Wayne R. Petersen is Director of theMassachusetts Important Bird Areas(IBA) Program at Mass Audubon. He is co-author of Birds of Massachusetts(1993), a co-editor of the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas (2003), and a New England Regional Editor for North American Birds magazine and the New England Christmas Bird Count. Wayne's knowledge of the status and seasonal distribution of New England bird life give him a wide perspective when thinking about bird populations in New England and Important Bird Areas in Massachusetts. In 2005 Wayne was the recipient of the American Birding Association’s Ludlow Griscom Award for outstanding contributions in regional ornithology.