Field Trips & Excursions

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is offering several options for excursions during AOS 2026 in Amherst, Massachusetts.

AOS 2026 Organized Field Trips

Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary

Date: Tuesday, 4 August
Time: 6:15–8:15 a.m.
Location: Self-transportation to the site.
Capacity: Limited to 15 participants.
Cost: $10 Mass Audubon members; $12 Mass Audubon nonmembers

Enjoy a bird walk at Mass Audubon’s Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. Participants will walk through the sanctuary’s grasslands, forests, and wetlands. Located close to the Connecticut River, habitats include floodplain forest, a large freshwater marsh, buttonbush marshes, an abandoned oxbow, vernal pools, red maple swamps, lowland oak-maple-pine-hemlock forest, old apple orchard, crabapple orchard, shrubby hedgerows, and grasslands. The diverse range of healthy habitats creates opportunities to see an abundance of species in one trip. Species to expect are American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), Green Heron (Butorides virescens), Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), and Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor). Early migrants are also a possibility throughout the walk.

Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area (WMA)

Dates: Wednesday, 5 August
Time: 6:15–8:15 a.m.
Location: Self-transportation to the site.
Capacity: Limited to 20 participants.
Cost: TBA
Deadline to register: TBA

The Montague Plains WMA consists of a 1,500-acre state wildlife refuge and unique ecological area, operated by the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. The Montague Plains WMA is located on a large sand delta, formed more than 10,000 years ago when melt water streams from the retreating glaciers emptied into Glacial Lake Hitchcock—a huge lake that covered much of what is now Montague and the Connecticut River Valley during the glacial period. You will bird through the pitch pine forests, scrub oak, and grassland habitats. Potential species include a variety of woodland and shrub-dwelling species but featuring: Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum), Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor), Great-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus), Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica), Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra), Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla), and Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus). Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) are common and vocal after sunset. This site continues to host a range of studies on the avifauna and their response to management.

Workshop/Field Trip: How Invasive Plant Species and Water Quality Affect Bird Life in the Oldest Mill Pond in the Country

Dates: Wednesday, 5 August
Time: 7:30–10:30 a.m.
Location: Transportation available.
Capacity: Limited to 14 participants.
Cost: TBA
Deadline to register: TBA
Instructors: William Randolph, Adventure East; Brian Pearson, Board President at Friends of Lake Warner

Paddle in a comfortable, oversized voyageur canoe as you explore the lush, biodiverse shores of Lake Warner. Along the way, identify local birds and other wildlife while learning how the aggressive invasive plant Water Chestnut is reshaping this treasured ecosystem. Its dense floating mats block sunlight, reduce oxygen levels, and limit open water—conditions that disrupt fish, amphibians, aquatic insects, and the food webs birds depend on. You’ll also discover how the Friends of Lake Warner and the local watershed council are working to restore water quality, protect habitat, and safeguard this beloved recreational area for both people and wildlife.

Conte National Wildlife Refuge

Dates: Thursday, 6 August
Time: 6:15–8:15 a.m. & 8:15-10:15 a.m.
Location: Self-transportation to the site.
Capacity: Limited to 15 participants per session.
Cost: TBA
Deadline to register: TBA

Visit the Fort River Division of the Conte National Wildlife Refuge in Hadley to experience a banding session at the Fort River MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station. Participants will have the opportunity to accompany the banding crew on net checks to extract birds from nets, learn about banding a variety of eastern forest birds (including determining species, sex, and age), and hear about how the data collected by the MAPS program informs understanding of the demographic drivers of bird population change across North America.

Over the past 10 years, 50 species have been captured at the Fort River MAPS station, which has also been the locus of avian migration research, hosts an active MOTUS station, and was a translocation site for Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica), who were coaxed from a building slated for demolition to an adjacent structure specially designed to accommodate the displaced population. The more regularly captured species include American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), American Robin (Turdus migratorius), Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), Veery (Catharus fuscescens), Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), and Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva).