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Contact: Dani Crawford, South District Interpreter, 508-255-3421, ext. 0305
Since 1981, Norman Smith has spent countless days and nights, in every imaginable weather condition, observing, capturing, banding, and color marking snowy owls at Logan International Airport. He has collected data on roosting, hunting, and behavior while the birds are on their wintering grounds. Most recently, he has attached satellite transmitters to owls to learn more about their movements. On Tuesday, August 23at 7 PM at the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham Mr. Smith will share his findings to date, questions that remain, and how this project evolved to include research on saw-whet owls. Smith is a self-taught naturalist who has worked for the Massachusetts Audubon Society since 1974. His current position is Director of Blue Hills Trailside Museum and Norman Smith Environmental Education Center in Milton, Massachusetts. Norman has studied birds of prey for over 35 years, including rehabilitating the injured and successfully fostering over 1,000 orphaned hawk and owl chicks into adoptive nests. His ongoing long-term projects include trapping and banding migrating hawks and owls in the Blue Hills Reservation, banding nestling hawks and owls, and researching snowy owls and other raptors wintering at Boston's Logan International Airport. He has also traveled to Alaska to study snowy owls in their native tundra habitat. His research work has been published in National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Yankee, Massachusetts Wildlife, Bird Observer, Birding, Sanctuary, Geo, Nature, Grolier Encyclopedia, Owls of the Northern Hemisphere, and Owls of the World. This program is part of the "Tuesday Nights at Salt Pond" series. Held in the air-cooled comfort of the visitor center auditorium, programs are suitable for all ages, free of charge, and accessible.The series is sponsored by the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore. IF YOU GO: Salt Pond Visitor Center is located at the intersection of Route 6 and Nauset Road in Eastham, and can be contacted by calling 508-255-3421. The center is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, with staff to assist with activity planning. Visit the museum, view a park film, enjoy panoramic views of Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh, and shop in the gift and bookstore featuring national seashore-related items. For more information about the seashore's programs, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/caco. |
Last updated: August 9, 2016