Speech given at BBC Fall Meeting, October 23, 2014, by President Glenn d'Entremont, written and compiled by Fay Vale, Chairperson of the Recognition Committee, with the help of Bill's friends:
Now, as president, it is my pleasure to present the long-overdue recognition of Bill Drummond. Bill is our most iconic trip leader and has been leading trips longer and more frequently than any other leader with the possible exception of Ida. Most of our members have been on Bill's trips, local and further afield – and most of us owe a good deal of our life lists to Bill. And most of our trip leaders owe their roles to Bill as well.
Bill came to Massachusetts in 1969, soon birding with mentors Dick and Dora Hale and Jerry Soucy and Larry Jodrey. At the time, Larry called him a “super-active” target-finder. He joined the club in 1971 and led his first trip – to Newburyport – in 1972. He became bulletin editor and field trip coordinator in the mid 1970's and held both posts for a decade. In those days coordinating trips involved a typewriter, a lot of paperwork and a lot of telephone calls, as this was well before the digital age. Dennis Oliver remembers that Bill recruited trip leaders by personal contact. He would bring along a paper copy of the trip schedule and when he found a birder he thought would be a good leader, he recruited that birder on the spot. Ida remembers that Bill was the one that instituted summer trips. Up until Bill, it was thought that no birds came here in the summer! Ida also remembers that Bill was the first to do dusk Plum Island trips for the evening heron roosts.
Bill regularly polled members to list their 10 Most Wanted Birds and then recommended strategies for finding the birds. Red Phalarope, Barn Owl, and Hawk Owl topped the list in 1981.
Bill started leading his out of state trips in 1986 as a service to club members. He will be leading one final trip to Alaska next year.
Bill was president of the club from 1987 to 1989. He stepped down from the board in 2003, after making sure the club was in good hands. He was also head of the telephone hot-line, another roll that required lots of phone calls.
When the birding community heard we would be honoring Bill, we received an outpouring of remembrances and anecdotes, most of which had the same theme. Bill is best known for his Herculean efforts to ensure that everyone “get on the bird”.
Dennis and David Oliver recall that they first met Bill while searching for a Steller's Eider in Scituate in the 70's. When they arrived, Bill was on the bird, making sure everyone else was also, and passing out pamphlets about the celebrated bird. “We had just found out about the BBC and soon learned Bill was a very important part of the best bird club in the country. We made sure to attend as many of Bill's outings with the BBC as we could. Bill was fanatic about getting everyone on the bird, no matter how common or rare.” David was always grateful that Bill would invite them on his scouting trips around the country and a few foreign places, from Alaska to Arizona, to Churchill to Florida to Ecuador. He says that Bill has always been a generous and thoughtful friend.
Emmalee Tarry told us that “birding with Bill was and is serious business. If the bird was there, we were there to see it and if it should be there but wasn’t, we were going to find it. We birded in the heat of summer and cold of winter, early in the morning, all day. and even sometimes into the night. Bill’s enthusiasm and boundless energy made it fun and many of us ended up with 700+ North American bird lists.
Emmalee continued: There is nothing Bill liked better than leading a huge group of birders and because of the popularity of his trips they often attracted a crowd. A big group requires organization and at this, teacher Bill excelled. He developed the official BBC hand signals. One hand in the air if you think you see the bird. Two hands if you know you see it.
Emmalee also told us: My daughter Anne, new to the area, and I were birding with Bill at the Salt Pannes at Plum Island, when there were still shorebirds at the salt pannes. I mentioned that Anne needed to see Hudsonian Godwit. Bill went into action. “Get Anne down here. Anne needs Hudsonian Godwit. Who’s got the Godwit?” The troops were mobilized and Anne was soon on a Hudsonian Godwit. Is that not a great way to be introduced to a new group?
If you were having difficulty seeing a bird, Bill might tell you in no uncertain terms that you were “Out of position.” That meant of course that you needed to move either right or left.
Herman D'Entremont, one of our previous honorees, remembers:
I was a participant on a Texas trip with Bill. We went up on a tower overlooking a marsh to look for a Masked Duck. Bill promptly pointed out a female Masked Duck. Waiting for my turn at a scope, I looked down at the base of the tower. I saw a bird with a white/blue bill. I called Bill over for an ID. It was the male Masked Duck! Bill’s excitement, enthusiasm and appreciation made me feel great. I can’t thank Bill enough for showing me birds like that. Bill is a great teacher. He is so good at finding and identifying birds that one does not need to bring a bird book along on his trips. Thank you Bill for leading so many trips and being such a good leader.
From Ida Giriunas:
Back in the eighties, Bill would have dozens of people on his trips. He loved it, feeling the more eyes the better and he was and is well known for ”getting everybody on the bird” which he was able to do even for such large groups…
I remember one such effort he made in Arizona when he had a large group hiking in a Huachucha canyon looking for the Red-faced Warbler. To get to the site, we needed to clamber alongside a steep canyon wall for several yards. Most of us could barely do it. Dottie Davis, who was a heavy-set older woman and had limited mobility was on the trip. After we located the bird, Bill went back down the canyon, escorted her up the canyon wall safely and she saw the bird!
Joe Paluzzi tells a similar story about the Colima Warbler in Texas. Bill did the whole hike again the next day to ensure that an ailing Joe saw the bird.
From Jonathan Center:
I can not think of another person in the BBC who is more deserving to be recognized than Bill. Bill has devoted so much of his time over the decades to the BBC as a member of the board and a field trip leader and to the birding community as a whole.
I think what is most impressive about Bill Drummond is his commitment to the club's trips as a leader. Bill's trips are very organized, often in long caravans. Back when CB radios were in use and then hand held radios, he made sure cars that had these were spaced evenly so that the group could stay in communication and together. You had to say "over" when done with your transmission or "over and out" and so forth. Bill's handle was "Red Crossbill". Bill is sometimes seen directing cars in his group as to where to park and occasionally directing traffic! His trips sometimes take on the appearance of a well run military operation.
I owe a lot to Bill Drummond. I have travel extensively with him over 20 years. Many of the birds that I have seen on my ABA Area or North American list were because Bill found them for me. I have currently 695 birds. I kind of wish Bill might be able to find the remaining five so that I may finally reach 700! I am sad to say I might have to get those on my own.
Jonathan has a wonderful but lengthy anecdote about Bill's first grouse tour (below).
And speaking of hand held radios, Steve Grinley sent us a long, lovely anecdote about the recent influx of rare birds at the P.I. airport. The full text is below, but the main point was this:
This past Labor Day Weekend, while Steve and Margo were searching for buff-breasted sandpipers, Baird’s sandpipers, and American golden plovers along the Plum Island causeway, they ran into Bill, who told them he was looking for buff-breasted sandpipers for his 500th ABA bird of the year.
He was disappointed to learn that their FRS radios weren't turned on – cell phones weren't enough for him. Sure enough, when they found the sandpipers, Bill didn't answer his cell but responded to a radio call. At that point, they lost sight of the birds and realized that if they had used radios in the first place, they would have kept track of them. Luckily Steve refound the birds just as Bill arrived. Bill got his 500th year bird and Steve and Margo got a valuable lesson. FRS radios are often still the best way to stay on the bird.
From Wayne Peterson:
Wayne describes Bill as “someone who will always hold an enduring place in the birder portion of my cerebral Rolodex.”
Bill’s birding style was characteristically predicated on the principle that everyone in his group must see the bird, whatever species was being sought at the time. He would give directions, deploy his foot soldiers, assign responsibility to individuals, describe field marks for those in need, and offer generous encouragement until the bird was found and everyone got to see it. Bill Drummond is an outstanding leader – a fact borne out by the popularity of his always full continental birding tours, and the glowingly satisfied reviews from any birder fortunate enough to have participated in one of these trips. Through the years I can recall many such trip participants reporting on how successful they were in finding the birds they particularly wanted to see. What finer testament to a tour leader can there be?
For Bill’s many years as a stalwart Brookline Bird Club supporter, officer, board member, and active trip leader, as well as being a champion of birding at its best it gives me great pleasure to offer these remarks on the occasion of Bill’s recognition ceremony. Bill, I salute you!
And finally from David Hursh, who wanted to be here but had to be in Louisiana today:
Bill has been the biggest influence on me as a birder and a leader.
"The first BBC trip I ever went on was with Bill Drummond to Plum Island. That was about 15 years ago. Since that time, I have traveled across the country and seen hundreds of new birds, and 99% of those were thanks to Bill Drummond. Bill has been influential in getting me, as well as many others, to experience all this great country has to offer. From Plum Island to the Dry Tortugas, from southern California to Barrow, Alaska, Bill has dedicated his life to helping everyone see all there is to see. Bill has returned to the same places, year after year, decade after decade, not to build his own bird list, but to help each new generation of birders build theirs.
Bill has taught me many things when it comes to leading bird trips. He has taught me always to place the needs of others over those of the leader. Bill is not concerned with building the biggest trip list...He cares instead about how many birds on that list were seen well by everyone in the group. In fact, Bill once told me that for each trip he leads, he creates his own list of twenty birds or so, and he judges the success of his trip on how many of those birds are seen by each and every participant. And if just one person says, "Well, I didn't really see that bird well," Bill will do everything in his power to get that person another look. And if the trip ends, and a bird is still a "miss," then Bill starts planning his return trip as soon as he gets home. Bill has also taught me to value the proper practices of group birding that he learned when he first started birding. Staying together, moving slowly, keeping quiet, and yes, sticking out your tongue, anything to avoid disturbing the birds or impacting the environment. And lastly, Bill has shown me the joy that comes from helping others discover the world of birds, a joy that he has shared with us for over 50 years.
So thank you, Bill, for being a great leader, a generous teacher, and a true friend. Congratulations!"
David's words echo our own – Bill, for all the years of first-rate service to the club.
For all the new birders you welcomed and inspired.
For all the trip leaders you found and mentored.
For all our year lists and life lists.
For all our joy in “getting on the bird”
We thank you.
We have given a donation to Manomet Observatory in your honor.
Below are the full texts of the remembrances sent to us from Bill's friends:
From Joe Paluzzi:
Folks, I can share two memorable times with Bill, showing how unselfish he is and how dedicated he is to his passion.
I was on a birding trip with him to Big Bend NP in Texas when the entire group climbed the mountain to see the Colima Warbler. I didn't go up that morning because of my heart problems and stayed back at the hotel waiting for them to return. That night at dinner Bill told me "tomorrow morning you and I will climb the mountain very slowly even if it takes five hours". Bill delegated somebody else to lead the rest of the group for general birding.
So the next morning we arose early and left for the climb. Slowly but surely Bill and I went up that mountain until we found the Colima. He would not let one member of his group not to get a target bird. Unselfishly he made that climb twice when he didn't have, but insisted he would just so I could tick it off. Anyone who has made that climb will know how difficult it is.
On another birding trip out west, his caravan of four cars were whizzing along a State Road when Bill spotted a Tri-colored Blackbird in the field along the road. The caravan pulled over onto the shoulder allowing most to see the bird. The problem was, not everyone in all the cars could find it. So Bill ever so concerned, eased out of his so as not to spook the bird and crawled on hands and knees between each car until everyone got killer looks at the bird. How many other people would do that on that road with trailer trucks and cars zooming by at 65 mph.
Bill unselfishly made sure everyone saw that bird regardless of the situation and location.
Those truck drivers are still shaking their head.
From Linda Ferraresso:
Bill Drummond
The name is iconic in the North American birding community.
Bill is one of the most passionate, knowledgeable, accomplished, generous birders you will ever want to meet. Being incredibly aware of and sensitive to others, he has mentored so many including yours truly. As noted earlier about his military style, he was once nicknamed by Diana Churchill as "General Bill" due to his precise strategic approach to finding and seeing birds. He is a master at getting everyone on the bird. He knows many of our lists by heart!!
He developed his own trip language, some of which have already been mentioned but a few other memorable ones:
* One time when leading a group in South Carolina and looking for a Swainson’s warbler, he exclaimed "My wife was out of position". No one was safe!
* "Get on this bird if it's the last thing you ever do". Many of us in this room have heard him say this, and 'got the bird' because of it!
* He took spotting errors to a whole new level: There was the Type 1 error when participant calls out ' Spotted Greenshank; when the bird turned out to be a Yellowlegs. It got everyone pumped and looking for the bird. These were good errors!
* Then there were Type 2 errors: Not the kind you really wanted to make. It's when you have left an area looking for the Rose-throated Becard, and someone says ' back when we were at the picnic area, I saw a small brown nondescript bird..... Now that was an error!!
A few personal fond memories:
- Bill recruited me into taking on the Membership/Treasurer position on the board while out in the field one day - sound familiar? He had this way of asking, and somehow you couldn't say no to him. He encouraged me to lead my first trip as well. The rest is history. All because of Bill.
- My first major organized out-of-state trip was with Bill – spring 1989 to South Texas. It was over Easter and I naively asked Bill if there was a chance we would be able to go to church and he quickly said of course he'd talk to his friend Father Pincelli ( Bill was incredibly well connected and knew people everywhere). I think the closest we came was seeing the sunrise on an early Easter morning drive to Santa Ana and coined it a 'sunrise service'.
- In Nome in the summer of 1993, we were hiking Coffee Dome for the Bristle-thighed Curlew. On the first day we took a strenuous hike, no birds. Bill, as he so often and aptly does, talked to some locals and got some tips on the BTCU so after a day's rest, we tried again. This time, after yet another tough tundra hike by the 'dirty dozen', we come across a group of unattached male BTCU wheeling around doing what a bunch of young single guys do! After admiring these 35 birds, participants needed a rest and a rest stop. Being on a totally exposed hill with no cover whatsoever, Bill says:” women rest area, men face forward" and vice versa. Bill always knew how to handle a group. Now, some of the group did not make this hike, but hiked up a trail at the end of the parking lot. There they found a breeding pair of BTCU. A few of the group did not make either hike and hadn't seen the bird. So in his inimitable style, he commandeered a 4 wheel drive vehicle, and took the remaining participants up a steep and bumpy trail and everyone got to see the bird. Besides all of this, Bill put these birds on the map so many future groups were successful finding these birds.
- Because of his illustrious career as a high school math teacher, Bill was never able to get to Attu. When he retired the summer of 2009, he went to Gambell in the fall to more actively work on HIS list. That fall was a bust. He did make 6 more trips there which did contribute to his impressive North American list.
- In April 2013 Bill organized a pelagic to California to look for Cooks or Murphy's Petrel - which would have been his 800 th NA bird. It was a great trip but he did NOT get a life bird on that trip. Then he tried again in December that year, this time for a probable Gray Heron in RI, and dipped on that one too . Finally, he got that 800th with the Sinaloa Wren in AZ earlier this year. Kudos to a very impressive accomplishment!! Though the joke was he would probably get his 800th bird several times over now with all the splits and lumps taking place. Next week he will try for the only North American bird he doesn't have right now - the Yellow-legged Gull in Newfoundland. Wish him well!!
Thank you Bill for your dedication to the Brookline Bird Club, its members and the birding community in general, some of the most memorable adventures in my life, your significant contributions to mine and many others life lists and most importantly, your cherished friendship.
From Dennis Oliver:
My brother and David first met Bill Drummond when we went in search of a Steller's Eider reported on the "Voice of Audubon" back in the 70's. It was in Scituate and when we found the place (before GPS), there was Bill staying on the bird, helping everyone get the bird, and passing out pamphlets about the celebrated bird. We had just found out about the BBC and soon learned Bill was a very important part of the best bird club in the country. We made sure to attend as many of Bill's outings with the BBC. Bill was fanatic about getting everyone on the bird, no matter how common or rare.
At the time Bill was Field Trip Coordinator and had been for years. He recruited trip leaders by personal contact. He attended as many field trips as possible and assessed any possible leaders who may be attending. He could always get good leaders this way. He brought with him his hand written trip schedule and lined up most of his leaders on BBC trips in person.
In my beginning years as a birder, the BBC and especially Bill Drummond was crucial in getting me to know where to find birds, how to identify them, and realizing I must pay it forward, and help others become better birders too. My brother and I were lucky enough to travel with Bill in search of birds throughout North America, and he helped me find many life birds.
From Jonathan Center:
I am very glad and pleased that the Recognition Committee has chosen Bill Drummond to honor at the club's next meeting. I can not think of another person in the BBC who is more deserving to be recognized than Bill. There may be a few but Bill rises to the top. Bill has devoted so much of his time over the decades to the BBC as a member of the board and a field trip leader and to the birding community as a whole.
FIRST MEETING: My first encounter with Bill Drummond was I think way back in March or April 1984. I had been a member of the club for less than a year. I had not done a lot of the club's trips and so was not familiar with BBC trip protocol and didn't know who anyone yet. I was a participant on a trip to Newburyport led by Eric Nielsen.
