Brookline Bird Club – America’s most active bird club!

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

News Categories

BBC News
BBC Trip Reports
Pelagic Trip Report
In Find Memory
BBC Annual Report

Upcoming Field Trips

Field Trips / Events Search and Views Navigation

Field Trip / Event Views Navigation

Today

  • Belle Isle Marsh and Vicinity

    East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United States

    Led by DCR staff. We will search on foot up to one mile, on flat, easy terrain for snowy owls and other raptors, native sparrows, finches, waterfowl, and other birds. This is a traveling program by car or bike. Prepare for ticks. Ages: Adults and kids 8 years+ with adult chaperone. Binoculars recommended. ADA/Reasonable Accommodations [...]

  • Gulls at Revere Beach

    Revere Beach - Nearest to Wonderland Stop MA, United States

    Following the recent talk by Amar Ayyash, author of The Gull Guide, we will have a gull focused field trip at Revere Beach. Our trip will be about appreciating gulls, basic to advanced gull ID, and rare and unusual gulls. We may move to other locations based on recent reports but will start at the [...]

  • Halibut Point State Park, Rockport

    Rockport - Halibut Point State Park Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA, United States

    A two-hour walk, about 1.5 miles, over easy to moderate gravel roads and trails in search of seasonal specialties. Boots advisable. Restrooms are available. In case of inclement weather check with leader the night before trip.

  • Franklin Park – Scarboro Pond

    We will look for late fall migrants and new winter arrivals in Franklin Park. Beginners welcome and encouraged. Expect to walk up to 2 miles on paved paths. Loaner binoculars available. Co-sponsored with the Franklin Park Coalition and Franklin Park Tennis Association.

  • North Shore Waterfowl Expedition

    Topsfield Fair Grounds 207 Boston St, Topsfield, MA, United States

    We will visit several different water bodies in Essex County in attempting to see as many as 25 different species of Ducks and Geese. There will be some walking. We will end up at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Note that an entrance fee or pass is required to visit Parker River NWR.

Established in 1913, America’s most active bird club!

© 2024 Brookline Bird Club

Go to Top