social media!