Location: Peat Meadow Methuen, MA
Instructors: Dave Larson – Joppa Flats Education Coordinator
Audience: Adult
Fee: Adults $23.00m/ $30.00nm

The fee for the program includes transportation,
legal access to the best viewing location (which is on private property),
bird identification and interpretation, and a guided visit to other, nearby locations.

Join us to view one of the most overwhelming avian spectacles in Essex County. In the fall as many as a million blackbirds (largely common grackles and red-winged blackbirds, but with numbers of rusty blackbirds) roost overnight in the marsh called Peat Meadows in Methuen. In fact, this area has been designated as a Massachusetts Important Bird Area because of this roost. While the birds trickle in during the evening, they all erupt out of the marsh in a very short time in the morning. This spectacle is what we are seeking. You will be astonished by the sheer numbers of birds – it might even wake you up! After the departure of the birds, we will take a break for breakfast (not included in fee) and then seek other birds in the immediate area.