I was alone in my car right behind Eric's car with Bill as "tail end Charlie" (the last car in the convoy). There were two or three other cars in the convoy that were all behind me including a few aliens in between. We were traveling west on Water St. (or is it Merrimac St.) when the leader turned right at the American Yacht Club sign. I turned right following the lead car and continued oblivious to the cars behind. When we got to the spot behind the water treatment plant, it was just me and Eric and a passenger who was riding with him. None of the other cars appeared. Eric wondered what happened to them. I kind of guessed what had happened, but I was too embarrassed to admit it.
Eventually, Bill showed up with the rest of the group in tow. Bill was a little steamed to say the least. He demanded "Who was driving the second car! You are supposed to hold at the turn so that other cars can see that you made the turn. I had to chase the rest of the group up pass the route 1 bridge to Cashman's Park before I could catch them!" I told Bill it was me and that I was very sorry. Apparently I learned that these BBC trips are serious business besides being a lot of fun when done correctly.
Afterwards, I felt a little sheepish and even more embarrassed. I think Bill maybe was feeling he had come on too harsh showed me a drake Greater Scaup in his scope, perhaps in a gesture of forgiveness. Well! I learned my lesson. I am always aware of who is behind me while on club car trips. It is something that helps me when I started leading trips.
My next experience with Bill was November 1984 or possibly 1985 and a little friendlier. It was a beautiful week day afternoon at Salisbury Beach Reservation and I was birding by myself when I unexpectedly bumped into Bill. We were on foot. He introduced himself and asked what my name was again. He suggested we bird together and see if we could turn up a Short-eared Owl. There was no one else around. Just us two. I can't exactly remember if we found the owl (I think we did), but I do remember birding with him (plus flushing a Red Fox from a thicket).
BOARD: DATES of SERVICE. I researched some blue books from the 70s and 80s. According to these, Bill Drummond served as Editor of Bulletin/Field Trip Coordinator (when the positions were coupled) from 1975 to 1985. Apparently this was not an Officer's position, because Bill isn't listed as a full member of the Board of Directors until 1976. In one Blue Book, Bill writes as the Editor & FTC (I paraphrase here) that he was so very enthusiastic about all many the trips offered by club that he wished he could attend ALL of them. Bill became club president in 1987-1989. He stepped down from the Board in 2003. His last official duty on the board before retiring was selecting nominees for the Nominating Committee's slate of board of director's. In 2003, Linda F. was incoming president, Joe Paluzzi was VP, Jonathan would be Rec. Sec., Dennis O. went from that position to Corr. Sec., etc. The slate was completed and Bill was heard to say he could now step down while leaving the board in good order.
BBC LEADER & SHARING: I think what is most impressive about Bill Drummond is his commitment to the club's trips as a leader. At one time, I believe he had led more BBC trips than any other leader of the club. He still leads many trips to this day and perhaps still more than any one else (although Ida and Glenn may lead more). Bill's trips are run very organized often in long caravans. Back when CB radios were in use and then hand held radios, he made sure cars that had these were spaced evenly so that the group could stay in communication and together. You had to say "over" when done with your transmission or "over and out" and so forth. Bill's handle was "Red Crossbill". Bill is some times seen directing cars in his group as to where to park and occasionally directing traffic! His trips sometimes take on the appearance of a well run military operation.
While on a trip, Bill makes sure that EVERYONE in his group gets on the bird whatever it is. It is his birding mission. He has expressions (or Drummond-isms as some of us fondly refer to them) such as "Get on that bird if is the last thing that you do!" or "Don't check it off yet." or referring to a species (usually a rarity) that you've seen only once "get it off your seen-only-once list". This all adds up to his great enthusiasm and passion for birding and sharing birds with others. When I send Bill and Barbara Christmas greeting cards I usually write "Good birding in the new year!” He writes back "Great birding TOGETHER in the New Year!”
IMPPROMPTU TRIPS: Bill probably pioneered the club's impromptu trips. When ever there are rarities around he would organize a special trip just for that bird. Sometimes venturing out of the state. Other times Bill will extend a Newburyport or Cape Ann trip to see a rarity that is not even in the area that the trip usually covers. It does not matter if a birder is part of a trip or a BBC member or even visiting from out of state. He assists every one in getting to see some special bird. Even hanging around to stay on the bird so that any one showing up at anytime gets to see it. I mean even if he happens to NOT be leading a trip that day.
I recall a Western Mass. Sweep trip that he led that went from some where in western Mass. east to Newbury to see a LeConte's Sparrow off Little's Lane. Some of his impromptu trips went to North Troy, VT (1988) for NORTHERN HAWK-OWL (4 participants); Montreal, Canada for BOREAL OWL (1989) (4 participants; all in one day); and northern New Brunswick for NORTHERN LAPWING (1991) (6-7 participants/2 cars/1 over night at a motel in ME) (on the return trip Bill found a SPRUCE GROUSE at Moosehorn NWR, Machias, ME). Most recently, he "volunteered” me to co-lead a trip with him to Newport, RI for 2 PINK-FOOTED GEESE (2007) (several cars/ 12+ participants. I was happy to do it with him even if he wanted me to drive! And we found those birds and with great looks! When the BICKNELL'S THRUSH became a full species, Bill led trips up Mt. Washington (on the auto road) so birders could add it to their life list.
Last year, Steve Grinley was credited to leading the first BBC Impromptu trip out of the country to Quebec, Canada for Ross' Gull. I respectfully think Bill Drummond did it first with his trip to New Brunswick, Canada for Northern Lapwing with 6 participants! No passports required.
