MassWildlife Monthly February 2022

News from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

Watch for bald eagles this winter

Many people are surprised to find out that winter is a prime time for birding. There are opportunities for beginner and experienced birders to spot our year-round resident birds as well as the seasonal “snowbirds” that visit Massachusetts for the winter months. Some veteran birders make an annual trek to the Massachusetts coast in winter catch a glimpse of seabirds and sea ducks. Other, more casual birders are content with the sight of back-capped chickadees, downy woodpeckers, or white-breasted nuthatches as they walk or ski along. One iconic bird, the bald eagle, is becoming easier for winter birders to spot.

Bald eagle restoration is one the best conservation success stories in Massachusetts. MassWildlife continues to document steady growth and expansion of the eagle population. That means that there may be more opportunities to see an eagle near you this winter.

Where to look for eagles in MA

Bald eagles usually live in coastal areas, estuaries, and larger inland waters. They need a lot of shoreline habitat with forested areas for nesting. They prefer areas where trees project above the forest canopy for perching with an unimpeded view. The waterbody they choose typically has a good supply of moderate- to large-sized fish.

Eagle-spotting tips:

• Eagles are drawn to open waters. As many lakes and ponds freeze, there are fewer areas of open waters which may make eagles easier to find.
• Eagles often gather below dams, if water is being released.
• If you see an eagle once, visit that site again. Eagles tend to return to the same section of shoreline or even the same tree throughout the season and year after year.
• Look for large nests in big trees. Massachusetts is home to over 70 nesting pairs. If you do spot a nest, keep your distance and observe from afar.
• If you do see an eagle, watching with binoculars from inside your vehicle is a great way to observe the birds without disturbing them and you’ll stay warm.

What do eagles do in the winter?

Bald eagles are sexually mature at 4–6 years old, but they may be considerably older before breeding for the first time. Courtship takes place in mid- to late winter. After courtship, a mated pair builds or adds to a large nest in December–February. The nest is built with large sticks and lined with sprigs of pine, grasses, and other soft materials. Male eagles collect the nest materials and deliver them to their mates, which are responsible for most of the actual nest construction. Once a nesting site is chosen, mated pairs usually return every year and add to the existing nest. Egg laying usually takes place from early March to early April.

If you see a bald eagle carrying sticks to a nest this winter, please report your observation to MassWildlife at [e-mail]. Please include the location and date of the observation and your contact information. These observations help MassWildlife identify new nest locations and monitor our eagle population. At any time of year, if you observe a bald eagle at a nest, please report it to MassWildlife using the Heritage Hub.

Other tips for winter birding

• Plan for the weather. Winter birding is a great activity for friends and family, but it won’t be fun for long if you're cold. Dress in layers of fleece or wool, wear warm, sturdy boots, and ensure your outer layer provides wind protection by choosing rain or wind pants and jacket. Don’t forget a scarf or face mask. Sunglasses (or clear safety glasses if it’s overcast) also provide wind protection. A few snacks and water along with coffee or hot chocolate tucked in a day pack will keep you going strong.

• Remember birdwatching ethics. It’s critical for birders and photographers to resist the temptation to get too close. If you get too close to an animal its behavior will change; it may stop feeding, look at you, vocalize, appear nervous, or flee. If you notice a change in behavior, slowly back away. Always follow marked trails where indicated, speak quietly, and move cautiously. Use your binoculars and spotting scope rather than your feet to get “closer” to your subject.
• Use the right equipment. Your main apparatus in birdwatching are your eyes and ears. Binoculars and simple bird identification guide are the minimal gear needed to aid your senses. A spotting scope helps when birding along the coast or in open meadows and fields but not necessary. If you are in a popular birding area, birders are generous and will often offer you a view through their scopes. It might be difficult photographing birds with a camera, but you can capture your birding buddies' excitement and the scenery.

Use the Go Fish MA! map to target fish on the ice

The detailed depth information from the map can help you decide where to go and where to set up on a pond. You can even view waterbody depth in real time on your phone. Click here to view videos and tips for using the map.

Hens Across the Water

One Massachusetts migratory bird species has been getting extra special attention this winter: the American black duck. Once the most abundant dabbling duck in eastern North America, black duck populations declined between the 1950s and 1980s. Although they have stabilized since then, they remain below international objectives. 

To coordinate research and help further restore historical populations, the Black Duck Joint Venture was born. Participating nonprofits, universities, states, and provinces on both sides of the U.S. - Canada border (including Massachusetts) have supported this international initiative as part of the broader North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Since the 1960s, MassWildlife has participated in banding and other research to track the migratory and reproductive progress of this valuable Atlantic Flyway wildlife resource. 

