Northeastern Cliff Swallows: A Conservation Adventure: Part II with Linda Merry

For the May 2024 Berkshire Green Drinks event, Linda Merry presented on Wednesday, May 8, at The Barn Kitchen & Bar of the Williams Inn in Williamstown, MA.
Some may remember Linda Merry from the August 2022 Pittsfield Green Drinks, where she and Mara Silvers took us on their first conservation adventure: artificial nesting and habitat remediation.
We were excited to welcome Linda back for a second conservation adventure, where she briefly covered the natural history of swallows and swifts and the current conservation status of insectivores like the cliff swallow.
Linda also discussed her most recent research, which is still ongoing: the investigation of the correlation between the abundance of local insect prey and nesting density, as well as Ferren’s hypothesis (applied to the BCC main campus), which simply states that “the amount of available source mud is correlated to the potential nesting density of the colony.”
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Linda Merry is a conservation biologist and operational meteorologist who thoroughly enjoys photography and ornithology. Her work exists at that junction where the sciences and the arts collide. She is currently employed as an Assistant and Adjunct Instructor in the Environmental and Life Sciences Department at Berkshire Community College.
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Berkshire Green Drinks (formerly Pittsfield Green Drinks) is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month that's organized by Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). A guest speaker talks about an environmentally-related topic for about 30 minutes beginning at 6 PM, and the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. The drinks aren't green but the conversations are. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join and bring along questions!
BEAT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Pittsfield, MA. Its mission is to protect the environment for wildlife in support of the natural world that sustains us all. BEAT has three major focal areas: stewardship, education & outreach, and watchdogging. Through its work, BEAT enacts meaningful change throughout Berkshire County, western Massachusetts, and beyond. Learn more at www.thebeatnews.org/