Bill Drummond began offering his OUT-OF-STATE birding trips around the mid 1980s (I think?). At any rate, I went on my first out of state trip with Bill in 1987. The destination was the Rio Grande Valley and coastal Texas. I recall seeing a remarkable 60 life birds. (It was my first bird trip beyond New England). These trips are meant to be a service for the members of the BBC and still are. He makes them very affordable for participants by staying at reasonably priced motels. Bill does all the hard work of planning the itinerary and making most of the reservations and with everyone sharing the costs. Participants who return from his trips usually say they are successful because he finds the birds! One of the other benefits of his trips is the camaraderie from a group setting that one would not get if they planned this on their own.
Since Bill was a school teacher, the trips were scheduled three times a year during the school vacation weeks in February and April, and in late June or July when school is over for the summer. Over the years Bill has taken groups all over the country and Canada such as Florida (including Dry Tortugas), South and North Carolinas, Texas (Rio Grande Valley, Hill Country, Big Bend, etc), Colorado, Arizona (esp. South-east AZ), California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, North Dakota, Montana, Michigan (esp. Mio for Kirtland's Warbler), and lots of places in between. I think his favorite state to take groups to must be Alaska. I wonder if Bill has visited Alaska more often than Neil Hayward and Sandy Komito combined during their respective Big Year?
I have been a fairly regular customer on many of his out-of-state trips over the years. My most memorable trip with Bill was Colorado in mid April 1988. The main target birds were seeing all the grouse on their courtship grounds (leks) that one could find in this state. This became known as the GROUSE GRAND SLAM trip and 1988 was the first year he ran this trip. He sort of "pioneered" the trip.
Since Bill had never taken a group to see grouse display on the lek before he and the rest of us were feeling our way to each birding spot. Each grouse lek site required scouting roads, terrain, etc the day before in the daylight since we would be arriving the next day in the chilly pre-dawn darkness so as to be in the right position to observe the birds. Bill had to be innovated and inventive while finding our target birds often improvising on the fly as we went along. Our intrepid guide was willing to do almost anything so his group would get the birds. (Bill loves the logistics, strategizing, offering options-as in option A, option B, etc.-of travel.)
Campo, situated in the very flat south-east corner of the state, was where the LESSER PRAIRIE CHICKEN display site was located. It was at the end of a short dirt road that was too rough for out rental cars. Fortunately, Bill utilized a participant's brother’s (a CO resident) big SUV as a makeshift bird blind. Some folks sat inside and while the others stood outside behind the truck watching the chickens strut and boom (or hoot).
The GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN spot, in Wray at the state’s north-east corner, was on private property. Bill located the cattle ranch owner of the property to ask permission to access the area. At the next dawn, after obtaining permission and doing the scouting, we were in position to observe. Bill employed a large round, four foot tall cattle watering trough to “hide” behind. The Greaters appeared displaying at the top a near ridge.
Bill led us to a mountain valley called North Park near Walden for the GREATER SAGE-GROUSE (called just Sage Grouse in 1988 before the split) with the intention of checking the area first. Bill was amazed to see the grouse were already present and displaying in the mid afternoon. We admired the birds from a distance using binoculars and hand-held scopes while sitting imprisoned in our vehicles.
This is a true and funny episode from the trip. Next morning at pre-dawn, while most everyone slept in, Bill drove me and another participant to the grouse lek again. It was snowing lightly. On route to the lek, we noticed a pair head lights behind us in the distance. Who could it be at this hour? We thought it might be someone in our group coming to join us, so Bill slowed down to allow the vehicle to catch up. The vehicle almost forced us off the road into a snowy ditch as it nearly rear ended us! Bill climbed out of our car to see who it was. Soon, Bill climbed back in the car. The other person was NOT part of our group, but a drunken cowboy in a pickup truck. Apparently he was lonely and asked Bill if he would like to have drink with him! Our car was stuck and required a push from me and the other participant. Soon we were on our way again to the lek, but we worried that the cowboy might follow us to the lek. Bill turned onto the road that led to the grouse spot and stopped half way with car lights turned off. We watched the pickup's tail lights disappear over a ridge. With headlights back on we continued down to watch the Sage Grouse display at a closer range and in light snow cover. We never saw that cowboy again.
Our last target bird was SHARP-TAILED GROUSE near Hayden in the north-western part of CO. By an incredible stroke of luck, we happen by chance to bump into a state wildlife biologist who was very generous with his time and led us one early morning to a spot for displaying Sharp-tailed Grouse. We thought as we stood watching in the open (NO blind of any type) that this species was more delicate and graceful in their dance as compared to the other grouse. I am not sure what Bill had planned up his sleeve if we had not met this gentleman and I guess we will never know.
During the middle of the trip, we stopped along a mountain stream for an AMERICAN DIPPER that gave us great views as it sang and dipped in and out of water. As we were leaving, someone asked Bill what a bird was that was sitting on a telephone line. Bill was SHOCKED to see that it was a perched NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL! Bill gave us the urgent command to get on the bird at once as if your life depended on it. I never saw anyone (i.e. Bill) remove a spotting scope out of a car trunk so quickly and set up all in one single motion. The tiny owl cooperated in giving everyone incredible looks. This was possibly the high light of the whole trip.
This birding trip remains one of my all time favorites with Bill Drummond. (In fact, I returned with Bill in 2005 to do it all over again plus with the GUNNISON’S S-G.) We had great birding and wonderful memories that I will never forget plus a fantastic fun group. Bill blazed new trails while on this trip. He made lasting connections with people such as the land owner and the wildlife biologist that aided him on future grouse trips. Bill has offered this trip many times over the years since 1988 and it has become a popular trip with many people. I believe that other larger birding tour outfits offered a trip very similar to Bill’s Grouse Grand Slam, but he originated it first.
I owe a lot to Bill Drummond. I have travel extensively with him over 20 years. Many of the birds that I have seen on my ABA Area or North American list were because Bill found them for me. I have currently 695 birds. I kind of wish Bill might be able to find the remaining five so that I may finally reach 700! I am sad to say I might have to get those on my own.
