Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area

The Great Cedar Swamp and Burrage Pond territory of Hanson and Halifax was an expansive Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, which was diked and changed for cranberry lowlands. In 2002, MassWildlife purchased 1,638 sections of land here from the Northland Cranberry organization, including the cranberry lowlands, the untamed water of Burrage Pond, Red Maple Swamps, recovering Atlantic White Cedar, and green bogs along the little streams depleting the wetlands. For a considerable length of time this has been a critical birding site, for its waterfowl, bog flying creatures, and relocating passerines. Wood Ducks breed here in great numbers, and Virginia Rails can be heard calling. In the June 2004 issue of Bird Observer, a diary covering the flying creatures of eastern Massachusetts, Kathleen Anderson and Wayne Petersen composed of the long history of birding at this site and note a portion of the winged animals and other vegetation to be found here.