Table of Contents
North Shore Wildlife Sanctuaries Map Mass Audubon and Contact Information ...... Inside Front Cover 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 massaudubon .org Notes & Announcements ...... 2-3
Cover photos: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary Programs Red-winged Blackbird—Carol J . Decker© Adult and Special Events ...... 4-9 Red Squirrel and Reflection—Susan J . Grimwood© Children, Families, & All Ages ...... 9-17 Dunlin Flock—Sheila Carroll© Butterfly Weed and Echinacea—Susan J . Grimwood© Joppa Flats Education Center Programs Back cover photo: Adult ...... 18-26 American Redstart on Nest—Dave Larson© Children, Families, & All Ages ...... 27-30 Ipswich River Preschool Logo: Victor Atkins© Trips and Tours ...... 31-34 Printing: DS Graphics Funding provided in part by: General Information ...... 35 Registration Procedures & Policy Guidelines ...... 36
Registration Form ...... InsideBackCover
Register Online! You can register for most of Mass Audubon’s programs online . See page 36 for details.
Ipswich River Explore the outdoors at Day Camps Joppa Flats for children ages 4-14 Summer Camp! Creative and fun nature day camp Have Fun for children ages 6 to 13 in Nature this Summer! Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 am-3:00 pm Aftercamp Care until 5:00 pm Three convenient locations: • Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield • Nature-themed, hands-on sessions for ages 6 to 11 include multiple field trips! • Hamond Nature Center, Marblehead • Adventure-based ecology camp • Essex County Greenbelt Association’s for ages 11 to 13 includes two overnights! Cox Reservation, Essex For more information, see page 30 . For a camp brochure, visit massaudubon o. rg/ipswichrivercamp For a camp brochure, visit massaudubon o. rg/joppaflatscamp or call 978-887-9264 . or call Kirsten Lindquist at 978-462-9998 .
s t n e m e c n u o n n A & s e t o N s t a l F a p p o J m o r F 978-462-9998 for detailsandavailability for youror program guests fieldtrip available history toconductadelightfulnatural would like, atJoppaFlatscanbe the staffandvolunteers (e ideal venue for your next business meeting or special event Merrimack River and the Plum Island Estuary magnificent the overlooks Center Education Flats Joppa Rental Facility Please participation! call 978-462-9998 for more details donation a make can simply you can help raise money as a Joppa Flats booster; or you 20); or page (see Madness Bird-a-thon on Hardy Susan and Gette, Bill Moon, David join can you or County); (we’ll directyou tosomegreatbirdinghotspotsinEssex togetherandjointheJoppaFlatsteam get somefriends 13 May Saturday, on pm 6:00 Bird-a-thon from runs 6:00 pm on Friday, May 12, through event for fundraising JoppaFlats important very The annual Mass Audubon Bird-a-thonisgreatfunanda Bird-a-thon atJoppa Flats 978-462-9998 at America North and Antarctica, aswell locationsin asonmany intriguing Tanzania on travelogues present also We New England Birds, ,Wildlife and Backyard BirdSanctuaries. Marsh Great world natural the with fascination our explore that programs one-hour of series a developed have Flats Joppa at leaders trip and for your monthly meeting or special event? Staff naturalists Is your group looking for an exciting natural history lecture to Your Group Joppa FlatsBringsthe World . g . , wedding, service, memorial family reception) , Botswana , Ecology of Bald Eagles Bald of Ecology .
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N o t e s & Announcements May-August 2017
Joppa Flats Education Center , Newburyport
mages of the hardships and exciting meteorological eventsI of our coastal winter fade with the first warm evening rains that bring us migrating amphibians and gusts of warblers. The wonderful rough-legged hawks, ADULT sporadic snowy owls, and sea ducks that buoyed us through winter were unforgettable. Now peepers and woodcocks whistling in the wet places, or a stolen moment to stare at the sky from a carpet of new grass, might help us contend with the concerns of modern life. Studying nature with Mass Audubon has many benefits, not the least of which is to restore a sense of rightness in the world. We also address a variety of challenges, such as our changing climate, and unexpected political reversals. Steeping ourselves in nature is spiritual nourishment that helps us rise to the occasion. The past winter brought a metaphorical storm of political actions that threaten the progress we have made over the past 50 years to protect nature: calls to drill for oil near National Parks; a plan to build a b i r d s wall that would severely harm desert wildlife over Wednesday thousands of miles; and efforts to gut or repeal landmark laws that protect water, air, and endangered species. Wednesday Morning Birding IBA A P P O J Our new federal administration will muzzle science Wednesdays / 9:30 am-12:30 pm and try to interrupt and hide the only large-scale science data that track and explain changes in earth’s Leaders: David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary climate. These strategies are well-known ways for Director, and Dave Weaver, BCP miscreants in the government to justify actions with $14 members, $17 nonmembers per session
F lies. Mass Audubon is a non-partisan advocacy
S T A L organization, the first ever to call attention to We are in our 21st year of Wednesday Morning endangered birds and a leader in creating the first Birding! These very popular programs provide an national law to protect them. Worldwide, laws like excellent opportunity to explore one of the most ours are circumvented or not enforced, and nature productive birding areas in the country . To date, we continues to erode at a high pace. We will not have seen more than 320 species of birds on these accept that fate. Wednesday field trips . It is not an exaggeration to say that participation in Throughout the year, we will conduct our field trips environmental education programs, organized bird to birding hot spots in the Newburyport/Plum Island watching, and membership in Mass Audubon are all area . The focus for our programs will be the Parker actions that will help to hold firm on our progress River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island, the and prevent the worst damage in the face of our Merrimack River estuary, and other productive country’s political mess. Our advocacy department areas in Essex County . When appropriate, we will is busy explaining what we all can do to continue adjust our itinerary to search for rarities reported progress toward a sustainable civilization. Strangely in the area . enough, enjoyment of our wonderful programs and trips has a newly dramatic purpose as some of the This program is ideal for birders of all skill levels . actions you can take to keep us going in the right We do not meet in July . direction. Together we will stop our beloved land from Preregistration is not necessary . Four-trip special: being despoiled, and our government from becoming unrecognizable. Conservation is a non-partisan $42 members, $51 nonmembers . Please call or email issue. Let’s organize for nature! to sign up for the Wednesday Morning Birding email list . David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center unless otherwise noted. Please wear appropriate clothes P.S. Throughout the catalog, IBA indicates a program that takes place within a Massachusetts and bring binoculars, spotting scopes, and snacks Important Bird Area, and “BCP” signifies a graduate or lunch. of the Joppa Flats Birder’s Certificate Program.
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Friday Morningb Bird i Walks: r d s b i r d s Focus on Warblers IBA Wednesday Fridays in May / 8:00-11:00 am Wednesday Evening Birding IBA Leader: Dave Williams, BCP Wednesdays in May / 5:30-7:30 pm $12 members, $15 nonmembers per session Leaders: David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director, and David Davis and Linda Hunnewell, Get an early start on the birding day with local trips Naturalists in the area . Many birds are most active early in the morning and therefore easier to see . Explore various $10 members, $12 nonmembers per session locations in the greater Newburyport/Plum Island Back by popular demand! In what has become a rite area, including such birding hot spots as the Parker of spring, we will again conduct a series of evening River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island, field trips . Join us as we enjoy a tremendous variety Oak Hill Cemetery in Newburyport, Pikes Bridge of both migrant and resident bird species during Road in West Newbury, and Salisbury Beach State the quiet time on Plum Island when fewer people Reservation . The focus for these excursions will be the are present on the refuge and the animals become beautiful wood-warblers migrating through our area . more active . Each evening, we will focus on a particular Of course, we will also be on the lookout for other theme, covering such topics as bird migration, neotropical migrants . adaptations, taxonomy, habitat niches, birding Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please bring strategies, and more . binoculars and a field guide. Registration is not required. During these programs, we will explore the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, the Merrimack River, and other extremely productive birdwatching sites in the area . Expect beautiful birds, good conversation, a few laughs, and (we hope) spectacular sunsets! Registration is not necessary . Four-trip special:
$30 members, $36 nonmembers . Saturday Morning Birding IBA Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please bring b i r d s binoculars and a field guide. Saturdays / 9:00-11:30 am LATS
Leaders: Debra Listernick, Alison O’Hare, F
Dave Weaver, and Dave Williams, BCPs; Jonathan Brooks and Lynette Leka, Naturalists $8 members, $10 nonmembers per session Birding Western Essex County IBA Wish you could join us for birding on Wednesdays JOPPA Thursday, May 4 / 8:00 am-4:00 pm but work gets in the way? Or is Wednesday the day Leader: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science for your piano/tai chi/crochet lesson? Good news! You and Education Coordinator can come outside and enjoy Saturday Morning Birding! Our experienced leaders will take you around to $48 members, $60 nonmembers all the birding hot spots in the Newburyport/Plum Come with Dave to explore some of the best birding locations Island area in search of avian activity . Beginners and in the other side of the county . Our birding programs tend to birders of all skill levels are welcome . Don’t forget be coastal, and who can blame us? But on this excursion we to bring your sense of excitement about this great will visit some of the lesser known hot spots inland . These area–one of the best year-round birding locations may include wildlife management areas in Groveland and in the country . Boxford; the huge heronry in Boxford; conservation areas There is no Saturday Morning Birding on May 13 or in Andover; Crystal Gorge Conservation Area in Haverhill; in July . and other “secret” locations . We promise new vistas and some interesting birds . Preregistration is not required . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Bring binoculars, Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please wear snacks, drinks, and lunch. Please dress for the weather. weather-appropriate clothes and bring binoculars (we do have some loaners available).
