Bird-a-thon for All: Accessible Birding Programs

For more than 40 years, Mass Audubon’s Bird-a-thon has brought birders, nature-lovers, and families together each spring to celebrate nature and raise funds that provide essential year-round support for our conservation, nature education, and advocacy work.  

In keeping with our commitment to making nature accessible to everyone, wildlife sanctuaries across the state are hosting accessible birdwatching programs during Bird-a-thon, which runs from May 10–11.

Birding in Place 

Birding in Place programs take advantage of our network of wheelchair-accessible All Persons Trails across the state, with plenty of benches and chairs available for seating and ADA-accessible bathrooms nearby at sites with nature centers.  

Sanctuary staff will provide binoculars, field guides, and birding tips for beginners and birders of all ages and abilities. Most programs are scheduled to last two hours, but you can choose to stay for as long or as little as you’d like, whether you join a Birding in Place program for the fun of it or for the thrill of competition.  

For competitive types, you can join a Bird-a-thon team to add your observations to the team species count and go for the Sitting Duck award, which goes to the team that records the greatest number of species while staying within a 25-foot diameter circle. 

Birding By Bus 

For those in the Worcester area, Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary is offering a free Bird-a-thon Birding by Bus program where staff will take you to some of the local birding hotspots that are reachable by public bus.