It was a brisk sunny day as Athol Bird and Nature Club president Dave Small and Meghadeepa Maity of the Anti–Racist Collective of Avid Birders lead twenty others on an accessible field trip to the Turners Falls and Old Deerfield area.
Highlights at Unity Park, where we all met, were many American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, along with a Northern Mockingbird and Bald Eagle. From there we went to the Turners Falls airport where a Red-tailed Hawk and two Bald Eagles were seen.
Next at the power canal we saw Common Goldeneye, a Bufflehead, Iceland Gull, Herring Gulls, Ring–billed Gulls, Mute Swans, American Black Ducks and Mallards and many American Goldfinches (at which, everyone commented on the large numbers seen in recent days.)
Our last stop was at the Old Deerfield meadows where we had a Yellow–Bellied Sapsucker, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow and White-throated Sparrows, and a flyover of three Black Vultures!! A very nice and productive day despite the cold temperatures.
This field trip took place on the traditional homeland of the Pocumtuc people.
Learn more about Accessible birding sites in the area.
Learn more about birding in Turners Falls year around.
Field Trip Report by Bruce Kanash
About the Anti-racist Collective of Avid Birders
The Anti-racist Collective of Avid Birders is an inclusive, progressive, intergenerational birding group based in so-called Western Massachusetts. We center and celebrate the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other birders of color; birders of all genders and sexual orientations; and birders with disabilities. Our work is dedicated to making the outdoors—and birding in particular— accessible and safe for people who find themselves under-represented or unacknowledged in traditional birding communities.
Unity Park by Bruce Kanash
Turner Falls Airport by Dave Small
Turners Falls Airport by Bruce Kanash
Turners Falls Power Canal by Dave Small
Great Falls Power Canal by Dave Small
Image of participants on the last trip in February 2022.