preregistration required for all programs 978-462-9998 Joppa Flats 19 adult
Evening Birding Ramble at Appleton Farms IBA Thursday, May 11 / 5:00-7:00 pm Leader: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Education Coordinator Cosponsor: The Trustees $13 members, $15 nonmembers Join us for a two-hour afternoon/evening walk on the grounds of Appleton Farms and Grass Rides . These beautiful The Hills of Topsfield conservation areas in Ipswich and Hamilton, owned by Sunday, May 7 / 9:00 am-noon The Trustees, provide mixed habitats that support many bird species . During our program, we will explore several sites, Leader: Alison O’Hare, BCP looking for nesting birds . By mid-May, red-winged blackbirds, $25 members, $30 nonmembers Baltimore orioles, eastern meadowlarks, bobolinks, scarlet Even though it’s only five minutes from Route 1 and tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and many other species Interstate 95, this pastoral venue will seem as if it’s a world have begun to breed . As we walk along, we will see the away . We’ll leave the vans behind and follow a three-mile courtship and territorial displays of many of these species loop through the gently rolling hills of Topsfield . Our pace and enjoy their magnificent songs . will be leisurely, giving us time to enjoy the beauty of the Meets at the Grass Rides parking lot on Highland Street, rural landscape as we look and listen for birds . We will walk Hamilton. Please wear comfortable walking shoes; bring along sections of the beautiful Ipswich River and past open binoculars, snacks, and drinks. farm fields . Plan to see and hear warblers, eastern bluebirds, raptors, and much more . In our fast-paced world, this will Bird-a-thon Madness IBA be a real treat . Come along and find out what a bird walk is all about! Saturday, May 13 / 8:00 am-6:00 pm Meets at the Essex County Co-op parking lot, Route 1 in Leaders: David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director; Topsfield, directly across from the main entrance to the Bill Gette, former Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director; and Topsfield Fairgrounds. Please bring binoculars, snacks, and Susan Hardy, BCP A P P O J water; wear comfortable walking shoes. $100 members and nonmembers Be a part of the Joppa Flats annual Bird-a-thon fundraising Pocket Birding for Spring Migrants IBA effort! During this 10-hour birding expedition, we will visit
a wide variety of habitats in Essex County, looking for the
F Tuesday, May 9 / 6:00-11:00 am largest number of bird species possible . Although we will S T A L Leader: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science move quickly among many sites, we will take time to ensure and Education Coordinator that participants see the birds . Our primary birding locations $33 members, $41 nonmembers will include the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (Plum Island), Bald Hill Reservation in Boxford, the Upper Mass Audubon’s Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Artichoke Reservoir area, and the Martin Burns Wildlife Nahant Thicket Wildlife Sanctuary are two gems along the Management Area . Essex County coast . As undeveloped oases in largely suburban neighborhoods, they are a magnet for migrating songbirds . As a member of the Joppa Flats birding team, you will make They are also a magnet for songbird watchers . Join Dave observations during this event that will contribute to our to explore these two pocket paradises and see what the center’s overall list of sightings . On each of our previous nocturnal migration has delivered . Because of the weekday Bird-a-thon Madness programs, we have observed between traffic, we will leave Joppa Flats at 6:00 am sharp for 90 and 100 bird species . Join us for a great event . You’ll have Marblehead Neck . If you just have to get a little more an exciting time while supporting our fundraising efforts . sleep and can find the sanctuary, you can meet us there . This program welcomes all ability levels . We will finish up at the even more elusive Nahant Thicket . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Bring binoculars, Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please dress for the lunch, and snacks. We provide a pizza supper for all weather and bring binoculars, a field guide, snacks, and a participants following the program. scope if you have one.
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Introduction to the Birds at Cogswell’s Grant IBA Monday, May 15 / 8:30-10:30 am Leader: Dave Weaver, BCP Cosponsor: Historic New England $12 members, $16 nonmembers The beautiful 165-acre Cogswell’s Grant in Essex offers a variety of habitats that attract many species of birds . During mid-May, many breeding birds such as bobolink and Baltimore Spring Birding at Rough Meadows IBA oriole have already returned to our fields and forests to nest, while many others are still migrating through our area Thursday, May 18 / 8:30-11:30 am en route to their more northerly breeding grounds . Leader: Dave Williams, BCP Join Dave Weaver for a leisurely morning walk, while we $18 members, $21 nonmembers discuss the many aids to field identification and breeding Joppa Flats staff and volunteers manage the delightful Rough behavior as well as learn to identify birds by their vocalizations . Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary on Patmos Road in Rowley . The grasslands, salt marshes, and woodlands of Cogswell’s Come with us as we explore the salt marshes, fields, and oak Grant are a treasure trove for birders . and hickory uplands of Rough Meadows and look for spring Coffee and refreshments will be served, and the historic house migrant warblers, vireos, and other songbirds . will be open to participants for a brief tour . The member price Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please dress applies to members of Mass Audubon and Historic New England . for the weather and bring waterproof footwear. Bring Meets at Cogswell’s Grant on Spring Street in Essex. Please binoculars and snacks. Protect yourself against ticks dress for the weather and bring binoculars. and mosquitoes. Banding Station Visit for Birders IBA Saturday, May 20 / 8:00-11:00 am Leaders: Ben Flemer, Banding Station Manager,
n a t u r e and Lynette Leka, Naturalist Lectures Free for members and nonmembers Wednesday Evening Lecture Series A significant part of what we know about bird migration comes from the operations of bird banding stations . LATS Wednesdays / 7:30-8:30 pm F
Free for members, $4 nonmembers Banders collect date, time, age, weight, size, molt, gender, and health status data on birds captured in the wild . Joppa Flats Education Center offers a monthly lecture These data are forwarded to the Bird Banding Laboratory series on natural history topics . Free to Mass Audubon at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and used by members . Children ages 8 and up are welcome with an researchers throughout the world . This program is an JOPPA adult . Preregistration is not required . opportunity for birders to visit the Joppa Flats Bird Banding Station on the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, see May 17: “The Natural Splendor of Antarctica” the banders at work, and learn about banding . You will find Speaker: Dave Weaver, BCP it a fascinating visit . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Bring binoculars. June 21: “The Arts and the Experience Please be prepared for the weather, and protect yourself of Nature” against mosquitoes and ticks. Speaker: David Davis, Joppa Flats Poet-in-Residence, and Invited Poets and Artists
August 30: “Shorebirds in Migration” Speaker: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Education Coordinator
September 13: “Salt Marshes in the Age of Climate Change – Ecology and Conservation” Speaker: Robert Buchsbaum, Mass Audubon Regional Scientist Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center.
