eBird, and more recently Merlin, have become increasingly significant in recent years to both ornithological research and the daily activities of birders. Few people in western Massachusetts have used these apps more and become more familiar with their strengths and weaknesses than Mary McKitrick. Her program will help us get the most out of these apps, and make our contributions to them more valuable to the researchers who apply our data to bird conservation. 

Dr. McKitrick has recommended some videos. HBC members who watch them may get the most out of her program: 

"this shows pretty much all the people I’ve met in my career and life" 

"My life at Smith"

"The way some of my colleagues deal with all of us"

"Life with birds" 

Dr. Mary McKitrick started out in ornithology conducting field research at stations from Manomet to Guanacaste. After earning her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and a Chapman Postdoctoral Fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History, she became a professor at the University of Michigan and curator of birds for its Museum of Zoology, then went on to be a program director at NSF and a researcher at Harvard. Since moving to the Valley, she has conducted research at UMass, taught courses at Smith, and worked tirelessly in support of Purple Martins nesting near the Fort River Trail in Hadley, among many other things.