“This winter, we outfitted nine black duck hens in southeastern Massachusetts with small waterproof, solar-powered, cell-tower-connected radio transmitters,” said H Heusmann, MassWildlife Waterfowl Project Leader. “Unlike those with traditional leg bands, these hens can now share geospatial data on whether, where, and when they are able to migrate, nest, and return. Information from these nine birds will be combined with data from hundreds of other tagged black ducks across eastern North America over the next 4 years.”  

One visiting researcher from the University of Saskatchewan, PhD candidate Ilsa Griebel, joined the effort as part of a broader journey from Maine to South Carolina. She also shared her enthusiasm for black ducks and these new methods of study, writing:

“By using state-of-the-art tracking devices that combine GPS and acceleration technology, we will learn not only where black ducks go and what habitats they use, but what they do at those locations. Are they feeding, resting or flying? We will also identify nesting attempts, and incubation and brood-rearing periods. This is really exciting, particularly in the northern boreal region where many black ducks breed. Logistical and financial constraints have made this region inaccessible to on-the-ground fieldwork that was required in the past to study breeding black duck ecology. Thanks to technology, my PhD research will at last explore the breeding period in depth and investigate how behavior, movement and habitat selection during wintering, migration and breeding limit reproductive success. This information will be used to guide habitat management to help increase black duck productivity and achieve population goals.”   

Black ducks depend on and migrate between coastal salt marsh, freshwater wetland, and northern boreal forest habitats. Research suggests that a key factor of the long-term health of their populations will depend on maintaining and improving the quality and quantity of their habitats. These research efforts result in the information required for biologists to monitor and help manage black duck population health over time. 

This MassWildlife project was made possible in part by the purchases of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses, as well as permits, stamps, and dedicated federal funds from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. 

Learn more about American black duck restoration

View Massachusetts migratory game bird season dates, limits, and zones

MassWildlife Climate Change Resilience Grant recipients announced

The Climate Change Resilience Grant Opportunity (CCRGO) provides financial assistance to private and municipal landowners of conserved lands to enhance climate-vulnerable wildlife habitats. The grant supports projects that improve resiliency in ecological communities disproportionally susceptible to climate change, including, but not limited to:

• Fire adapted natural communities; and,
• Riparian communities and floodplains along cold water streams and other climate-vulnerable wetland/aquatic systems.

In its first year, the CCRGO has awarded $216,078 to five conservation organizations and municipalities. Funds will support habitat improvement projects totaling 237 acres in seven Massachusetts communities. Projects will reduce stressors that impact ecological integrity, which will enhance climate resilience in those areas. For example, projects in fire-adapted communities that improve habitat quality and native species diversity, remove invasive species, and mitigate risk of extreme wildfire behavior reduce climate vulnerability. Similarly, projects along the banks of coldwater streams that maintain or enhance tree canopy coverage, reduce erosion, or control invasive species may enhance climate resilience.

Partnering with municipalities and conservation organizations allows MassWildlife to achieve wildlife habitat management goals on conserved lands across the Commonwealth. “Improving ecological biodiversity can only take place where certain environmental conditions exist,” said MassWildlife Director Mark Tisa. “The MassWildlife Climate Change Resilience Grant allows us to focus conservation efforts on habitat management activities in those special places which over time, benefit both common and rare wildlife living in our communities.”

The following projects will receive MassWildlife Climate Change Resilience Grants:

• Falmouth – The Town of Falmouth has been awarded $28,000 to conduct a prescribed burn at Coonamessett Fields, a site within an Environmental Justice Community, to improve grassland habitat. New England cottontail, northern harriers, eastern meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows, and endangered pollinators like moths, native bees, and tiger beetles are just some of the species that will benefit from this management action.
• Great Barrington – The Berkshire Natural Resources Council will receive $37,495 to improve floodplain forests by removing invasives along the Housatonic River and Rising Pond, sites within Environmental Justice Communities. As one of the few major rivers designated as a coldwater fishery resource (CFR), removing invasive trees, plants and shrubs will enhance floodplain growth conditions of large-canopy trees in the Housatonic River. Trees create shaded microclimates (pockets) of cool water benefiting fish species that depend on coldwater habitats, such as native brook trout and the state-listed longnose sucker. Additionally, when large dead trees fall into the riverbed, it will provide valuable sheltering structure for young fish.
• Marlborough/Sudbury – The City of Marlborough and Sudbury Valley Trustees have been awarded $26,667 to improve pitch pine – oak forest at the Desert Natural Area in Marlborough and Memorial Forest in Sudbury. Mowing and timber harvest of trees will support ongoing habitat maintenance and create safer conditions for future planned prescribed fires. Whip-poor-wills, brown thrashers, wild lupine, state-listed moths and an endangered reptile will be the beneficiaries of a multi-phase management plan. Common species such as white-tailed deer and ruffed grouse will benefit as well.
• Monson/Wales– The Norcross Wildlife Foundation was awarded $45,450 to improve grasslands and fields by removing invasive plants such as bittersweet, autumn olive, and multiflora rose at Chapin Meadow. Tree mowing and timber harvest of white pines that dominated the former pitch pine – oak forest is also part of the habitat restoration plan. Common animals like American woodcock and white-tailed deer, as well as native bees and less common birds such as eastern towhees, field sparrows and brown thrashers will benefit from these activities.
• North Andover – The Trustees of Reservations will receive $49,050 to restore oak – hickory barrens at the Weir Hill Reservation. Tree mowing and timber harvesting will prepare the site for a future prescribed fire. These actions will allow yellow indigo plants to thrive and serve as a critical host plant for endangered pollinators such as the frosted elfin butterfly and the scrub oak feeder moth. Open, exposed areas will quickly revegetate with native plants and create habitat for wild turkey and other common wildlife. Exposed bare mineral soil from these management actions will also benefit a highly specialized state-listed plant. 
• Sheffield – The Trustees of Reservations have been awarded $28,512 to improve habitat on Bartholomew’s Cobble’s Ashley Pasture by removing invasive plants and woody species such as multi-flora rose, mugwort, Asian bush honeysuckle, and oriental bittersweet. The restoration goal is to benefit birds such as bobolink and American kestrel, and a state-listed plant, while increasing the ecological resiliency of the Pasture’s grassland habitat.