preregistration required for all programs 978-462-9998 Joppa Flats 21 adult
The Wonder and the Wow: Dinner with the Herons IBA A New Look at Nature Thursday, June 22 / 6:00-8:00 pm Saturdays / 8:30 am-1:30 pm Leaders: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Education Leaders: Lisa Hutchings, Joppa Flats School and Youth Coordinator, and Dave Weaver, BCP Education Coordinator, and Jonathan Brooks, Naturalist Cosponsor: The Trustees $30 members, $40 nonmembers unless otherwise noted $15 members, $25 nonmembers Why should kids have all the fun? These adult trips take us far Come to Manchester-by-the-Sea for a two-hour visit to afield with plenty of time to allow a full immersion nature view the evening flight of herons, egrets, and ibises into the experience with friends and colleagues . Leaders Lisa Hutchings largest heronry in Massachusetts . Kettle Island, owned by and Jonathan Brooks have picked out exciting new destinations Mass Audubon, has the greatest number of nesting glossy along with a few “wow” favorites for the warm months . We’ve ibises and great egrets, the only known nesting sites of set time aside during each program for a group meal so we tricolored herons, and the only current site for little blue can extend the social side of learning . You’ll come away with heron nests in the state . From the mainland, we will view a brand-new enthusiasm for the natural world around you . the amazing spectacle of the evening flight while discussing the life-and-death struggle of the Kettle Island colony . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center unless otherwise noted. Meets at The Trustees’ Coolidge Reservation on Summer May 27: Great Bay Discovery Center, Street (Route 127), Manchester-by-the-Sea. Please wear Greenland, NH appropriate clothes and bring binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, your dinner, and your sense of wonder. June 24: Ward Reservation, Andover
July 22: Whale Watch on the Captain’s Lady II $58 members, $65 nonmembers Seabird Cruises Registration deadline: July 20. Meets at the Newburyport b i r d s waterfront boardwalk. Wear rubber-soled shoes, a hat, Mondays / 9:00 am-3:00 pm and sunglasses. Bring warm clothing, sunscreen, and your August 14 & September 11 camera. The Captain’s Lady II has a well-stocked galley. Open to adults and families with children A P P O J No alcohol may be brought on board. ages 4 and up Leader: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science August 19: Coolidge Reservation and Agassiz and Education Coordinator Rock, Manchester-by-the-Sea Cosponsor: Newburyport Whale Watch
F adults $65 members or nonmembers per session S T A L children $30 members or nonmembers per session This program focuses on seabirds, including storm-petrels, shearwaters, gannets, jaegers, terns, gulls, and phalaropes . On board the Captain’s Lady II, we will visit Jeffreys Ledge or Stellwagen Bank to find the best seabirds around . Dave Larson from Joppa Flats will spot and narrate sightings . Seniors receive a $7 discount . Children ages 4 to 12 are eligible for the children’s rate . To register for these marine birding trips, please call the Newburyport Whale Watch at 1-800-848-1111. Meets on the Newburyport waterfront boardwalk. Wear rubber-soled shoes, a hat, and sunglasses. Bring warm clothing, sunscreen, and your camera. The Captain’s Lady II has a well-stocked galley. No alcohol may be brought on board.
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Focus on Shorebirds IBA Bird Photography Workshop Sunday, July 30 / 8:00 am-2:00 pm Sunday, August 13 / 2:00-4:30 pm Leader: Dave Weaver, BCP Leader: Eduardo del Solar, Photographer $36 members, $42 nonmembers $60 members, $70 nonmembers The Newburyport/Plum Island area is one of the finest places This workshop aims to develop skills and strategies to improve along the East Coast for viewing shorebirds during fall migration . your bird photographs . Technical, artistic, and practical topics By late July, many of the shorebirds that have bred in northern covered in this workshop include: equipment and associated Canada are already moving southward along the coast . The accessories needed for static photography and shooting birds extensive mudflats near the mouth of the Merrimack River, in flight; light, exposure, and composition techniques; the the salt marshes in the Plum Island estuary, and the salt pannes digital darkroom; where to go and how to approach birds; and impoundments on the Parker River National Wildlife and ethical issues associated with nature photography . Refuge provide excellent feeding areas and roosting sites Types of bird photography covered include: bird on a branch; for these long-range migrants . bird only; environmental photography; behavioral topics Join us as we explore the Newburyport area looking for such as breeding, feeding, migration, and displaying; birds in these fascinating birds . We expect to see black-bellied flight; outdoor studio photography versus nature or “natural” and semipalmated plovers, greater and lesser yellowlegs, photography; realism or documentary versus expressionistic/ semipalmated and least sandpipers, short-billed dowitchers, artistic photography; and captives . willets, Hudsonian godwits, and more . During our program, Strategies for improving your skills will be covered in some we will focus on the many aids to field identification, detail . A minimum of seven participants is required for including physical characteristics, habitat preference, and this program . feeding techniques . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please bring Eduardo del Solar is a master nature photographer as well as a retired schoolteacher who has exhibited widely . He binoculars plus a lunch, drink, and snacks. has designed this workshop to be accessible to all levels of bird photographers . A graduate of the Birder’s Certificate Program, Eduardo is now in the eighth year of his ongoing project to photograph the birds of the Americas . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Wednesdayb i r d s IBA
Wednesday Evening Shorebirding LATS
Wednesdays in August / 5:30-7:30 pm F
Did you know you can go birding with us Leaders: David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary four times a week in May, Director, and David Davis and Linda Hunnewell, Naturalists three times a week in August and September,
$10 members, $12 nonmembers per session and two times a week every other month except July? JOPPA Each Wednesday evening in August, we will introduce In July, the birds take a break, and so do we! participants to the wonderful diversity of shorebirds that migrate through the Newburyport/Plum Island area during the late summer . The field trips are designed to provide participants with the tools to identify Massachusetts shorebirds and to deliver an in-depth understanding of the biology and ecology of these fascinating animals . Participants will observe various migration schedules and the relative abundance of these birds . Each week we will focus on several species, discussing their identifying characteristics, behavior, habitat preferences, and range . Preregistration is not necessary . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please bring binoculars and a spotting scope if available.
preregistration required for all programs 978-462-9998 Joppa Flats 23 adult
Birder’s Certificateb i Program r d IBA s First of 11 Monthly Sessions: Saturday, August 19 / 9:00 am-5:00 pm Leaders: Jon Atwood, Mass Audubon Director of Bird Conservation; Bill Gette, former Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director; Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Education Coordinator; David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director; Wayne Petersen, Mass Audubon Director of Important Bird Areas Program; Scott Santino, Ipswich River Teacher-Naturalist, BCP $1,200 members, $1,300 nonmembers The Birder’s Certificate Program (BCP), offered annually by Mass Audubon since 2004, is a key component in our ongoing efforts to provide the finest educational programs that inform and excite An Evening with the Egrets the public about the nature of Massachusetts . of Plum Island IBA Mass Audubon staff developed the certificate Thursday, August 24 / 4:00-8:00 pm program in collaboration with college faculty, Leader: David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director experienced birders, and professional ornithologists . The program is equivalent to an undergraduate- $24 members, $28 nonmembers level ornithology course, with the addition of During their post-breeding dispersal, thousands of egrets and extensive field time and the opportunity for herons move into the Plum Island estuary . By day, these waders self-directed study . feed in the salt marshes and on the mudflats . In the early The program covers a wide range of subject matter, evening, the herons and egrets join together in a communal A P P O J including avian systematics, biology, physiology, roost . The roost can contain several thousand birds, including behavior, ecology, biogeography, and conservation . great and snowy egrets; great blue, little blue, and tricolored Eleven modules will combine classroom and field herons; black-crowned night-herons; and glossy ibises . experience, and student comprehension will Join us for an evening birding trip to the Newburyport/Plum
F be evaluated through homework assignments . Island area . We will begin our program by visiting a number
S T A L A 12th module involves independent study . The of very productive areas to observe migrating shorebirds, program can be completed within one calendar including Hudsonian godwits, white-rumped and stilt year . Students who successfully complete the sandpipers, semipalmated and black-bellied plovers, program will receive a certificate of achievement dowitchers, and many others . and a BCP binocular harness . We will then drive onto the Parker River National Wildlife Please go to massaudubon .org/birderscertificate for Refuge, eat our picnic dinners, and observe the evening flight more information . of egrets and herons . The birds flying through a setting sun is a spectacular sight! Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please wear sturdy shoes and bring binoculars and a picnic dinner.
