2001 STATISTICAL AND YEAR-END REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 2001, the Brookline Bird Club listed 303 species of birds on 210 reported trips, two fewer than the previous year. A total of 268 trips were scheduled, 22 fewer than the previous year’s all time high of 290 for the Club. There were 80 all-day, 157 morning, 28 afternoon or evening, and three weekend trips. A very high number of trips went unreported (a gentle reminder to leaders to return the checklist provided with a stamped envelope). Fifty-eight trips were not reported, of which only 14 were due to weather. Forty-four were simply not reported! In Massachusetts, the Club reported a total of 300 species on 197 trips.

One new species was added to the overall Brookline Bird Club list of birds, a Sage Thrasher recorded on an extension of a Newburyport trip on November 25 led by Jonathan Center.

Bill Drummond also organized a special trip on this day to add the bird to the Club list. This bird, found at Nubble Light on Cape Neddick in York, Maine, represented the first state record for this species in Maine. There is only one other record for this species in New England; one was photographed at Plum Island on October 26, 1965.

In 2001, the Club scheduled only five pelagic trips, down from 13 the previous year. Of the five trips, only two were reported. An overnight trip to Hydrographer Canyon on August 27 had a

total of just 14 species but among them was a sighting of two White-faced Storm-Petrels, only the second record for the Club. The overnight trip also noted three Audubon’s Shearwaters, along with 17 Cory’s Shearwaters and 24 Leach’s Storm-Petrels among the usual Stellwagen Bank fare.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist (11/98) now includes all the species that have been identified in the state as determined by the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC). The Club recorded the following species that are listed on the new list as very rare or as accidental species:

Eared Grebe                            Gloucester                              January 1

Audubon’s Shearwater           Hydrographer Canyon            August 27

White-faced Storm-Petrel      Hydrographer Canyon            August 27

Rufous Hummingbird             Agawam                                  September 16

Gray Jay                                   Windsor                                  December 8

Northern Wheatear                Plum Island                             September 9

Sage Thrasher                         York, Maine                             November 25

Painted Bunting                      Malden                                    February 11

In addition, though not in the rare or accidental category, the following species listed as rare or uncommon were seen by the Club:

Leach’s Storm-Petrel                           Hydrographer Canyon            August 27

Golden Eagle                                       Salisbury                                  November 17

Atlantic Puffin                                     Cape Ann                                 March 4

Ringed Turtle Dove (escape)              Mt. Auburn                             June 9

Chuck-will’s-widow                             Wellfleet                                 May 26

Western Kingbird                                West Newbury                        November 17

Sedge Wren                                        Barnstable                               May 26

Summer Tanager                                Mt. Auburn                             May 17

Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow           Boston Public Garden             November 4

The following species occur with some regularity in the state but were missed by the Club during 2001: Cattle Egret, Western Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Parasitic Jaeger, Little Gull, Black Tern, Alder Flycatcher, Connecticut Warbler, Dickcissel, and Red Crossbill.

The Club visited Essex County most often, with a total of 108 trips (62 to Newburyport and Plum Island area, 28 to Cape Ann, and 18 to other spots in the county). Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was second with 42 trips. Competing migration trap Marblehead Neck was visited 16 times thanks to Linda Ferraresso, Joe Paluzzi and others. There were also 50 scheduled trips in the Metropolitan Boston area, 12 trips to the South Shore, six trips to areas on Cape Cod, and eight trips to areas in Western Massachusetts. Out of state trips included a weekend trip to Rangely Lakes in Maine, a weekend trip to Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison, Vermont (cancelled because of bad weather), and seven t1ips

in New Hampshire.

The Club also conducted several workshops in 2001. Shawn Carey and Don Crockett, along with Dave Larson and Steve Mirick, held a Photo and Video Workshop in February for birders considering getting into bird photography and Marj Rines conducted a Birding and Computer Technology Workshop in November. Repeated were the Warbler Workshop in April and the Sparrow Workshop in October. New in 2001 were a Hawaiian Shirt Shorebird Safari on South Beach in Chatham and a Mad Hatter’s Walk on September 1. You can view images of the Photo Workshop and see some of those fancy shirts on the BBC web page http://www.massbird.org/bbc/.

A special thank-you goes out to the 72 leaders who guided our members throughout the year. Several leaders deserve special mention. Bill Drummond led 22 trips; Steve Grinley led 19

trips; Soheil Zendeh was listed as a leader 16 times; Bob Stymeist, 14; Laura de la Flor, Linda Ferraresso, and John Nave each led 12; Bob Petersen and Eddie Giles each led 11 trips; and Glenn d’Entremont led 10 trips. The Club honored its leaders with a Leader Appreciation Day held at Wompatuck State Park. A special thank-you goes out to Laura de la Flor and Eddie Giles and other Board members that made this event a big success.

The biggest trip list was, as always, Bill Drummond’s spring trip on May 19 with 122 species. Bill commented that it was a poor migration day and that the group had to work hard for every species, but nonetheless they recorded such goodies as a late Snow Goose, a Ruff and a Reeve at the salt pannes on Plum Island, a grand slam on all of the swallows, and 17 species of warblers. The next best trip list was 96 species recorded on a morning trip led by Laura de la Flor to Marblehead Neck with an extension to Essex County on May 26. Glenn d’Entremont extended his trip on the same day from Plymouth to Cape Cod and added Sedge Wren and Chuck-wills-widow to the Club List. Our leaders are always eager to see a special bird and it is not unusual to extend a trip.

Jonathan Center extended his Newburyport trip on November 25 to Cape Neddick, Maine to add the Sage Thrasher only to find another BBC trip already there! Through the hotlines, Bill

Drummond added an additional unscheduled trip assuring that this vagrant was added to the Club list. Joe Paluzzi and six members win the prize for the longest and most rewarding

extension. Meeting in Beverly for a coastal trip, Joe headed west to the Berkshires and added Gray Jay, as well as 41 Pine Grosbeaks and 60 Evening Grosbeaks to the list. The most species for the least amount of travel was a trip totally within the town of Wellfleet that recorded a total of 83 species on September 15.

Weather-wise, the year 2001 was very warm and exceptionally dry. In the Boston area the temperature averaged 52.5 degrees, 1.2 above normal, almost two degrees warmer than

2000 and the warmest since 1999. The year tied for the twelfth warmest in 130 years of record keeping. A high of 97 degrees was recorded in Boston on August 9, and the low was 10 degrees on February 12. July was very cool for the second year in a row, making the summer very comfortable. Rainfall was only 31.41 inches, 10.10 inches less than average and 14.48 inches less than 2000. The year ranked as the 7th driest in 131 years of records for Boston. The wettest month was March with 8.16 inches and the driest month was November with a mere 0. 73 of an inch. Days with measurable amounts were 111, 13 days under the average. Snowfall in Boston totaled 46.6 inches, 4.7 more than the past average and 17.8 inches more than 2000. March was the snowiest month; in fact, the lion roared all month. A severe nor’easter on the

5-7th and flooding rains on the 21-22nd also made for a miserable March. The sunniest month was July at 71 % sunshine, followed closely by September with 70%. The least sunny month was March with only 38%. The year had 137 clear days, 117 partly cloudy days, and 111 cloudy days, all noted and recorded from the Blue Hills Observatory in Canton.

The Club recorded nearly 84% of all the birds that were noted during 2001-pretty impressive! A total of at least 358 species were observed and reported by birders across the state during 2001. A Couch’s Kingbird, found on Plum Island on September 7, was the only new bird added to the official State list. A possible Long-toed Stint in breeding plumage was discovered on

Plum Island on May 4. If this species is accepted by MARC, it would constitute the first record for eastern North America. Another potential species that could be recorded in the state is Yellow-legged Gull. Perhaps as many as three birds were present among the masses of gulls found along Low Beach on Nantucket. This species breeds in southern Europe along the

coast of Iberia and in the Mediterranean, as well as the Azores. One was carefully studied this past winter but MARC has rejected the report. The problem, one that challenges the gull

experts, is that hybrids of Herring X Lesser Black-backed Gull show many of the same features of Yellow-legged Gull. Other impressive species seen during 2001 were: Pacific Loon, West-

ern Grebe, Anhinga, Ross’ Goose, Barnacle Goose, Tufted Duck, Black Vulture, Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites, Swainson’s Hawk, Gyrfalcon, Yellow Rail, Purple Gallinule, American Avocet, Franklin’s Gull, Thayer’s Gull, Sabine’s Gull, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Wheatear, Townsend’s Solitaire, Varied Thrush, Bohemian Waxwing, Townsend’s Warbler, and Harris’ Sparrow.

MASSACHUSETIS LIST TOTALS IN 2001

Oakes Spalding, Cambridge                319

John Hoye, Wayland                           312

Audrey McCarthy, Wayland               309

Chris Floyd, Lexington                         303

Glenn d’Entremont, Stoughton          293

Joe Paluzzi, Beverly                             293

Fred Bouchard, Brookline                   278

Linda Ferraresso, Watertown             271

Herman d’Entremont, Somerville      268

Bob Stymeist, Watertown                  274

Laura de la Flor, Salem                       257

Bobette Wicks, Westwood                 240

Glen Tepke, Boston                             236

Jerry Soucy, Rockport                         234

Larry O’Bryan, Arlington                     232

Nancy Eaton, Enfield CT                      229

Mark Lynch, Worcester                      217*

Larry Jodrey, Rockport                        209

Adams Little, Cambridge                    191

Bob Stymeist, Watertown                  166**

*Blackstone National Corridor only

**City of Boston only

2000 STATISTICAL AND YEAR END REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 2000, the Brookline Bird Club listed 305 species of birds on 228 reported trips, four more than last year. A total of 290 trips were scheduled, an all-time high for the Club. They broke down as follows: 73 all-day, 180 morning, 31 afternoon or evening, and six weekend trips. A very high number of trips went unreported (a gentle reminder to leaders to return the checklist provided with a stamped envelope). Sixty-two trips were not reported, of which only 16 were weather-related. In Massachusetts, the Club reported a total of 296 species on 217 trips.

One new species was added to the overall Brookline Bird Club list of birds, the Tropical Kingbird recorded on an extension of a Cape Cod trip on November 18. This bird, first found on November 8 at World’s End in Hingham, represented the first state record for this species in Massachusetts.

The Club scheduled one trip to the Dead Creek area in Vermont, famous for wintering raptors. A total of 24 Red-tailed and 16 Rough-legged hawks were noted as well as 2000 Snow Geese.

There were two weekend trips to Maine. Ida Giriunas, on her annual trip to Machias Seal Island and surroundings, led 10 members through many different habitats and recorded 98 species, including 4400 Arctic Terns, 1600 Razorbills, 40 Common Murres, 3000 Atlantic Puffins, two Boreal Chickadees and a Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow. Alan and Barbara Delorey led a trip to the Connecticut Lakes region of northern New Hampshire, one of eight trips to that state. This trip was scheduled for boreal species and the five members who joined the leaders delighted in finding Spruce Grouse, 3 Black-backed Woodpeckers, 2 Gray Jays, and 7 Boreal Chickadees among the 99 species recorded.

This year, the Club had a dramatic increase in the number of pelagic trips, scheduled primarily through the efforts of Emmalee Tarry. A total of 13 trips were listed, three of which were dedicated charters including one to the far off-shore area of Cashes Ledge. Other trips were on whale watches from Newburyport, Gloucester, Plymouth, Barnstable, and Provincetown.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist (11/98) now includes all the species that have been identified in the state, as determined by the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC). The Club recorded the following species listed on the new list as very rare or as accidental species:

Eared Grebe                                        Gloucester      January 2

Greater White-fronted Goose            Fairhaven        January 22

Tufted Duck                                        Plymouth        January 9

American Avocet                                Plum Island     August 19 & 20

Franklin’s Gull                                     Newburyport November 5

Tropical Kingbird                                 World’s End    November 18

Missing from the Club list in 2000 were: Little Gull, Black Skimmer, Thick-billed Murre, Acadian Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Golden-winged Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Blue Grosbeak, and both White-winged and Red Crossbills (in Massachusetts).

The Club visited Essex County most often, with a total of 130 trips (67 to Newburyport and Plum Island area, 41 to Cape Ann, and to 22 other spots in the County). Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was second with 50 trips, 14 more than last year. There were also 40 scheduled trips in the Metropolitan Boston area, 12 trips each to the South Shore and Sudbury River Valley areas, six trips each to areas on Cape Cod and Central Massachusetts, and five trips to areas in Western Massachusetts.

A special thank-you to the 80 leaders who guided our members throughout the year. Several leaders deserve special mention. Steve Grinley led an impressive 28 trips, Bill Drummond led 22 trips, John Nove led 16, Bob Petersen and Bob Stymeist each led 11 trips and Soheil Zendeh led 10 trips.

The biggest trip list was, as always, Bill Drummond’s spring trip on May 20 with 114 species. Bill commented on how it was a poor migration day but nonetheless recorded such goodies as the only Cattle Egret of the year, two very late Ruddy Ducks and a Whimbrel, a species uncommon in spring. The next best trip list was 95 species recorded on a sweep of Norfolk County on May 13 led by Glenn d’Entremont.

The Club recorded nearly 82% of all the birds that were noted during 2000 – pretty impressive! A total of at least 363 species were observed and reported by birders across the state during 2000.

The Tropical Kingbird was the only new bird added to the official State list. Other impressive species seen during the year were: Yellow-nosed Albatross, both White and Brown pelicans, Swallow-tailed and Mississippi kites, Yellow Rail, Purple Gallinule, Wilson’s Plover, Black-necked Stilt, South Polar Skua, Bridled Tern, White-winged Dove, Boreal Owl, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Wheatear, Mountain Bluebird, Black-throated Gray and Townsend’s warblers, Black-headed Grosbeak, Spotted Towhee, Henslow’s, Harris’ and LeConte’s Sparrows, and Hoary Redpoll.

Weather-wise, 2000 was colder than normal and had above-normal precipitation. In Boston the temperature averaged 50.6 degrees, just 7 below normal. This was 2.2 degrees cooler than 1999 and the coldest since 1992. The high reached 92 degrees in Boston on June 17 and the low, 0, on January 17. Summer was well on the cool side. There were not many hot and humid days, making it a delightful and comfortable season. Rainfall totaled 45.83 inches, 4.32 inches more than average for Boston. The wettest month was June with 6.61 inches and the driest was August, with 2.22 inches in Boston. Days with measurable amounts were 133, nine over the normal number. Snowfall in Boston was a meager 28.5 inches, 13.6 inches under the average.

Birders were undaunted by the hype over Y2K; most of us ignored the warnings of the year, shut off our computers and went to bed early to start a New Year of birding.

MASSACHUSETTS LIST TOTALS FOR 2000

Dick Corneau, Harwich                       319

Bob Bieda, Northampton                   318

Seward Highley, Brewster                  318

Joe Paluzzi, Beverly                             318

Mark Lynch, Worcester                      316

Sally Clifton, Hyannis                          315

John Hoye, Wayland                           312

Audrey McCarthy, Wayland               309

Susan Hedman, Manchester              302

Herman D’Entrernont, Somerville      287

Glenn d’Entrernont, Randolph           283

Fred Bouchard, Brookline                   282

Oakes Spalding, Cambridge                280

Bob Styrneist, Watertown                  279

Laura de la Flor, Salem                       277

Bobette Wicks, Westwood                 259

Jerry Soucy, Rockport                         252

Ian Lynch, Salem                                 251

Nancy Eaton, Enfield CT                      250

Larry O’Bryan, Arlington                     237

Larry Jodrey, Rockport                        233

Adams Little, Cambridge                    191

1999 STATISTICAL AND YEAR END REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 1999, the Brookline Bird Club listed 301 species of birds on 241 reported trips. A total of 271 trips were scheduled, 69 all-day, 169 morning, 29 afternoon or evening, and four weekend trips. Thirty trips were not reported. In Massachusetts the Club reported a total of 295 species on 231 trips.

There were eight trips to New Hampshire, highlights included two Bicknell’s Thrush, which 20 members were able to watch through a scope on Mt Washington and they also were treated with tremendous looks at a male Black-backed Woodpecker at Fabyans.and two Yellow-bellied Flycatchers a bird that was missed in Massachusetts. A trip to Pawtuckaway State Park yielded nesting Cerulean Warblers and Acadian Flycatchers. Ida Giriunas on her annual trip to Machias Seal Island and surroundings led 17 members through many different habitats and recorded 120 species including 4000 Arctic Terns, 700 Razorbills, 3000 Atlantic Puffins, two Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, two Boreal Chickadees and two Nelson’s Sharp tailed Sparrows. Eddie Giles organized the popular Rangely Lakes Trip in July with another great year. The Club recorded 110 species, the highlights included two Black-backed and a single Three-toed Woodpecker, six Olive-sided and two Yellow-bellied flycatchers, six Boreal Chickadees, a Philadelphia Vireo, and a Northern Saw-whet Owl, a bird not seen by the Club in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist (11/98) now includes all the species that have been identified in the state as determined by the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC). The Club recorded the following species that are listed on the new list as very rare or as accidental species

Eared Grebe                                      Gloucester                  January 3

Greater White-fronted Goose               Newbury                   October23

MacGillivray’s Warbler                      Boston                          Nov 28

Missing from the Club list in 1999 were: Leach’s Storm Petrel, Least Bittern, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Common Moorhen, Royal Tern, Arctic Tern (in Mass.), Barn Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, (in Mass.) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher(in Mass.) Western Kingbird, Sedge Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Golden-winged Warbler, Blue Grosbeak, Seaside Sparrow, Pine and Evening grosbeaks.

The Club visited Essex County most often, with a total of 118 trips (66 to Newburyport and Plum Island area, 25 to Cape Ann and 27 other spots in the County). Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was second with 36 trips. Other trips were led in over 25 different locations, including 9 pelagic although only 6 were reported.

