American Kestrel Nesting Box Program

The American Kestrel is our smallest and certainly our most colorful falcon. Found throughout North America, this valuable insect and rodent predator was formerly quite common. Numbers have declined significantly throughout the U.S. over the past decade, however. A shortage of nest sites is believed to be a major reason. The Kestrel is our only Hawk that nests primarily in tree cavities, such as old woodpecker holes. The felling of mature trees for firewood and construction has destroyed suitable sites in otherwise excellent habitat, producing a severe "housing" shortage.

The kestrel is a hawk of open country, preferring farmlands, meadows and abandoned fields. It has also adjusted well to urban and suburban life, nesting in mature trees along highways and feeding along right of ways and parkland. New England has ample habitat to maintain a sizeable kestrel population. What New England lacks is adequate nest sites. Fortunately, the kestrel will nest in artificial "holes" - nest boxes.

The Brookline Bird Club is sponsoring an American Kestrel nesting box program. The club provides complete information on how to build and place boxes and it has appropriated funds to help pay for construction materials. If you are interested in building kestrel boxes, or know of any organization that might be, please contact:

Paul M. Roberts - BBC
254 Arlington Street
Medford, MA 02155
e-mail: phawk254@comcast.net

Paul can provide complete construction directions as well as information on funding. Additional information on American Kestrels and nesting box programs is also available. If you don't have the time to build boxes but know of good locations for nesting boxes, please send Paul an e-mail. Some volunteers plan to build additional boxes for distribution, so the club may be able to provide you with a ready-made box to place.

Thank you for your help, and look for the spring migration, which occurs between mid-March and late April.

2007 Year End and Statistical Report

By Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 2007, the Brookline Bird Club listed 309 species of birds on 213 reported trips, one species more than last year. A total of 245 trips were scheduled, 11 trips less than last year, and 45 trips less than the all- time high number of 290 in 2000. There were 66 all-day, 145 morning, 27 afternoon or evening, six pelagic, and two weekend trips. Of the 33 trips that were not reported, 12 were cancelled by weather, leaving 21 unreported. In Massachusetts the Club reported a total of 298 species, three less than last year, on 206 trips. To put this in perspective, birders throughout the state recorded a total of 377 species during the year, thus the BBC total of 298 is 79% of all the species seen in 2007!

Two new species were added to the overall Brookline Bird Club list of birds. The Club recorded Little or Macaronesian Shearwater on the Hydrographer Canyon trip August 25. This species recently "split" off from several other small "black and white" shearwaters. According to Rick Heil, most European ornithologists have accepted that these forms are distinct, though the American Ornithologist Union (AOU) has not yet voted to accept the DNA research. A special trip to Newport, Rhode Island and nearby areas on February 3 netted great looks at TWO Pink-footed Geese on the grounds of the Newport Country Club, as well as the only report of Cackling Goose in 2007.

For the birder, the weather in 2007 was a mixed bag. January was unusually mild at the start of the month and ended very cold, but the good part was there was just a little snow. February was sunny and dry but very cold, and snow came from one storm on Valentine's Day. March began with a Lion-Lamb truce but was quickly followed by record-breaking cold weather and a nor'easter on the 16th that dumped over 10 inches of snow. April lived up to its reputation with frequent rain, some heavy and much more than average; a high of 86 on April 23 brought on the leaves! May was very warm but with too much rain. June was dry and a bit warmer than usual and July was quite cool with a lot of rain. August was hot, with over six days reaching above 90 in Boston. September continued on the warm side and was nice and dry for fall birding. Sparrow month, October, was also mild and dry and 86 degrees on the 4th broke the record for Boston. After starting out on the mild side, November turned down-right cold which continued into December; a nor'easter on the 16-17th disrupted many of the Christmas Bird Counts.

The fifth Annual Winter Meeting was held at Bedford High School on January 19, 2007. Cape Cod birder Blair Nikula gave a fascinating and comprehensive presentation on the seabirds of Antarctica. The talk, entitled "Penguins, Petrels, and Prions: An Antarctic Adventure," was based on Blair's four week trip on a Russian ship helping gather data on seabird distribution. At our Annual Spring Meeting at Harvard's Geological Lecture Hall, John Rogers, a co-founder of the New York State Bluebird Society, talked about the life history of the Eastern Bluebird and his nest box management of an extensive Bluebird Trail which has fledged over 11,000 bluebirds! Mike O'Connor, the jovial proprietor of the Bird Watcher's General Store in Orleans, had us laughing as he talked about his recently published book: "Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches". Mike also shared some of the questions he has been asked over the years at his store. Laura de la Flor and Mark Burns opened up the start of 2007 by leading their ELEVENTH annual New Year's Day birding trip. Fourteen hardy members came out on a dismal day to begin a New Year of birding. The trip tallied just 38 species from Newburyport, finishing up at Jodrey Pier in Gloucester. Laura and Mark also led us through the seasons with a Vernal Equinox walk on March 24 all around outer Cape Cod, a Summer Solstice Saunter on June 23, and an Autumn Equinox walk on September 22.

The eighth annual Grand Slam Owl Prowl started out at 4:30 a.m. on February 17. The goal of this trip is to locate, either by hearing or sight, all seven species of owls that are regularly found in mainland Massachusetts in one day. (Barn Owls are somewhat regular on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket-but time and cost make it nearly impossible to include the Islands). This year was a marked improvement over the last few years and we ended the day with six species, just missing Saw-whet Owl, which was also missed by the Club all year! The Club also scheduled Woodcock walks in Reading and the Blue Hills. The Club continued co-sponsoring the TASL (Take a Second Look) surveys of the waterfowl of Boston Harbor and a Dawn Heron Census at Belle Isle Marsh in East Boston. Ongoing were a series of mid-week trips on Cape Ann in search for alcids led by Barbara Volke and Breeding Bird Surveys in Woburn and in Moose Brook Valley, Hardwick. On August 18 heavy seas prevented Mark Burns and Laura de la Flor from leading the Hawaiian Shirt Shorebird Safari over to South Beach, though the group probably caught a few glances from other tourists as they birded the outer cape in tropical attire.

A Fall Hawk watch at Mt. Tom by veteran hawk-watcher Tom Gagnon tallied eight species of raptors with 734 Broad-wings, making quite a show. The group proceeded down to Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary and had both Mourning Warbler and “killer” looks at a Connecticut Warbler. New this year was a three day Cape Cod Blitz, starting on Friday September 7 at Morris Island in Chatham, where 12 members joined up for three full days of birding. In the end, the group tallied 117 species! At the end of the year, the Club suspends scheduled trips so that our members can participate in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). There are thirty-four count circles within Massachusetts.

This year, the Club scheduled six pelagic trips; one trip; the November 17 trip to Nantucket Shoals, had to be cancelled because of high seas. Ida Giriunas, our pelagic trip organizer, also added another unscheduled Hydrographer Canyon trip on August 19 where almost 70 participants enjoyed a record number of Audubon's Shearwaters (17) and killer looks at FIVE Sperm Whales. The first trip to the offshore canyons on July 19 was highlighted by three Bridled Terns and six species of whales and dolphins. Every trip to these waters is an adventure in our discovery of new birds offshore. The trip on August 25 did in fact add a new species to the Massachusetts list of birds, a LITTLE or MACARONESIAN SHEARWATER, which was photographed by many of the participants, providing the first documented sight record for North America! Rounding out our pelagic birding were some half day trips to Stellwagen Bank and Jeffreys Ledge.

A special thank-you goes out to the 65 leaders who guided our members throughout the year; several leaders deserve special mention. Bill Drummond and Ida Giriunas, two of our long term members, led the most with 22 trips each, followed by Linda Ferraresso with 13 trips, and Soheil Zendeh and Bob Petersen with 12 trips each. Glenn d'Entremont led 11 trips mostly on the south shore and Cape Cod and Bob Stymeist also led 11 trips both in the Boston area as well as Bristol and Barnstable counties. Laura de la Flor and Jane Zanichkowsky each led 10 trips. Another nine dedicated leaders accounted for five or more trips each.

The Club visited Essex County most often, with a total of 88 scheduled trips: 49 to the Newburyport/ Plum Island area, 20 to Cape Ann, and 19 to other spots in the county, including five trips to Marblehead Neck Sanctuary. Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was a distant second with 37 trips that recorded 115 species. There were also 40 scheduled trips in the Metropolitan Boston area and 19 in the extended Sudbury River Valley, which included six trips at Great Meadows NWR, four trips to Oxbow NWR, three trips to Assabet NWR, and one visit to Bolton Flats. There were 27 trips to the South Shore and to areas on Cape Cod, including two trips to the hot birding spot, Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, and eight trips to areas in Western Mass.

