Mark Burns and Laura de la Flor led the 22nd Annual New Year’s Day Birding Trip for the Brookline Bird Club (BBC) today! At 9:00AM, 23 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.
We birded Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Cashman Park area, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (PRNWR), and Cape Ann [Jodrey Fish Pier and Bass Rocks). The temperature ranged from -1 to +10df with winds up to 15mph and wind chills of -15! Five of us ended the day at 4:00PM at Bass Rocks. We tallied 51species for the Club list. Following is a complete list of the birds we saw:
Canada Goose – 120
American Black Duck – 180
Mallard – 45
Greater Scaup – 12
Common Eider – 35
Surf Scoter – 7
White-winged Scoter – 20
Black Scoter – 3
Long-tailed Duck – 18
Bufflehead – 34
Common Goldeneye – 11
Red-breasted Merganser – 12
Red-throated Loon – 1 (Parking Lot #1, PRNWR.)
Common Loon – 3
Great Cormorant – 3
Turkey Vulture – 1
Bald Eagle – 2 (Cashman Park.)
Northern Harrier – 1 (Sandy Point, PRNWR.)
Cooper’s Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 2
Rough-legged Hawk – 1
Merlin – 1 (Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Jetty area. The Merlin had just caught a Horned Lark and swooped over our heads into the dunes!)
Peregrine Falcon – 1 (Seen from Jodrey Fish Pier on the City Hall Tower.)
Sanderling – 8 (Parking Lot #1 and Sandy Point, PRNWR.)
Dunlin – 4 (Sandy Point, PRNWR.)
Ring-billed Gull – 35
Herring Gull – 83
Iceland Gull – 1 (Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Jetty area.)
Great Black-backed Gull – 7
Rock Pigeon – 66
Mourning Dove – 15
Downy Woodpecker – 4
Blue Jay – 13
American Crow – 37
Horned Lark – 24
Black-capped Chickadee – 17
Tufted Titmouse – 14
White-breasted Nuthatch – 5
American Robin – 46
Gray Catbird – 1 (PRNWR)
Northern Mockingbird – 8
European Starling – 112
Cedar Waxwing – 12
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 1 (PRNWR)
American Tree Sparrow – 17
Song Sparrow – 10
White-throated Sparrow – 8
Dark-eyed Junco – 34
Snow Bunting – 6 (Cashman Park.)
Northern Cardinal – 5
House Sparrow – 55
As always, what make this trip so much fun to lead each New Year’s Day are those who participate – Thank you for spending part or all of your day birding with us!
Wishing you a very Happy, Healthy, and Birdy 2018!
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Upcoming Field Trips
Squantum – Quincy (CANCELED, MOVED TO AUGUST 2 & AUGUST 17)
Quincy - Squantum - Moswetuset Hummock Quincy, MA, United StatesThis trip was listed by mistake. Due to the tides, the best dates are August 2 and August 17. Please see those listings.
Belle Isle Marsh Marine Ecology Park, Winthrop
Winthrop - Belle Isle March and Marine Ecology Park Banks Street, Winthrop, MA, United StatesJoin the Brookline Bird Club in collaboration with Boston Nature Center to look for birds in a unique urban habitat that often draws numerous uncommon and rare birds. Target species include bobolinks, dunlin, egrets, falcons, hawks, herons, ibis, oystercatchers, plovers, ravens, sandpipers, sparrows, swallows & swifts, terns, warblers, vultures, and yellowlegs. Birders of all levels [...]
Shorebirds & More at Parker River NWR
Parker River NWR - Lot #1 Refuge Rd., Newbury, MA, MA, United StatesWe will be looking for Shorebirds and other Refuge specialties. We will drive and walk to various places on the Refuge. Note that an entrance fee or pass is required. Restroom available.
Squantum – Quincy
Quincy - Squantum - Moswetuset Hummock Quincy, MA, United StatesWe'll check the marshes and the mudflats in Squantum for shorebirds, starting at Moswetuset Hummock and visiting other spots nearby. At high tide (~6:15 am), we'll try checking the high tide roosts for shorebirds as well. Be prepared for the possibility of biting insects. Cosponsored with South Shore Bird Club.
An Oasis for Birds at Belle Isle Marsh
East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United StatesJoin DCR park staff for a relaxed, one-mile bird walk through flat, easy terrain at this Massachusetts State Reservation and birding hot spot. At Belle Isle and at additional nearby locations— We’ll search for large groups of herons and egrets, and shorebird rarities. Participants are responsible for their own transportation between locations (by car or [...]