The Word Is the Bird

Did you find a robin's egg in your yard this year and look up to follow the chirping you heard admid the foliage? Report it to Mass Audubon and help enhance our understanding of how populations of Massachusetts' breeding birds have changed in the previous three decades. Noted local birder Marj Rines reported that scores of volunteers are now fanning out across 970 ten-square-mile blocks to spot nesting birds and collect data on them for the Massachusetts Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas II. After five breeding seasons, the new data will be compared to that collected for the 1974-1979 breeding seasons, detailed in the first Atlas. MBBA II will serve a critical role in documenting population trends – not only of the rarest species, but of all of the 200-plus breeding birds of the state. For information on how to join this vast and amazing volunteer effort, please visit MassBird.org, which is coordinated by Rines, or contact the Massachusetts Audubon Society project website.

Parlee Will Berry You

Parlee Farm in Tyngsboro makes a nice family trip, suggests Mary Gilbert of the Busa Farm CSA and farm stand in Lexington. In addition to their pick-your-own strawberries and other fruits, Parlee has a baby animal petting zoo, “Annie’s Goats in the Trees,” and Mary’s Country Kitchen with desserts and ice cream. The Day Tripper Divas request that if you go to Parlee, please report back whether the ice cream is also locally made. Parlee Farm’s website contains a good map and lots more information. - From the Busa Farm CSA Newsletter, June 18.

Ripe for the Picking!

The Divas recommend Tougas Family Farm in Northboro for your share of the delectable strawberries that should be coming on strong now. On June 11, Phyllis Tougas reported "plenty of strawberries in the field." Hours hours are 8 AM to 6 PM Monday through Saturday and 8 AM to 4 PM on Sundays. Tougas said they expect to pick through early/mid-July. Tougas and many other area farms, while not certified organic, use IPM methods to reduce the use of pesticides. And it really is a family farm, with apple orchards, and store, and field picking for pumpkins in the fall. Take exit Exit 24 off I-290 on the Boylston-Northboro line. For the Dept. of Agriculture's list of other you-pick farms with strawberries on now, click here or refer to your Compleat Day Tripper for more recommendations.

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