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

  • Mt. Greylock

    Mount Greylock Visitors Center 30 Rockwell Road, Lanesborough, MA, United States

    Greylock and October Mountain trips may be swapped for best weather on the Greylock day. If wet weather predicted for the Berkshires, contact the leader in advance for potential change. This will be an exciting trip with the occasional surprise. Mourning Warbler has always been a specialty of this trip. Enjoy the warblers and other

  • October Mountain

    Lenox - October Mountain 380 New Lenox Rd, Lenox, MA, United States

    Greylock and October Mountain trips may be swapped for best weather on the Greylock day. Contact the leader in advance. Multiple habitats make this trip more diversified than the prior day’s Mount Greylock trip, as we begin along the Housatonic River WMA and make our way over October Mountain. Cosponsored by the South Shore Bird

  • Breeding Bird Survey, Plymouth Airport

    Plymouth Airport 246 S Meadow Rd, Plymouth, MA, United States

    Limited participation. 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. We will be allowed to survey the entire airport grounds before the airport opens to flights to confirm as many breeding species we can. This special habitat has Upland Sandpiper, American Kestrels, Eastern Meadowlarks, and Grasshopper Sparrows, all species of special concern. Also includes pine barrens specialists like Prairie

  • New Member Walk at Fresh Pond, Cambridge

    Cambridge - Fresh Pond - TD Bank 235 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA, United States

    This walk is intended for new members! Get to know your fellow club members. Bring a friend if you like. An easy 2-mile walk through pondside meadows and forest paths at Fresh Pond. We'll see summer residents including breeding birds. We will meet in the parking lot of the TD Bank at Fresh Pond Circle,

  • Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

    Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United States

    Cosponsored with Boxborough Birders. We will look for resident species including Indigo Bunting, Savannah Sparrow, Hermit Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Veery, Blue-headed Vireo, Wild Turkey, American Kestrel, and a variety of warblers. Expect to walk about two miles on trails through meadows and woods, with some steep sections. Prepare for ticks. We will bird at the

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