Mass Audubon Blogs

Go birding, try snowshoeing, look for mammals, paint in watercolor, ID winter trees, and more at a wildlife sanctuary this weekend. Greater Boston Bird Away the Winter Blues at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. Enjoy a peaceful walk in this historic and beautifully landscaped cemetery looking for winter residents and some surprises like possible Yellow-bellied […]

Northern Cardinals. Blue Jays. American Goldfinches. You expect to see these birds during the winter. But birds like the American Robin and the Hermit Thrush catch many New Englanders off guard this time of year. After all, shouldn’t they be sunning themselves down south? Not necessarily. According to Joan Walsh, Mass Audubon’s Bertrand Chair of […]

Last year the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), which makes it illegal to hunt, trap, and kill nearly 1,000 avian species, came under attack. The US Department of the Interior (DOI) decided “incidental,” as opposed to “intentional,” bird deaths resulting from commercial activities – for example, birds killed in oil spills – would no longer […]

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has funded Mass Audubon for three years of “Climate-Smart Forestry.” This program is a collaborative effort between Mass Audubon and the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) to support landowners in making climate-friendly forestry management decisions. This is especially important in Massachusetts, where forests cover 60% of the total land area and […]

In a secluded part of western Massachusetts, a hidden valley along a brook in Warwick was recently acquired by Mass Audubon. Adjacent to the Warwick State Forest, this 140-acre property has been on the wish-list since 2004 when a neighbor to the north, Nick Arguimbau, generously donated a Conservation Restriction to Mass Audubon on his […]

The mill pond is partially frozen. The sun angle through the trees highlights the line between ice and water. The best place to find birds is around the feeders or nearby bushes with berries.

Drumlin Farm Youth Leaders for Climate Justice On Saturday, November 23, Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm hosted their second annual Youth Leaders for Climate Justice (YLCJ) Summit: a day of learning, community-building, and the beginning of a semester-long climate action project planning process. Teams of high school students from throughout Eastern Massachusetts, many of whom represent environmental […]

This Wednesday, Susan Yurkus and I met a group of fifty birders in Gloucester for our monthly winter excursion around Cape Ann. Was it reports of alcids? Lovely, mild weather? The alignment of the stars? Having seen such a crowd four years ago on my first such outing, I decided that we would stay calm and bird on, […]

And just like that we are half-way through January! In our little area of the state, we’ve had some mild weather and it shows. Weekends have been filled with people getting outside, taking a hike and enjoying the mild winter weather. We love seeing you here at Moose Hill – don’t forget, stop in and […]

It’s been a popular topic of small talk at the sanctuary this month: what a strange cold-stun sea turtle season it’s been and why we’ve had so (relatively) few turtles. It’s important to note—we will likely surpass the 300-turtle mark very soon. That may sound like a lot, but last year we recovered more than […]

Nature needs the next generation of environmental leaders to be ready! Over the last few years, the teen leadership programs at Wildwood have undergone some changes to better support the Mass Audubon and Wildwood mission. We are excited to announce that going forward our teen leadership program will be called the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP). […]