Mass Audubon Blogs

Climate change is the defining issue of our time. Perhaps no generation is more at risk to the impacts of this issue than those who are in school today.  In a study presented to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2016, a survey revealed that 40% of Generation Z reported climate change as their […]

Sparrows have a reputation for being a bit tricky for beginning birders to identify. Thankfully, the colder months are a good time to get some practice in, with several common species overwintering here in Massachusetts, including American Tree Sparrows, White-Throated Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos (yes, they belong to the sparrow family!). Most sparrows are primarily […]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed rolling back requirements for capturing methane pollution. Under the current standards, oil and gas companies are required to look for and repair leaks that release methane. The proposed changes would reduce the number of reviews required annually, along with other changes, in an attempt to reduce costs for the […]

Just as ornithologists predicted, 2018 is shaping up to be a banner winter for a number of nomadic finches in the Northeast, especially Evening Grosbeaks. Having steadily declined as winter visitors since the 1970s, these predictably unpredictable birds are a welcome sight this year. Irruption Years: Boom And Bust Evening Grosbeaks, like several species of “winter […]

On December 11, 2018, Mass Audubon was given a 7-acre Conservation Restriction near our Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in South Dartmouth. This land is one of the last remaining pieces of unprotected shoreline along the sanctuary’s namesake pond. And it was protected by the children and grandchildren of the woman that first started conserving land […]

There are two white pine trees that “died” of natural causes in the past two months.  You can see both of them from the trails.  See if you can find them.  Can you figure out what happened? This tree is on the Old Orchard Trail. This tree is between Signpost 3 and Signpost 12. Hint:  […]

The leaves are sparse, the chilling air has set in, and the Drumlin Farm Cooking Together class is preparing to make Drumlin Farm’s seasonal favorite, pumpkin waffles with homemade butter and apple cider syrup. Every week, this class of 3-5 year olds and their parents learn, and enjoy, a new recipe together. Perfect for a […]

The sun greeted us in the Gloucester Crossing shopping center parking lot on Wednesday, as Susan Yurkus and I got ready to lead a cheery group of birders around Cape Ann. It was easy to get to the Jodrey State Fish Pier from there, and we found lots of birds in Gloucester Harbor. There were […]

Sticks cracked, boots splashed in the stream, and the sanctuary burst with life as students from Canton High got into position to take the perfect photograph of our natural world. On December 11, Patricia Palmer’s photography class from Canton High School visited the wildlife sanctuary to take nature photographs. We spent time exploring near our […]

Mass Audubon’s annual statewide photo contest Picture This: Your Great Outdoors, again attracted photographers from across the state and beyond. Each one of their images is an invitation to connect with the nature of Massachusetts. Moose Hill is happy to present all 20 winning photographs from December 7 through December 31, 2018 in our Blue […]

The idea that this fall’s cold-stun sea turtle period could be a memorable one occurred to us when turtles began stranding about 2 weeks earlier than usual, in mid-October. Only days before rescuing our first cold, immobile turtles, we’d found several live, swimming turtles out at sea—a pretty unusual occurrence. Our marine life cruise off […]

You might think that things quiet down around Wildwood once camp is ended for the season, but you’d be wrong! After the campers and counselors have all gone home (and after the staff gets a bit of much-needed vacation time), it’s time to squeeze in as many projects as we can before the snow flies. […]