Mass Audubon Hosts Spring Migration Identification Workshop

WELLFLEET – Mass Audubon is hosting the Spring Migrant Identification Workshop on May 21 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

Spring migration gives everyone a fleeting window in which to observe some of the best-looking avian transients in their breeding finery.

Warblers, tanagers, and buntings are all in their peak breeding plumage as they pass through Cape Cod in May.

Science Coordinator Mark Faherty will teach participants how to meet the identification challenges, such as separating several similar species of thrush as they skulk in the leaf litter, sorting out sparrows, and puzzling over spring shorebirds.

This workshop will review the natural history and identification of the colorful and not-so-colorful birds that stop by the Cape on their way to more northerly breeding grounds, with some local breeders thrown in for good measure.

The program includes a classroom component and some outdoor exploration.

The cost is $12 for adult members and $10 for non-members.

Participants are asked to arrive 10 minutes before the program begins.

Binoculars are recommended and registration is required.

For more information on the event, contact the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

Mass Audubon’s mission is to protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife.