New Year’s Day Essex County – 1/1/20

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

March 26 Open to All Webinar: At Sea in the Humboldt Current – Ship Life, Pelagic Birds, and Deep Sea Creatures with Scott Weiman

Embark on an evening of discovery as marine geochemist Scott Wieman recounts a recent month-long research expedition aboard the R/V Falkor(too) from Valparaíso to Puerto Montt, Chile. Scott’s talk blends his experiences birding the highly [...]

March 26 Open to All Webinar: At Sea in the Humboldt Current – Ship Life, Pelagic Birds, and Deep Sea Creatures with Scott Weiman

Embark on an evening of discovery as marine geochemist Scott Wieman recounts a recent month-long research expedition aboard the R/V Falkor(too) from Valparaíso to Puerto Montt, Chile. Scott’s talk blends his experiences birding the highly [...]

March 26 Open to All Webinar: At Sea in the Humboldt Current – Ship Life, Pelagic Birds, and Deep Sea Creatures with Scott Weiman

Embark on an evening of discovery as marine geochemist Scott Wieman recounts a recent month-long research expedition aboard the R/V Falkor(too) from Valparaíso to Puerto Montt, Chile. Scott’s talk blends his experiences birding the highly [...]

News Categories

Upcoming Field Trips

Vernal Equinox Walk. Leader’s Choice

Leader's Choice

The trip leader will monitor recent sightings prior to meeting and select the birdiest spots. Contact leader for details. Call or e-mail no later than 7 PM on March 20.

Parker River NWR

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

We will explore various hot-spots on the refuge. Note that an entrance fee or pass is required to visit Parker River NWR.

“Timberdoodles” kids’ Evening walk , Belmont (This program is FULL; please email to be added to the waitlist.)

Leader's Choice

This program is FULL; please email to be added to the waitlist.   This walk is for kids aged 5-12 with an accompanying parent or parents. Group size is limited; contact Kathy Dia to register and for meeting place details at kdia@brooklinebirdclub.org. The American Woodcock is an unusual upland shorebird whose unique courtship display is really something to see! Join [...]

Woodcock Watch, Oxbow NWR, Harvard

Harvard - Still River Depot Road

We will stay until it gets dark to watch for American Woodcock. Come early to enjoy other birds. Rain date Sunday, March 23, same time.

Timberdoodles in Sharon (Rescheduled from March 21)

Sharon - Moose Hill Farm (trustees) 396 Moose Hill Street, Sharon, MA, United States

Come watch American Woodcock display behavior. Water-resistant shoes helpful, but not needed.

Go to Top