Junior Conservation Camp teaches outdoor skills to Massachusetts teens

Teens who like the outdoors will love Conservation Camp. Designed for teens aged 13–17 who want to try new outdoor activities, improve their current skills, or meet other like-minded peers, the Massachusetts Junior Conservation Camp (MJCC) offers a hands-on curriculum focused on outdoor skills, conservation education, and ethics to girls and boys. Participants will have fun and make friends during the two-week overnight camp. The MJCC will be held at the Moses Scout Reservation in Russell from August 7-19, 2022. Registration is now open and will continue through May 1. Conservation groups and sporting clubs who want to sponsor a camper may also register to reserve a spot for a deserving teen.

The MJCC offers varied and educational programs. Professionals from environmental agencies provide hands-on experiences and demonstrations on wildlife, fisheries, forest fire control, and forest management. Experienced and enthusiastic outdoors men and women offer outdoor skills instruction on fishing, camping, wild foods, archery, and firearms safety. Certifications in Hunter Education and Boating Safety are also part of the curriculum. Tuition is $1,100 but the majority of campers receive full scholarships from sporting clubs and conservation organizations across the state. Click here for more information on groups with camp scholarships. For an inside look at camp life, check out this Massachusetts Wildlife magazine article.

Go wild on your taxes

Tax season is here, meaning it’s a great time to help keep Massachusetts wild! One easy way to help endangered animals and plants in the state is by donating on your state tax return. Simply fill in the amount you would like to donate on Line 33A for Endangered Wildlife Conservation. Your meaningful donation will go to the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund, a fund dedicated specifically to the conservation of rare species. This Fund supports MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, responsible for the hundreds of species that are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern in Massachusetts.

The fastest birds on Earth, peregrine falcons have been classified as endangered in Massachusetts until very recently. Their historical nesting sites—known as eyries— were located on 14 rocky cliff areas of the state. As of 1955, all 14 sites had become completely inactive. Thanks in part to a nationwide ban on the pesticide DDT, as well as decades-long restoration efforts, the first nest returned to the Commonwealth in 1987. Since then, more than 800 wild peregrine falcon chicks have fledged in Massachusetts, and they have returned to 5 of their historical eyries: Mount Tom, Mount Sugarloaf, Farley Cliffs, Monument Mountain, and Pettibone Falls. Peregrine falcons now also nest on the cliffs of quarries in Holyoke, West Roxbury, Saugus, Peabody, and Swampscott. Most often, they now also nest on tall, man-made structures such as buildings and bridges. Buildings that have consistent peregrine falcon nests can be found in Boston, Chelsea, Cambridge, Watertown, Lawrence, Lowell, Worcester, Amherst, and New Bedford. They also nest on bridges in Charlestown, Fall River, West Springfield, and Northampton. MassWildlife has been banding and monitoring peregrine falcons for decades, tracking their health and progress as part of a broad observer network. 

While Massachusetts has made considerable progress, 432 plants and animals are still recognized as rare in the state. MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program is the first line of defense for Massachusetts’ most vulnerable plants and animals. Donating to the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund ensures continuing conservation for these rare species.

Already filed your taxes, but still want to donate? There are a few other ways you can donate:

• Online with a credit card or electronic check
• Through your MassFishHunt account
• By check made payable to "Comm. of MA—NHESP" and mailed to: MassWildlife, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581

Thank you for your support! 

Date published:	February 4, 2022