Planning ahead for the Birder’s Certificate Program Do you think you might want to take the Birder’s Certificate Program in 2018? Call 978-462-9998 now to get on the interest list!
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Friday Morningb Bird i Walks: r d s Fall Migrants IBA Fridays in September / 8:00-11:00 am Leader: Dave Williams, BCP $12 members, $15 nonmembers per session Get an early start on the birding day with local trips in the area . Many birds are most active early in the morning and therefore easier to see . Explore various locations Shorebirds of Joppa Flats in the greater Newburyport/Plum Island area including Workshop IBA such birding hot spots as the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island, Oak Hill Cemetery in Friday, August 25 / 7:00-9:00 pm Newburyport, Pikes Bridge Road in West Newbury, and Saturday, August 26 / 6:00 am-4:00 pm and Salisbury Beach State Reservation . The focus for Leaders: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Education these excursions will be the birds migrating through Coordinator, and Dave Weaver, BCP our area, including warblers, shorebirds, raptors, and $95 members, $125 nonmembers other exciting migrants . This two-day workshop is designed to introduce participants Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please to many of the migrating shorebirds that visit our tidal flats, bring binoculars and a field guide. Preregistration beaches, salt marshes, and other wetlands at this time of year . is not required. During the workshop, Dave and Dave will use a lecture and a field trip to inform participants about the various species of shorebirds, including plovers and sandpipers, as well as some of their predators . Discussion topics will include physical adaptations (demonstrated with the use of study Hands-on Bird Photography Series skins), aids to field identification, migration patterns and timing, age distribution, nesting and foraging behaviors, Saturdays, September 9, 16, 23, & 30 and conservation issues that impact these marvelous 7:00 am-noon and diverse birds . Leader: Eduardo del Solar, Photographer
The workshop begins with an evening lecture on Friday . $245 members, $345 nonmembers LATS
An all-day field trip on Saturday covers many of the premier F
Join avian photographer Eduardo del Solar in this hands-on shorebirding locations in Essex County . We will explore photography workshop series designed to improve your the salt marshes, beaches, and mudflats of Plum Island and technical and artistic bird photography skills . The workshop the Merrimack River estuary . Target species include local will have the following components each week: breeders such as the willet, killdeer, and piping plover, as well as migrants such as least, semipalmated, white-rumped, stilt, • Two-and-a-half-hour classroom session focusing on the JOPPA and other sandpipers, and semipalmated and black-bellied skills required for photographing birds in several modes plovers . We will tease out dowitchers and look for grassland (flight, portrait, environmental, and artistic) . specialties such as whimbrels and buff-breasted sandpipers . • Two-and-a-half-hour shoot, with the site and type of As we bird Plum Island and the other venues, we’ll have images selected by the instructor . an excellent chance of seeing a wide variety of species, plumages, and ages . • Homework assignments, for which participants provide the instructor with their best images for the week . Your registration fee includes instructional materials, transportation during field exercises, and a picnic breakfast . • Critique of student’s three best images, with a focus on Please ask for information on dining and lodging choices in improving each participant’s skill set . the historic Newburyport area . No specific camera equipment is required—we will work Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center on both days. with what you have . All skill levels are accepted . Eduardo For the field portion of the program, please dress for the will individualize instruction based on the skill set of weather. Bring lunch, snacks, a field guide, binoculars, each participant . and scopes. Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center.
preregistration required for all programs 978-462-9998 Joppa Flats 25 adult
Bird Banding Workshop IBA Thursday, September 21 / 7:00-9:00 pm and Saturday, September 23 / 7:30 am-noon Leader: Alison O’Hare, BCP $55 members, $65 nonmembers Joppa Flats Education Center, in cooperation with the U .S . Fish and Wildlife Service, operates a bird banding station on the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge . The U .S . Fish and Wildlife Service and Mass Audubon utilize information collected at the station to monitor species diversity, the movement of Plum Island COASTSWEEP birds on the refuge, bird populations, and other factors . Joppa Flats is offering a limited number of openings in its Bird Saturday, September 16 / 9:00 am-5:00 pm Banding Workshop . This program is designed for participants Leaders: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Education who want to learn the basics of bird banding . During the Coordinator, and David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary two-hour classroom portion of this workshop on Thursday Director evening, we will discuss the principles and objectives of Cosponsor: Parker River National Wildlife Refuge bird banding, provide strategies for identifying birds in the Free for members and nonmembers hand, and review the many aids for aging and sexing these incredible animals . During the field trip on Saturday morning, COASTSWEEP is the annual statewide cleanup of we will visit the bird banding station; participate in the Massachusetts coastal and riverine environments . For more identification, aging, and sexing process; observe banding; than 20 years, COASTSWEEP has engaged thousands of and help with data collection . volunteers in cleaning hundreds of miles of shoreline and riverbanks . Our COASTSWEEP project will involve removing This course is required of all bird banding station volunteers . trash and debris from the beaches on Plum Island, including Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center for both sessions. the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Sandy Point State For the lecture (September 21), please bring your field guide. Reservation, and the north end of the island . In the past 10 For the field trip (September 23), bring your binoculars and years, we have collected more than 15 tons of debris! field guide, and wear a top without buttons (e.g., a sweatshirt,
A P P O J This event is free, and everyone is welcome . Rain or shine . pullover sweater, etc.) to avoid getting tangled in the nets. Give us a hand and help protect the nature of Massachusetts! Protect yourself against mosquitoes and ticks. Meets at Parking Lot #1 on the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island, Newbury.
F S T A L Introduction to Birdwatching IBA Natural History Tours Sunday, September 17 / 9:00 am-3:00 pm with Joppa Flats Staff Leader: Alison O’Hare, BCP $36 members, $42 nonmembers Birding the Connecticut Lakes, NH: June 2-4 Do you enjoy watching birds but want to improve your ability Minnesota and North Dakota: June 7-15 to identify them? This program will teach the basics of field Machias Seal Island & Eastern Maine: June 10-12 identification, including physical characteristics, behavior, habitat, voice, and more . Following the classroom presentation, Louisiana—Cajun Country: November 7-13 we will help you to practice and integrate your identification For trip details, please see pages 31-34. skills during our field trip . Our low participant-to-naturalist ratio allows for lots of individualized attention as we work through the identification of a variety of species . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Please bring binoculars and a field guide, dress for the weather, and bring lunch and snacks.
26 massaudubon.org/joppaflats children, families, & all ages children,families, On-the-River Science Cruises Aboard the Yankee Clipper & ALL AGES Open to families with children ages 3 and up Leader: Lisa Hutchings, Joppa Flats School and Youth Education Coordinator adults $24 members, $32 nonmembers per session Mother’s Day children $18 members, $22 nonmembers per session at the Bird Banding Station Join Lisa Hutchings and the crew of the Yankee Clipper for an Sunday, May 14 / 9:30-11:30 am exciting exploration of the lower Merrimack River ecosystem . Each month will feature a specific theme with hands-on Open to families with children ages 6 and up science, interactive props, and seasonal wildlife . We’ll also Leaders: Ben Flemer, Banding Station Manager, look for seabirds, seals, and waterfowl on every trip . Your and Lynette Leka, Naturalist family will have a wonderful time cruising and learning about Free for members and nonmembers this vital part of the area’s natural history . Come for an exciting visit to the Joppa Flats Bird Banding The Yankee Clipper is U .S . Coast Guard inspected and licensed Station on the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge . Our and has life jackets and a marine toilet for your convenience . banders collect data on birds captured in the wild, then share All children must be accompanied by adults . The deadline for it with researchers throughout the world . Learn about preregistering is 4:00 pm on the day before the program . We migration, habitat use, and scientific research at a real field will run this program in all weather except thunderstorms station . The station operates only during the height of or during small craft advisories . If we cancel the program, migration in spring (April and May) and fall (September and we will issue full refunds or program credits . October) . Children must be accompanied by an adult . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. Sunday, June 18 / 8:45-10:45 am: Hands-on Science with Dad Cruise Bio-Blitz Free-for-All! Saturday, July 15 / 8:45-10:45 am: Sunday, May 28 / 10:00 am-3:00 pm Beach Creatures Cruise
Free for members and nonmembers Connecting with nature starts with developing a good sense Sunday, August 13 / 8:45-10:45 am: of place, and a great place to start is right here at Joppa Flats . Ocean Food Web Cruise
This full-day, drop-in family event will feature an exciting LATS Meets at the Newburyport boardwalk 15 minutes before F mixture of indoor and outdoor activities that encourage children and adults to learn more about the biodiversity of departure time. Bring extra clothing and binoculars. all the animals, plants, and insects that frequent our butterfly garden, salt marsh, and backyard!