A special thank-you to the seventy-five leaders who guided our members throughout the year. Several leaders deserve special mention. Steve Grinley led an impressive 30 trips, Bill Drummond led 20. Jim Barton led 13, John Nove led 13, Bob Petersen and Bob Stymeist each led 11 trips, and Linda Ferraresso and Soheil Zendeh each led 10 trips.

The biggest trip list was as always Bill Drummond’s spring trip on May 15 with 124 species. Twenty-three members shared a nice assortment of birds such as American Bittern, a Ruffed Grouse, a woodcock, two hummingbirds, 22 different species of warblers and two Orchard Orioles. The next best trip list was a distant 89 species recorded from just the town of Wellfleet on September 11.led by Bob Stymeist

The Club recorded nearly 84% of all the birds that were noted during 1999-pretty impressive! A total of at least 360 species were observed and reported by birders across the state during 1999, eight species less than in 1998. The Pink-footed Goose discovered in January on a golf course in Dennis was a first state report (as opposed to a record, pending the decision of the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee MARC). Another species, a Crested Caracara was found for the first time in the state in the Cumberland Farm fields The bird brought a lot of excitement during the winter doldrums, however due to the sedentary nature of the species, the MARC did not accept this record

Weather wise 1999 was a very warm year with near normal precipitation and lots of sunshine. In Boston the temperature averaged 52.8, 1.5 above normal ranking it as the tenth warmest in 129 years. In Boston the high was 98 on July 15 and July 17, with many communities inland and in western Massachusetts topping the 100-degree mark. The low was 2 on January 2. Rainfall totaled 37.90 inches, 3.61 inches less than average for Boston. The wettest month was September with 9.86 inches and the driest was June, which was just a trace. Snowfall in Boston was a meager 34.9 inches, 7.4 inches under the average. No hurricanes although Floyd on September 17 managed to send a few storm-driven birds to the coast

WINTER HIGHLIGHTS

January began with the perennial Eared Grebe in East Gloucester and the Tufted Duck at the Wachusett Reservoir, a Pacific Loon was found off Race Point in Provincetown, the aforementioned Pink-footed Goose and two reports of Greater White-fronted Geese, one in Hadley and the other a holdover from December in Arlington. Other waterfowl specialties included good numbers of Eurasian Wigeon, several King Eiders, rafts of Harlequin Ducks off Cape Ann and Barrow’s Goldeneyes from many locations Among the raptors 34 Bald Eagles were tallied at Quabbin and another 13 were counted along the Connecticut River during the annual census. The Logan Airport Gyrfalcon was found on New Years Day. Gull watchers scrutinized the flocks and found two different Thayer’s Gulls, the Mew Gull in Winthrop and South Boston and a California Gull was reported in Easton. A Great Skua was identified off Cape Ann in late February The third state record of Ancient Murrelet was found off Andrew’s Point in Rockport. A late flurry of alcids was noticed off Cape Ann with several Dovekies and above average numbers of murres, Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins sighted. Only a single Snowy Owl was reported, the lowest number in at least 25 years; the owl show at Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield was fantastic. In the passerine department a Bewick’s Wren was studied but the observers were unable to see the tail pattern, which is its most distinctive field mark. Good feeder birds included four Western Tanagers, three Bullock’s Orioles and a Yellow-headed Blackbird.

SPRING HIGHLIGHTS

Migration time-the hawks were flying with record numbers of American Kestrels over Plum Island. In May two Swallow-tailed and two Mississippi kiteswere reported. Three Ruffs were noted during the migration and unusual in spring were reports of American Golden Plover and Whimbrel. The real shorebird highlight was a breeding plumaged Rufous-necked Stint found on Plum Island. The Chuck wills widow returned to the White Cedar Swamp in Wellfleet and others were heard from Nantucket and Montague! Rufie, the remarkable Rufous Hummingbird that has now spent several winters in a Northampton greenhouse was released in early May. Two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were found-one on Nantucket and another at the Turner Falls Airport. The Philadelphia Vireo returned for the third year in a row to the same set of trees at the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge. Among the warblers, a Townsend’s found at the Beech Forest in Provincetown was the showstopper. Other sought after warblers included three Orange-crowned, two Yellow-throated, two Prothonotary, and at least eight Hooded and six Kentucky. There were seven reports of Summer Tanager and three Blue Grosbeaks, and unusual in spring was a report of a Western Tanager from Truro and a Dickcissel in Belchertown.

BREEDING SEASON

Lots of firsts this year: from Nantucket a Pied billed Grebe was found with three young birds in July, and a Cooper’s Hawk was on a nest though no evidence of fledged young was reported. A pair of Common Ravens nesting in Ashland produced two young thus establishing the southeastern most confirmed breeding record for this species in Massachusetts. On Martha’s Vineyard a Fish Crow at Oak Bluffs was a first record for the island. Black Vultures continued to be seen regularly in Berkshire County and breeding is suspected but not confirmed. Cerulean Warblers continue to establish themselves in the state while Golden-winged Warblers become scarcer and scarcer. Among the stranger summer visitors that ended their lives getting here was an Audubon’s Shearwater picked up dead on Muskeget and an Atlantic Puffin found dead on Nantucket. A White-winged Dove visited a feeder for just one day in July in Marshfield. Whale watch boats provided an excellent opportunity to get out to Stellwagen and very good numbers of shearwaters and petrels were seen. On August 7 observers tallied 12,600 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels on a trip from Gloucester to Provincetown. At least two Sabine’s Gulls were recorded in August on Stellwagen.

