Spring on the Massachusetts Coast
For birds, the marshes, mudflats, and barrier islands near Newburyport are as close to heaven as you can find on earth. Now, thanks to a $25,000 Pathways To Nature® Conservation Fund grant to Massachusetts Audubon Society, visitors can better enjoy some of the celestial delights found here — such as more than 300 species of birds.

Mass Audubon’s new Joppa Flats Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, just an hour north of Boston, overlooks the rich mudflats and waterways of the Merrimac River. Here, shorebirds, waterfowl, gulls and many other kinds of birds can be found in abundance. The Center is also near the entrance to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, which protects more than 4,600 acres of barrier island and marsh.

The Pathways grant enabled Mass Audubon to create an array of exhibits to orient and educate birders and guests. Stop first at the 5’ by 12’ wall map of the local area to plan your visit. Bird magnets are used to show visitors where the best birds can be found. Don’t miss the illustration of a cross section of Plum Island, the 8 mile long barrier island protected in part by the National Wildlife Refuge.

The Bird Banding Station serves as an “electronic gateway” to understanding bird migration in the area. Using a computer you can access information, photos, and vocalizations on birds banded at the station. The Ross’s Gull exhibit commemorates the “bird of the Century,” the first sighting of this species in the lower 48, which took place right here in 1975 and made national headlines. Keep your eyes peeled while you’re birding—maybe you’ll be the one to spot the bird of this new Century!

For more information, visit: http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Joppa_Flats/index.php

The Pathways To Nature Conservation Fund is a partnership between Wild Birds Unlimited stores and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fund environmental education and wildlife viewing projects. We encourage all of our customers to visit these incredible places. Your patronage helped make these projects possible!
 

This is a Pathways To Nature® Travel Log