1996 STATISTICAL REPORT
by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician
During 1996, the Brookline Bird Club listed 293 species of birds on 207 reported trips. A total of 248 trips were scheduled, 73 all-day, 144 morning, 28 afternoon or evening, and three weekends. Forty-one trips were not reported. In Massachusetts the Club reported a total of 290 species on 169 trips.
On six trips to New Hampshire, a total of 142 species was tallied. Highlights included a Bicknell’s Thrush and twenty-one Yellow-bellied Flycatchers in the White Mountains. On a trip to the Connecticut Lakes region near Pittsburg, NH, twelve members saw seven Olive-sided Flycatchers, two Black-backed Woodpeckers and a Gray Jay. Ida Giriunas on her annual trip to Machias Seal Island and surroundings led 12 members through many different habitats and recorded 100 species including two species not recorded on any Massachusetts trip: Red-shouldered Hawk and 5,000 Atlantic Puffins. The trip to Machias was delayed due to fog and therefore no landing could be made.
The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS)
Checklist were reported by the Club in 1996:
Eared Grebe Rockport January 13
Tundra Swan Gloucester January 27
Golden Eagle Plum Island January 28
Common Murre Weymouth February 4
Great Gray Owl Rowley February 2, 11, 18
Mew Gull Newbury March 31
Whooper Swan Ipswich April 20
Cerulean Warbler Mount Auburn May 11
Bullock’s Oriole Mount Auburn May 15
Common Raven Mount Greylock June 22
Tufted Duck Sterling October 13
White-fronted Goose Ipswich December 1
Missing from the Club list in 1996 were Cory’s Shearwater, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Eurasian Wigeon, Redhead, King Rail, Red Phalarope, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Barn Owl, Chucks-wills-widow, Acadian Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Sedge Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, White-eyed Vireo, Connecticut Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissel, Lark Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Red Crossbill and White-winged Crossbill.
Essex County was visited by the Club most often, with a total of 111 trips (97 to Newburyport and Plum Island and 14 to Cape Ann). Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was second with 35 trips. Other trips were led in over 25 different locations, including 7 pelagics although only 4 were reported.
A special thank-you to the sixty-five leaders who guided our members throughout the year. Several leaders deserve special mention. Steve Grinley led an impressive 27 trips, Bill Drummond led 17. Glenn d’Entremont and Bob Petersen each led 11 trips, and John Nove , Dennis Oliver and Bob Stymeist each led 10 trips.
The biggest trip list was as always Bill Drummond’s spring trip on May 18 with 130 species. Fifty-one members all got excellent looks at two Clapper Rails on Plum Island and a Golden-winged Warbler in Groveland. Other century trips included a Glenn d’Entremont Blue Hills-Squantum trip on May 11 with 102 species, a Bob Stymeist trip from Eastham to Truro on September 7 with 101 species, and a Bill Drummond trip to Newburyport on September 8 with 103 species.
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Upcoming Field Trips
The Quiet Beauty of Birding at Winthrop Beach
Winthrop - DCR Winthrop Beach Reservation - Sturgis St 59 Winthrop Shore Drive, Winthrop, MA, United StatesJoin DCR park staff for a leisurely walk across sandy stretches and areas of loose rocks at this Massachusetts State Reservation, a well-known hot spot for birdwatching. We'll be on the lookout for shorebirds, waterbirds, and gulls. Binoculars are recommended. Suitable for adults and children ages 8 and up (with an accompanying adult). Sponsored by [...]
Fruitlands Museum, Harvard
Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United StatesAll the nesting birds will still be around, with good views of young out of the nest being fed by parents: Veery, Indigo Bunting, Catbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Tree Swallow, Bobolink, Wood Thrush, Baltimore Oriole, and Warblers. Expect to walk about 2 miles on trails through meadow and woods with some steep sections. Heavy rain cancels [...]
Birch Hill WMA
Royalston - Birch Hill WMA Royalston, MA, United StatesIncludes three to five miles of walking relatively flat terrain. Might include some bushwacking. Driving on hard packed dirt roads. Co-sponsored with the Athol Bird & Nature Club.
Southwick WMA
Southwick WMA - Suffield WMA entrance Point Grove Road, Suffield, CT, United StatesWe will hike the fields focusing on grassland breeders, particularly Eastern Meadowlark and Grasshopper Sparrow.
Millennium Park
Boston - Millennium Park Canoe Launch 300 Gardner Street, Boston, 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 birds include bobolinks, egrets, flycatchers, grosbeaks, herons, owls, rails, ravens, sandpipers, swallows & swifts, vultures, warblers, and woodpeckers. Birders of all levels will enjoy this trip. The [...]