FALL MIGRATION

For shorebirds fall starts early, flocks are on the move by mid July and great waves of these pipers can be found at South Beach and Monomoy as well as Plymouth, and Newburyport. An American Avocet was found on Plum Island and at the same time a Ruff was also present on the island. Hudsonian Godwits peaked at over 100 individuals on South Beach in early August where 3-4 Marbled were also found. The “grasspipers”, Baird’s and Buff-breasted sandpipers began arriving in late August and were joined by increasing numbers of Golden Plovers and Whimbrels. A Red-necked Stint was found on South Beach in Chatham in early September where it remained for at least nine days and another Ruff was found near Fort Hill in Eastham. The media hyped Hurricane Floyd for days but by the time it reached the northeast it was downgraded to a tropical storm but nonetheless produced several interesting birds along the coast and in some inland locations. The strongest gusts were noted in the southeast and the heaviest rain in the western sections of the state. The center of Floyd passed in the very early morning of September 17 heading northeast through central Massachusetts just west of Worcester. At First Encounter Beach in Eastham observers noted a Sabine’s Gull, a Bridled Tern, three Sooty and four Black terns as well as 10 Pomarine and six Parasitic jaegers. At Wachusett Reservoir the storm dumped a Laughing Gull and a Forster’s Tern, the Laughing Gull was a first for Worcester County. The Common Nighthawk migration gets under way in mid August with the largest flights in late August. The songbirds also start their journey in August, though most birders miss getting used to looking for them until September. On August 31, a Western Kingbird and a Yellow-headed Blackbird, both uncommon fall migrants were noted on this exceptionally early date. On September 12 tremendous fallout of birds were recorded from Gay Head on Martha’s Vineyard and nearby Cuttyhunk Island, thousands of birds streamed by the cliffs. At Great Meadows in Concord was the scene of an unprecedented blowback of Chimney Swifts, with over 2000 there on September 20. Rufie, our special Rufous Hummingbird returned to its favorite feeder in Agawam for the third fall in a row. Thirty-four species of warblers were noted during the fall migration with the highlights being three Golden-winged, 19 or so Orange-crowned, two Yellow-throated, four Prothonotary, a Kentucky, a staggering 24 Connecticut and 14 chats. Among the seedeaters a Lark Sparrow in Lexington, a Lark Bunting in Weymouth, a Henslow’s Sparrow in Newbury, as many as three LeConte’s Sparrows and close to 40 Dickcissels were noted. The winter finch flight was sure promising with great numbers of Purple Finches and Pine Siskins starting in early September. There were fewer numbers of both crossbills and Evening Grosbeaks were mostly seen in western sections Common Redpolls were underway at the end of October, quite a bit ahead of schedule, and finally a Boreal Chickadee was banded at Manomet on October 29

WINTER AGAIN

The Eared Grebe and the Tufted Duck returned, “home” both for the fifth consecutive year. A Yellow Rail was flushed by a tractor at Daniel Webster in Marshfield, where the Long-eared Owls also returned to delight the birders once again with their dusk hunting maneuvers. An apparent Snow/Ross’s hybrid goose was present for most of November on Plum Island the bird was well documented on video and photographs but unfortunately the id was not conclusive. The first Bohemian Waxwings were noted from many localities starting in November and another Boreal Chickadee was present most of the winter at a feeder in West Newbury. Snowy Owls returned with as many as three at Logan Airport. Winter finches were in good supply with great numbers of redpolls noted statewide; at least four Hoary Redpolls were found. The weather was wonderful, and having 18 species in December is tough to beat. Some of the rarer birds included a very cooperative MacGillivray’s Warbler in the Fenway section of Boston, who was reliably seen for nearly a month and managed to get himself on the Boston CBC for a possible national high! A Northern Wheatear put in a brief appearance in Northampton, and an Ash-throated Flycatcher(almost routine) was found in Westport, and finally a Spotted Towhee, a recently split species arrived just at years end to bring the 1990’s to a close.

ANNUAL LISTS

John Hoye, Wayland                           315

Mark Lynch, Worcester                       310

Audrey McCarthy, Wayland                 310

Ed Crowley, Brookline                        303

Bev Chaiason, Newton                        302

Joe Paluzzi, Beverly                            300

Chris Floyd, Lexington                        298

Herman D’Entremont, Somerville         295

Linda Ferrareso,Watertown                  294

Susan Hedman, Manchester                  290

Glenn d’Entremont, Randolph              289

Bob Stymeist, Watertown                    281

Oakes Spaulding, Cambridge                280

Ida Giriunas, Reading                          270

Fred Bouchard, Brookline                    269

Laura delaFlor, Salem                         267

Bobette Wicks, Westwood                   264

Jerry Soucy, Rockport                         256

Larry Jodrey, Rockport                        233

Larry O’Bryan, Arlington                    225

Nancy Eaton, Enfield CT                     216

Donald Wilkinson, Wakefield               214

Ad Little, Cambridge                          201

Mark Lynch, Worcester                       196                 City of Worcester only

Bob Stymeist, Watertown                    151                     City of Boston only

1998 STATISTICAL REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 1998, the Brookline Bird Club listed 300 species of birds on 233 reported trips. A total of 277 trips were scheduled, 69 all-day, 170 morning, 34 afternoon or evening, and four weekends. Forty-four trips were not reported; in addition four unscheduled trips were arranged (three additions to Mt. Auburn, a special trip to see the Long-billed Murrelet in Narragansett, Rhode Island), In Massachusetts the Club reported a total of 290 species on 212 trips.

On six trips to New Hampshire, highlights included an Olive-sided Flycatcher and Gray Jay in the Connecticut Lakes region Two scheduled Mass trips were extended into the Granite State to see a Varied Thrush just over the border and the Little Egret in Newmarket. The remaining trips were along the coast and another to Star Island.

Two weekend trips to Maine added two Spruce Grouse, six Common Murre, 3000 Atlantic Puffins and five Boreal Chickadees in the Machias area; and a trip to the Ranglely Lakes area listed 98 species with nine Gray Jays,10 Ravens, 29 Boreal Chickadees, two Olive-sided and five Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, four Philadelphia Vireos, and 26 White-winged Crossbills.