Out-of-state trips included a weekend trip to the Machias area and to Rangeley Lakes in Maine. The combined total number of species on the Maine trips was 135 and included some boreal birds such as Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, and Boreal Chickadee. Totally unexpected was ZERO terns on Machias!! Both Ida Giriunas and Eddie Giles have been leading these great trips for many years, affording Club members the opportunity to see some northern forest and ocean birds that don't nest in Massachusetts. There were two trips in New Hampshire, one along the coast in winter and one to Pondicherry NWR, where a Black-backed Woodpecker nest was found. A trip to Appledore Island, in the Maine part of the Isles of Shoals, was cancelled due to bad weather. There was one special trip to Rhode Island, where the Club added Pink-footed Goose, a new species for the Club list. This trip also recorded the only Cackling Goose.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist (10/2000) includes all the species that have been identified in the state, as determined by the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC). The Club recorded the following species that are listed as rare or as accidental species:

Greater White-fronted Goose	Concord	October 14
Barnacle Goose	Concord	October 14
Eared Grebe	Gloucester	January 6
Northern Fulmar	Nantucket Shoals area	June 30
Little/Macaronesian Shearwater	18 miles N of Veatch's Canyon	August 25
Audubon's Shearwater	Hydrographer Canyon	July 21
White-faced Storm-Petrel	Hydrographer Canyon	August 19
Leach's Storm-Petrel	Nantucket Shoals	July 21
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel	Hydrographer Canyon	August 2
Swainson's Hawk	Cumberland Farms	October 6
King Rail	Plum Island	May 14
American Avocet	Plum Island	May 13
Ruff/Reeve	Newburyport Harbor	April 8
Long-tailed Jaeger	Nantucket Shoals	July 21
Bridled Tern	Hydrographer Canyon	July 21
Gray Jay	Mt. Watatic	November 4
Yellow-throated Warbler	Mt. Auburn Cemetery	May 20

The following species occur with some regularity in Massachusetts but were missed by the Club during 2007: Northern Bobwhite, Cattle Egret, Northern Goshawk (seen in Maine), Baird's Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Black Skimmer, Thick-billed Murre, Parasitic Jaeger, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and, what unfortunately is becoming a trend, Golden-winged Warbler. The biggest trip list this year was from Bill Drummond's trip around Essex County, recording 137 species on May 20. The best bird on that trip was an American Avocet, though the group had super looks at many warblers (20 species) that were feeding very low in the Old Pines area on Plum Island. The most species for the least amount of travel (a total of 12 miles by car in 10 hours) was a trip just along Sconticut Neck in Fairhaven that recorded a total of 77 species on September 18. In the following table you can see which trip in each month recorded the most species; this may help in planning for a big year of birding:

Date	Location	# species	Leader
January 7	Boston	65	Bob Stymeist
February 11	Scituate-Plymouth	72	Glenn d'Entremont
March 24	Outer Cape Cod	66	Laura de la Flor
April 29	Boston	93	Bob Stymeist
May 20	Newburyport area	137	Bill Drummond
June 2	Quabbin area	97	Eddie Giles & Mark Burns
July 9	Plum Island	70	Tom Young
August 18	Outer Cape Cod	65	Laura de la Flor & Mark Burns
September 9	Provincetown-Truro	89	Bob Stymeist
October 14	Newburyport-PI	70	Bill Drummond
November 17	Bourne	77	Bob Stymeist
November 18	Fairhaven (tie)	77	Bob Stymeist
December 2	Cape Ann	47	Ian Davies

The Club recorded 79% of all the birds that were noted during 2007 - pretty impressive! A total of at least 377 species, four more than last year, were observed and reported by birders across the state during 2007. Other noteworthy species seen during the year but not on the BBC list were: Tundra Swan, Tufted Duck, Brown Pelican, Black Vulture, Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites, Golden Eagle, Yellow Rail, Purple Gallinule, Black-necked Stilt, Curlew Sandpiper, Calliope, Rufous and Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Sedge Wren, Northern Wheatear, Audubon's, Townsend's, Black-throated Gray, Prothonotary and Swainson's warblers, Summer Tanager, Lark and Harris' Sparrows, and Yellow-headed Blackbird, to name a few.

