Could we be in for another Snowy Owl irruption? There have been numerous sightings of Snowy Owls throughout the Northeast including many in Massachusetts. The BBC Conservation/Education committee has made a donation to MA Audubon’s Snowy Owl Project run by Norman Smith since 1981. Norman Smith, Director of Mass Audubon’s Blue Hills Trailside Museum, has been studying Snowy Owls since 1981. As part of his research, he attaches bands and transmitters to Snowy Owls at Boston Logan International Airport, and then tracks their travels.
MA Audubon is a partner of Project SNOWstorm which is a collaboration between dozens of scientists and organizations. It was formed in the wake of the historic Snowy Owl irruption of 2013-14, and continues to expand their study of the ecology of wintering Snowy Owls. Cooperating researchers capture and place a solar powered transmitter on the owl using kind of a backpack harness. The researcher’s are then able to track the movements of these birds.
Come join the BBC on one of our many walks this winter. Who knows, maybe there will be a Snowy Owl sighting!
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Upcoming Field Trips
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Fresh Pond, Cambridge
Cambridge - Fresh Pond - TD Bank 235 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA, United StatesAn easy 2-mile walk through pondside meadows and forest paths at Fresh Pond. The over-wintering waterbirds have started to arrive, and we may see Ring-necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks and both Hooded and Common Mergansers. Meadow and forest species may include year-round residents as well as seasonal visitors from the north (e.g. White-throated Sparrows, Juncos).
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Fall Meeting and Webinar with Amar Ayyash Author of The Gull Guide
Harvard University Geological Lecture Hall 24 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA, United StatesJoin us on November 7 for our hybrid in-person/webinar fall meeting with speaker Amar Ayyash, author of The Gull Guide. There will be a social hour starting at 6:30 and the meeting itself will start at 7:00PM. Free parking at Harvard's 52 Oxford Street Garage starting at 5:30PM. The garage is entered across from the [...]
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Millennium Park
Boston - Millennium Park Canoe Launch 300 Gardner Street, Boston, MA, United StatesJoin Mass. Audubon and the Brookline Bird Club to observe resident birds and fall migrants in a unique urban habitat that is a favorite for many bird species, including uncommon and rare birds. Target birds include blackbirds, grosbeaks, herons, kingfishers, kinglets, owls, rails, ravens & crows, sandpipers, and woodpeckers & sapsuckers. Birders of all levels [...]
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Delaney WMA in Stow
Stow - Delaney WMA Boat Launch 353 Harvard Road, Stow, MA, United StatesDelaney WMA in Stow is an Important Bird Area with a variety of habitats, including a shallow lake, a slow-running stream and a marsh, all bordered by mixed conifer/deciduous forest. We’ll go for a slow-paced 2-to-3 mile walk along trails with moderate terrain changes to see how many species we can find.
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Gull Focused Walk at Revere Beach
Revere Beach - Nearest to Wonderland Stop MA, United StatesOn the Sunday after Amar Ayyash speaks ( Friday November 7), we are going to have the first of our gull focused walks where we work on gull ID skills at Revere Beach. We'll focus on gulls that are there to improve on our most common gulls of all ages. We'll also try to spot [...]






