THE 1995 STATISTICAL REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 1995, the Brookline Bird Club listed 298 species of birds on 202 reported trips. A total of 227 trips were scheduled, 70 all-day, 122 morning, 32 afternoon or evening, and three weekends. Twenty-five trips were not reported. In Massachusetts the Club reported a total of 291 species on 216 trips. The Whooper Swans of Ipswich were seen on eight trips and still nobody knows their origin.

On seven trips to New Hampshire, a total of 136 species was tallied. Highlights included good shorebirds on August 27 when a Golden Plover, an Upland Sandpiper, a Marbled Godwit and six (!) Buff-breasted Sandpipers were seen. Four Manx Shearwaters, two Parasitic Jaegers and a Little Gull highlighted the October 21 trip.

Ida Giriunas on her annual trip to Machias Seal Island and surroundings led 15 members through many different habitats and recorded 110 species including five species not recorded on any Massachusetts trip including Manx Shearwater, Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Common Murre, 900 Atlantic Puffins and Boreal Chickadees.

John Kennedy led 10 members on a Northeast Kingdom trip to Island Pond in Vermont on the cool foggy weekend of May 12-14 and found just 68 species. The trip was probably a week too early, but seeing four moose was a big hit.

A special trip extension to Middletown, Rhode Island, on September 10 found the Black-tailed Gull, unquestionably Rhode island’s rarest bird. There are only two previous North American records – one from Attu in the Aleutian Islands and from New Jersey in April 1995.

The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist were reported by the Club in 1995:

Eared Grebe                            Orleans                        January 22

Mountain Bluebird                 Wellfleet                     January 28

White-fronted Goose            Newburyport              January 29

Whooper Swan                       Ipswich                        February 20

Tundra Swan                           Gill                               March 10

Clay-colored Sparrow             Middleboro                 March 25

Tufted Duck                            Clinton                        April 1

Green-tailed Towhee              Marblehead                April 2

Kentucky Warbler                   Mount Auburn            May 4

Summer Tanager                    Medford                      May 6

Black-necked Stilt                   Newburyport              May 22

Gull-billed Tern                       Plum Island                 July 29

Northern Wheatear                Petersham                   September 17

Vermillion Flycatcher              Plum Island                 October 14

Harris’ Sparrow                       Provincetown              October 22

Missing from the Club list in 1995 were Northern Fulmar, Greater Shearwater, King Eider, King Rail, Baird’s Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Pomarine Jaeger, Glaucous Gull, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Dovekie, Thick-billed Murre, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Chucks-wills-widow, Sedge Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Orange-crowned Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Dickcissel, and Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill and Common Redpoll.

Essex County was visited by the Club most often, with a total of 87 trips (57 to Newburyport and Plum Island and 12 to Cape Ann made up the bulk of the trips). Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was second with 34 trips. Other trips were led in over 30 different locations.

A special thank-you to the sixty-seven leaders who guided our members throughout New England. Several leaders deserve special mention. Bill Drummond and Dennis Oliver each led 15 trips. John Nove led 12 trips; Bob Petersen led 11; and Glenn d’Entremont, John Kennedy and Robert Stymeist each led 9 trips.

The biggest trip list was as always Bill Drummond’s marathon on May 20th with 135 species. Thirty-nine members all got excellent looks at the Clapper Rails on Plum island and a Black-headed Gull in Newburyport Harbor. Honorable mention goes to Ida Giriunas who led 20 members around Newburyport on May 27th and recorded 98 species including a Black-necked Stilt. And four very lucky observers joined Tom Gagnon for a fogged-out Mount Tom trip on September 17th. They couldn’t find many migrant hawks but did manage to get excellent looks at a Connecticut Warbler, a Blue Grosbeak and a Northern Wheatear.