ANNUAL LISTS

The bird of the year for many was the Little Shearwater. This was the first ever recorded in New England, and with the many documented photographs, it will likely be the first accepted record in the United States since 1883, when an individual washed up on a beach in South Carolina. Imagine, SIX species of shearwaters on the August 25 "Extreme Pelagic", as Ida Giriunas' trips have been called. Other favorites from the offshore set were Band-rumped Storm Petrel (4) and Bridled Tern (3). The Gray Jay was a crowd-pleaser and the top vote-getter from all who made the trip to the top of Mt Watatic. This was a fantastic year for winter finches. Pine Grosbeaks staged a mini-invasion, something quite rare in recent times. The great flocks of Bohemian Waxwings and both Common and Hoary Redpolls were a treat for birders in eastern Massachusetts and thus were most rewarding experiences. The Swainson's Warbler on Plum Island garnered a few votes, though was frustrating because of its secretive behavior of singing from an invisible perch in a restricted area! The Townsend's Warbler in the busy neighborhood of Cambridgeport was a favorite, as was the other "Townsend" - the Towsend's Solitaire - which had to be one observer's best bird since it was #600 on their ABA list! SIX Black-necked Stilts, all moving together in unison in a salt marsh in South Chatham, was a favorite for several folks that never had seen more than one bird before in Mass. Speaking of firsts for Massachusetts: the Slaty-backed Gulls were noted as the best birds of the year, as well as a life bird, for those who never ventured far away to “New Hampshire” to see one there last year. Sometimes it's the very good look you get: a Dovekie up close at Jodrey Pier, or a Yellow-breasted Chat that tees up in a small tree and is joined by an Orange-crowned Warbler and both STAY there for totally insane looks! There's nothing better than having both a red and a gray morph Eastern Screech Owl take up residence in YOUR backyard. My favorite best bird nominee was the Eared Grebe of Niles Beach, grateful that it shows up each year and for which we'll have to have a celebration of its life if it should die!

It always is interesting to see what the top listers miss; just like on a Big Day or a Christmas Bird Count, there is often some bird that is common but completely missed. One top lister missed Black-billed Cuckoo, hard to do when you are out every weekend. The top vote-getter was the Swainson's Warbler on Plum Island; many heard it, heard it, and heard it again for three days and never saw it. Black Skimmer was listed by several folks who tried often and heard that old refrain "You should have been here...". Seven attempts to see one of the many reported Sandhill Cranes was especially frustrating, as were the many trips to the Hawkwatch site in Truro looking for Mississippi Kite. With all the great birds seen on the pelagic trips, one that just did not get seen was the Leach's Storm Petrel, a first miss for many veteran pelagic birders. The Golden-winged Warbler, once an easy bird to see, has become quite hard to find, and was listed by several as their most disappointing miss. Ruffed Grouse, despite a concerted effort, eluded one birder for the umpteenth year. Missing Arctic Tern for the first time in decades was another disconcerting miss. Coming onto Plum Island late in the day hoping to hear a Whip-poor-will was unfulfilled when the refuge ranger refused entry so late in the day. Connecticut Warbler always gets on the list; this year was no exception, as three folks listed it as a perennial miss. There were many road kill Barred Owls, as well as many noted alive, so it was hard to miss one on another 300-plus lister's list. Breeding birds in the state are hard to swallow when you miss them: Seaside Sparrow, Cerulean Warbler, and Acadian Flycatcher were a few that were mentioned as unnecessary misses.

All in all it was a very good year, really hard to complain. And a great big thank-you to Massbird, the internet, and the great group of birders who share their knowledge and their love of birding. Give yourself a round of applause.

MASSACHUSETTS LIST TOTALS IN 2007

John Hoye	Wayland	336
Audrey McCarthy	Wayland	331
Oakes Spalding	Cambridge	330
Linda Ferraresso	Watertown	326
Steve Grinley	Newburyport	322
Kevin Ryan	Easton	321
Ida Giriunas	Reading	320
Herman D'Entremont	Somerville	319
Margo Goetschkes	Cambridge	318
Davis Noble	Marblehead	318
Mollie Taylor	Danvers	311
Glenn d'Entremont	Stoughton	311
Chris Floyd	Lexington	310
Bev Chiasson	Newton	303
Karsten Hartel	Arlington	290
Bob Stymeist	Arlington	287
George Gove	Southboro	279
Fred Bouchard	Belmont	273
Tom Wetmore	Newburyport	262*
Laura de la Flor	Salem	243
Jonathan Center	Chelmsford	237
Shane Hunt	Brookline	237

* Plum Island Only

Previous Reports

2006 Statistical and Year End Report

By Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician

During 2006, the Brookline Bird Club listed 306 species of birds on 208 reported trips, one species more than last year. A total of 256 trips were scheduled, seven trips less than last year. The all time high number of scheduled trips was 290 in 2000. There were 67 all-day, 147 morning, 30 afternoon or evening, five pelagic, and two weekend trips. The record-breaking rain during May and June was the major factor in trip cancellations this year. Of the 48 trips that were not reported, 36 were cancelled by weather, leaving 12 unreported. In Massachusetts the Club reported a total of 301 species, four more than last year, on 206 trips. To put this in perspective, birders throughout the state recorded a total of 373 species during the year; thus, the BBC total of 301 is an astonishing 81% of all the species seen in 2006!