This program is open to all ages . Children must be accompanied JOPPA by adults . This is a rain-or-shine event . There will be half-hour family presentations at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm . Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center.
preregistration required for all programs 978-462-9998 Joppa Flats 27 children, families, & all ages
See, Think, and Wonder Walkabouts Thursdays / 2:00-3:30 pm M B eET eACH Creatures Open to families with children ages 3 to 6 is back at Joppa! Leaders: Lisa Hutchings, Joppa Flats School and Youth Education Coordinator, and Kathy Dunfee, Trouble-free tide pooling Teacher-Naturalist with our 110-gallon tide pool touch tank adults $7 members, $9 nonmembers per session Drop in BEFORE the beach, children $6 members, $8 nonmembers per session AFTER the beach, or INSTEAD of the beach! In every kind of weather, we love to head outdoors to our spectacular local habitats, so join us for one, two, or all five LIVE ANIMALS – CRAFTS – GAMES – DAILY THEMES of these nature explorations! Each one will focus on the HALF-HOUR FAMILY PRESENTATIONS importance of a sense of place as we explore the ecology, at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm sights, and sounds of our natural landscape . Wildlife, local and migrating birds, collecting techniques, and environmental THURSDAYS-SUNDAYS awareness will be presented in a fun, energetic format that adults and children alike will enjoy . 10:00 am-3:00 pm Not recommended for children under 3 . June 29 through August 20
Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center unless otherwise $2 suggested donation per child . noted. Please dress for the weather and bring a nut-free No individual preregistration required . snack for your child. In the event of cold, heavy rain or Groups of 10 or more, please call ahead: 978-462-9998 . the threat of thunderstorms, this event will be postponed. June 22: Trapping Fish in the Salt Marsh at Joppa
July 6: Capturing Bugs in the Riverside Yard Imagine, Sing, & Learn at Joppa at Joppa Open to families with children ages 3 to 6
A P P O J July 20: Meeting Backyard Birds at Joppa Fridays / 9:30-11:00 am Leaders: Lisa Hutchings, Joppa Flats School and August 3: Making Flower Art at Spencer Peirce Youth Education Coordinator, and Kathy Dunfee, Little Farm Teacher-Naturalist
adults $7 members, $9 nonmembers per session F Meets at Spencer Peirce Little Farm, Little’s Lane, Newbury
S T A L children $6 members, $8 nonmembers per session August 17: Finding Frogs at Mill Pond This parent-child program is designed for the creative, Meets at the Mill Pond Recreation Area in West Newbury. curious, and active preschooler . Each 90-minute session offers a structured series of activities, including original songs, movement, dramatic play, hands-on science, and a thematic snack . You’ll receive coloring pages, song lyrics, vocabulary, a fun-fact sheet, and a suggested reading list in an electronic goody bag! A portion of the program will take place outdoors . Please wear close-toed shoes and protect yourselves with sunblock and insect repellent . June 30: Hermits, Sea Stars, & Snails
July 14: Sand, Shorebirds, & the Tides
July 28: Caterpillars, Butterflies, & Moths
August 11: Ducks, Scud, & Mud
August 25: Frogs, Turtles, & Water Bugs Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center.
28 massaudubon.org/joppaflats children, families, & all ages
Birthday Parties for Mass Audubon Members Celebrate your child’s special day at Joppa Flats— Butterflies and Bugs Free-for-All it’s a great way to have fun Sunday, July 23 / 10:00 am-3:00 pm and support the nature of Massachusetts! Free for members and nonmembers For $265, Drop in at Joppa Flats and meet live caterpillars, moths, and our birthday party package includes: butterflies! You’ll learn smart practices to attract birds and wildlife to your own yard and find out how to identify insects • Private program space safely . Enjoy a Backyard Bug Hunt with our naturalists, join • Two hours of hands-on educational fun in the Monarch Migration Relay Race, and take home a fun with time out for cake craft or two . • All tableware (cloths, napkins, plates, utensils) This program is open to all ages . Children must be accompanied • Party decoration and banners by adults . This is a rain-or-shine event . There will be half-hour • Take-home art projects for each child family presentations at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm . • Customized goodie bag and birthday banner Meets at Joppa Flats Education Center. for the birthday child For children turning 4 to 5: Limited to 14 children
with one participating parent per child . Seabird Cruises Open to adults and families with children For children turning 6 to 10: ages 4 and up The base cost covers up to 14 children . LATS F
Mondays / 9:00 am-3:00 pm Additional children are $15 each with a maximum of 18 children . August 14 & September 11 Please plan on at least one parent chaperone Marine birding trip onboard the per every five children .
Captain’s Lady II JOPPA Choose your theme! Leader: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Education Coordinator For ages 4 to 5: Indoor Beach Party, Backyard Birds, Eagles & Owls, Ocean Animals, Polar Pals, Paws & Claws, See page 22. Riverside Bug Hunt, Ponding Fun For ages 6 to 10: Themes listed above plus Endangered Animals, Ocean Zones, Ocean Science, Backyard-ology, Birding Blitz
Parties at an offsite location can be arranged . Times and fees vary . In all cases, please reserve two months in advance . Email Lisa Hutchings at lhutchings@massaudubon org. to book your party today!
