Treasure Islands: Birding with Chris Leahy

The coastal waters of Essex County from Nahant Bay to Cape Ann are dotted with more than 50 islands ranging in size from small rocky “skerries” which are nearly submerged at high tide to the well-wooded 83 acre Great Misery Island. In 2002 these were formally designated as the Essex County Coastal Birds Islands Important Bird Area, due to their breeding populations of water birds that rarely nest on the mainland, including a number of rare or uncommon species.
In this richly illustrated talk, naturalist and conservationist Chris Leahy will summarize the results of recent multi-year surveys of these islands by Mass Audubon and Mass Fish & Wildlife as well as noting some of the islands’ significant cultural history.