Three new species were added to the overall Brookline Bird Club list of birds. The Club recorded White-faced Storm Petrel on the Hydrographer Canyon trip August 26; Bell's Vireo on November 25 in Wood's Hole, and Western Reef Heron in New Hampshire on September 3.

For the birder, the weather in 2006 was a mixed bag. January was unusually mild with below normal snow. February had wide temperature swings and a big snowstorm on the 12th. March came in like a lion but was very dry. April was warm and dry with exceptionally warm temperatures at the end of the month, advancing the foliage by two weeks. May was wet, with nearly 13 inches of rain in the Boston area. The songbird migration was awful but the storm-driven birds were awesome. June continued the extremely wet pattern, setting a new high for a two consecutive month total rainfall. July was hot, August was cool, and September through December was near normal to above normal in temperature as well as dry.

The fourth Annual Winter Meeting was held at Bedford High School on January 20, 2006. Phillip Hoose, a widely-acclaimed author, gave a lively talk on his multi-award winning book The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, a story on the extinction of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. At our Spring Meeting at Harvard, David Bird, Professor of Wildlife Biology at McGill University of Montreal, gave an entertaining program entitled “How Birds Do It”. And our Fall Meeting featured our own Norman Smith of Mass Audubon's Trailside Museum who presented a program on Snowy Owls and Saw whet Owls that featured his assistants growing up with owls.

Laura de la Flor and Mark Burns opened up the start of 2006 by leading their tenth annual New Year's Day birding trip. Nineteen members enjoyed an almost perfect winter day with a dusting of new snow, no wind, and an overcast sky that added some drama to the landscape. The trip tallied 61 species from Newburyport to Dunback Meadow in Lexington. Laura and Mark also led us through the seasons with a Vernal Equinox walk on March 18, a Summer Solstice Saunter on June 24, and a Autumn Equinox walk on September 23.

The seventh annual Grand Slam Owl Prowl started out at 4 a.m. on February 18. The goal of this trip is to locate, either by hearing or sight, all seven species of owls that are regularly found in Massachusetts in one day. Reports of Long-eared and Short-eared owls had been few and in the end, those two species eluded the group. But all five owls that were seen were photographed! The Club also scheduled Woodcock walks in Reading and the Blue Hills. The Club continued co-sponsoring the TASL (Take a Second Look) surveys of the waterfowl of Boston Harbor and a Dawn Heron Census at Belle Isle Marsh in East Boston. Ongoing were a series of mid-week trips on Cape Ann in search for alcids led by Barbara Volke and Breeding Bird Surveys at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Salem Woods, Woburn, and Dartmouth. On August 5, Mark Burns and Laura de la Flor led the now annual Hawaiian Shirt Shorebird Safari where 16 members in tropical attire tallied 51 species, which included 74 American Oystercatchers, 230 Willets, over 3000 Semipalmated Plovers, and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Fall Hawk watch locations included Mt Wachusett, Mt Watatic, and Mt Tom, which had a very impressive flight of over 1200 Broad-winged Hawks as well as five Bald Eagles. On November 25, Glenn d'Entremont found a Bell's Vireo on the grounds of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on a trip that was co-sponsored with the Cape Cod Birding Club. This was just the third record for the state and the first record not from Manomet Bird Observatory. This, needless to say, was a first for the Club as well as the throngs of birders that descended on the site the following day! New this year was a visit to the Wing Island Banding Station in Brewster. It was a slow day, with the leader wishing it was one day later when two Connecticut Warblers were netted! At the end of the year, the Club suspends scheduled trips so that our members can participate in the Christmas Bird Counts (CBC). There are thirty-four count circles within Massachusetts.

