BBC Global Big Day Count Follow Up
On May 10 the BBC sponsored a club-wide Global Big Day Count. While the weather was tough that day with off and on rain, raw wind, and cool temps, many club members still managed to get out in the field. All in all, approximately 40 members submitted lists with 186 species. The first bird reported was a Barred Owl at Hammond Pond in Newton at 2:20 AM and the last was a Whip-poor-will at Wachusett Reservoir at 8.45 PM. You can find a map below with all locations for which we received eBird lists.
If you did not get a chance to participate on May 10 we hope to have another opportunity coming up this fall. We are looking at planning a follow up event for the BBC that would the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology next Big Day planned for October 11.
Here are some highlights from this spring’s event:
- Acadian Flycatcher – Herb Hadfield Conservation Area, Westport
- Black Guillemot – Manomet Point
- Clapper Rail – Winsegansett Ave Marsh and Egypt Lane Ponds, Fairhaven
- Cliff Swallow – Topsfield Fairgrounds
- Common Murre – Gap Cove, Rockport
- Eastern Whip-poor-will – Pine Hill Grasslands and Wachusett Reservoir
- Glaucous Gull – Lieutenant Island Causeway, Wellfleet
- Grasshopper Sparrow – Pine Hill Grasslands and Crane WMA
- Sandhill Crane – Burrage Pond, Hanson
- Snow Goose – Bolton Flats and Topsfield Fairground
- Sooty Shearwater – Nauset Light Beach, Eastham
- Tricolored Heron – Wellfleet Bay Audubon
- White-eyed Vireo – Mosher Pond/Brook, Westport
- Wilson’s Storm-Petrel – Nauset Light Beach, Eastham
Top species reported by number of checklists:
- Song Sparrow
- Red-winged Blackbird
- American Robin
- Gray Catbird
- Northern Cardinal
- Common Grackle
- Blue Jay
- American Goldfinch
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Yellow Warbler, Baltimore Oriole
Most numerous – more fun because it’s highly arbitrary!:
- Double-crested Cormorant – 1092 (600 MacMillan Wharf, Provincetown)
- Red-winged Blackbird – 666
- Northern Gannet – 480 (200 Marconi Station)
- Common Grackle – 463
- American Robin – 406
- Herring Gull – 396
- Canada Goose – 317
- Chimney Swift – 314
- Gray Catbird – 307
- Laughing Gull – 303
Locations reporting most species:
- Parker River NWR – 71
- Bolton Flats WMA – 49
- Herb Hadfield, Westport – 48
- Ipswich River Audubon – 46
- High Ridge WMA – 44
- Pine Hill Road Grasslands – 42
- Great Meadows, Concord – 41
- High Head, Pilgrim Heights – 41
- Mt Auburn Cemetery – 40
- Shifting Lots Preserve, Ellisville – 39

News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
Quabbin Reservoir
Quabbin Reservoir - Gate 10 235 Daniel Shays Hwy, Pelham, MA, United StatesJoin Glenn on a 5-to-6-mile walk through a very birdy area with species ranging from Broad-winged Hawk to Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Blue-headed Vireo, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, and lots of stuff in between. (Maybe a moose or a bobcat!) Co-sponsored with the South Shore Bird Club.
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.