Birding News and Features
Good News for Massachusetts Birds!
Mass Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are collaborating to promote the revision of a powerful new tool for protecting native birdlife with the release of eBird 2.0, an updated version of the powerful Internet-based program currently used by thousands of birders.
What is an IBA?
An IBA (Important Bird Area) is a site providing essential habitat to one or more species of breeding, wintering, and/or migrating birds. The IBA concept was developed by BirdLife International in 1985 as a model for bird conservation. In 1995, BirdLife partnered with the American Bird Conservancy and the National Audubon Society to launch the IBA Program in the United States. To date, IBA Programs have been started in 156 countries and in 46 states with 1500 nominated IBAs throughout the U.S. In 2000, the Massachusetts Audubon Society launched this initiative for the Commonwealth. Please help us monitor the birds of Massachusetts IBAs by entering your observations in eBird. Click on the link above to find detailed site descriptions and downloadable maps of the 79 IBAs in Massachusetts.
