This year was filled with equal measures of positivity and purpose as we continued to serve our mission of promoting biodiversity conservation across the island and in our region. The photo above was perhaps one of the happiest moments for our staff this year. We had just finished banding the last two black skimmer chicks that managed to hatch and fledge in spite of some serious predation by black-crowned night herons. Moments like this one certainly keep us all going when the going gets tough.
People protect what they understand and love. With that in mind, we made every effort to bring you a monthly eNews that informs and engages you in our mission. Your grants, donations, and volunteer efforts supported a lot of good this year. We initiated annual American woodcock surveys, tested the efficacy of bird scent to misinform mammalian predators that eat beach-bird eggs, launched the MV Atlas of Life website, held two Bioblitz events, protected hundreds of beach-nesting birds, collaborated on little brown-bat research, banded another cohort of black skimmer chicks, censused endangered tiger beetles, visited over 100 yards through the Natural Neighbors program, wrapped up spotted turtle surveys, completed another year of Snapshot USA mammal surveys with island middle school students, mentored young biologists, and built a bat hibernaculum at our headquarters. We also achieved our goal to fully fund the Natural Neighbors program through 2023 with many donations from generous participants, which means we will continue to offer free visits to yards across the island to help homeowners promote biodiversity and habitat connectivity.
We are inspired by all of your support. Thank you, and may all your good come back to you in good health and good fortune in the coming year!
Christmas Bird Count Jan. 1st
On New Year's Day, 13 teams of birders will be in search of birds to identify and count from pre-dawn to dark as part of the 63rd annual MV Christmas Bird Count. If you have a bird feeder or want to submit a yard list for the day you, your data is welcome.
It's important that your data is collected correctly in order to be included in the tally, so please visit the MV CBC page to download instructions and a data sheet.
Information on how to join the tally at the end of the day on zoom is in the instructions.
Sea Duck Identification Tips
Winter is an excellent time of year to build your bird identification skills, and the ducks inhabiting our near shore waters are a perfect group to focus on with their beautiful and bold color patterns. Grab your field guide and some post-it notes to write down a few i.d. tips while you watch this webinar recording from our MV Atlas of Life Director, Matt Pelikan. Then get out into the field or drive up to the shore and start your bird list for 2023!
The MV Atlas of Life is a collaborative project with
the Betsy and Jesse Fink Family Foundation.
Bird Club Outings
CLICK HERE to join the club and to be added to the email list for more details on upcoming events!
BiodiversityWorks acknowledges that we live and work on Noepe, the traditional and sacred land of the Wampanoag people who still occupy and influence the land and community today with their language, history, and traditional ways of life.
