Presentation by Ted Russell, Curator Burgess Museum at the Plum Island Airport The Great Marsh in Newbury was the site of New England’s first flying field. W. Starling Burgess built a hanger and wooden runway where the dunes meet the marsh near Parking Lot #2 in the Parker River NWR. The planes were brought there…

To see any given species of bird in Massachusetts, there may be a better place to find it than Plum Island. But if you want to see the largest variety of birds, on any given day of any given month within Massachusetts, you couldn’t find a better place than Plum Island. Plum Island truly is…

Spend an hour with Refuge Manager Bill Peterson as he shares what’s planned for Parker River for 2019. He’ll discuss replacing the Hellcat Boardwalk, enhancing the Salt Pannes, and answer questions about the refuge. Immediately prior to this program, we’ll celebrate the Friends of Parker River NWR’s Boardwalk Plank Fundraiser’s success by transferring the fundraiser’s…

This talk covers the 36 species of warblers that have been reported from Plum Island. Four species are known to breed here, a few others may breed occasionally, while, except for one vagrant, the others are migrants who pass through on their migrations to and or from their breeding areas. The talk mentions the relative…

Every year thousands of raptors migrate through the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Some raptors will spend only a few minutes and others a lifetime on or around the refuge. This presentation will introduce you to twenty species of raptors, primarily hawks but including a few owls, you might see on the refuge. You’ll get…

Friday evening, April 12th thru Sunday afternoon, April 14th The refuge’s fifth annual Conservation Film Festival is primed and ready to go for the second weekend in April. And it’s all FREE! Films screened during the festival focus on a broad range of local, national and international conservation topics. All film screenings are FREE and…

Each spring American woodcocks engage in one of nature’s most fascinating courtship displays. Here’s your chance to witness this “sky dance” up close and in-person! This program is appropriate for ages 8 and older. Meet the ranger on the deck of the visitor contact station at parking lot 1. Bring binoculars and a flashlight. Program…

Each spring American woodcocks engage in one of nature’s most fascinating courtship displays. Here’s your chance to witness this “sky dance” up close and in-person! This program is appropriate for ages 8 and older. Meet the ranger in front of the Great Bay office, just opposite the parking lot. Bring a flashlight and binoculars, if…

Join a refuge ranger for a behind the scenes tour of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Tour will be conducted via refuge van, with several brief “drive by” stops along the way. The tour will present an “up close and personal” look at the refuge through the multiple lenses of the cultural history of Plum…

This special edition of the refuge’s Behind the Scenes (BTS) tour will be led by veteran birder, and refuge volunteer, Bill Gette. While the tour will follow the usual BTS route, the leader will place a special emphasis on the birds that are typically found on the refuge in the spring. Participants are encouraged to…