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

Nuttall Club special event with Peter Kaestner

Peter Kaestner in his Search for 10,000 Species of Birds in the World - A Special Event Sponsored by the Nuttall Ornithological Club Peter Kaestner after seeing his 10,000th world bird species in the Philippines. [...]

Nuttall Club special event with Peter Kaestner

Peter Kaestner in his Search for 10,000 Species of Birds in the World - A Special Event Sponsored by the Nuttall Ornithological Club Peter Kaestner after seeing his 10,000th world bird species in the Philippines. [...]

Nuttall Club special event with Peter Kaestner

Peter Kaestner in his Search for 10,000 Species of Birds in the World - A Special Event Sponsored by the Nuttall Ornithological Club Peter Kaestner after seeing his 10,000th world bird species in the Philippines. [...]

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Upcoming Field Trips

  • 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.

  • Arlington Reservoir

    Lexington - Arlington Reservoir 210 Lowell Street, Arlington, MA, United States

    In the fall water levels are lowered creating good conditions for ducks and shorebirds. We will also visit the adjacent Lexington community farm. Birds are found feasting on the remains of the crops planted there. We will walk about a mile on wide paths and some uneven ground (possibly muddy). Note that the reservoir 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.

  • An Oasis for Birds at Belle Isle Marsh

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

    Join DCR park staff for a relaxed, one-mile bird walk through flat, easy terrain at this Massachusetts State Reservation and birding hot spot. At Belle Isle and at additional nearby locations— We’ll search for raptors, native sparrows, finches, herons, and egrets. Participants are responsible for their own transportation between locations (by car or bike). Binoculars [...]

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