preregistration required for all programs 978-462-9998 Joppa Flats 29 children, families, & all ages
Joppa Flats Summersummer Camp Session 5: Wild Survivorscamp July 24-28 / 8:30 am-3:00 pm Mondays-Fridays For ages 6 to 11 Open to children ages 6 to 13 $350 members, $416 nonmembers Camp Director: Kirsten Lindquist, Joppa Flats Teacher-Naturalist Joppa Flats Summer Camp is the perfect program for Session 6: Take Flight! children with an interest in and curiosity about nature . July 31-August 4 / 8:30 am-3:00 pm Campers have fun and make friends as they discover For ages 6 to 11 North Shore habitats through hands-on activities, such $360 members, $425 nonmembers as tide pooling, wildlife tracking, orienteering, nature art, and eco-engineering challenges . Weekly field trips provide full ecosystem immersion, and small group sizes Session 7: Nature Nomads ensure a welcoming, supportive environment . August 7-11 / 8:30 am-3:00 pm Nature Questers, our session for ages 11 to 13, brings For ages 6 to 11 campers farther outdoors with daily field trips, field $350 members, $415 nonmembers ecology projects, paddling trips, and two overnights at Mass Audubon’s Camp Wildwood in Rindge, NH . Session 8: Hoist the Sails and Comb the Shore We offer an after-camp option until 5:00 pm every week . Registration deadline for all sessions: May 15 . August 14-18 / 8:30 am-3:00 pm For details, go to massaudubon .org/joppaflatscamp . For ages 6 to 11 $365 members, $425 nonmembers Session 1: River to Sea June 26-30 / 8:30 am-3:00 pm Session 9: Nature Questers For ages 6 to 11 August 21-25 / 8:30 am-3:30 pm A P P O J $375 members, $440 nonmembers For ages 11 to 13 $395 members, $460 nonmembers Session 2: Bugs Bonanza
July 3-7 / 8:30 am-3:00 pm F
S T A L For ages 6 to 11 $355 members, $420 nonmembers
Session 3: Splash! Aquatic Adventures July 10-14 / 8:30 am-3:00 pm For ages 6 to 11 $365 members, $435 nonmembers
Session 4: Nature Detectives July 17-21 / 8:30 am-3:00 pm For ages 6 to 11 $350 members, $415 nonmembers
30 massaudubon.org/joppaflats
2 0 1 7 - 2 0 1 8 Trips and Tours
Spring Passage at Cape May Friday, May 5-Monday, May 8 / 4 days Leaders: Scott Santino, Ipswich River Teacher-Naturalist, and Susan MacCallum, South Shore Sanctuaries Director Contact: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 978-887-9264 Cosponsor: South Shore Sanctuaries $850 members, $950 nonmembers Nonrefundable deposit: $100 Cape May, New Jersey, located at the southern end of a long peninsula where the Delaware Bay joins the Atlantic Ocean, Birding the is an exciting area to visit during spring migration . Large Connecticut Lakes, New Hampshire numbers of migrating birds crossing the ocean find this a perfect location to rest and refuel before continuing their Friday, June 2-Sunday, June 4 / 3 days journey north . For eons, shorebirds such as red knots, dunlins, Leaders: David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director, ruddy turnstones, and sandpipers have come here in spring and Bill Gette, former Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director to feed on the horseshoe crab eggs laid on the narrow Contact: Joppa Flats Education Center, 978-462-9998 beaches . Springtime here can be a symphony of sight and sound, with many birds moving through the area, while newly $665 members, $765 nonmembers arrived breeding species set up their territories . Many of the Nonrefundable deposit: $200 birds breeding here are at the northern edge of their range, During this exciting weekend program, we will explore the and we have a good chance of seeing prothonotary, worm- Connecticut Lakes region of northern New Hampshire, eating, hooded, Kentucky, and yellow-throated warblers; an area rich in wildlife and magnificent scenery . Over our 14 blue grosbeaks; Carolina chickadees; and summer tanagers . previous trips, we have seen a total of 129 species of birds, Heading south, we will be some of the first visitors to including many boreal species . Target birds will include Edwin B . Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (Brigantine) black-backed and pileated woodpeckers, gray jay, common since it closed following Hurricane Sandy in 2012 . The raven, yellow-bellied and alder flycatchers, spruce grouse, remainder of the weekend we’ll explore the diverse habitats boreal chickadee, rusty blackbird, Philadelphia vireo, in and around Cape May County . We will bird at key migration and many species of warblers (e .g ., mourning, blackpoll, stops such as Cape May Point State Park, Higbee Beach, Wilson’s, and bay-breasted) . We also expect to see a and Belleplain State Forest . Whether you are a birder, wide variety of butterflies and several species of mammals photographer, or an all-around naturalist, this trip will prove including moose . to be a winner . The program fee is for double occupancy and includes all The fee includes: round-trip van transportation from the transportation between Newburyport and the Connecticut Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield, or North River Lakes, lodging at The Glen (a wonderful northern inn), and Wildlife Sanctuary, Marshfield; motel accommodations six meals . Single rooms are not available on this trip . Please (double occupancy) in Cape May; two picnic lunches; and call for a detailed brochure . field instruction. Other meals are not included. Single rooms Final payment is due May 2. Leaders will send out trip are available for an additional fee. Please register at least materials after final payment is received, approximately one month in advance. Cancellations made within 30 days two weeks prior to the trip’s start date. Cancellations made of departure cannot be refunded or credited unless we can within 30 days of departure cannot be refunded or credited
fill your space. For an itinerary or more information, call unless we can fill your space. 978-887-9264 or email [email protected]. trips & tours
trips & tours 31 Trips & Tours
Minnesota and North Dakota: Machias Seal Island and Eastern Maine Boreal Bog and Prairie Birding Saturday, June 10-Monday June 12 / 3 days Wednesday, June 7-Thursday, June 15 / 9 days Leaders: Bill Gette, former Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director, Leaders: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Education and Steve Walch, Naturalist Coordinator, and Dave Weaver, BCP Contact: Joppa Flats Education Center, 978-462-9998 Contact: Joppa Flats Education Center, 978-462-9998 $625 members, $725 nonmembers $1,695 members, $1,795 nonmembers Nonrefundable deposit: $150 Nonrefundable deposit: $500 A trip to Machias Seal Island and eastern Maine during nesting This trip is a doozy! We start off based in Duluth, MN, season is a fantastic experience! During our program, we plan to which gives us easy access to the fabulous boreal Superior visit Machias Seal Island, the Deblois Blueberry Barrens, Quoddy National Forest, where we will search for breeding warblers Head State Park, and many other sites in the Machias/Cutler (e .g ., Cape May, bay-breasted, mourning, and Tennessee), area . On our 30 previous expeditions, we have seen a total flycatchers (yellow-bellied, olive-sided), broad-winged hawks, of 202 species of birds and a variety of mammals . gray jays, and vireos . We will also be making several visits to Machias Seal Island is noted as a nesting colony for seabirds the Sax-Zim Bog, with its breeding but elusive great gray owls, including Atlantic puffins, common murres, and razorbills . Connecticut warblers, and other boreal specialties . We will The Deblois Blueberry Barrens, Quoddy Head, and the Cutler head west with a visit to the Felton Prairie area to look area are noted for a wide variety of land birds including the for greater prairie chickens and a variety of prairie sparrows . upland sandpiper, vesper sparrow, black-backed woodpecker, From Jamestown, ND, we will comb the prairies and spruce grouse, boreal chickadee, and gray jay . Throughout farmlands for breeding upland sandpipers, western willets, our trip, we will have the opportunity to see and hear American avocets, sharp-tailed grouse, and an impressive list nesting warblers . of sparrows (including clay-colored, vesper, grasshopper, Le Conte’s, and Baird’s) . We will also have a chance at The listed fees are for double occupancy and include the boat Sprague’s pipit . This region is part of the great “duck factory” trip to Machias Seal Island . A single-room supplement is available of North America, with abundant ducks, grebes, Wilson’s for an additional $150 . Please call for a detailed brochure . phalaropes, and black terns . We finish in Bismarck, ND, Final payment is due May 10. Leaders will send out trip to begin our trip home . materials after final payment is received, approximately two This is a demanding trip, covering lots of miles by van, and weeks prior to the trip’s start date. Cancellations made within including early morning departures and some evening birding . 30 days of departure cannot be refunded or credited unless But the landscape and birds are fantastic . On our trips in we can fill your space. 2013 and 2014, we found 200 species of birds (23 species of warblers) and 21 of mammals . We always have a great Puffins and Peatlands time and you will too . Thursday, July 13-Sunday, July 16 / 4 days The listed fees are for double occupancy . A nonrefundable deposit of $500 is due at the time of registration . A single-room Leaders: Carol Decker, Ipswich River Sanctuary Director, supplement is available for an additional $550 . and Susan MacCallum, South Shore Sanctuaries Director Contact: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 978-887-9264 Final payment is due May 7. Leaders will send out trip Cosponsor: South Shore Sanctuaries materials after final payment is received, approximately two weeks prior to the trip’s start date. Cancellations made $680 members, $740 nonmembers within 30 days of departure cannot be refunded or credited Nonrefundable deposit: $125 unless we can fill your space. Please do not make your flight Travel east of Frenchman Bay in Maine, and you will see a arrangements until you have checked with the trip leaders. change in the woodlands and coastline . Spruce, fir, and tamarack become the dominant species; the ocean shore is s r u o T & s p i r T rough and rocky; and extensive mudflats are exposed as a result of the 15- to 20-foot tides . This is Down East Maine! Join us as we explore the unique ecology of this region, including boreal forests, raised bogs, and an offshore seabird nesting colony .
We’ll visit Machias Seal Island, 10 miles from the mainland, to view Atlantic puffins in their colorful breeding plumage, along with razorbills, nesting Arctic terns, and common murres . This is the spot to see and photograph Atlantic puffins up close and personal . In addition to searching for boreal nesting birds, we will explore Cobscook Bay, Campobello Island, and Quoddy Head Light, scanning for seabirds, whales, and dolphins from the cliffs and ledges . Please note: This trip is currently filled. Please contact our office if you would like to be wait-listed: 978-887-9264 or [email protected].
