Successful Pelagic Trip to Nantucket Shoals

On December 6 over 70 BBC birders and guides departed from Hyannis and headed out to Nantucket Shoals about the Helen H. The plan was to go as far offshore as possible before looping back to the northwest on their return, which would take them past the large sea duck concentrations near Monomoy.

This was an effective strategy, yielding good numbers (and views!) of Black-legged Kittiwake, Atlantic Puffin, Dovekie, Northern Fulmar and several late shearwaters the further out we got.

Eventually they came upon a recently deceased Minke Whale surrounded by dozens of Fulmar (both light and dark morphs), a Sooty Shearwater and a handful of gulls, including a juvenile Great Black-backed that was standing atop the carcass and pecking away. Suddenly, as many of the seabirds took flight and scattered, one of the leaders shouted “Skua!” and I began to tell participants to begin photographing the bird as there was a good chance it could be a Great given the date. While the bird flew directly above us, the lighting was not ideal, and it only made one pass. While initially ID’ed as late South Polar Skua, further examination of photos led to the conclusion that this was the sixth Massachusetts record of Great Skua!

Read the eBird report for more details.

School Book Fund Donation to Kestrel Educational Adventures 

The BBC School Book Fund Committee is pleased to announce that we have donated just under $750 for optical equipment to support bird and nature education at Kestrel Educational Adventures in Beverly, MA. Kestrel has long dedicated itself to providing after-school and camp programs for children on the North Shore to explore the natural world, develop independent skills, and form close-knit learning communities that enable children to create projects and challenge themselves.

2025 Annual Christmas Bird Counts

The 126th (2025-26) Christmas bird count season begins December 14. We encourage you to participate in this citizen science effort. Please note that the count week for each Xmas count includes the three days before and after the posted date. Please notify the compiler of unusual sighting during that period.

The National Audubon Society maintains a national map of counts.

Rather than build our own list of Massachusetts counts, this year we are linking to this resource put together by Jon Skinner (thanks Jon!). His table includes a list of all Massachusetts Xmas counts, the compiler, contact info and whether the count is looking for assistance. Check it out.

Thank You Bob Mayer!

For more than 20 years Bob Mayer, a lifetime member of the BBC, has led field trips at Arnold Arboretum and nearby locations. Bob let us know that he is going to stop leading walks on a regular basis due to age and not hearing the birds as well. Since he started leading walks in 2004, Bob estimates that he has led around 200 walks, mostly in the Arboretum but also in other locations such as Olmsted Park/Leverett Pond, and the Boston Nature Center.

Bob is so appreciated as a leader in the Arboretum area that when we asked other leaders to offer a field trip there they said “that’s Bob’s place” until we explained that he was retiring as a leader. Some of the people who are leading trips in the area can remember walks led by Bob as among their early birding experiences and that he is in some way a part of how they became birders and birding leaders. (Bob has asked to stay on our field trip leaders email list and, if we are lucky, will surprise us with a spontaneous field trip.)

Here are a photos taken by Stephen Baird showing Bob leading one of his earlier walks. We love to see how everyone is having a good time!

Bob has contributed to birding in many other ways over the years.

He created a blog with some wonderful pages and images of birds.

During Covid, he hosted a virtual walk with the Brookline Greenspace Alliance .

Over the years he has also helped with Christmas Bird Count, the Breeding Bird Atlas, and contributed multiple articles to Bird Observer. He has also helped rescue an injured Great Horned Owl with Andrew Joslin, and worked with Brendan Keegan on the NestWatch program.

Bob has also been a volunteer docent and field guide for elementary school students at the Arboretum for many years. He is retiring from that as well. In recognition and appreciation, his fellow volunteers recently threw a surprise party and gave him a nice photo book celebrating his time at the Arboretum.

We want to thank Bob for his years of trip leadership and support for birds and birding. Inspired by his friends at the Arboretum, we created a pair of picture mugs as a thank you gift. Here he is with these holding the mugs along with recognition from the BBC.

Successful Gull Walk at Revere Beach

On Saturday November 15 the BBC sponsored a very successful gull-focused walk at Revere Beach. 35 birders showed up to learn about plumages, molts, and cycles. Led by Soheil Zendeh, Justine Hanson, and local gull expert Suzanne Sullivan, the group spent two hours examining and learning how to identify 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th cycle Herring Gulls.

As our fall speaker Amar Ayyash, author of The Gull Guide, explained, not two Herring Gulls look alike. We learned to focus on feather groups such as scapulars, coverts and primaries while not getting overly distracted by leg and f ootcolor. We also had the opportunity to examine several Ring Billed Gulls and a handful of adult Great Black Backed Gulls. While they did not offer as much variety as the Herring Gulls, we found opportunities for instruction and these species sometimes served as points of contrast with the abundant Herring Gulls.

The most interesting bird of the morning was a probable “Great Lakes” 2nd cycle Herring Gull, which displayed the lighter colors thought to be found in that breeding population.

The BBC will be sponsoring one more gull focused trip this fall, at Winthrop Beach on December 6 starting at 7:30 and led by Ilija Dukovski. Please be sure to join us!

December 6 All Day Pelagic from Hyannis

On Saturday, December 6, 2025 pelagic trip the BBC wuill sponsor a full day pelagic from Hyannis to Nantucket Shoals aboard the Helen H. We will leave the dock at 7:00 AM and plan to return to Hyannis around 4:00 PM.

Every trip is different, and early December can offer a range of species. Often there are spectacular congregations of sea ducks in Nantucket Sound – tens of thousands are possible. It is a real wildlife spectacle. Winter gulls may be around (Iceland, Glaucous, Lesser Black-backed, Black-legged Kittiwake), as may Northern Gannets and Northern Fulmar. As we get to the Nantucket Shoals, a shallow, sandy-bottomed area southeast of Nantucket, there should be lingering shearwaters (Manx, Great, Cory’s, Sooty) and storm-petrels (Wilson’s and Leach’s) with the possibility of jaegers (Parasitic, Pomerine) or even a skua. Alcids are tough but possible, dovekie is a goal- and there is always a chance of a puffin. There are opportunities to see a number of other sea creatures as well – whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, Mola-mola, Tuna, and Portuguese Man o’ War.

REGISTER HERE – EACH PERSON IN YOUR PARTY MUST SUBMIT A SEPARATE REGISTRATION FORM

Cost: $110 per person for BBC members/$130 per person for nonmembers (payment link will appear after you submit the registration form).

Cancellations: Due to weather conditions, the captain of the Helen H may cancel the trip if predicted sea conditions are too rough. We will keep you informed as soon as we know about the status of the trip. The captain will typically make a decision about weather once the marine forecast becomes available – Tuesday/Wednesday before the trip, but it can be cancelled even later than that.

If you can’t make the trip, please let us know. If there is someone on the waiting list who can take your place, we can issue you a refund, but otherwise you will be charged.

What should I bring: Since the weather varies greatly from trip to trip, bring an assortment of rain and warm clothes; sunglasses, sunscreen, and hat; water and snacks; anti-nausea pills; and cameras and binoculars.

The boat: The Helen H, a 100 foot aluminum deep sea fishing boat powered by a fast 2700 Horsepower engine, is a Coast Guard approved deep sea fishing boat. The cabin has several fixed tables and benches, while the deck and sides have many long benches. Between the bow, deck and sides, there are many places to view birds. There are two toilets on the boat.

If you have any questions please email bbcpelagics@gmail.com and we will assist you!

Stellwagen Bank Pelagic Trip Report

On October 24 the BBC sponsored a pelagic birding trip from Gloucester to Stellwagen Bank aboard a chartered boat provided by Seven Seas Whale Watch. The trip was a smashing success! I’ll let one of our spotters, Max Chalfin-Jacobs, fill us in:

On a brisk but sunny October morning, the Privateer IV left the 7 Seas Whale Watch dock within the calm Gloucester Harbor. With guidance from Captain Jay Fronteiro, we decided to head south for Stellwagen Bank rather than north for Jeffrey’s Ledge, in hopes of encountering larger congregations of seabirds after reported scarcity on Jeffrey’s Ledge.

This turned out to be an excellent decision, as birders on board were treated to exceptional looks at exciting feeding flocks containing 100s of gannets and dolphins, dozens of shearwaters, interrupted only by a few daring Pomarine Jaegers. On the return trip to Gloucester we encountered a lone Northern Fulmar, a species we were worried would be challenging farther south, and definitely a highlight of the trip. There was also the occasional buzz when a migrating passerine would zip past the boat, including a Dark-eyed Junco that followed us for 30 minutes, and a brief appearance from a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Other marine wildlife included 100+ Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, 10 Common Dolphin, and 30 Harbor Porpoise.

View the eBird trip report here.

Many thanks to our spotters Max Chalfin-Jacobs and Steve Mirick and to Captain Jay and the crew at Seven Seas, both at sea and at the dock.

October Big Day Report

Here’s where we went birding on October 11th:

39 Birders sent in 98 checklists for Massachusetts (and a few more from NH and Maine). We recorded 145 species, and a Budgerigar.

Highlights included: Sora at Great Meadows, Concord; Marbled Godwit at Joppa Park, Newburyport; a flock of 26 Red Knots at Plymouth Beach; American Golden-Plovers at both Joppa Park and Plymouth; American Bittern at Hellcat, Plum Island; Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Perkins Park, Newburyport; Philadelphia Vireo at Plum Island; Pine Siskin in Marlborough; Grasshopper Sparrow in Hatfield; Clay-colored Sparrow at Arlington Reservoir; Dickcissel at Ricci Field, Lincoln. We recorded 17 species of warblers on the day, compared with 20 on our Big Day in May. 13 species of sparrow in October, compared with 10 in May.

Most species were recorded in Essex County (115), followed by Middlesex (100), Suffolk (63) and Bristol (57). The most frequently recorded species were Blue Jay (74 checklists), Song Sparrow (64), White-throated Sparrow (54), American Robin and Black-capped Chickadee (52), Yellow-rumped Warbler (48), Northern Cardinal and Red-bellied Woodpecker (47).

Franklin Park Community Science Video

This past August the BBC cosponsored a trip to Scarboro Pond in Franklin Park with Zoo New England. We were joined on the walk by journalist Shannon Rose Geary who is a correspondent with the Civic Science Media Lab and news collective. This was Shannon’s first time birding and she is a convert! You can tell how excited she is by watching the YouTube short video she produced.

Check it out!