From Emmalee Tarry:
Birding with Bill was and is serious business. If the bird was there, we were there to see it and if it should be there but wasn’t we were going to find it. We birded in the heat of summer and cold of winter, early in the morning, all day. and even some times into the night. Bill’s enthusiasm and boundless energy made it fun and many of us ended up with 700+ North American bird lists.
Everybody has to get on the bird
“Get on that bird if it is the last thing you ever do.” I never though he actually meant that, but if you had trouble you knew he would work on the bird until you and everybody else did “get on that bird.” It was the Bill Drummond trade mark.
My daughter Anne who was just finishing her residency in medicine in Texas and planning to move to New Hampshire and I were birding with Bill at the Salt Pannes at Plum Island. ( Remember when there were birds at the Salt Pannes.) As usual Bill was leading a huge group of birders and he came walking down the line to check on what people were seeing. I mentioned that Anne needed to see Hudsonian Godwit.
Bill went into action. “Get Anne down here. Anne needs Hudsonian Godwit. Who’s got the Godwit.”
The troops were mobilized and Anne was soon on a Hudsonian Godwit. Is that not a great way to be introduced to a new group.
Big Groups
There is nothing Bill liked better than leading a huge group of birders and because of the popularity of his trips they often attracted a crowd. A big group requires organization and at this teacher Bill excelled.
First there are the official BBC hand signals. One hand in the air if you think you see the bird. Two hands if you know you see it. Of course not many people are willing to put down their binoculars to put both hands up but the one hand thing worked.
On one occasion a group was watching about 5 bird feeders in a friendly back yard looking for a Hoary Redpoll. The bird was making short feeding forays and then taking off. Some one would say “There it is.” By the time other people got to the right feeder its was “There it goes.” Bill assigned numbers to the bird feeders so that when the bird made a quick stop it could be reported by feeder number.
It was not unusual for Bill to lead a group of 7-10 cars on a Newburyport trip that might make many stops. At the meeting place, we would carpool. As the trip progressed we would re-car pool perhaps more than once. Bill of course drove the lead car and the last car in line was known as “Tail end Charlie”.
High Tech of the 1990’s CB Radios
Hard to believe in 2014, but in the 1990’s we used CB radios. They were not the small, hand held jobs you might see today, but radio size units meant to be attached under the dash board of your car. Most people used magnetic mount antenna on the top of the car.
At first a few people had one and Bill would arrange for the radios to be placed strategically in the line of cars. Soon everyone who was anyone had a CB radio and there was a person assigned to make a list of CB handles ( name by which the person is known on the air ). We choose bird names of course. I was sunbird. My friend Bobette was Bobwhite.
The radios were used to coordinate the bird trip, but they were also used to pass information. Bill had scouts who went looking for birds at certain locations and if they found the bird he wanted they would report on the CB and we were off. A trip to Plum Island could turn into a trip to Gloucester or once to Maine if a really good bird turned up.
A car not on the trip that got mixed into the line of cars would be reported as an “Alien.”.
When Bill led out of state trips, we took our CB radios along. The radio and the antenna mount would fit in your luggage. The metal whip antenna itself would not and we took them on the airplanes as carry on baggage. I would not advise anyone to try this today.
At the start of one trip, we had to change two of the rental cars because they had non-magnetic roofs that would not support the antenna. On another trip the rental car did not have a cigarette lighter. I remember Bill explaining to the rental agent that we were bird watchers and had to have a cigarette lighter. The poor agent showed no reaction to this absurd comment but got us another car. I believe she was just glad to get that big group moving on.
Don’t Be Out of Position
If you were having difficulty seeing a bird, Bill might tell you in no uncertain terms that you were “Out of position.” That meant of course that you needed to move either right of left. Usually such remarks were saved for people who were experienced at birding with Bill. A new person new might be a bit offended by such a remark.
Once when experiencing a great deal of frustration, he told a woman that she was always out of position. She never forgave him.
Target Birding
I was fortunate to enjoy many of Bill’s out of state trips. He told me that when he was first building his own North American bird list, he used the original eight birding guide books written by James Lane. The Lane books were written as a series of loops with stops at good birding spots. Bill followed every loop in every book. He recalled a conversation with Lane in which the author remarked that Bill was the only person he had met who claimned to have followed every single loop.in every guide.
When he started his out of state trips, Bill supplemented the Lane loops with the latest information from hotlines, NARBA ( National Rare Bird Alert ), and local birders Bill either already knew or with whom we had chance meetings during the trip.
Bill didn’t just bird an area and take what he could find. He searched for the species special to the area. He called this technique “target birding”.
it was OK to enjoy a very common bird like a Mountain Bluebird during slack time, but don’t be messing around with a common bird and miss the important target bird. This could some times be very hard for a new birder. How can you not want to stop and admire a Mountain Bluebird?
Actually this is a problem for all the professional bird trip leaders. Bill tried to organize away this problem. I was at the Boston airport to take a trip to Venezuela with VENT and found that Bill was taking a group some place else on the same flight. He was handing out bird lists to all his participants that had a type assigned to each bird.
A type 1 bird was a hard to find target. If he called out the name of a type 1 bird you were to stop all efforts at seeing anything else and get on the type 1.;
Then there were type 2 and 3 birds with lesser urgency associated with them. Trip participants were to memorize the lists so that they would recognize the types.
I don’t know how this worked out on the trip, but on the Venezuela trip we were sitting in the bed of an open truck waiting for a bird the leader heard singing close by in the forest. Just to pass time I described Bill’s type 1 procedure. The VENT leader who probably knew of Bill Drummond as a competitor, pretended to be appalled. “All these birds are important. How can one be more important than any other?”