This year, the Club scheduled five pelagic trips. A scheduled trip to Hydrographer's Canyon on August 26 was again a smashing success. The "Extreme Pelagic", as it has been called now for the third year in a row, was again a most memorable trip for the 75 birders who departed Hyannis Harbor in the dark. We cruised the length of Hydrographer Canyon into water more than 4000 feet deep, with a water temperature of 74 degrees F along the shelf edge. The trip followed the shelf edge for nearly twenty miles before setting course back across Nantucket Shoals and back to Hyannis, where we arrived in the dark. Three White-Faced Storm-Petrels were found and the Captain followed them, maneuvering the boat, allowing fantastic views of a life bird for most of the birders on board. Another highlight was a distinctly smaller and slender shearwater that was readily picked out and observed from a roosting flock of Cory's and Greater Shearwaters. Many photos were taken and sent around to seabird experts with the possibility that the bird could be a Cape Verde Shearwater, for which there is one record from off Cape Hatteras. The November pelagic, again organized by Ida Giriunas and led by Rick Heil and Steve Mirick, was about as placid as could be for early winter. Sixty-five members enjoyed almost continuous groups of shearwaters, gannets, and kittiwakes. Before the boat left the dock there was a very early morning migration of loons; in about 30 minutes the group tallied over 130 Common and nearly 300 Red-throated Loons. At the edge of the shoals, a spectacular flock of thousands of Greater Shearwaters, about 20 Northern Fulmars, Northern Gannets and hundreds of Black-legged Kittiwakes were feeding along with Minke and lob-tailing and breaching Humpback Whales!

A special thank you goes out to the 62 leaders who guided our members throughout the year. Several leaders deserve special mention. Bill Drummond led the most trips with 26, followed by Steve Grinley with 18. Ida Giriunas led 17 trips despite falling on the ice and snow in February at Dunback Meadow, which put her in a cast for several weeks. Soheil Zendeh was listed as leader 16 times. Linda Ferraresso led 13 trips, Glenn d'Entremont led 12 trips, mostly on the south shore and Cape Cod, Bob Stymeist and Jonathan Center each led 11 trips, and Laura de la Flor and Bob Petersen each led 10 trips. Another 11 dedicated leaders accounted for five or more trips each.

The Club visited Essex County most often, with a total of 100 scheduled trips: 60 to the Newburyport/ Plum Island area, 20 to Cape Ann, and 20 to other spots in the county, including eight trips to the Marblehead Neck Sanctuary. Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge was a distant second with 27 trips that recorded 105 species. There were 40 scheduled trips in the Metropolitan Boston area and 15 trips in the extended Sudbury River Valley, including Great Meadows NWR, Oxbow NWR, Bolton Flats, and the new Assabet NWR. There were 20 trips to the South Shore and to areas on Cape Cod, including three trips to the birding hot spot, Wompatuck State Park in Hingham. And there were 10 trips to areas in Western Mass. Out of state trips included a weekend trip to the Machias area and to Rangely Lakes in Maine. The combined total number of species on the Maine trips was 143 and included some boreal birds such as Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, and Boreal Chickadee. Both Ida Giriunas and Eddie Giles have been leading these great trips for many years, affording Club members the opportunity to see some northern forest and ocean birds that don't nest in Massachusetts. There were just two trips in New Hampshire, with one trip especially targeted for the Bicknell's Thrush. Unfortunately this trip was cancelled due to heavy rain. An extension of Bill Drummond's September 3 trip to Portsmouth, NH was successful in adding Western Reef Heron to the Club list. And yet another trip extension by Bill to Odiorne State Park from Cape Ann on November 19 added Fork-tailed Flycatcher to the list. This bird put on quite a show as it fed on the bittersweet.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) Checklist (10/2000) now includes all the species that have been identified in the state, as determined by the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC). The Club recorded the following species that are listed on the new list as rare or as accidental species.

Pacific Loon	Cathedral	Ledge, Rockport	January 7
Pacific Loon	Hull (TASL trip)	January 29
Eared Grebe	Gloucester	January 7
Northern Fulmar	at sea	July 8
Audubon's Shearwater	at sea	August 26
Leach's Storm-Petrel	at sea	August 26
White-faced Storm-Petrel	at sea	August 26
King Rail	Plum Island	May 31
Sandhill Crane	Cumberland Farms	October 8
Black-tailed Godwit	Plum Island	July 17
Ash-throated Flycatcher	Halibut Point, Rockport	December 13
Bell's Vireo	Woods Hole	November 25
Bohemian Waxwing	Halibut Point	January 7
Kentucky Warbler	Marblehead Neck	May 7

The following species occur with some regularity in Massachusetts but were missed by the Club during 2006: Least Bittern, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Marbled Godwit, Short-eared Owl, Common Nighthawk, White-eyed Vireo, Golden-winged, Cerulean, and Connecticut warblers.

