2005 Statistical and Year End Report

By Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 2005, the Brookline Bird Club listed 305 species of birds on 228 reported trips, six species less than the previous year. To put this in perspective, birders throughout the state recorded a total of 360 species (the same number as in 2004) during the year; thus the BBC  total of 304 is an astonishing 85% of all the species seen in 2005! A total of 263 trips were scheduled, two trips more than the previous year but 27 trips fewer than the all-time high of 290 for the Club during 2000. There were 73 all-day, 147 morning, 40 afternoon or evening, and  three weekend trips. One additional trip was scheduled with the appearance of two rare birds on Nantucket in January. Thirty-six trips were not reported, 21 of which were cancelled by weather, leaving just 15 unreported, a big improvement over the year 2001 when 44 trips went unreported. In Massachusetts, the Club reported a total of 297 species, five less than the previous year, on 223 trips.

Three new species were added to the overall Brookline Bird Club list of birds. A California Gull and a White-winged Dove were seen on an impromptu trip to Nantucket on January 9 led by President Joe Paluzzi. A Cackling Goose, recently elevated to a full species, was added to the Club list on August 14 on an extended Newburyport trip led by Steve Grinley that ended up at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

In 2005, the Club scheduled seven pelagic trips, up one from the previous year but down from 13 in 2000. A scheduled trip to Hydrographer Canyon on August 27 was a smashing success. The “Extreme Pelagic”, as it has been called now for the second year in a row, was again a most memorable trip for the 77 birders who departed Hyannis Harbor in the dark at 4 am. Unlike

the previous year when we never made it to our destination, this year we cruised the length of Hydrographer Canyon into water more than 4000 feet deep and with a water temperature of 79 degrees F. We got to the edge of Veatch’s Canyon before heading back to Hyannis via Nantucket Shoals. One of the highlights was the bird that nobody saw until all the photos were checked. Glen Tepke took some pictures of a suspicious looking Leach’s Storm-Petrel, which clearly was identified as a Band-rumped Storm Petrel. The quality of digital photography has once again added another rarity that might have gotten away! Another frustrating moment on this trip was a distant sighting of a small whitish Sulid with blackish primaries that could not be pinned down for identification. The show of dolphins in the warm waters, riding the bow, was truly amazing and participants were rewarded with great looks at three or more giant Leatherback Turtles. The November pelagic trip, again organized by Ida Giriunas and led by Rick Heil and Steve Mirick, was about as placid as could be for early winter. Seventy members enjoyed almost continuous groups of shearwaters, gannets, and kittiwakes. Pomarine Jaegers flew close by along with two or three Northern Fulmars, giving the group great views. On the return trip there were over 1200 Gray Seals hauled out on South Monomoy -a great way to end a fabulous trip.

The third Annual Winter Meeting was held at Bedford High School on January 28, 2005. Club member Jim Berry gave a lively talk entitled “Jim Berry’s Adventures in Western North America”. At our Spring Meeting at Harvard, John Kricher of Wheaton College gave an interesting program entitled “A Bird’s Eye View of Migration”. Dr. Kricher presented some new information on global warming and how it may affect migratory patterns. And at our Fall Meeting at Harvard, Don Kroodsma, Professor Emeritus at University of Massachusetts and author of The Singing Life of Birds, engaged us with a slideshow and recordings of birdsong and got us to think about why birds sing.

The Club continued to conduct a Nature Journaling trip in July focused on sharpening observation skills and practicing field sketching. The sixth annual Grand Slam Owl Prowl started out at 4 a.m. on February 28. The intent of this trip is to locate, either by hearing or sight, all eight species of owls that are regularly found in Massachusetts. This year, the elements conspired against us. After almost two weeks of mild temperatures, the mercury dropped to 9 degrees at our 3 a.m. start. Now combine this with a strong wind and the air was about 20 degrees below zero; by 3 p.m. the cold had taken its toll and we threw in the towel with just four species of owls. The Club also scheduled Woodcock walks in Reading, the Blue Hills, Concord, and the Great Meadows in Lexington. The Club continued co-sponsoring the TASL (Take a Second Look) surveys of the waterfowl of Boston Harbor and a Spring Hawk watch at Plum Island. Expanding out from birds, Dave Small conducted a Breeding Bird and Biodiversity day in the wilds of Royalston. Teaming up with Eddie Giles, Dave also led a Birds, Butterflies and Dragonflies trip in August by kayak. Laura de la Flor and Mark Burns opened up the start of 2005 by leading their ninth annual New Year’s Day birding trip. Forty-two BBCers enjoyed the clear warm day and tallied 59 species from Newburyport to Cape Ann. Laura and Mark also led us through the seasons with a Vernal Equinox walk on March 19 and a Summer Solstice Saunter on June 18.

