Laura’s Best Bird EVER: A Lifetime of Magical Encounters

Have you ever had such a perfect look at a bird, or watched it in such perfect circumstances, that you thought it had to be the best bird ever? Laura Erickson has found herself saying exactly that on many occasions, from special glimpses at Pileated Woodpeckers and a Five-striped Sparrow family to her one and only glimpse at one of the rarest birds on the planet, the Horned Guan. Some of the birds she’s seen in her travels to four continents made the grade, but so did some of the special individuals she’s seen in her own backyard. Sometimes looking for the best bird ever can open our minds and hearts to much, much more.

Saturday October 19, 2019

7:30 pm –8:30 pm (social hour with refreshments from 6:30 pm)

Geological Lecture Theater, Harvard University. 24 Oxford St, Cambridge.

FREE parking at the garage at 52 Oxford St.

About Laura:

LAURA ERICKSON, 2014 recipient of the American Birding Association’s prestigious Roger Tory Peterson Award, has been a scientist, teacher, writer, wildlife rehabilitator, professional blogger, public speaker, photographer, American Robin and Whooping Crane Expert for the popular Journey North educational website, and Science Editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She’s written eleven books about birds, including the ABA Field Guide to the Birds of Minnesota, National Geographic Pocket Guide to Birds of North America, the best-selling Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds (co-authored by photographer Marie Read); the National Outdoor Book Award-winning Sharing the Wonder of Birds with Kids; 101 Ways to Help Birds; and The Bird Watching Answer Book for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She’s currently a columnist and contributing editor for BirdWatching magazine. Since 1986 she has been producing the long-running “For the Birds” radio program for many public radio stations; the program is podcast on iTunes. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with her husband, one indoor cat, and her little birding dog Pip.

More about Laura at: https://www.lauraerickson.com.

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 276 species for 2022, based upon 204 reported trips. Of those, 264 species were recorded in Massachusetts, with 12 additional species reported from the out-of-state trips to New Hampshire [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Brookline Bird Club 2021 Statistical and Year-End Report By David Scott, Club Statistician The Brookline Bird Club recorded 270 species for 2021, based upon 206 reported trips. Two-hundred and sixty-five species were recorded in Massachusetts, [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 276 species for 2022, based upon 204 reported trips. Of those, 264 species were recorded in Massachusetts, with 12 additional species reported from the out-of-state trips to New Hampshire [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Brookline Bird Club 2021 Statistical and Year-End Report By David Scott, Club Statistician The Brookline Bird Club recorded 270 species for 2021, based upon 206 reported trips. Two-hundred and sixty-five species were recorded in Massachusetts, [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 276 species for 2022, based upon 204 reported trips. Of those, 264 species were recorded in Massachusetts, with 12 additional species reported from the out-of-state trips to New Hampshire [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2021

Brookline Bird Club 2021 Statistical and Year-End Report By David Scott, Club Statistician The Brookline Bird Club recorded 270 species for 2021, based upon 206 reported trips. Two-hundred and sixty-five species were recorded in Massachusetts, [...]

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Upcoming Field Trips

  • Fall migrants at Roslindale Wetlands Urban Park

    Roslindale Wetlands Urban Park 23 Coniston Rd, Roslindale, MA, United States

    A small but mighty urban wild that offers a variety of habitat. Expect to see a variety of woodpeckers, resident birds, warblers, and other migratory species, as well as a surprise or two. The path is flat with a mix of gravel and dirt surfaces with newly added boardwalks on the wetter sections. Boots are [...]

  • Fresh Pond, Cambridge (rescheduled to Sept. 27)

    Cambridge - Fresh Pond - TD Bank 235 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA, United States

    This walk has been rescheduled to September 27 which will be the 113th anniversary of the first-ever Brookline Bird Club bird walk on September 27th 1913 which was also at Fresh Pond.

  • Rock Meadow, Belmont

    Belmont - Rock Meadow 300 Mill St, Belmont, MA, United States

    Come join us for a walk at scenic Rock Meadow and Beaver Brook North, home of open fields, wetlands, ample woods and edge habitat, and public gardens which attract a wide variety of migrating song birds. Hiking is relatively easy, and should be a bit under two miles total at most, if we venture further [...]

  • Fresh Pond, Cambridge – 113th anniversary of the first-ever Brookline Bird Club bird walk

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    A two mile walk on (mostly) paved paths around the pond. In addition to the “usual suspects”, we are likely to see some of the fall warblers, plus possibly a few of the Weird Ducks that have started to arrive. New Members especially invited to this pleasant walk! This walk is taking place on the [...]

  • Arlington Reservoir

    Lexington - Arlington Reservoir 210 Lowell Street, Arlington, MA, United States

    In the fall water levels are lowered creating good conditions for ducks and shorebirds. We will also visit the adjacent Lexington community farm. Birds are found feasting on the remains of the crops planted there. We will walk about a mile on wide paths and some uneven ground (possibly muddy). Note that the reservoir area [...]

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