Birdwatcher's Getaway for the Day Series

Join Scott Santino and Kirk Elwell once a month to explore an exciting birdwatcher's destination. Each trip is planned to highlight a special seasonal bird-related occurrence. Sign up for one or more of these fun day trips. Fridays: January 27, February 17, March 16, April 20, and May 25 Fee per trip: $36 member, $43 nonmember Fee for the series: $160 member, $192 nonmember Coastal Coves of Cape Ann: Friday, January 27 / 8:00 am-3:00 pm Gloucester and Rockport are birding hot spots during the winter months. Visitors who do not know Cape Ann well can have a tough time navigating to find specialty birds such as a Barrow's goldeneye or king eider. Leave the navigation to us as we enjoy a day along the scenic coast. Participants will see a nice diversity of sea ducks, grebes, and loons. We'll also keep an eye out for alcids such as black guillemot, razorbill, murre, and dovekie. And, of course, a midday stop at a local coffee shop will warm the bones. Coastal Birding in New Hampshire: Friday, February 17 / 8:00 am-3:00 pm New Hampshire has a limited coastline, but it can be a very productive birding area in winter. We'll start our getaway in Hampton and work our way north to Odiorne Point State Park in Rye. The coastal vistas will provide nice looks at scoters, grebes, loons, and other winter visitors. We'll also check the coastal thickets for species usually not present at this time of year such as catbirds, ruby-crowned kinglets, and dickcissels. Winter Finches and Spring Blackbirds in New Hampshire: Friday, March 16 / 8:00 am-3:00 pm March is a great time to look for birds because one can get a nice mix of winter visitors and early spring migrants. We'll trek up to southern New Hampshire to bird local hot spots including the Exeter water treatment plant, Stewart Park along the Squamscott River, and Chapman's Landing in Stratham. Next, we'll continue west to Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham. Pawtuckaway's 5,500 acres feature a variety of habitats, including wetlands and oak-hemlock forests, which provide a seasonal home to a host of wintering birds including evening grosbeaks, purple finches, and pine siskins. Pawtuckaway is also home to bobcats and moose, two mammals yet to populate Essex County. Early-Spring Migrants of Cumberland Farms: Friday, April 20 / 7:00 am-3:00 pm Today we'll travel down to Middleboro to visit a very productive birding area called Cumberland Farms Fields. This 900-acre grassland is the largest in southeastern Massachusetts. We'll be on the lookout for a variety of early-spring migrants including sparrows, swallows, warblers, blackbirds, flycatchers, and raptors. The April air will be full of much-awaited birdsong. We'll also check out some nearby wetlands including red maple and Atlantic white cedar swamps. Local Gems of Essex County: Friday, May 25 / 7:00 am-3:00 pm Essex County has a good number of lesser known birding locations, and these "gems" will be our focus today. We'll visit Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area in Groveland, Pikes Bridge Road in West Newbury, Scotland Road in Newburyport, and Martin Burns Wildlife Management Area in Newbury. Each location provides a unique habitat for a great diversity of species. In addition to field identification. we'll also focus on the diverse songs of wood-warblers, sparrows, and more. It's likely we'll encounter more than 75 species of birds today! Registration is required. Call (978) 887-9264 for details. See http://www.massaudubon.org/catalog/listing.php?program_code=1369-IP12WI4 for more information.