Just about that time someone spotted a Squirrel Cuckoo a large, very common bird and one we had already seen many times. While several people were trying to get on the Cuckoo, the leader spotted his target. When he started to describe where it was, the Squirrel Cuckoo people were still talking. Irritated he said “Forget the Cuckoo, get this bird.”
When somebody protested, I said “Type 1 Bird”. Even the VENT leader was secretly target birding.
Train Listing
Bill loves trains. Train watching could be incorporated into out of state trips and there were participants who shared his enthusiasm for trains especially Stan Bolton.
I remember being some where out west driving along a big lake looking for Western and Clark’s Grebe when Bill announced that it was time for a particular train to pass. We parked the cars and Stan got out with his camera. While we waited Bill talked about what a great life it was to have birds on one side of the car and a train on the other. Within minutes, the train came along the track. I got a Christmas card from Stan that year with a pictures of an unusual box car.
Birders quickly become listers and with time they move on to listing other things. Some people list butterflies, dragonflies, wines, cheeses. I list National Parks. Bill lists miles ridden on trains.
On occasion he incorporated a train ride on an out of state birding trip. Most people went along only because Bill’s enthusiasm made such things seem to be wonderful fun. We were amazed to learn that as soon as the train started moving, Bill went to sleep To count a bird you have to see the features or perhaps hear the song. To count a train mile all you have to do is be on the train either awake or asleep.
Don’t propose a vote unless you are sure you are going to win.
Bill was leading a trip to Monomoy Island following a report of two breeding plumage Red Phalaropes on the island. Unfortunately the night before the trip it rained and it appeared there was a good chance of more rain during the day.
Bill started off the trip with a discussion of the weather forecast and the fact that there was no shelter on the island. He offered to lead a trip on the Cape instead of going out to the island and proposed a vote.
So we went around the group and every person said that they would prefer the cape option except the last one which was me. I said that I really wanted to go to the island and take a shot at the Phalarope.
With that Bill said “OK we go.” He turned on his heels and started to the boat with all of us following.
Behind me I heard a woman say “How come her vote counted for so much?”
Her husband wisely responded “Because that is what he wanted to do.”
And go we did. It didn’t rain and we saw both of the Red Phalaropes sitting on the beach. Best look at this bird I ever had and the only one with the bird sitting still on dry land.
From David Hursh:
The first BBC trip I ever went on was with Bill Drummond to Plum Island. That was about 15 years ago. Since that time, I have traveled across the country and seen hundreds of new birds, and 99% of those were thanks to Bill Drummond. Bill has been influential in getting me, as well as many others, to experience all this great country has to offer. From Plum Island to the Dry Tortugas, from southern California to Barrow, Alaska, Bill has dedicated his life to helping everyone see all there is to see. Bill has returned to the same places, year after year, decade after decade, not to build his own bird list, but to help each new generation of birders build theirs.
If you've never been on a 'Bill trip' before, a few stories should serve to illustrate what it's like. Years ago, during a trip to Arizona, a pair of Rufous-capped Warblers had been spotted in Florida Wash, near Madera Canyon. As we pulled our cars in to park, Bill looked around and said, "Now let's see what we're up against." As we explored the wash, it soon became clear that the area to be checked was much larger than our group could cover if we stuck together. So Bill called everyone in close. We gathered round in a tight circle, and Bill looked everyone straight in the eye and said slowly and dramatically, "This is going to be a military operation." He then assigned each of the 16 birders a station, spaced at 100-foot intervals along the wash, with everyone's FRS radio at the ready. And then, we waited. And waited. At my post, there wasn't much going on. And because the wash curved along its course, I couldn't see the next birder from where I was standing. For the time being, I was on my own. After a half-hour had passed, I assumed that we must have missed our target, and asked over the FRS, "What do you think, Bill? Should we try again another time?" And I remember Bill's answer: "We're going to hold. This is how it goes." At the time, as a new birder, I thought to myself, "Well this is just an impossible mission. Maybe the birds had left? Maybe we're in the wrong spot? And even if they do show up, there's no way everyone's going to see them." But after another half-hour of standing sentry, the call came in over the radio that one of the guys about 500 feet down the line had spotted the warblers. We quickly abandoned our posts, converging on the new location, all 16 of us...But only the one birder had seen them, and they had already flown. Disheartened, I looked to Bill, who calmly said, "Now we wait here." We waited, and my mind began to wander, already sure that I had missed the birds for good. But Bill stood there with a look of total confidence. And after another 15 minutes, the warblers did reappear, and put on a show for all to see, and my amazement was not so much that we had succeeded, or that Bill had gotten every one of those 16 people on the birds...It was that Bill had never doubted for an instant. He knew those birds more than they knew themselves. And as we walked back to our cars, Bill smiled broadly, and said simply, "That's how it goes."
After 15 more years of traveling with Bill, I thought I had seen it all. Boy, was I wrong. Many veterans of Bill trips know the drill of what to do when you see a target bird but you don't dare make a sound. One hand up for "I think I saw it" or "I have a candidate," and two hands up for "I'm on the bird, get over here!" But few have observed the deeper, lesser-known practice, whereby should you find yourself in such close proximity to a target bird that the slightest movement risks scaring it away...what do you do? You...stick...out...your...tongue. I had heard Bill speak of this mysterious tactic, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would live long enough to ever witness it. But sometimes, ladies and gentleman, your wildest dreams do come true. A group of birders and I on a Bill trip to south Texas were walking a leaf-strewn path at Estero Llano Grande State Park. I was glancing around, strolling casually along, when suddenly my attention became riveted on the woman to my left. Betsy Higgins had stopped in her tracks, completely frozen, and what's more, she was contorting her face in heretofore unimagined ways, in an effort to stick her tongue out as far as possible. Without the proper training, I might have immediately begun reaching for my phone to dial 911. But in a way that surprised even me, I knew exactly what was happening. I began hurriedly looking around, scanning the ground, the branches, everywhere, but I saw nothing. I looked back to Betsy, who had decided not only to follow Bill's advice to a T but to up the ante a bit more, as she began wiggling her tongue with such emphasis and purpose that my gaze could not help but be led directly to the spot toward which her tongue was pointing. And there, amid the leaves, lay my life Pauraque, unperturbed by the silent but effective gesticulations of Betsy's tongue.