32 massaudubon.org Trips & Tours
Monhegan Island Weekend Fall Birding in Alaska: Friday, September 15-Sunday, September 17 Barrow and Anchorage 3 days Wednesday, October 4-Thursday, October 12 Leaders: Carol Decker, Ipswich River Sanctuary Director, 9 days and Scott Santino, Ipswich River Teacher-Naturalist Leaders: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Contact: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 978-887-9264 Education Coordinator, and MaryMargaret Halsey, BCP $520 members, $590 nonmembers Contact: Joppa Flats Education Center, 978-462-9998 Nonrefundable deposit: $75 Price: TBD Join us for a weekend of birding and naturalizing on this Ah, Alaska . Huge wide-open spaces, temperate to high-Arctic beautiful rockbound island . Located 10 miles off the coast habitats, fantastic birds and mammals . But in October, in of Maine, Monhegan is not only remote and enchanting, Barrow? This trip is not your average Alaska birding tour but it also serves as a trap for migrant songbirds . This is the in June with a zillion bugs . We are traveling to see birds, place to be for exciting views of the fall migration . Hawks mammals, and habitats in their pre-winter splendor . will be on their flight south, and in past years we have had incredible aerial displays from migrating falcons . We will We will fly to Barrow via Anchorage and stay for several days explore a variety of habitats, including freshwater pond, at a modern and pleasant hotel . Barrow, officially known as coniferous forest, and rocky shoreline . Seals can be seen Utqiagvik, is the northernmost city in the United States from the island, and sighting a whale is always a possibility . and is located above the Arctic Circle . It is a largely Iñupiat We will stay at the charming Monhegan House, operating village at the base of a spit that extends north between the as a guest house since 1870, and situated in the heart of Chukchi and Beaufort seas . The principal reasons to go to the village . Barrow at this time of year are Ross’s gulls, polar bears, and seabirds . During the end of September to the beginning of Please note: This trip is currently filled. Please contact our October, most of the Ross’s gulls on the planet pass by Barrow office if you would like to be wait-listed: 978-887-9264 or on their way east from the Chukchi Sea to the Beaufort Sea . [email protected]. Other seabirds common to the area at this time of year are yellow-billed loons, Pacific loons, common and king eiders, Block Island Birding Weekend long-tailed ducks, short-tailed shearwaters, black-legged kittiwakes, herring gulls, and glaucous gulls . Land birds are Friday, September 22-Sunday, September 24 thin at this time of the year: common ravens and (mostly 3 days hoary) redpolls . Other possibilities include snowy owls Leaders: Carol Decker, Ipswich River Sanctuary Director, (depending on the year), red and red-necked phalaropes, and Susan MacCallum, South Shore Sanctuaries Director Thayer’s gulls, and the chance for lingerers and rarities— pomarine jaeger, Sabine’s gull, spectacled eider, ivory gull . Contact: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 978-887-9264 Mammals are pretty good too . Last year, we had as many Cosponsor: South Shore Sanctuaries as eight polar bears in a day, many Arctic foxes (white) and $545 members, $615 nonmembers short-tailed weasels (also white), a few seals, and a Nearctic Nonrefundable deposit: $75 collared lemming . A gift from the glaciers, Block Island is located approximately For the second leg of the trip, we’ll fly back to Anchorage for 12 miles off the Rhode Island coast . Although small, this three days, where we will bird Arctic Valley, Kincaid Park, and beautiful island offers a number of different habitats and other various locations in the bowl, looking for willow ptarmigan, spectacular scenery . In the fall, the island belongs primarily spruce grouse, northern shrike, and boreal chickadee . The to the birds and birders . It is a resting and feeding place for Park can be good for other boreal species, including northern migrating shorebirds and ocean birds . The island also forms goshawk, northern saw-whet owl, American three-toed a natural trap for land birds that have wandered out over woodpecker, white-winged crossbill, and common redpoll, as the ocean during their southward migration . We expect to well as moose . This is an amazing tour with great target birds see a variety of warblers, raptors, herons, shorebirds, and, and mammals . Don’t miss out . of course, the unexpected . Final payment is due September 4. Leaders will send out trip The fee includes all ground and boat transportation, materials after final payment is received, approximately interpretive materials, entrance fees, and lodging, unless two weeks prior to the trip’s start date. Cancellations made
otherwise noted. Fees are based on double occupancy; single within 30 days of departure cannot be refunded or credited rooms may be available for an additional fee. Personal items unless we can fill your space. Please do not make your flight and meals are not included. For an itinerary, call 978-887-9264 arrangements until you have checked with the trip leaders. or email [email protected]. Please register at least six weeks in advance. Cancellations made within 30 days of departure cannot be refunded or credited unless we can trips & tours fill your space.
trips & tours 33 Trips & Tours
Louisiana: Cajun Country and Yellow Rails Arizona Winter Raptor Rapture… Tuesday, November 7-Monday, November 13 and Other Special Winter Birds 7 days Friday, January 19-Friday, January 26, 2018 Leaders: Dave Larson, Joppa Flats Science and Education 8 days Coordinator, and Susan Hardy, BCP Leaders: Carol Decker, Ipswich River Sanctuary Contact: Joppa Flats Education Center, 978-462-9998 Director, and Scott Santino, Ipswich River $1,695 members, $1,795 nonmembers Teacher-Naturalist Nonrefundable deposit: $400 Contact: Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 978-887-9264 Southwestern Louisiana is a fabulous birding location in the fall . $1,795 members, $2,154 nonmembers It has extensive wetlands, agricultural areas, and the Gulf coast, Register by Labor Day and take $100 off! giving us plenty of habitats to explore . In addition, southwestern Louisiana is Cajun country, so expect some epic food . We are still building the itinerary for this exciting new trip, but put the dates on your calendar because southern A major focus of this trip is waterbirds, especially the Arizona is a terrific place to bird in winter . We will be near-mythical yellow rail . These birds winter in Louisiana and looking for such specialties as the ferruginous hawk, love rice fields . In late October, when the local rice farmers Harris’s hawk, and prairie falcon; along with crested harvest their fall crop, the combines flush out a variety of caracara, mountain plover, chestnut-collared and McCown’s birds, including sora and Virginia and yellow rails . We will longspurs; a variety of flycatchers and sparrows; and have access to rice fields for these and other birds during the Bendire’s, Crissal, and LeConte’s thrashers . This area has so harvest, on foot and on the combine . This is a real hoot! many great birding sites, and we will be scouring sagebrush Besides birding the rice fields, we will visit agricultural areas, habitat, sod farms, beautiful state parks, and watering three national wildlife refuges (Lacassine, Cameron Prairie, holes to find them . Temperatures in winter can be chilly and Sabine), Kisatchie National Forest, and a variety of in the morning, but delightfully warming by afternoon . private locations . Weather permitting, we will also take To request an itinerary, please contact the Ipswich a boat ride in the Lacassine Bayou . River Wildlife Sanctuary at 978-887-9264 or In the past three trips, we had a total of 180 species of birds, [email protected]. including five species of rails, roseate spoonbills, white and white-faced ibises, 16 species of waterfowl (but no Canada geese!), and lots of passerines . In addition, both loggerhead shrike and American kestrel were “common” on many days of this trip . We have seen 10 species of nonhuman mammals . The listed fees are for double occupancy . A nonrefundable Natural History Travel deposit of $400 is due at the time of registration . A single- room supplement is available for an additional $450 . 800-289-9504 Final payment is due October 7. Leaders will send out trip A world of wonderful birds and nature is waiting . Join materials after final payment is received, approximately two weeks prior to the trip’s start date. Cancellations made Mass Audubon staff naturalists on tour . Have fun, learn, and within 30 days of departure cannot be refunded or credited support conservation here in Massachusetts and abroad unless we can fill your space. Please do not make your flight with International Birding and Natural History Tours . arrangements until you have checked with the trip leaders. Newfoundland: July 11-20 with Amber Carr s r u o T & s p i r T Secrets of Melanesia Birding Cruise: October 20-31 with Chris Leahy Namibia: November 1-16 with Sue MacCallum
And so much more in 2018! • Colombia birding: January 2018 • Galapagos cruise: February 2018 • Japan: February 2018 • Costa Rica: February 2018
For a complete list of all our USA and international tours, go to massaudubon.org/travel, email [email protected] or call 800-289-9504.
