Wood Thrush Project

In spring 2014, Bedford Audubon joined forces with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Audubon, and Forsyth Audubon to begin the Wood Thrush Project.

The Wood Thrush is an iconic bird species that breeds in the forests of the northeast, and migrates each fall to Central America to overwinter, before returning north the following spring to breed again. Its haunting song heralds in spring, but each spring the song grows quieter—its population has plummeted by more than 50 percent in the past 40 years.

In 2014, we outfitted 22 second-year male Wood Thrush with tiny geolocators to shed light on their wintering locations, migratory pathways, and how best to protect them in our community and across the Flyway. Recapture of the geolocators began in 2015. So far, we know that at least two of our returning Wood Thrush spent the winter in Nicaragua!

As we dive more into the data and analyze it, we’ll share what we learn about these beautiful and threatened birds.