Happy New Year!
Yesterday, Mark Burns and I led our 26th Annual New Year’s Day Birding Trip
for the Brookline Bird Club (BBC)! At 9:00AM, 24 BBCers met at Cashman Park
in Newburyport where we toasted in the New Year with sparkling apple cider,
introduced ourselves, and reported on where we traveled from and what our
first bird of the New Year was. We had splendid weather with clear sky,
sunshine, light breezes, and warm temps (hi of 55df). We birded Salisbury
Beach State Reservation, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Ipswich, and
called it a day at 4:30PM at Jodrey Fish Pier in Gloucester. We tallied 58
species.
Red-throated Loon – 3
Common Loon – 14
Horned Grebe – 9
Red-necked Grebe – 4
Great Cormorant – 2
Canada Goose – 44
Mute Swan – 2
Gadwall – 6
American Black Duck – 87
Mallard – 111
Northern Pintail – 20
Common Eider – 163
Surf Scoter – 10
White-winged Scoter – 62
Black Scoter – 13
Long-tailed Duck – 14
Bufflehead – 8
Common Goldeneye – 3
Hooded Merganser – 7
Common Merganser – 4
Red-breasted Merganser – 12
Bald Eagle – 2
Northern Harrier – 4
Copper’s Hawk – 11
Red-tailed Hawk – 5
Merlin – 1
Peregrin Falcon – 1
Wild Turkey – 6
Sanderling – 14
Purple Sandpiper – 37
Herring Gull – 120
Ring-billed Gull – 30
Great Black-backed Gull – 16
Black-legged Kittiwake – 3
Razorbill – 23
Dovekie – 7
Rock Pigeon – 32
Mourning Dove – 5
Snowy Owl – 1
Red-headed Woodpecker – 1 (seen by a splinter group in Appleton Farm)
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 4
Downy Woodpecker – 5
Hairy Woodpecker – 2
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
American Crow – 9
Black-capped Chickadee – 21
Tufted Titmouse – 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 3
White-breasted Nuthatch – 4
Eastern Bluebird – 8
American Robin – 2
Northern Mockingbird – 3
American Tree Sparrow – 4
Snow Bunting – 40
Northern Cardinal – 2
Red-winged Blackbird – 14
American Goldfinch – 10
NORTHERN LAPWING – 1 (seen by the group at Maplecroft Farm)!
Wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy, and Birdy 2023!
News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
Weston Station Pond and nearby Mass Central Rail Trail (Rescheduled from Saturday 5/31)
Weston - Weston Station Pond 133 Boston Post Rd, Weston, MA, United StatesImportant: if the rain is still steady on Sunday morning, the trip is canceled. Contact the leader if uncertain. Expect wet conditions - bring waterproof footwear. To reach the bike path, we will bypass a huge puddle that blocks the way by a side path (up a short moderately steep hill and then passing near [...]
Shaw Farm
Sutton - Shaw Farm Shaw Lane, Sutton, MA, United StatesWe will explore a new trip location for the state-list Grasshopper Sparrow. We will walk for a mile or so for the sparrow, and then participants can decide if they wish to join for some general birding in the adjacent forest. Target endangered breeding species: Grasshopper Sparrow.
Allens Pond Mass Audubon Sanctuary, Dartmouth
Dartmouth - Allens Pond - Field Station Lot Horseneck Road, Westport, MA, United StatesThis trip is for the marsh sparrows and White-eyed Vireo. This is the best spot in Massachusetts to observe both nesting marsh sparrows (Saltmarsh and Seaside) up close and personal.
Brook Farm Historic Site
Boston - Brook Farm Historic Site 670 Baker St, 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 birds. Birders of all levels will enjoy this walk. The trails are flat but uneven. Be sure to wear a hat and waterproof footwear and pack water. Insect repellent [...]
Pine Hill Road Grassland (Rescheduled from 6/14)
Lancaster - Pine Hill Road Grasslands Pine Hill Road, Lancaster, MA, United StatesThis trip will focus on finding some of the unusual birds that nest at Pine Hill - Grasshopper Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, and Eastern Whip-poor-will. Easy walk over flat sandy roads. Rain cancels walk.