Race Point Beach, Provincetown, Barnstable, Massachusetts, US
01-Jan-2024 07:03 – 08:16
Protocol: Traveling
0.262 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:    Brookline Bird Club Race Point Beach trip. Leader- Ray Bedard.
Thank you to Mimi Zucker to waking super early for this trip.
34 degrees with a light but steady cold wind off the ocean.
Weak morning flight with Red-breasted Merganser and Northern Gannet being the most abundant. Alcids were at a minimum missing out on guillemots and razorbills.
This was stop 1 of 4
13 species (+1 other taxa)
Common Eider (Dresser’s)  40
White-winged Scoter  25
Black Scoter  15
Red-breasted Merganser  75
Dovekie  7    6 and 1
Common Murre  3
large alcid sp.  2    Probably Common Murres. Didn’t get a great look as they flew directly away from us.
Ring-billed Gull  7
Herring Gull (American)  35
Great Black-backed Gull  25
Glaucous Gull  1    1st year bird. Pale buffy overall. Pink, black tipped bill and squared off tail. Hung around the beach for a while making a few passes
Iceland Gull (kumlieni)  1
Red-throated Loon  1    Surprisingly the only loon of the day
Northern Gannet  75    Likely undercounted
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S157764207
Pilgrim Lake, Truro, Barnstable, Massachusetts, US
01-Jan-2024 08:28 – 08:40
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments:    Stop 2 of 4 for BBC Race Point Beach Trip. Ray Bedard Leader and Mimi Zucker attended.
35 and sunny.
Just a quick stop and scan on the way by
7 species
American Black Duck  14
Greater Scaup  40
Bufflehead  100
Common Goldeneye  20
Herring Gull (American)  1
American Crow  1
Tufted Titmouse  1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S157764212
Fort Hill, Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts, US
01-Jan-2024 09:12 – 10:34
Protocol: Traveling
0.6 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:    Stop 3 of 4 for BBC Race Point Beach trip. Ray Bedard leader and Mimi Zucker attending.
37 with a mix of sun and clouds
What an awe inspiring flight of robins. Most I have ever seen.
28 species
Canada Goose  22
Mallard  1
American Black Duck  2
Common Eider (Dresser’s)  90
Bufflehead  2
Herring Gull (American)  50
Great Black-backed Gull  2
Northern Harrier  1
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk (borealis)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Eastern)  2
Hairy Woodpecker (Eastern)  1
Blue Jay  6
American Crow  5
Black-capped Chickadee  2
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Carolina Wren  2
European Starling  100
Eastern Bluebird  1
Hermit Thrush  1
American Robin  1000    Likely undercounted. Robins continually flew over for the entire duration. Another birder there was estimating 2,000
Cedar Waxwing  25    I surely missed some as the robins were so many
House Sparrow  4
House Finch  2
Purple Finch  1    Great looks.  Female
American Goldfinch  1
Song Sparrow (melodia/atlantica)  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  4
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S157764216
Cape Cod National Seashore–Salt Pond Visitors Center, Barnstable, Massachusetts, US
01-Jan-2024 10:39 – 11:33
Protocol: Traveling
0.46 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:    Stop 4 on the BBC Race Point Beach trip. Ray Bedard leader and Mimi Zucker attended.
37 with a mix of sun and clouds.
We decided to check here with the 2 rarities being reported and they didn’t disappoint.
21 species
Herring Gull (American)  2
Red-tailed Hawk (borealis)  2    One sat in a close by tree offering many great photo ops.
Belted Kingfisher  1    Really low flyover giving it’s rattling call.
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  1
Western Kingbird  1    Beautiful tyrant flycatcher with pale gray breast and bright yellow belly, gray uppers and black wings. Black tail with white outer rectrices
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  2
Common Raven  1
Tufted Titmouse  1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Eastern)  1
European Starling  50
Eastern Bluebird  3
American Robin  400    Another great showing. Seemed to be coming from Fort Hill area
Cedar Waxwing  11
House Finch  2
American Goldfinch  2
Field Sparrow  1
Lark Sparrow  1    Beautiful black, white and chestnut facial pattern! Great looks feeding in the lawn with other sparrows
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  3
Song Sparrow (melodia/atlantica)  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  7
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S157764221

A Look Back to 1918

The date of July 17, 1918 was marked in the calendar of Bostonians as the fifth anniversary of the Brookline Bird Club. There was a birthday party at “Lake Walden” to celebrate the event,

A Look Back to 1918

The date of July 17, 1918 was marked in the calendar of Bostonians as the fifth anniversary of the Brookline Bird Club. There was a birthday party at “Lake Walden” to celebrate the event,

A Look Back to 1918

The date of July 17, 1918 was marked in the calendar of Bostonians as the fifth anniversary of the Brookline Bird Club. There was a birthday party at “Lake Walden” to celebrate the event,

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Upcoming Field Trips

  • Hydrographer Canyon Overnight Pelagic (Trip #1)

    Hyannis - Pelagic - Helen H 137 Pleasant St, Hyannis, MA, United States

    Join the BBC on the Helen H out of Hyannis, MA to search for pelagic birds on an overnight trip to the Hydrographer Canyon area. For more information, fee, and registration info see: https://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/bbc-news/hydrographer-canyon-overnight-pelagics-registration/

  • Charles River Esplanade (Early Birders Series)

    Boston – Charles River Esplanade (Edwin Upton Curtis Memorial meeting spot) Boston, MA, United States

    Join fellow birders in their 20s-30s as we visit the Charles River Esplanade for an evening bird walk! Located in the heart of Boston, the Esplanade is a 64-acre park along the south side of the Charles River. While serving as one of Boston’s staple common areas, it is also a good spot to observe

  • Hydrographer Canyon Overnight Pelagic (Trip #2)

    Hyannis - Pelagic - Helen H 137 Pleasant St, Hyannis, MA, United States

    Join the BBC on the Helen H out of Hyannis, MA to search for pelagic birds on an overnight trip to the Hydrographer Canyon area. For more information, fee, and registration info see: https://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/bbc-news/hydrographer-canyon-overnight-pelagics-registration/

  • Parker River Marsh Cruise

    Newburyport - Yankee Clipper Tours Waterfront Promenade Park, 36 Merrimac Street, Newburyport, MA, United States

    Explore Parker River National Wildlife Refuge from a new perspective on a cruise through the Parker River marshes! Join us on the Yankee Clipper docked in Newburyport Harbor for a leisurely cruise through the Refuge. Enjoy close views of shorebirds, gulls, terns, and Saltmarsh Sparrows on this tour. Group discount tickets are available by registering

  • Half-Day Seabirding and Whale Watching

    Plymouth - Captain John's Whale Watching Tour Company 10 Town Wharf, Plymouth, MA, United States

    The BBC has reserved a limited block of discounted group tickets on these public tours. These tours are open to all. Register online at https://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/civicrm/event/info/?reset=1&id=330  Registration opens June 19. Co-sponsored with the South Shore Bird club. The parking for multiple hours that you need is not near the town wharf. Allow extra time to find

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