The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist were reported by the Club in 1997:

Eared Grebe                Gloucester                   January 24

Tufted Duck                Plymouth                    February 1

Common Murre          Rockport                     February 14

Whooper Swan           Ipswich                       February 16

Bullock’s Oriole         Reading                       March 1

Fork-tailed Flycatcher P.I.                              August 8

Red-necked Stint        Plymouth                    August 23

Rufous Hummingbird Agawam                     Sept.13

Curlew Sandpiper       P.I.                              September 19

Harris’ Sparrow          P.I.                              November 12

Mew Gull                    Lakeville                     November 14

Missing from the Club list in 1998 were: Northern Fulmar, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Clapper and King rails, Marbled Godwit, Baird’s Sandpiper, Ruff, Red Phalarope, Pomarine Jaeger, Little Gull, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Dovekie, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Chucks-wills-widow, Acadian Flycatcher, Golden-winged and Orange-crowned and Hooded warblers, and Blue Grosbeak.

Essex County was visited by the Club most often, with a total of 120 trips (67 to Newburyport

and Plum Island and 25 to Cape Ann and 28 other county locations). Mount Auburn Cemetery in

Cambridge was second with 39 trips. Other trips were led in over 30 different locations, including 8 pelagics.

A special thank-you to the72 leaders who guided our members throughout the year. Several leaders deserve special mention. Steve Grinley led an impressive 30 trips, Bill Drummond led 19, Bob Petersen 12, John Nove 11, and Dennis Oliver 10 trips.

The biggest trip list was as always Bill Drummond’s spring trip on May 16 with 132 species. Thirty-four members saw lots of warblers in Newburyport Cemetery and had trouble leaving the area.

1997 STATISTICAL REPORT.

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 1997, the Brookline Bird Club listed 313 species of birds on 206 reported trips. A total of 242 trips were scheduled, 68 all-day, 148 morning, 24 afternoon or evening, and two weekends. Forty trips were not reported; in addition four unscheduled trips were arranged (two additions to Mt. Auburn, a special trip to see the Mississippi Kite in Orleans, and a trip to coastal Maine to find both sharp-tailed sparrows) In Massachusetts the Club reported a total of 303 species on 196 trips. On six trips to New Hampshire, highlights included a Bicknell’s Thrush and Gray Jay in the White Mountains. On a trip to the Dead Creek area and Island Pond in Vermont seven members enjoyed a great performance of a obliging Northern Hawk-Owl and the Club added Gray Partridge to the list; the report also included Boreal Chickadee and Evening Grosbeak.

The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist were reported by the Club in 1997:

Eared Grebe                            Gloucester                              January 1

Boreal Owl                              Boston                                     January 11

Townsend’s Solitaire               Barnstable                               January 12

Black Vulture                           Westport                                 January 26

Harris’ Sparrow                       Salisbury                                  February 8

Arctic-Pacific Loon                  Rockport                                 February 8

Whooper Swan                       Plum Island                             February 23

White-fronted Goose              West Newbury                        March 30

Rock Wren                              Gloucester                              April 6

Common Raven                      Bolton Flats                             April 12

Kentucky Warbler                   Mount Auburn                        May 9

Gull-billed Tern                       East Boston                             May 10

Summer Tanager                    Byfield                                     May 11

Mississippi Kite                       Orleans                                    June 4

White Pelican                          Plum Island                             July 21

Swainson’s Hawk                    Provincetown                          September 6

Audubon’s Shearwater           Hydrographers Canyon           September 6

Sabine’s Gull                           Stellwagen Bank                     September 7

Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow           Bolton Flats                 September 28

Tufted Duck                            Sterling                                    November 2

Missing from the Club list in 1997 were, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Upland Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Parasitic Jaeger, Lesser-Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Royal Tern, Thick-billed Murre, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Chucks-wills-widow, Acadian Flycatcher, Boreal Chickadee, Loggerhead Shrike, Orange-crowned Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Lark Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill and Evening Grosbeak.

Essex County was visited by the Club most often, with a total of 111 trips (67 to Newburyport and Plum Island and 17 to Cape Ann and 27 other county locations). Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was second with 39 trips. Other trips were led in over 30 different locations, including 8 pelagics.

A special thank-you to the sixty-nine leaders who guided our members throughout the year. Several leaders deserve special mention. Steve Grinley led an impressive 21 trips, Bill Drummond led 18., Bob Petersen 17, Glenn d’Entremont 12, Dennis Oliver 11 and Linda Ferraresso 10 trips.

The biggest trip list was as always Bill Drummond’s spring trip on May 17 with 124 species. Thirty-five members all got excellent looks at a Clapper Rails on Plum Island and a Little Gull in Newburyport Harbor.

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.

THE 1995 STATISTICAL REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 1995, the Brookline Bird Club listed 298 species of birds on 202 reported trips. A total of 227 trips were scheduled, 70 all-day, 122 morning, 32 afternoon or evening, and three weekends. Twenty-five trips were not reported. In Massachusetts the Club reported a total of 291 species on 216 trips. The Whooper Swans of Ipswich were seen on eight trips and still nobody knows their origin.

On seven trips to New Hampshire, a total of 136 species was tallied. Highlights included good shorebirds on August 27 when a Golden Plover, an Upland Sandpiper, a Marbled Godwit and six (!) Buff-breasted Sandpipers were seen. Four Manx Shearwaters, two Parasitic Jaegers and a Little Gull highlighted the October 21 trip.

Ida Giriunas on her annual trip to Machias Seal Island and surroundings led 15 members through many different habitats and recorded 110 species including five species not recorded on any Massachusetts trip including Manx Shearwater, Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Common Murre, 900 Atlantic Puffins and Boreal Chickadees.

John Kennedy led 10 members on a Northeast Kingdom trip to Island Pond in Vermont on the cool foggy weekend of May 12-14 and found just 68 species. The trip was probably a week too early, but seeing four moose was a big hit.

A special trip extension to Middletown, Rhode Island, on September 10 found the Black-tailed Gull, unquestionably Rhode island’s rarest bird. There are only two previous North American records – one from Attu in the Aleutian Islands and from New Jersey in April 1995.