34 massaudubon.org
N o r t h S h o r e Education Centers
General Information
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary Joppa Flats Education Center One of Mass Audubon’s largest sanctuaries, Ipswich River and Wildlife Sanctuary offers nearly 2,000 acres of land and more than 12 miles Joppa Flats Education Center is located at the gateway to one of interconnecting trails that invite you to explore forests, of the country’s most productive year-round wildlife viewing meadows, and wetlands . Mowed fields provide habitat for areas—the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and the Plum American woodcocks and eastern bluebirds, while the floodplain Island estuary . Highlights for visitors are the many species of forests are resting and nesting sites for warblers and vireos . birds that utilize the area’s extensive salt marshes, mudflats, rivers, Canoe along eight miles of the Ipswich River, which meanders bays, and coastal waters . During local area field trips, Joppa Flats through the sanctuary, and camp on Perkins Island, a half-mile program participants have recorded more than 300 species up the river . Members can rent canoes from May 1 through of birds, including bald eagle, snowy owl, and many warblers, October 31 . Members can also rent a small cabin that is shorebirds, and waterfowl .The visitor center overlooking the conveniently located close to the sanctuary’s program facilities Merrimack River includes a children’s education room with a and sleeps four . In spring, listen for the chorus of American toads marine aquarium, a conference center, art exhibits, a nature and pickerel frogs . In various seasons, watch for river otters, shop, butterfly gardens, and interpretive displays . painted turtles, and great blue herons . View an active beaver lodge in Rockery Pond . Climb the drumlin and esker, landscape Address features created by a glacier 15,000 years ago . In winter, sap One Plum Island Turnpike buckets fill the sugar grove, marking the season of our maple Newburyport, MA 01950 sugaring programs . Huge rocks and exotic trees and shrubs that 978-462-9998 Office / 978-462-4143 Fax were part of a former arboretum provide an adventurous joppaflats@massaudubon .org walk along the Rockery Trail . Education Center/Grounds Hours Address Education Center: Tuesday through Sunday and 87 Perkins Row, Topsfield, MA 01983 Monday holidays, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm . 978-887-9264 Office / 978-887-0875 Fax Grounds: Open daily, dawn to dusk . ipswichriver@massaudubon .org Admission Office/Gift Shop/Trail Hours Suggested donation: $2 for nonmembers Office and Gift Shop: Weekdays, Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm; Weekends and Monday holidays, Endicott Wildlife Sanctuary May 1-October 31, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; and This sanctuary comprises over 43 acres of mixed woodland, November 1-April 30, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm . fields, wetlands, and has a walking trail . Endicott offers a variety Trails: Open dawn to dusk, Tuesday through Sunday and of volunteer opportunities and internships in education and Monday holidays . ecological management . Admission There are programs for teachers and students including the $4 for nonmember adults; Salt Marsh Science Project . Our programs for middle and high $3 for nonmember children (2-12) and seniors school students focus on real science, with real scientists and real issues . Coastal topics, invasive species, and inquiry-based lessons are our specialty . For more information about our school programs go to massaudubon .org/endicott-school . For information about other North Shore wildlife sanctuaries, including Cedar Pond, The Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary Nature Preschool Eastern Point, Marblehead Neck, and is located here . It offers programs for 3- to 5-year-olds in Nahant Thicket, contact Ipswich River nature-based emergent curriculum, creative classrooms, outdoor play areas, and gardens . Wildlife Sanctuary at 978-887-9264 or [email protected]. Address 346 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA 01984 For information about Rough Meadows 978-927-1122 Office Wildlife Sanctuary, please contact Joppa endicott@massaudubon .org Flats Education Center at 978-462-9998 Ipswich River Nature Preschool Office: or [email protected]. 978-237-0108 kfirst@massaudubon org. general information 35
Registration p r o c e d u r e s & Policy Guidelines
Registration Filled Programs/Wait-Lists Advance registration with full payment is required for all Most programs have minimum and maximum enrollments programs unless otherwise noted . You may call in advance to depending on the type of class and instructional techniques . inquire about space availability; however, we cannot hold a If the program of your choice is full, we will notify you space for you until we have received your payment in full . immediately and automatically place you on a wait-list . Please register early because many programs fill quickly . If you do not wish to remain on the wait-list, please notify If you are registering for a class and less than one week remains the sanctuary hosting the program and a refund will be issued . before the program begins, please call the sanctuary hosting We will notify you at least 24 hours in advance of the program the program to confirm that space is available . If you are not only if space becomes available . If space does not open up, a Mass Audubon member, you may join when you register you will receive a full refund within three weeks of the and pay the member program fee . program date . Four Easy Ways to Register! Cancellation/Refund Policy We accept MasterCard, VISA, and Discover To receive a program refund if you no longer plan to attend, •Register Online! you must notify the sanctuary hosting the program at least You can register for most of Mass Audubon’s programs one week prior to the first class . This policy does not online . That means you can sign up any time of day (regardless apply to day camp programs or overnight trips. Each of whether that sanctuary is open or not), and you will sanctuary reserves the right to change programs, schedules, instantly know if a program is full or has a wait-list . Visit and instructors or to cancel programs due to low enrollment . our program catalog online: massaudubon .org/catalog . Please note that certain programs require a nonrefundable, Please note that some programs and trips do not take nontransferable deposit . A full refund will be processed if the online registration . For these, please call the appropriate sanctuary cancels the program . Refunds require approximately sanctuary during business hours . three weeks for processing . •By Telephone: Call the sanctuary that is hosting the program . Please have your membership, credit card, and Inclement Weather course information ready . Most programs are held rain or shine; please dress accordingly . •By Mail: Complete the registration form and return it We will do our best to notify you if the class is canceled or with your check, money order, or credit card authorization postponed due to the weather . If the weather is questionable to the sanctuary that is hosting the program for which and you have not heard from us, please call the sanctuary . you are registering . All checks and money orders should For programs that list a rain/storm date, we recommend that be made payable to Mass Audubon . you hold the alternate date open . Refunds will not be issued if •In Person: During business hours, stop by the sanctuary the class is switched to its alternate date and you are not able that is hosting the program you are interested in attending to attend . If no rain date is listed, we may try to reschedule and register in person . Note: Registering in person should the class . In this case, refunds will be issued if you cannot be done prior to the program start date because registering attend on the rescheduled date . If the class cannot be the day of the program, in many cases, will be too late . rescheduled you will receive a refund . Confirmation Information Additional Questions? Written confirmation may not be sent for every program . If you have additional questions about registration policies, You will be notified if you do not get into a program because or have a question about a particular program, please call the it is full, or if your name has been placed on a wait-list . sanctuary hosting the program directly . Please read all future correspondence carefully because it may contain information pertinent to your program such Where to Send Registration Forms as what to bring or wear, directions to a location, etc . For Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary Meeting Locations 87 Perkins Row Topsfield, MA 01983 Meeting locations are listed with the program descriptions 978-887-9264 Office in this brochure . For Joppa Flats Education Center One Plum Island Turnpike Newburyport, MA 01950 978-462-9998 Office
36 massaudubon.org Important Note: Since many of our programs fill up quickly, the best way to guarantee a spot is to register online or call the Registration Form sanctuary. For all registrations by mail, please submit a separate form for each wildlife sanctuary. Individual’s Information
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Individual ($48) Family ($65) Explorer ($80) Contributor ($100) Protector ($150) Sponsor ($250) Patron ($500) Session Information
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/ / / / / / / / / / / / Check or MasterCard, Visa, or Discover Total Program Fee(s) Money Order Name on Credit Card Membership Fee Please make all checks and Credit Card No. Additional Donation money orders CVV# Exp. Date payable to Total Amount Enclosed Mass Audubon. Signature
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary Joppa Flats Education Center Where to Send Registration 87 Perkins Row, Topsfield, MA 01983 P.O. Box 1558, Newburyport, MA 01950 and Payment: Office: 978-887-9264 Office: 978-462-9998 For your personal security, please do not send credit card information by fax or email.