Mass Audubon Blogs

Take part in an egg hunt, check for osprey, clean up a beach, go birding, search for salamanders, look for wildflowers, and more at a wildlife sanctuary this weekend. South of Boston Go on an Egg Hunt at Oak Knoll in Attleboro. Dye eggs with natural dyes, create a bird nest, match different eggs to […]

Every year, warming spring days trigger amphibians like spotted salamanders and wood frogs to migrate en masse to vernal pools to breed on the night of the first soaking rain above 45°F—a phenomenon known as “Big Night.” This spectacular annual event is taking place all across Massachusetts. Vernal pools are temporary, isolated ponds that form when […]

In Massachusetts, nearly 100 communities have taken action to reduce pollution by passing single-use plastic bag bans. Now, the state legislature has a chance to pass legislation that would create a cohesive, statewide law. We testified last week before the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture in support of An Act reducing plastic […]

Now in its third year, the Eastern Meadowlark Project is a great way to support bird conservation by simply going birding. By checking for meadowlarks at a list of sites and entering observations on our project webpage, citizen scientists help piece together the reasons for this species’ decline. We know that meadowlarks are in trouble. Between […]

When Mass Audubon acquired land adjacent to Lenox’s Kennedy Park in 1993, the ultimate aim was to swap it for a parcel just south of Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary along the western side of West Mountain Road.  This exchange as originally envisioned did not take place, but after 26 years a slightly modified version has. […]

There are still footprints in the snow on the trails. Look closely, some have tiny black creatures the size of pepper flakes. But they jump. They’re snow fleas, Collembola, also called Springtails.  They live in the leaf litter where they’re very hard to see, except when they hop onto the snow. South winds and melting […]

Daylight Savings Time arrived on the second morning of our annual Sap-to-Syrup Farmer’s Breakfast. Hearty pancakes topped with real maple syrup alongside Drumlin Farm’s roasted potatoes and sausage were enjoyed in sunny, snowy, and muddy weather throughout the weekend. Thanks to our volunteers, staff, and sponsors that helped make this event possible, including our premiere […]

Last Wednesday, Susan Yurkus and I led WMB, and felt that it was not too optimistic to promise plenty of Dark-eyed Juncos. There had been a big influx of migrating juncos early in the week. The beginnings of the build-up of Wilson’s Snipes and other early shorebirds had been steady at Scotland Road’s Common Pasture. […]

Although it remains mysterious to science how nature calms and restores our brain, it never ceases to amaze me how a brief respite walking through a garden to watch seedlings emerge after a long winter or sauntering through a woodland and hearing the songbirds sing for the first time in many months revitalizes the spirit. […]

Moose Hill, Mass Audubon’s oldest sanctuary, was established in 1916 and protects 1,971 acres of land in Sharon, Massachusetts. With diverse hiking trails and all-season programming, we connect adults and families with the natural world. We aim to serve as a resource to the local community, inviting people to explore our sanctuary while bringing opportunities […]

Wellfleet Bay’s bird banding operation hit a modest milestone last September, marking its fifth fall migration since it set up shop in fall of 2014. We realize that for bird monitoring 5 years is still very much a blink of an eye compared, say, to a period of 30 years. But in that relatively short […]

Wildwood is happy to announce we are launching a new day camp program this summer to support the local residents of Rindge, Jaffrey, and other surrounding areas. Day campers, ages 6–11, will focus on exploring the nature of Wildwood and learning about what literally lives in their backyards! Throughout the day, campers will connect with […]