The biggest trip list this year was Bill Drummond's trip around Essex County, recording 110 species on May 27. In Bill's notes he states “It was a fine day at Plum Island with some of the best birding in the thickets opposite the salt panes. It took over an hour to get the 50 participants on the Mourning Warbler at that location”. Bill was able to show the fifty participants 10 species of shorebirds and 17species of warblers. The most species for the least amount of travel was a trip totally within the town of Wellfleet that recorded a total of 80 species on September 16. In the following table you can see which trip in each month recorded the most species; this may help in planning for a big year of birding.

Date	Location	# species	Leader
January 7	Westport	77	Bob Stymeist
February 19	Cape Ann	55	Linda Pivacek
March 26	Western Mass	47	Ida Giriunas
April 15	Newburyport area	62	Steve Grinley
May 27	Newburyport area	110	Bill Drummond
June 4	Newburyport area	88	Steve Grinley
July 1	Quabbin Gate 10	51	Glenn d'Entremont
August 20	Newburyport area	69	Steve Grinley
September 17	Provincetown-Truro	87	Bob Stymeist
October 29	Newburyport-PI	60	Steve Grinley
November 4	Bourne	77	Bob Stymeist
December 10	Newburyport-PI	65	Steve Grinley

The Club recorded nearly 81% of all the birds that were noted during 2006 - pretty impressive! A total of at least 373 species, 13 more than last year, were observed and reported by birders across the state during 2006. Other noteworthy species seen during the year but not on the BBC list were: Greater White-fronted Goose, Cackling Goose, Tundra Swan, Eurasian Wigeon, Western Grebe, Yellow-nosed Albatross, White and Brown Pelicans, Magnificent Frigatebird, White Ibis, Black Vulture, Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites, Golden Eagle, Gyrfalcon, Purple Gallinule, Black-necked Stilt (Bill Drummond extended his Plum Island trip for this but missed it), Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Royal Tern, Dovekie, Red-headed Woodpecker, and Green-tailed Towhee, to name a few.

Annual Lists

The Yellow Rail that was discovered by Ron Lockwood on October 9 in the marshes known as Plum Bush was the top vote getter of five birders who sent in their lists. It is truly amazing that the bird was even re-found and that it was seen so well and photographed. Birders slogged through waist-high water, some tripping, falling, getting their binos wet, but all were most satisfied seeing this truly elusive bird. Ida Giriunas, the Energizer Bunny as I like to call her, managed to get out there with the aid of two ski poles and see this bird through Chris Floyd's scope. Chris was ecstatic about this bird, which he never dreamed of seeing in Massachusetts, and his greatest experience was re-finding it for so many birders. It always is exciting when you find a good bird and then are able to share it with everyone. The Bell's Vireo located by Glenn d'Entremont in Woods Hole was his most memorable find and on a Club trip, no less. Spotting the first Northern Fulmar on a Club pelagic was especially rewarding for another birder, as was finding my own Sandhill Crane at Bolton Flats after missing others. One birder heard the song of a Bicknell's Thrush on Mt. Greylock in July, a bird that used to be standard fare when Lee Jameson ran the Greylock camping weekend thirty plus years ago, but which has been absent now for as many years there. The White-faced Storm-Petrel gathered several votes as a favorite and no wonder - three of these were seen on the "Extreme Pelagic" at close range on a calm sea! A quick trip to Martha's Vineyard for a Gray Kingbird that spent only two days on the island was mentioned as a best bird. Rare among warblers, a Cape May in top plumage was present for several days affording “killer" looks at eye level at the Boston Nature Center in Mattapan. Another spring nor'easter brought a great tern show at Sandy Point on Plum Island. Other birds that made folks smile were Black-tailed Godwit, Black-necked Stilt, Rufous Hummingbird, Bell's Vireo, LeConte's Sparrow, Green-tailed Towhee, and the White-tailed Hawk (even though it was an escape) Lastly, the Western Reef Heron also got a few votes, even though it was in New Hampshire.

It always is interesting to see what the top listers miss; just like on a Big Day or a Christmas Bird Count, there is often some bird that is common but completely missed. One birder missed Eastern Screech Owl, another Ruffed Grouse, both common breeding birds in the right areas. Cape May warbler was on several lists; this bird used to be common but has been in steady decline for a number of years. Another warbler, the Golden-winged, has become extremely rare and now is almost thought as likely as a Townsend's or Hermit Warbler. Other misses include Long-eared Owl, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Goshawk (on 3 lists), Olive-sided Flycatcher, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Connecticut and Mourning Warblers, and LeConte's Sparrow. Of course, many birders lamented not being at Plum Bush to tell their story about getting very wet to see a Yellow Rail!