A special thank you goes out to the 71 leaders who guided our members throughout the year. Several leaders deserve special mention. Ida Giriunas, the Energizer Bunny, led the most with 23 trips; Bill Drummond came in a close second with 22 trips, followed by Steve Grinley with 19 trips and Linda Ferraresso with 16 trips. Soheil Zendeh was listed as leader 14 times and Bob Stymeist and Barbara Volke each led 11 trips. Another 14 dedicated leaders accounted for five or more trips each. On October 15, the Club’s Board of Directors hosted a Leader Appreciation Day at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham. Despite the rain and chilly weather, the day was enjoyed by all. 

The Club visited Essex County most often, with a total of 111 scheduled trips: 86 to the Newburyport/ Plum Island area and Cape Ann and 25 to other spots in the county, including nine trips to the Marblehead Neck Sanctuary. Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was a distant second with 35 trips. There were also 43 scheduled trips in the Metropolitan Boston area and 20 trips in the extended Sudbury River Valley, which included Great Meadows NWR, Oxbow NWR, Bolton Flats, and the new Assabet NWR. There were 24 trips to the South Shore and to areas on Cape Cod and 14 trips to areas in Western Massachusetts. Out of state trips included a weekend trip to the Mathias area and to Rangeley Lakes in Maine. The combined total number of species on the Maine trips was 135 and included some Boreal birds such as Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray Jay and Boreal Chickadee. Both Ida Giriunas and Eddie Giles have been leading these great trips for many years, affording Club members the opportunity to see some northern forest and ocean birds that don’t nest in Massachusetts. Also, there were three trips in New Hampshire, with one trip specially targeted for Bicknell’s Thrush.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist (10/2000) now includes all the species that have been identified in the state as determined by the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC). The Club recorded the following species that are listed on the new list as rare or as accidental species.

Cackling Goose                       Great Meadows NWR             August 14

Eared Grebe                            Gloucester                              March 13

Audubon’s Shearwater           at sea                                      August 27

Leach’s Storm-Petrel              at sea                                      August 27

Band-rumped Storm-Petrel    at sea                                      August 27

W!lson’s Plover                       South Beach, Chatham           August 6 

California Gull                         Nantucket                               January 9

White-winged Dove                Nantucket                               January 9

White-winged Dove                Mt. Auburn                             April 22

Western Kingbird                    Scituate                                   November 5

The following species occur with some regularity in Massachusetts but were missed by the Club dming 2005: Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Northern Goshawk, Black Skimmer, Long-eared Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, White-eyed Vireo, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Cape May Warbler, Dickcissel, Lark Sparrow, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow, and Lapland Longspur.

The biggest trip list this year was Bill Drummond’s trip around Essex County, recording 137 species on May 28. In Bill’s notes he states “It was a wonderful birding day with everyone getting to see ALL the birds, including a Philadelphia Vireo and a Mourning Warbler”. Bill was able to show the thirty participants 13 species of shorebirds and 21 species of warblers. The trip also reported the only Cattle Egret of the year. The most species for the least amount of travel was a trip totally within the town of Wellfleet that recorded a total of 83 species on September 10. In the following table you can see which trip in each month recorded the most species; this may help in planning for a big year of birding.

Date                Location                                  # species         Leader

January 1         Plum Island-Salisbury             59                    Laura de la Flor, Mark Burns 

February 8       Scituate-Plymouth                  71                    Glenn d’Entremont 

March 20        Newburyport-Cape Ann         55                    Phil Brown, Linda Ferraresso 

April 24           Mt.Auburn-Newburyport       64                    Ida Giriunas

May28             Newburyport area                  137                  Bill Drummond           

June 4              Quabbin area                          96                    Eddie Giles, Mark Burns

July 18             Plum Island                             61                    Bill Drummond

August 24        Newburyport area                  87                    Steve Grinley

September 10  Wellfleet                                 83                    Bob Stymeist

October 30      Newburyport-Pl                      70                    Steve Moore

November 19 Bourne                                    76                    Bob Stymeist

November 20 Fairhaven                                76                    Bob Stymeist

December 11 Newburyport-PI                      60                    Steve Grinley

The Club recorded nearly 85% of all the birds that were noted during 2005 – pretty impressive! A total of at least 360 species, the same number as the previous year, was observed and reported by birders across the state during 2005. Other noteworthy species seen during the year but not on the BBC list were: Greater White-fronted Goose, Barnacle Goose, Tundra Swan, Western Grebe, Yellow-nosed Albatross, Black-capped Petrel, White Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird, White-faced Ibis, Swallow-tailed and Mississippi kites, Purple Gallinule, Little Stint, Franklin’s Gull, Mew Gull, Rufous Hummingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo (first state record), Northern Wheatear, Townsend’s Solitaire, Sage Thrasher, Black-throated Gray, Townsend’s, and MacGillivray’s warblers and Painted Bunting, to name a few.