Ellisville Harbor SP Shorebird Field Trip with Lisa Schibley
The weather could not have been more beautiful for our shorebird trip led by Lisa Schibley at Ellisville Harbor State Park in Plymouth. Everyone was excited about the trip, especially after hearing Lisa speak so enthusiastically about shorebirds the previous night during our Members Only Webinar: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification. Lisa is the North American Coordinator for the International Shorebird Survey at Manomet Conservation Sciences and her expertise showed abundantly. The trip was like a master class for shorebirding—Lisa is an amazing teacher. Joining Lisa was Soheil Zendah, the author of the New England Shorebird Guide website.
The ten of us introduced ourselves and indicated what we hoped to see, and Lisa explained what to expect during the trip. We walked about a mile toward the beach along a paved road that hugged the marsh. As the marsh became visible on our left, we saw several Great Egrets, an Osprey carrying fish to its young, a couple of Great Blue Herons, a Northern Harrier flying low, and a Green Heron that seemed to challenge us by staring towards us as it walked closer and raised its head feathers. These sightings were a great prelude to the shorebirds to come.
As we approached the beach, we felt the cool breeze of the ocean and soon saw our first shorebirds along the water’s edge. Lisa had us study the birds in detail and discuss what we were seeing. She asked us what features we noticed: What kind of bill does it have? What color are its legs? Does that make it a juvenile or an adult? Are you noticing the warm colors? Soheil Zendah brought up the New England Shorebird Guide website several times on one of our phones and showed us photos of the bird’s details to compare them with what we were actually seeing in the field, teaching us how to make the final ID.
Our group sighted ten shorebird species, including 300 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 4 Short-billed Dowitchers, 11 Black-bellied plovers, 6 Greater Yellowlegs, and most notably one Pectoral Sandpiper that napped off and on for quite some time. The tide was going out and we enjoyed approximately two hours of observations of the birds, mostly at rest or feeding. The entire experience was educational; the birds were so close that we had great views. As we were leaving the beach we heard the haunting calls of a Common Loon. Does it get any better than this?
View the eBird list from the trip.
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seen above: Stage Fort Park by Fitz Henry Lane Dovekie at Gloucester Harbor by Phil Brown About once a week, from November into March, the BBC offers field trips to Gloucester and/or
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The Brookline Bird Club is looking for a new Membership Secretary for April 2020 to replace our current secretary, Judy Hepburn, who is standing down at the end of her term. Judy has done
BBC 2020 Winter Meeting: Scott Weidensaul
Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent’s Natural Soul In 1955, naturalists Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher published their bestselling book Wild America, chronicling a now-legendary 30,000-mile trip across
Fundraising Effort to Memorialize Ida (update)
Ida at Plum Island, undated. The Board of Directors is pleased to announce 73 donations were received totaling $5,615 which far exceeded the goal set. 100% of the funds will go to
Closure of Hellcat Trail @ Parker River NWR
The Hellcat Trail at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is closed to all public access effective Monday, December 23, 2019 in order to facilitate replacement of the entire boardwalk system that supports the trail. The
Winter Birding on Cape Ann
seen above: Stage Fort Park by Fitz Henry Lane Dovekie at Gloucester Harbor by Phil Brown About once a week, from November into March, the BBC offers field trips to Gloucester and/or
Remembering Bill Drummond
We lost legendary and much-loved trip leader, Bill Drummond, 76, on October 30, 2019. Bill Drummond was a cornerstone and driving force behind the success of the Brookline Bird Club for many years. He served
Looking for new Membership Secretary!
The Brookline Bird Club is looking for a new Membership Secretary for April 2020 to replace our current secretary, Judy Hepburn, who is standing down at the end of her term. Judy has done
BBC 2020 Winter Meeting: Scott Weidensaul
Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent’s Natural Soul In 1955, naturalists Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher published their bestselling book Wild America, chronicling a now-legendary 30,000-mile trip across
Fundraising Effort to Memorialize Ida (update)
Ida at Plum Island, undated. The Board of Directors is pleased to announce 73 donations were received totaling $5,615 which far exceeded the goal set. 100% of the funds will go to
Closure of Hellcat Trail @ Parker River NWR
The Hellcat Trail at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is closed to all public access effective Monday, December 23, 2019 in order to facilitate replacement of the entire boardwalk system that supports the trail. The
Winter Birding on Cape Ann
seen above: Stage Fort Park by Fitz Henry Lane Dovekie at Gloucester Harbor by Phil Brown About once a week, from November into March, the BBC offers field trips to Gloucester and/or
Remembering Bill Drummond
We lost legendary and much-loved trip leader, Bill Drummond, 76, on October 30, 2019. Bill Drummond was a cornerstone and driving force behind the success of the Brookline Bird Club for many years. He served
Looking for new Membership Secretary!
The Brookline Bird Club is looking for a new Membership Secretary for April 2020 to replace our current secretary, Judy Hepburn, who is standing down at the end of her term. Judy has done
News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
Field Trips / Events
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RESCHEDULED to April 16 Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Concord RESCHEDULED
Concord - Great Meadows Concord Unit, Entrance Rd, Concord, MA, United StatesDue to weather, this trip is rescheduled to April 16.
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Fruitlands Museum, Harvard
Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United StatesCosponsored with Boxborough Birders. We will look for local avian non-migratory species and early migrant arrivals. Expect to walk about two miles on trails through meadows and woods, with some steep sections. Prepare for ticks. We will bird at the meeting location for about 30 minutes so any latecomers can catch up.
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Westborough WMA in Two Parts
Northborough - Watson Park, Bartlett Pond 35A Lyman St, Northborough, MA, United StatesPart 1: 7 AM -10 AM / Part 2: 10:30 AM -1:00 PM. We will hike at a slow pace through mild moderate trails in search of sparrows and other migrants. For the first part we will hike the Eastern trails between Lake Chauncy and Little Chauncy(about 3 miles). Then we will again meet at
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Belle Isle Marsh and Vicinity
East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United StatesLed by DCR staff. We will search on foot up to one mile on flat, easy terrain, for migrating or resident songbirds, raptors, shorebirds, and marsh birds at this birding hotspot and state park. This is a traveling program by car or bike. Prepare for ticks and mosquitoes. Ages: Adults and kids 8 years+ with
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Millennium Park
Boston - Millennium Park Canoe Launch 300 Gardner Street, Boston, MA, United StatesJoin us to observe resident birds and spring migrants in a unique urban habitat that is a favorite for many bird species, including uncommon and rare flycatchers, swallows & warblers. Birders of all levels welcome. The trails are generally flat and easy to walk, with some rough patches. A water bottle, sunblock, insect repellent, waterproof