The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist were reported by the Club in 1995:

Eared Grebe                            Orleans                        January 22

Mountain Bluebird                 Wellfleet                     January 28

White-fronted Goose            Newburyport              January 29

Whooper Swan                       Ipswich                        February 20

Tundra Swan                           Gill                               March 10

Clay-colored Sparrow             Middleboro                 March 25

Tufted Duck                            Clinton                        April 1

Green-tailed Towhee              Marblehead                April 2

Kentucky Warbler                   Mount Auburn            May 4

Summer Tanager                    Medford                      May 6

Black-necked Stilt                   Newburyport              May 22

Gull-billed Tern                       Plum Island                 July 29

Northern Wheatear                Petersham                   September 17

Vermillion Flycatcher              Plum Island                 October 14

Harris’ Sparrow                       Provincetown              October 22

Missing from the Club list in 1995 were Northern Fulmar, Greater Shearwater, King Eider, King Rail, Baird’s Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Pomarine Jaeger, Glaucous Gull, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Dovekie, Thick-billed Murre, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Chucks-wills-widow, Sedge Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Orange-crowned Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Dickcissel, and Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill and Common Redpoll.

Essex County was visited by the Club most often, with a total of 87 trips (57 to Newburyport and Plum Island and 12 to Cape Ann made up the bulk of the trips). Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was second with 34 trips. Other trips were led in over 30 different locations.

A special thank-you to the sixty-seven leaders who guided our members throughout New England. Several leaders deserve special mention. Bill Drummond and Dennis Oliver each led 15 trips. John Nove led 12 trips; Bob Petersen led 11; and Glenn d’Entremont, John Kennedy and Robert Stymeist each led 9 trips.

The biggest trip list was as always Bill Drummond’s marathon on May 20th with 135 species. Thirty-nine members all got excellent looks at the Clapper Rails on Plum island and a Black-headed Gull in Newburyport Harbor. Honorable mention goes to Ida Giriunas who led 20 members around Newburyport on May 27th and recorded 98 species including a Black-necked Stilt. And four very lucky observers joined Tom Gagnon for a fogged-out Mount Tom trip on September 17th. They couldn’t find many migrant hawks but did manage to get excellent looks at a Connecticut Warbler, a Blue Grosbeak and a Northern Wheatear.

THE 1994 STATISTICAL REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 1994, the Brookline Bird Club listed 314 species of birds on 176 reported trips. A total of 198 trips were scheduled, 77 all-day, 92 morning, 23 afternoon or evening, and six weekends. Twenty-two trips were not reported. In Massachusetts a total of 297 species plus one subspecies, Ipswich Sparrow, and one hybrid species, Brewster’s Warbler were recorded on 165 trips. Fourteen trips to Essex County recorded the Whooper Swans whose origins have yet to be explained. The Bar-headed Goose reported April 17th is undoubtedly a bona fide escape.

Eight trips to New Hampshire, six led by Alan and Barbara Delorey, totaled 175 species. The weekend trip to Pittsburg in the Connecticut Lakes area of northern New Hampshire yielded 85 species, including the Club’s only Spruce Grouse and Gray Jay. Other highlights from this boreal area included two Black-backed Woodpeckers, two Olive-sided Flycatchers, six Boreal Chickadees, two Philadelphia Vireos, four Mourning Warblers, and an amazing 22 Winter Wrens.

Trips along the New Hampshire coast totaled 103 species, including such highlights as Lesser Golden Plover, Baird’s Sandpiper, Orange-crowned Warbler and Yellow-breasted Chat.

Ida Giriunas on her annual trip to Machias Seal Island and surroundings led 15 members through many different habitats and recorded 108 species including three species not recorded on any Massachusetts trip, including a Garganey at Belgrade, 1800 Atlantic Puffins, and 19 Common Murres.

A special trip extension of Bill Drummond’s May 21^st Newburyport trip listed a Fork-tailed Flycatcher at Kittery Point, Maine. Twenty-one of the original 48 participants made the trip. A new trip led by Steve Moore to Delaware in August listed 99 species. They could not find a Rock Dove to make 100 but did add nine species not seen on any Massachusetts trip. Highlights included 19 Clapper Rails, a King Rail, a Red-necked Phalarope, a Royal Tern, a Black Skimmer, 6 Black-necked Stilts, a Fulvous Whistling Duck, two Boat-tailed Grackle, and a White-winged Tern.

Another Bill Drummond extension to Warwick, Rhode Island, on September 11, added the Monk Parakeetto the BBC Life List.

The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist were reported by the Club in 1994:

Hoary Redpoll             West Newbury            January 15

Thayer’s Gull               Provincetown              January 23

Eared Grebe                Rockport                     January 29

Arctic/Pacific Loon      Salisbury                      January 30

Harris’ Sparrow           Dartmouth                  March 12

Cerulean Warbler       Mount Auburn            April 26

Summer Tanager        Mount Auburn            May 16

Kentucky Warbler       Plum Island                 May 27

Black-tailed Godwit    Wellfleet                     May 28

Sandwich Tern            Chatham                     August 6

American Avocet        N. Monomoy               August 6

Sabine’s Gull               Cashes Ledge              August 22

Le Conte’s Sparrow     N. Attleboro                October 23

White-fronted Goose West Newbury            November 13

Missing from the Club list in 1994 were Sooty Shearwater, King Eider, Clapper and King rails, Western Sandpiper, Ruff, both Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, Glaucous Gull, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Dovekie, Barn Owl, Western Kingbird, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Loggerhead Shrike, Golden-winged Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Dickcissel, and Pine Grosbeak.

Essex County was visited by the Club most often, with a total of 75 trips (48 to Newburyport and Plum Island and nine trips each to Cape Ann and Ipswich made up the bulk of the trips). Mount Auburn Cemetery was second with 28 trips. Other trips were led in over 30 different locations. Truly a well-traveled group!

A special thank-you to the sixty-five leaders who guided our members throughout New England and Delaware. Several leaders deserve special mention. John Nave and Bill Drummond each led 13 trips. Dennis Oliver and Glenn d’Entremont tied for second with ten trips each, followed by Robert Stymeist with nine trips and John Kennedy with eight trips.

The biggest trip list was as always Bill Drummond’s 14.5 hour marathon on May 21st with 137 species. Forty-eight members were present at the start and 21 continued on to Kittery to add the Fork-tailed Flycatcher at the end of the day.

