THE 1993 STATISTICAL REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 1993, the Brookline Bird Club listed 290 species of birds on 152 reported trips. A total of 172 trips were scheduled, 66 all-day, 89 morning, 13 afternoon or evening, and four weekends. Seven trips were cancelled due to bad weather and 18 trips went unreported. In Massachusetts a total of 146 trips yielded 280different species plus one subspecies, Ipswich Sparrow, and one hybrid species, Lawrence’s Warbler. Several trips to Plum Island recorded the Whooper Swans whose origins are known to have been “escaped.” On a trip to Ipswich on November 11, a European Goldfinch was found among several dozen American Goldfinches on Argilla Road.

John Kennedy led 13 members on the last weekend of June to Island Pond in Vermont and listed 94 species including three species not seen on any Massachusetts trip – Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Gray Jay and Boreal Chickadee. Ida Giriunas on her annual trip to Machias Seal Island and surroundings led 19 members through many different habitats and recorded 112 species including eight species not recorded on any Massachusetts trip. In addition to the three boreal species in Vermont, Ida and friends recorded Black Terns nesting at Belgrade, Common Murre and Atlantic Puffins on Machias Seal, 3 Spruce Grouse with 4 chicks and a Black-backed Woodpecker. Four trips to the New Hampshire seacoast totaled 108 species. “Thank you” to our New Hampshire members for introducing us to such fine birding just north of Massachusetts.

The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist were reported by the Club in 1993:

Golden Eagle                          Pelham                        March 27

Kentucky Warbler                   Mount Auburn            May3 & 18

Cerulean Warbler                   Gloucester                  May9

Cerulean Warbler                   Mount Auburn            May20

Clay-colored Sparrow             Plymouth                     June 5

Clay-colored Sparrow             Truro                           September 19

Clay-colored Sparrow             Plum Island                 October 16

Yellow-throated Warbler       Plum Island                 August 22

Northern Wheatear                Newburyport               September 11

Gull-billed Tern                       Plum Island                 September 11

Missing from the Club list in 1993 were Northern Fulmar, all shearwaters and both petrels (the Club’s only pelagic trip scheduled for October 31 was cancelled due to bad weather), King Eider, the uncommon Common Moorhen, both Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, Caspian Tern, Royal

Tern, Black Tern, Black Skimmer, Thick-billed Murre, Common Nighthawk, Chuck-will’s-widow, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Boreal Chickadee, Sedge Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Connecticut Warbler, Dickcissel, Lark Sparrow, Pine Grosbeak and both Red and White-winged Crossbills.

Essex County was visited by the Club most often with a total of 64 trips (43 to Newburyport and Plum Island and nine trips to Cape Ann made up the bulk of the trips). Mount Auburn Cemetery was second with 28 trips. Other trips were led in over 30 different locations. Truly a well-traveled group! The only areas not visited this year that have been in the past were Martha’s Vineyard and ‘the Westport-Dartmouth area.

A special thank-you to the sixty-three leaders who guided our members throughout New England. Several leaders deserve special mention. Dennis Oliver led 15 trips, 8 with his brother David. John Nove was leader on 11 trips and was joined by his son Josh as coleader on 9 of them. Bill Drummond led “with gusto” 291 members on 11 trips and was again the leader with the highest total species count – 129 on May 22. No other single day trip reached 100 species.

Soheil Zendel was the reported leader on nine trips – not one of which was reviewed by the Statistician. Robert Stymeist was next with 8 trips (97 species on September 11 was the second highest day total with not a Canada Goose to be found). Mark Lynch and Sheila Carroll hiked members around Quabbin and other areas 7 times and Marge Rines led 7 trips. Thank you one and all.