Christmas Bird Count
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The
razorbill is an alcid that winters at Stellwagen Bank
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The
Audubon Society and the sanctuary invite all birders, from novices
to seasoned veterans, to participate in the annual Christmas Bird
Count. In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Audubon Society has
been sponsoring counts at several dozen locations. The Stellwagen
Bank bird count has been scheduled since 1988. For the past several
years, the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary has been
a co-sponsor of this important event.
The
Stellwagen Bank count covers a 15-mile circle that includes the
southern end of the Bank and a portion of the northern tip of
Cape Cod. This zone allows for counts on days when a vessel cannot
be used (as happened in 2000 when inclement weather and rough
sea conditions kept the boat at the dock).
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Northern
gannets can be seen dive-bombing for prey in the Sanctuary
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Christmas
Bird Count trips out to Stellwagen Bank include an experienced
ornithologist from the Mass. Audubon Society and other naturalists,
who can help the novice birder identify local species. As the
Audubon Society warns, "Beginner’s luck often holds
true during any field experience, and for Christmas Bird Counts,
it’s the more the eyes and ears the merrier."
To
view records of past counts at Stellwagen Bank, visit the National
Audubon Society's historical data page. (www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/hr/index.html.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on"Get Count Date
- by count circle". When the form appears (http://audubon2.org/birds/cbc/hr/count_table.html),
fill in the required data:
STEP 1: Option A - select Massachusetts (in the state/province
box), then click on FIND COUNT.
STEP 2: select Stellwagen Bank (for the count circle)
STEP 3: select the start and end dates for data (Stellwagen Bank
counts started in the winter of 1987-88 (count year #88)
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) - please view our