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!
News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
The Quiet Beauty of Birding at Winthrop Beach
Winthrop - DCR Winthrop Beach Reservation - Sturgis St 59 Winthrop Shore Drive, Winthrop, MA, United StatesJoin DCR park staff for a leisurely walk across sandy stretches and areas of loose rocks at this Massachusetts State Reservation, a well-known hot spot for birdwatching. We'll be on the lookout for shorebirds, waterbirds, and gulls. Binoculars are recommended. Suitable for adults and children ages 8 and up (with an accompanying adult). Sponsored by [...]
Fruitlands Museum, Harvard
Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United StatesAll the nesting birds will still be around, with good views of young out of the nest being fed by parents: Veery, Indigo Bunting, Catbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Tree Swallow, Bobolink, Wood Thrush, Baltimore Oriole, and Warblers. Expect to walk about 2 miles on trails through meadow and woods with some steep sections. Heavy rain cancels [...]
Birch Hill WMA
Royalston - Birch Hill WMA Royalston, MA, United StatesIncludes three to five miles of walking relatively flat terrain. Might include some bushwacking. Driving on hard packed dirt roads. Co-sponsored with the Athol Bird & Nature Club.
Southwick WMA
Southwick WMA - Suffield WMA entrance Point Grove Road, Suffield, CT, United StatesWe will hike the fields focusing on grassland breeders, particularly Eastern Meadowlark and Grasshopper Sparrow.
Millennium Park
Boston - Millennium Park Canoe Launch 300 Gardner Street, Boston, MA, United StatesJoin the Brookline Bird Club in collaboration with Boston Nature Center to look for birds in a unique urban habitat that often draws numerous uncommon and rare birds.Target birds include bobolinks, egrets, flycatchers, grosbeaks, herons, owls, rails, ravens, sandpipers, swallows & swifts, vultures, warblers, and woodpeckers. Birders of all levels will enjoy this trip. The [...]