February 2023

Front Cover: February 2023

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:14 GMT

Red-breasted Merganser by John Sill © Massachusetts Audubon Society. Courtesy of the Museum of American Bird Art.

John Sill is a freelance wildlife artist living in the mountains of North Carolina. He was the illustrator for the Bird Identification Calendar for Mass Audubon for many years. His work has appeared in Birds In Art at the Leigh-Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin, and in Art of the Animal Kingdom at the Bennington Center for the Arts in Vermont. He continues to illustrate the “About” and “About Habitats” series of natural history books for children written by his wife Cathryn.

Hot Birds: February 2023

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:13 GMT

A Smith’s Longspur in Hadley was the most shocking and most cooperative rarity of the season. After Scott Surner detected it on December 12, It remained in the area for at least a month, and was counted during the Northampton Christmas Bird Count. Only the fourth state record, it frequently fed within inches of the roadside, even with birders watching from the other side of the road. Sam Zhang took the photo.

Tony Baldasaro was in the right place at the right time to photograph a Northern Lapwing flying north up Plum Island on December 17. December 26, Miles Brengle came across it or another lapwing at Maplecroft Farm in Ipswich. Although access to the area was closed temporarily due to misbehavior by a few visitors,the area reopened. The bird remained at the farm through early 2023. Lisa Schibley took the photograph above.

Two Bullock’s Orioles seen in Massachusetts this season were both one-and-done sightings. Janice Strong photographed this oriole in Concord on November 10. A mockingbird soon chased it off and it was never seen again. A few days earlier, Suzanne Sullivan and John Keeley had a similarly brief encounter with one in Rockport on November 5. In Arlington, a third oriole visited a private feeder in mid-November.

Birding Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, and Hanson and Halifax, Massachusetts

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:12 GMT

Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a name that has become more and more common among birders, herpers, hikers, hunters, fishermen, and dog walkers. This location has something for everyone. From a birder’s perspective, the recent appearances of chase-worthy rarities— annually-breeding Sandhill Cranes and at least one breeding pair of King Rails in 2016—has made this approximately 1,700-acre Wildlife Management Area a worthwhile place to visit; once here, you will realize how beautiful and birdy it is.

The history of the area was covered previously in Bird Observer elegantly and in detail by Kathleen (Betty) Anderson and Wayne Petersen (2004). The focus of this article is twofold: 1) birding the site, and 2) standardizing nomenclature for sections of the WMA that birders can reference to find birds more easily. Late April to mid-May is probably the best time for cranes and rails, but birding here is productive year-round.

This article describes one long route, but the area is vast, and you may not cover it in one visit. Unless you desire to do a lot of walking, park nearest the area that you want to explore. There are four parking areas at the WMA conveniently spaced at each of the four corners. On the southwest and west are two lots off Elm Street in Halifax; to the northeast is a small parking lot just past the train tracks on Crooker Place in Hanson; and to the east is a large parking lot off Hawks Avenue in Hanson, the most frequently used lot (42.030651, -70.856614).

Wheelchair Birders Face Challenges in New England

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:11 GMT

Heather, wheelchair birding. Photograph by Richard Morreale.

Birds have delighted me since age 14 when I began volunteering at a wild animal hospital. I always loved animals, but I became captivated by the birds I encountered there. I flipped through bird guides, from color photo to color photo, dreaming of adventures with tanagers and buntings.

As an adult, I transmitted birding fervor to my husband, and we often hiked. On our honeymoon in Hawaii, we searched high and low for a Nene by foot and by car. When we chose trails, we rarely considered trail lengths or difficulty. We simply chose the most interesting-sounding trail.

Ten years ago, on a hike in Kentucky, my lifelong but until then manageable foot pain became intolerable. Each step was agony. For the next few years, I limped along, only painfully doing short trails. This was later explained when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune neurological condition. It was now impossible for me to walk trails. I delighted in watching the birds at our feeder, but I thought my outdoor birding days were over.

Accessible Birding in Winter

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:10 GMT

Birding from the accessible gazebo at Longmeadow Flats. Photograph by Steph Almasi.

Many folks are content limiting their birding to the abundance of spring. Seems like a smart decision. I live in small-town and rural Massachusetts, where the climate can create dangerous outdoor conditions for the six months that we split between Thanksgiving blizzards, actual winter, and faux spring. Tall snowbanks block crosswalks and views. Parking lots that are plowed on a somewhat predictable schedule are unpredictably left unsalted. Black ice surreptitiously creeps up on you when you least expect it. And even on the most popular “accessible” birding trails and bike paths, you must fend for yourself once frozen precipitation hits the ground. When you get out the door, the subzero temperatures and wind chill will surely turn your limbs into ice. And these are just the barriers that nondisabled birders experience in northern winters.

“Winter in the Northeast often instigates extra exhaustion for people like me who navigate painful, fatiguing chronic illnesses and related disabilities,” says Jacqueline Raposo, a birder and journalist based in New York City. “The same distance crossed during warmer months requires extra physical effort because of snow or ice; regulating body warmth and temperature requires more attention; gray skies trigger headaches, etc.”

Accessible Birding Sites in Massachusetts: 2023 Update

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:00:09 GMT

Swift River Universal Access Trail Loop, Palmer. Photograph by Marcy Marchello.

[Editor’s Note: In the October 2011 issue of Bird Observer, Marcy Marchello and I wrote an article about accessible birding sites in Massachusetts. This 2023 update features more locations, provides up-to-date links and resources, tweaks the format and geographical regions, and adds a section about beaches.]

From the shores of Cape Cod to the top of Mount Greylock, bird and wildlife enthusiasts with disabilities—or those who have family members or friends with disabilities—can find a greater number and variety of accessible viewing sites in Massachusetts to meet their needs than were available in 2011. Many government agencies, local municipalities, and environmental organizations have successfully integrated accessibility into outdoor settings. If a site is wheelchair accessible, it will also be suitable for people using strollers, walkers, and other devices. Some All Persons Trails have interpretative guides such as Braille maps or audio tours for blind or deaf birders. Other locations provide neurodiverse birders with quieter spaces to bird. The sites in this article offer a range of possibilities, whether you prefer viewing from your vehicle, remaining stationary outdoors or in a nature center, keeping your feet and wheels clean on boardwalks and paved trails, or trekking into the open landscape.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Universal Access Program offers accessible hiking programs at selected parks statewide for those who would like to try rugged wheelchairs on conventional hiking trails with support. Other year-round accessible activities include canoeing, kayaking, cycling, cross-country skiing, camping, fishing, and birding. These programs use adaptive recreation equipment and support staff to ensure an enjoyable experience for all. DCR has an extensive network of seasonal nature interpreters who offer free programs to the public, many of which are on accessible sites. Call the parks nearest you and ask about accessibility and the current program schedule. For more information, call the DCR Universal Access Program at 413-545-5353 (Universal Access Program – Mass.gov).