Massachusetts List Totals In 2006

John Hoye	Wayland	325
Audrey McCarthy	Wayland	321
Oakes Spalding	Cambridge	319
Herman D'Entremont	Somerville	311
Glenn d'Entremont	Stoughton	308
Chris Floyd	Lexington	308
Steve Grinley	Newburyport	307
Linda Ferraresso	Watertown	304
Karsten Hartel	Arlington	298
Davis Noble	Marblehead	290
Bob Stymeist	Arlington	276
Jonathan Center	Chelmsford	275
Fred Bouchard	Belmont	269
Laura de la Flor	Salem	234
Ida Giriunas	Reading	196

Previous Reports

About the Brookline Bird Club

Officers & Directors

By-Laws

Code of Ethics

Trip Leader Information

The Brookline Bird Club, commonly known as the BBC, is the largest and one of the oldest of the many bird clubs in Massachusetts. Membership is opened to all who are interested in birds and nature. (A membership form can be found here or on the last page of the BBC bulletin or "bluebook".) The Club sponsors an active program of year-round field trips, covering the entire state of Massachusetts from the Berkshires to Stellwagen Bank. During the peak of spring migration, walks are scheduled for every day of the week. Three evening meetings are held each year, one in the fall and winter with the annual meeting being held each year in the spring. Guests are always welcome on Club walks and at Club meetings.

A special tradition of Club trips has been to encourage new birders, both young and old, to learn about birds and the pleasures of birding through active participation in seeking and identifying birds in various habitats, during all seasons of the year. A number of world-class trip leaders and ornithologists started birding with the Club in their childhood years.

History

The Brookline Bird Club was founded in 1913, incorporated on January 1, 1993, and currently has over 1,100 members; it is governed by the BBC By-laws. The origin of the Club, as the name suggests, traces to Brookline, Massachusetts. In the spring of 1913, a notice in the Brookline Chronicle and the Boston Transcript invited all those who might be interested in the study of wild birds to attend a meeting at the Brookline Public Library. The result was the founding of the Brookline Bird Club. The first annual meeting was held in Brookline, the first President was a resident of Brookline, and most of the Club's early members were from Brookline. Today, of course, Club membership reaches far beyond Brookline to all of Massachusetts and to many other states as well.

Field Trips

• All trips listed in the BBC bulletin or "bluebook" are free of charge, though some trips may specify costs for travel or admission.
• While most of the trips are schedule on the weekends, some trips are conducted during the week, and both full-day and half-day trips are offered.
• The BBC stresses the importance of good public relations. When attending trips, park your vehicle off the road, away from driveways and posted areas, so traffic can flow unimpeded. Respect special guidelines at birding locations such as cemeteries and national wildlife refuges. Most importantly, do not enter private property unless you have permission. For a refresher on responsible birding, see the BBC Code of Ethics.
• Should weather conditions appear bad and driving hazardous, contact the leader, at whose discretion the trip may be postponed or canceled. Also, check MASSBIRD for trip updates.
• Bring a lunch on all-day trips.
• Inform the leader if you need to leave early.
• Try to car pool whenever possible, not only to save costs and fuel, but also so that the leader can take everyone to limited-access places. This is also a way of promoting camaraderie on the trips.

Leaders

All trips are lead by experienced volunteer leaders. Trips are led at various locations around the state, though many are led at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Mount Auburn Cemetery and Cape Ann since these are well documented migrant traps or locations where birds are regularly found. Leaders reserve the right to limit the participation to some trips due to the nature of the location of the walk (e.g. limited parking facilities, etc.). There are also a few out of state trips including the annual Rangeley Lake Area and Downeast Maine trips as well as trips to various locations in New Hampshire.

Leaders strive to lead their scheduled trips as published in the blue book unless there is an emergency situation. They also will report findings of their trips to the club statistician, and if possible, to MASSBIRD. For more details on leader responsibilities, see Trip Leader Information.

The Club is always looking for birders to lead club trips. All you need is enthusiasm and a desire to share your birding experience and knowledge. The time commitment can be as short or as long as you wish, so consider sharing the pleasure of your favorite birding hotspot. If you are interested in leading a trip for the club, contact the Field Trip Coordinator, Neil Hayward by email.