Spring Forward-GMAS Events in May

May is our busy season and the GMAS is sponsoring several events in May for your enjoyment. On Saturday, May 12 we will conduct our monthly bird monitoring survey at the Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington in conjunction with the Small Woodlot Landowner's Workshop for Forest Bird Management sponsored by Audubon Vermont. This survey marks the completion of 3 years of surveys by the GMAS Birding Team lead by board member Bill Mercia, and are always free and open to the public. This year we plan to publish a bird checklist for the Center based largely on the data we have collected at our monitoring surveys.

Then, on Thursday, May 17, we will kick off our annual Birdathon fundraiser with a bird walk at Geprag's Park in Hinesburg. Wood Warblers are back in force and Geprag's Park is a great place to see them. Join us for a mid-week bird walk at this birding hotspot.

Next, on Saturday, May 19, we will hold our annual Birdathon at Mount Philo State Park to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day. Donations at the Birdathon will support scholarships at the GMAC as well as the programs and field trips conducted by the GMAS throughout the year. Join the GMAS Birding Team for this annual fundraising event at one of Vermont's premier birding locations.

Finally, on Sunday, May 20, Liz Lee will lead a bird walk at the Bolton Valley Nordic Center. The GMAS is cooperating with the Vermont Land Trust in its effort to raise $1 million during the course of this year to purchase this 1100 acre mountain top property. Help us create an inventory of the birds that reside in this unique habitat, which will help to increase the public awareness of the VLT fundraising campaign.

Consult our Calendar of Events for further details about these programs and field trips.

Restoring Endangered Species: Lessons From Puffins and Terns

Humans have devastated seabird colonies in many parts of the world by excessive hunting for food and feathers and introducing mammals such as cats and rats to othrwise secure nesting sites.

Worldwide, 23% of all seabird species are now globally threatened as marine pollution, coastal development, and rising sea levels due to climate change take their toll. Although seabird nesting islands seem safe due to their remoteness, they are intimately connected to human activities. For example, Maine's seabird nesting islands are affected by large populations of Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls that benefit from garbage and fishing waste hundreds of miles away. As populations of these scavengers increase, they deter smaller migratory seabirds such as puffins and terns from nesting on many of their historic nesting sites. Ironically, Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons, the products of other successful wildlife restoration programs, now threaten rare Maine seabirds such as Great Cormorants and Roseate Terns.

Last November, Dr. Stephen Kress, the Director of the National Audubon Society's Seabird Restoration Program and the founder of Project Puffin in 1973, reviewed the techniques that he and others have developed on Maine's coastal islands that have lead to the restoration of puffins and terns on their historic nesting sites. Techniques developed in Maine have been adopted worldwide. For example, in Vermont, social attraction and the use of tern decoys, techniques developed in Maine, have been critical to the success of Audubon Vermont's Common Tern Restoration Project on Lake Champlain.

Dr. Kress entertained a large audience at the Billings Center on the UVM campus, describing the evolution of Project Puffin and the many obstacles he encountered in the process of re-introducing puffins to Maine. Despite the success of the program on East Egg Island and Seal Island, Dr. Kress emphasized that many challenges to the puffin population persist and that without human intervention these colonies would in all likelihood fail. The audience applauded his commitment to the seabird restoration program and responded enthusiastically to his plea for continued support of Project Puffin.