The BBC’s inaugural breeding bird conservation trip was held last night at Pine Hill Road area in Lancaster, MA. The trip was very successful and all participants managed to both hear and see all three endangered breeding bird target species: Grasshopper Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, and Eastern Whip-poor-will. These sightings are officially submitted to the MA Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP). If accepted by NHESP, these sightings support legal protection for MA endangered species under state conservation laws. Hopefully the BBC will become a regular contributor to this state conservation effort, enabled in part by our ongoing update to our record keeping systems and procedures.
Additional NHESP details: Any citizen can potentially submit sightings of endangered species or natural habitats to the NHESP. To learn more about this program, including links to online and mobile app report submission options, see http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg