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!

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Upcoming Field Trips

  • Plum Island

    Parker River NWR - Lot #1 Refuge Rd., Newbury, MA, MA, United States

    We will be walking the North Pool dike as well as visiting other spots. Note that an entrance fee or pass is required. Restrooms available.

  • Barretts Mill Farmland

    Concord - Barretts Mill Farmland Barrett's Mill Road, Concord, MA, United States

    This is often a great place for fall sparrows including Savannah, Field, and White-crowned, as well as Pipit and occasional Dickcissel. Loaner binoculars available; please email trip leader to reserve a pair! If the weather doens't look good, contact the leader to check status.

  • Hellcat at Parker River NWR

    Parker River NWR - Lot #4 Newbury, MA, United States

    During the past few years the refuge has opened the dike to hiking during National Wildlife Refuge Week. We will plan to do that hike if the dike is again open this year. Otherwise we hike the boardwalk and normal dike area.

  • Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

    Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United States

    Cosponsored with Boxborough Birders. We will look for fall migrants and resident birds. Expect to walk about 2 miles on trails through meadow and woods, with some steep sections. Heavy rain cancels the trip.

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