Happy New Year MassBirders!
Mark Burns and I led our 24th Annual New Year’s Day Birding Trip for the Brookline Bird Club (BBC) today! At 9:00AM, 39 BBCers joined us at the Newburyport T Station parking lot where we toasted in the New Year with sparkling apple cider. During the toast, introductions were made and folks told us where they traveled from and what their first bird of the New Year was. (Mine was Blue Jay and Mark’s was American Goldfinch.)
We birded Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, and Cape Ann [Andrews Point, Cathedral Ledge, Old Granite Pier, Bass Rocks/Elks Club, Niles Pond, and Jodrey Fish Pier] and called it a day at 4:30PM. The temperature ranged from 34df to 40df with wind gusts up to 25mph. We tallied 52 species for the Club list. Following is a complete list of the birds we saw:
Canada Goose  560
Mute Swan  2
Gadwall  10
American Black Duck  375
Mallard  205
Greater Scaup  16 (Niles Pond)
Lessor Scaup  2 (Niles Pond)
King Eider  1 (Bass Rocks/Elks Club. Thank you to Linda Ferraresso for finding this gem!)
Common Eider  493
Harlequin Duck  30 (Andrews Point/Old Granite Pier)
Surf Scoter  18
White-winged Scoter  38
Black Scoter  55
Long-tailed Duck  216
Bufflehead  73
Common Goldeneye  21
Red-breasted Merganser  68
Red-throated Loon  2
Common Loon  15
Horned Grebe  5
Red-necked Grebe  9
Northern Gannet  12
Great Cormorant  8
Turkey Vulture  1
Bald Eagle  3
Northern Harrier  3
Accipiter sp. – 1
Red-tailed Hawk  3
Wild Turkey  4
Purple Sandpiper  9
Ring-billed Gull  109
Herring Gull  398
Great Black-backed Gull  46
Black-legged Kittiwake – 5
Razorbill  19
Black Guillemot  3
Rock Pigeon  1240
Mourning Dove  35
Snowy Owl  2 (PRNWR)
Downy Woodpecker  3
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  13
Common Raven  2 (Fly-over at Jodrey Fish Pier)
Black-capped Chickadee  6
Northern Mockingbird  5
European Starling  95
American Tree Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  4
Dark-eyed Junco  8
Northern Cardinal  16
American Goldfinch  7
House Sparrow  51
Many thanks to those who spent all or part of your day birding with us and for your help in finding birds. What makes this trip so much fun to lead each New Year’s Day is spending time with you and kicking off a new year of birding!
Wishing you a very Happy, Healthy, and Birdy 2020!
Laura H. de la Flor

Member Webinar August 13: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley

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Upcoming Field Trips

Birding by Ear: Breeding Birds

Topsfield - Willowdale State Forest - Gravelly Brook Trail 299 Ipswich Road, Topsfield, MA, United States

A two-mile walk focused on learning bird song and looking for breeding birds in Willowdale State Forest. Open to beginners. Long sleeves and pants helpful against ticks and mosquitoes

Crane Wildlife Management Area, East Falmouth (with additional stops)

Falmouth - Crane WMA 754 Nathan Ellis Highway, Falmouth, MA, United States

With CCBC leading. This unique grassland habitat is host to a rich variety of species, including Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow, Bobolink, American Kestrel and possibly Blue Grosbeak. When we’re done at Crane, we can cross the road and scan Coonamessett Field for raptor activity. Those wishing to can continue on to Mass Audubon’s Ashumet Holly [...]

Slow Birding at Revere Beach

Revere Beach 21 Revere Beach Blvd, Revere, MA, United States

Led by DCR Park Staff. Come observe the beautiful details of birds and their behaviors and share observations with others in the group. Pose questions and memories that observations elicit. Birds we may see include Piping Plover, Manx Shearwater, resident gulls, with Common Tern arriving by May. Suitable for adults and children 8 years+. Children [...]

Crane Beach, Ipswich

Ipswich - Crane Beach 331 Argilla Rd, Ipswich, MA, United States

This two-mile walk in the sand is aimed at nesting Piping Plovers, Least Terns, and Bank Swallows, as well as evening singers such as Whip-poor-wills. Be prepared for mosquitoes at sunset. Co-sponsored by the Essex County Ornithological Club.

Myles Standish State Forest, Carver – Evening

Carver - Myles Standish State Forest 181 Cranberry Rd, Carver, MA, United States

A serene way to end the day with Prairie Warblers and Hermit Thrushes reluctantly giving way to Eastern Whip-poor-wills and, perhaps, Northern Saw-whet Owls. Target endangered breeding species: Whip-poor-will.

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