THE 1993 STATISTICAL REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 1993, the Brookline Bird Club listed 290 species of birds on 152 reported trips. A total of 172 trips were scheduled, 66 all-day, 89 morning, 13 afternoon or evening, and four weekends. Seven trips were cancelled due to bad weather and 18 trips went unreported. In Massachusetts a total of 146 trips yielded 280different species plus one subspecies, Ipswich Sparrow, and one hybrid species, Lawrence’s Warbler. Several trips to Plum Island recorded the Whooper Swans whose origins are known to have been “escaped.” On a trip to Ipswich on November 11, a European Goldfinch was found among several dozen American Goldfinches on Argilla Road.

John Kennedy led 13 members on the last weekend of June to Island Pond in Vermont and listed 94 species including three species not seen on any Massachusetts trip – Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Gray Jay and Boreal Chickadee. Ida Giriunas on her annual trip to Machias Seal Island and surroundings led 19 members through many different habitats and recorded 112 species including eight species not recorded on any Massachusetts trip. In addition to the three boreal species in Vermont, Ida and friends recorded Black Terns nesting at Belgrade, Common Murre and Atlantic Puffins on Machias Seal, 3 Spruce Grouse with 4 chicks and a Black-backed Woodpecker. Four trips to the New Hampshire seacoast totaled 108 species. “Thank you” to our New Hampshire members for introducing us to such fine birding just north of Massachusetts.

The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist were reported by the Club in 1993:

Golden Eagle                          Pelham                        March 27

Kentucky Warbler                   Mount Auburn            May3 & 18

Cerulean Warbler                   Gloucester                  May9

Cerulean Warbler                   Mount Auburn            May20

Clay-colored Sparrow             Plymouth                     June 5

Clay-colored Sparrow             Truro                           September 19

Clay-colored Sparrow             Plum Island                 October 16

Yellow-throated Warbler       Plum Island                 August 22

Northern Wheatear                Newburyport               September 11

Gull-billed Tern                       Plum Island                 September 11

Missing from the Club list in 1993 were Northern Fulmar, all shearwaters and both petrels (the Club’s only pelagic trip scheduled for October 31 was cancelled due to bad weather), King Eider, the uncommon Common Moorhen, both Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, Caspian Tern, Royal

Tern, Black Tern, Black Skimmer, Thick-billed Murre, Common Nighthawk, Chuck-will’s-widow, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Boreal Chickadee, Sedge Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Connecticut Warbler, Dickcissel, Lark Sparrow, Pine Grosbeak and both Red and White-winged Crossbills.

Essex County was visited by the Club most often with a total of 64 trips (43 to Newburyport and Plum Island and nine trips to Cape Ann made up the bulk of the trips). Mount Auburn Cemetery was second with 28 trips. Other trips were led in over 30 different locations. Truly a well-traveled group! The only areas not visited this year that have been in the past were Martha’s Vineyard and ‘the Westport-Dartmouth area.

A special thank-you to the sixty-three leaders who guided our members throughout New England. Several leaders deserve special mention. Dennis Oliver led 15 trips, 8 with his brother David. John Nove was leader on 11 trips and was joined by his son Josh as coleader on 9 of them. Bill Drummond led “with gusto” 291 members on 11 trips and was again the leader with the highest total species count – 129 on May 22. No other single day trip reached 100 species.

Soheil Zendel was the reported leader on nine trips – not one of which was reviewed by the Statistician. Robert Stymeist was next with 8 trips (97 species on September 11 was the second highest day total with not a Canada Goose to be found). Mark Lynch and Sheila Carroll hiked members around Quabbin and other areas 7 times and Marge Rines led 7 trips. Thank you one and all.

THE 1992 STATISTICAL REPORT

by Robert H. Stymeist

A total of 273 species were listed by the Brookline Bird Club on 139 reported field trips during 1992. A total of 156 trips were scheduled: 63 all day, 72 morning, 16 afternoon or evening and 5 weekend trips. Seven trips were cancelled due to bad weather, and nine trips went unreported. The annual July 4th weekend in Machias, Maine, added Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, and Boreal Chickadee to the overall Club list. A field trip to Forest Hills Cemetery coupled with a behind the scene tour of the aviary at Franklin Park Zoo with staffer and birder Tom Aversa added 86 write-ins.

Not counting the Franklin Park “zooies”, the following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist were reported by the Club in 1992:

Arctic/Pacific Loon                  Provincetown              April 12

Common Murre                      Provincetown              April 12

Cerulean Warbler                   Quabbin                      May 17

Cerulean Warbler                   Mount Auburn            May 18

“Brewster’s” Warbler             Newbury                     July 7

Bar-tailed Godwit                   Monomoy                   August 8

“Ipswich” Sparrow                  Newburyport              October 24

Atlantic Puffin                         Stellwagen                  November 1

The Club also recorded Ruddy Shelduck in Norton and Muscovy Duck at Mount Auburn.

Missing from the Club list in 1992 were all the pelagic species with the exception of Leach’s Storm-Petrel. This certainly is a first-time event in the Club’s long history of organizing and leading pelagic trips. Not one shearwater or jaeger was seen. Other missing birds include Northern Fulmar, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Bobwhite, (pheasant was recorded on only three trips), Clapper Rail, King Rail, the uncommon Common Moorhen, Marbled Godwit, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Ruff, Red-necked Phalarope, Red Phalarope, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Dovekie, Thick-billed Murre, Chuck-will’s-widow, Whip-poor-will, Red-headed Woodpecker, Loggerhead Shrike,

Golden-winged Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Seaside Sparrow, Pine Grosbeak, and White-winged Crossbill.

The Newburyport area was the most visited birding spot with 46 reported trips. Mount Auburn was second with 30 trips, all in late April and May. Ipswich was visited seven times, followed by Quabbin six times, and five trips to Great Meadows.

Sixty-two leaders guided our members around the state. Bill Drummond was the recorded leader for ten trips, followed by John and Josh Nove, who led nine trips, and David and Dennis Oliver, Dot Davis, and Bob Stymeist each led seven trips. Bill Drummond again wins the honors for recording the most species on a single day trip. On May 16, he and 32 members listed 126 species.