Winter Bird Survey at Mount Auburn

The winter landscape of Mount Auburn belongs to our year round wildlife inhabitants, what birders might call “permanent residents,” These are species that – seed- and berry-eaters, predators and scavengers adept at eking out a living when the abundant food supplies of summer are locked up in the frozen earth. 

The Winter Bird Survey started during the 2021-2022 winter season.  This study supported by Citizen Scientists provides information on which birds are winter residents on the cemetery grounds and which birds may be shortening, or cancelling their fall migration due to the warming climate.  Even though the climate is growing hotter, severe cold snaps and wintry weather still occur in southern New England.  Suet is a high energy food source that helps birds maintain body temperature and survive during these cold periods.  Bird feeders are installed and stocked with suet cakes in close proximity to three ponds on the cemetery grounds.  Five-minute point count surveys are conducted near each feeder to document the species that are at or under the feeders eating suet.  Species seen or heard nearby are also documented. 22 species have been documented at or under the feeders.  21 more species have been observed nearby.