Bird Banding on the Quincy Riverwalk

Recently, NepRWA staff joined MassDCR’s Stewardship Research Biologist, Sean Riley, along with other Department of Conservation and Recreation staff, members of the Boston College Neponset River Laboratory, and the Trustees of Reservations’ Vice President of Natural Resources, Cynthia Dittbrenner, for a morning of bird banding on the Quincy RiverWalk.

The goal was to spot and band the Saltmarsh sparrow—a State-listed species of special concern that breeds only in Northeast U.S. salt marshes. These birds are losing breeding habitat at an alarming rate due to rising sea levels from climate change, making the protection and management of the Neponset Estuary more important than ever.

In total, the group banded five Saltmarsh sparrows, including three fledglings born this year in the Neponset Estuary. Each bird banded provides researchers with valuable data on migration, breeding, and survival—helping us better understand and protect these vulnerable species.