Parker River NWR Marsh Cruise
This August the BBC sponsored three cruises around the marshes of Parker River NWR aboard the Yankee Clipper departing from downtown Newburyport.
On the evening of Sunday the 17th we had a beautiful cruise and even made it back just before the rain! We started the trip by heading upstream on the Merrimack to the Rt 1 bridge. Once there Captain Fred directed us to great views of a pair of Peregrine Falcons known to hang out under the harbor bridge!
After cruising downstream through the harbor we turned south to the channel passing under the Plum Island Turnpike bridge. Just before the bridge we began to see groups (!) of Seaside Sparrows flying around the spartina grasses lining the edges of the channel. For this writer the sparrow show was one of the most impressive parts of the trip. We easily saw over a combined 50 Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrows during the cruise.
Our overall list included 36 species. In addition to the falcons and sparrows, worthy mentions go to Bobolinks scattered around the marsh, a Harrier just north of the Wardens, a Black-Crowned Night Heron that put in a brief appearance, and an immature Lesser Black-Backed Gull on the north jetty at Salisbury.
Many thanks to Captain Fred and First Mate Charity for a pleasant and relaxing trip!
Check out the eBird list for the trip and see our photos.
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Interested in taking action to protect horseshoe crabs in Massachusetts? Migrating shorebirds depend on their eggs for critical migration fuel and there are multiple ways you can get involved as a concerned citizen: Take
Nuttall Club special event with Peter Kaestner
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Camp Edwards Grassland Bird Tours
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The Brookline Bird Club's Spring 2024 Bulletin, also known as our "blue book", has arrived in member mailboxes! The spring blue book contains a wealth of information for BBC members, including upcoming meetings and our
Summer 2024 pelagics: register today!
Our 2024 overnight pelagic trips are now open for registration! This August, the Brookline Bird Club will be running two back-to-back trips on Saturday-Sunday August 24-25 and then Monday-Tuesday August 26-27. If you have the
Shorebirds and Horseshoe Crabs need your help!
Interested in taking action to protect horseshoe crabs in Massachusetts? Migrating shorebirds depend on their eggs for critical migration fuel and there are multiple ways you can get involved as a concerned citizen: Take
Nuttall Club special event with Peter Kaestner
Peter Kaestner in his Search for 10,000 Species of Birds in the World - A Special Event Sponsored by the Nuttall Ornithological Club Peter Kaestner after seeing his 10,000th world bird species in the Philippines.
Camp Edwards Grassland Bird Tours
The Massachusetts Army National Guard’s Natural Resource Program is hosting grassland bird tours in May on Camp Edwards. This is an unusual opportunity for avid birders, naturalists and photographers to walk through the Camp Edwards
BBC daily field trips to Mount Auburn are back!
It’s that time of year again! The Brookline Bird Club will be leading daily birding trips through Mount Auburn Cemetery, an oasis for migrating birds, this spring from Wednesday April 17th through Sunday May 26th
BBC Spring 2024 Bulletin
The Brookline Bird Club's Spring 2024 Bulletin, also known as our "blue book", has arrived in member mailboxes! The spring blue book contains a wealth of information for BBC members, including upcoming meetings and our
Summer 2024 pelagics: register today!
Our 2024 overnight pelagic trips are now open for registration! This August, the Brookline Bird Club will be running two back-to-back trips on Saturday-Sunday August 24-25 and then Monday-Tuesday August 26-27. If you have the
Shorebirds and Horseshoe Crabs need your help!
Interested in taking action to protect horseshoe crabs in Massachusetts? Migrating shorebirds depend on their eggs for critical migration fuel and there are multiple ways you can get involved as a concerned citizen: Take
Nuttall Club special event with Peter Kaestner
Peter Kaestner in his Search for 10,000 Species of Birds in the World - A Special Event Sponsored by the Nuttall Ornithological Club Peter Kaestner after seeing his 10,000th world bird species in the Philippines.
Camp Edwards Grassland Bird Tours
The Massachusetts Army National Guard’s Natural Resource Program is hosting grassland bird tours in May on Camp Edwards. This is an unusual opportunity for avid birders, naturalists and photographers to walk through the Camp Edwards
BBC daily field trips to Mount Auburn are back!
It’s that time of year again! The Brookline Bird Club will be leading daily birding trips through Mount Auburn Cemetery, an oasis for migrating birds, this spring from Wednesday April 17th through Sunday May 26th
BBC Spring 2024 Bulletin
The Brookline Bird Club's Spring 2024 Bulletin, also known as our "blue book", has arrived in member mailboxes! The spring blue book contains a wealth of information for BBC members, including upcoming meetings and our
Summer 2024 pelagics: register today!
Our 2024 overnight pelagic trips are now open for registration! This August, the Brookline Bird Club will be running two back-to-back trips on Saturday-Sunday August 24-25 and then Monday-Tuesday August 26-27. If you have the
News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
Field Trips / Events
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Pop-up Prothonotary Warbler Trip (register please) at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Concord
This is a pop-up field trip to try for the Prothonotary Warbler that has been at Great Meadows for more than a week now. Please register by emailing the trip leader to avoid too large a group. No guarantee the bird will still be there but that will be our focus. It's a great birding
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Dunback Meadow, Lexington
Our target birds will be late migrants including Mourning Warbler and flycatchers. Be prepared to walk three to five miles. Cosponsored with Menotomy Bird Club.
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Black Birders Week Field Trip! Scarboro Pond/Franklin Park
Everyone is welcome! Come celebrate Black Birders Week with us on a 2-mile trip on paved paths looking for late migrants, ducks, and resident birds in the Scarboro Pond section of Franklin Park. Beginners, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ as well as experienced birders encouraged and welcomed. Cosponsored with the Franklin Park Coalition, Franklin Park Tennis Association,
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Weston Station Pond and nearby Mass Central Rail Trail
Discover a quiet hotspot with miles of trails and a lot of birds! The diversity of habitats in and around Weston Station Pond make it a great spot to look for migrants in May ranging from warblers to waterfowl to shorebirds to others. In addition, a Great Blue Heron rookery ensures that even if it's
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Pine Hill Road Grassland
We will hike a sandy/gravelly field area for grassland breeding sparrows and warblers including Grasshopper Sparrow, and wait until sunset for whip-poor-wills.