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MassWildlife, Get Wild
February 8 - February 16
Wild about photography
Looking for a new hobby? Wildlife photography is a fun and rewarding way to connect with nature while unleashing your creativity—no fancy equipment required! Turn your next hike into an exciting hunt for the perfect shot.
If you’re looking to spend more time outdoors and get in touch with your sense of wonder, wildlife photography is a fantastic hobby that lets you enjoy nature while expressing your creativity. With just a camera and a bit of patience, you can transform simple hikes into thrilling scavenger hunts, searching for that perfect shot! While traditional cameras and interchangeable lenses offer endless options for artistic expression, you don’t need fancy equipment to enjoy photography. In fact, all of the photos you see in this article were submitted to our photography contest last year. You can get started today with a basic camera or your smartphone and a few simple tips.—get started with these tips.
Watch for wildlife
Some animals migrate or hibernate, but many remain active throughout the winter here in Massachusetts. Tracks left in the snow or mud can reveal where birds or small mammals have been. Click here to learn to identify common animal tracks. (Note: Snow that has melted will distort the size and shape of an animal track, so look for tracks in fresh snow or in mud.) You may also consider setting up a game camera in the area where you see interesting tracks. Less foliage means more images of wildlife and fewer pictures of leaves blowing in the wind!
Walk on the wild side
Fallen trees make convenient pathways and bridges for local wildlife. A trail camera captured all of the furry and feathered visitors to this log in Unkety Brook Wildlife Management Area in Dunstable. Watch a short video to see who used this log crossing throughout the last year.
Birding in winter
For beginners, winter can be a great time to become familiar with the sights and sounds of common resident birds such as chickadees, blue jays, crows, woodpeckers, red tailed hawks, and even bald eagles. With fewer leaves, it’s easier to spot the silhouette of a hawk perched on a branch or the darting movement of smaller birds in a thicket.
Winter is also a good time to look for unusual birds. Seabirds that spend most of the year as far north as the Arctic seek out the Massachusetts coast for milder temperatures. Bird watchers in coastal areas can watch for flocks of colorful harlequin ducks, striking black-and-white patterned eiders, golden-eyes, scoters, and long-tailed ducks, aerobatic gannets, diving dovekies, guillemots! If you’re watching for waterfowl, get help with identification with the publication Ducks at a Distance by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Explore something new
Find a new area to explore in the new year! MassWildlife manages nearly 230,000 acres of Wildlife Management Areas that provide habitat for wildlife and give people a place to explore natural landscapes (there are no maintained trails). WMAs are open to the public for hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing. Use MassWildlife’s Lands Viewer to find a property near you.
Who we are
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) is the state agency responsible for the conservation of all freshwater fish and wildlife in the Commonwealth, including endangered species. MassWildlife restores, protects, and manages land for wildlife to thrive and for people to enjoy.
