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Massachusetts Summary Page
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TOWER HAZARDS
   As of the FAA's November 2, 1998 update, Massachusetts had 231 tower sites of which 40 were tower farms containing more than one tower. MA ranks 12th among states in the number of towers per square mile. Notably, it ranks 3rd in the number of 800+ foot towers per square mile, with ten such structures. MA is the 5th smallest state therefore the weight of its relatively high tower rankings are lessened with respect to its impact on continental bird populations. MA is located in an important migration flyway along the Atlantic Coast and is host to higher than normal densities of migration relative to noncoastal states, especially in fall. Due to concentrations of birds which regularly occur along the coastal region, construction of towers within ten miles of the coast is not recommended unless they are freestanding (no guy-wires), unlighted, and below 200-feet high. Of the eight new towers reported since the FAA's March 23, 1998 update, all are below 500 feet.


TOWERKILL STUDIES
   No long-term towerkill studies have been conducted in Massachusetts and there have only been a few towerkill reports published. In 1958, A. Bagg reported that 300 birds were killed at two Boston TV towers on the night of September 19-20, 1958 [1]. In 1970 a 1349 ft. TV tower in Boyleston, MA was erected and a fall migration towerkill study over the next two years found 350 birds of 29 species during in 1970 and 158 birds of 29 species during 1971. 95 of the 158 birds killed in 1971 were Blackpoll Warblers [2,3].
   No towerkill studies are currently known to be underway in Massachusetts. The small size of the state, the fact that it has 24 towers over 500 feet high, has large numbers of bird lovers, and is on a major migration flyway make Massachussetts ideal for operation of a statewide towerkill study.


BIRD MIGRATION STUDIES (pertinent to Massachusetts towerkill hazard)
  • Drury W.H. and J.A. Keith. 1962. Radar Studies of Songbird Migration in Coastal New England. Ibis, 104(4):449-489.
  • Alerstam, T. and S. Pettersson. 1977. Why do migrating birds fly along coastlines? J. theor. Biol., 65, 699-712.


BIRD STUDY ORGANIZATIONS (which might facilitate a tower study):
  • Massachusetts Audubon Society <http://www.massaudubon.org/>
    208 South Great Road
    Lincoln, MA 01773
    (617) 259-9500
  • Manomet Observatory for Conservation Sciences <http://www.manomet.org/>
    81 Stage Point Road
    PO Box 1770
    Manomet, MA 02345
    (508) 224-6521


LITERATURE CITED
  1. Rec. New England Birds 14(9):1
  2. Chickadee 40:17-21
  3. Chickadee 41:20-24
 


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