Brookline Bird Club – America’s most active bird club!

Happy New Year MassBirders!
Mark Burns and I led our 24th Annual New Year’s Day Birding Trip for the Brookline Bird Club (BBC) today! At 9:00AM, 39 BBCers joined us at the Newburyport T Station parking lot where we toasted in the New Year with sparkling apple cider. During the toast, introductions were made and folks told us where they traveled from and what their first bird of the New Year was. (Mine was Blue Jay and Mark’s was American Goldfinch.)
We birded Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, and Cape Ann [Andrews Point, Cathedral Ledge, Old Granite Pier, Bass Rocks/Elks Club, Niles Pond, and Jodrey Fish Pier] and called it a day at 4:30PM. The temperature ranged from 34df to 40df with wind gusts up to 25mph. We tallied 52 species for the Club list. Following is a complete list of the birds we saw:
Canada Goose  560
Mute Swan  2
Gadwall  10
American Black Duck  375
Mallard  205
Greater Scaup  16 (Niles Pond)
Lessor Scaup  2 (Niles Pond)
King Eider  1 (Bass Rocks/Elks Club. Thank you to Linda Ferraresso for finding this gem!)
Common Eider  493
Harlequin Duck  30 (Andrews Point/Old Granite Pier)
Surf Scoter  18
White-winged Scoter  38
Black Scoter  55
Long-tailed Duck  216
Bufflehead  73
Common Goldeneye  21
Red-breasted Merganser  68
Red-throated Loon  2
Common Loon  15
Horned Grebe  5
Red-necked Grebe  9
Northern Gannet  12
Great Cormorant  8
Turkey Vulture  1
Bald Eagle  3
Northern Harrier  3
Accipiter sp. – 1
Red-tailed Hawk  3
Wild Turkey  4
Purple Sandpiper  9
Ring-billed Gull  109
Herring Gull  398
Great Black-backed Gull  46
Black-legged Kittiwake – 5
Razorbill  19
Black Guillemot  3
Rock Pigeon  1240
Mourning Dove  35
Snowy Owl  2 (PRNWR)
Downy Woodpecker  3
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  13
Common Raven  2 (Fly-over at Jodrey Fish Pier)
Black-capped Chickadee  6
Northern Mockingbird  5
European Starling  95
American Tree Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  4
Dark-eyed Junco  8
Northern Cardinal  16
American Goldfinch  7
House Sparrow  51
Many thanks to those who spent all or part of your day birding with us and for your help in finding birds. What makes this trip so much fun to lead each New Year’s Day is spending time with you and kicking off a new year of birding!
Wishing you a very Happy, Healthy, and Birdy 2020!
Laura H. de la Flor

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  • Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Concord

    Concord - Great Meadows Concord Unit, Entrance Rd, Concord, MA, United States

    We will look for early migrants, waterfowl, and waders. Conditions may be wet; boots advised. Note that an entrance fee or pass is required.

  • Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

    Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United States

    Cosponsored with Boxborough Birders. We will look for local avian non-migratory species and early migrant arrivals. Expect to walk about two miles on trails through meadows and woods, with some steep sections. Prepare for ticks. We will bird at the meeting location for about 30 minutes so any latecomers can catch up.

  • Westborough WMA in Two Parts

    Northborough - Watson Park, Bartlett Pond 35A Lyman St, Northborough, MA, United States

    Part 1: 7 AM -10 AM / Part 2: 10:30 AM -1:00 PM. We will hike at a slow pace through mild moderate trails in search of sparrows and other migrants. For the first part we will hike the Eastern trails between Lake Chauncy and Little Chauncy(about 3 miles). Then we will again meet at

  • Belle Isle Marsh and Vicinity

    East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United States

    Led by DCR staff. We will search on foot up to one mile on flat, easy terrain, for migrating or resident songbirds, raptors, shorebirds, and marsh birds at this birding hotspot and state park. This is a traveling program by car or bike. Prepare for ticks and mosquitoes. Ages: Adults and kids 8 years+ with

  • Millennium Park

    Boston - Millennium Park Canoe Launch 300 Gardner Street, Boston, MA, United States

    Join us to observe resident birds and spring migrants in a unique urban habitat that is a favorite for many bird species, including uncommon and rare flycatchers, swallows & warblers. Birders of all levels welcome. The trails are generally flat and easy to walk, with some rough patches. A water bottle, sunblock, insect repellent, waterproof

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