But only a handful have ever seen a birder push himself still further, seemingly beyond the limits of human capability. Betsy had indeed raised the bar, but soon after, Bill would send that bar into space. On a desert road somewhere in Texas, Bill's group and I had all pulled over by the side of the road to stretch our legs and look around. We spread out for a few minutes, and before long, I began heading back to the car. But one of the other participants, a newcomer to Bill's trips, approached me, pointed down the road, and asked, "What's going on over there?" I looked up and, to my surprise, saw Bill performing a display for which my training had not prepared me. I had studied as diligently as possible every permutation of hand, arm, and tongue movement that I could envision. But as I would soon learn, I had underestimated the number of extremities available. As we looked on in awe, Bill had clenched his hands into fists and was pumping his arms straight up and down in the air. His tongue was out, and at the same time, he was balancing his body on one leg, while his other was kicking in and out at a 45-degree angle to the ground. Such a combination had been beyond the scope of my studies. But we all knew enough to approach slowly, and we inched close enough to see that Bill's foot, the one not on the ground, was kicking in a specific direction. And as we followed his line, we caught site of a rattlesnake camouflaged against the dry desert sand. I couldn't understand why the snake wasn't reacting in any way to the display that Bill was making just five feet away, until we discovered that it was, in fact, dead. But to this day, I wonder if, instead of being dead, that snake had merely been mesmerized, transfixed in awe as we all were that day, by Bill's dedication to his craft.
Finally, I'd like to say a few personal words for all the years of friendship and guidance that Bill has given me. Bill has taught me many things when it comes to leading bird trips. He has taught me always to place the needs of others over those of the leader. Bill is not concerned with building the biggest trip list...He cares instead about how many birds on that list were seen well by everyone in the group. In fact, Bill once told me that for each trip he leads, he creates his own list of twenty birds or so, and he judges the success of his trip on how many of those birds are seen by each and every participant. And if just one person says, "Well, I didn't really see that bird well," Bill will do everything in his power to get that person another look. And if the trip ends, and a bird is still a "miss," then Bill starts planning his return trip as soon as he gets home. Bill has also taught me to value the proper practices of group birding that he learned when he first started birding. Staying together, moving slowly, keeping quiet, and yes, sticking out your tongue, anything to avoid disturbing the birds or impacting the environment. And lastly, Bill has shown me the joy that comes from helping others discover the world of birds, a joy that he has shared with us for over 50 years.
So thank you, Bill, for being a great leader, a generous teacher, and a true friend. Congratulations!"
From Tom Prince:
I first joined the BBC in 1983 as a beginner. Bill Drummond was the field trip coordinator at the time. I went on every BBC trip that I could possibly make. Life birds came by the hand full at first. I also noticed that Bill was showing up on occasion even when he was not leading. As I became more familiar with the BBC; I noticed that all the leaders were not prompt in arriving at the designated meeting place. I also noticed that was when Bill was there to pinch hit until the leader showed up.
When the chance arose I said to Bill "You know which leaders you can trust to be on time, don't you?" Bill replied "you noticed" with a twinkle in his eye.
This is the type of dedicated individual that Bill is. The BBC is his love and he devoted countless hours to promote the club.
He always carried blue books in his pack to bring more members in from the field trip participants.
Anecdotes:
In July 1988 I was on an out of state trip led by Bill to Arizona. We stayed a few nights at Ramsey Canyon. Our first night there we went owling. Bill heard a whiskered screech owl up. the mountainside. There were 12 of us so Bill said quietly move up 10 yards. We did then "another 10 yards and another etc etc finally after about 25 of these 10 yard advances, Bill found the bird. This was the first time I heard "get on this bird if it is the last thing you ever do" When we had all seen the owl he was satisfied. Then he said "OK Tom lead us out of here".
In April 1990 Bill led a trip to Big Bend National Park. At the ranch in the canyon we were chasing a gray vireo. We did the usual 10 yards at a time until we had all seen the bird. We had probably gone a quarter of a mile into the canyon by this time. Then Bill said "watch out for rattlesnakes on the way out, they are plentiful '. How come you didn't say anything about the snakes on the way in I asked. "We didn't have the bird yet" Bill replied. Priorities.
From Herman D’Entremont:
I was a participant on three or four tours lead by Bill. One was to Texas. We went up on a tower overlooking a marsh to look for a Masked Duck. Bill promptly pointed out a female Masked Duck. Waiting for my turn at a scope, I looked down at the base of the tower. I saw a bird with a white/blue bill. I called Bill over for an ID. It was the male Masked Duck! Bill’s excitement, enthusiasm and appreciation made me feel great. I can’t thank Bill enough for showing me birds like that. On all the trips Bill leads he bends over backward to see that everybody in the group gets on each bird. Bill is a great teacher. He is so good at finding and identifying birds that one does not need to bring a bird book along on his trips.
Thank you Bill for leading so many trips and being such a good leader.
From David Oliver:
Dennis mentioned that your car got blocked in by all the other cars and how Bill arrived and straitened things out, so you could leave. That reminds me of the first time that I met Bill. It was April 3, 1977. Dennis and I had heard of the Steller's Eider in Scituate, over the Mass Audubon Hotline. We followed the directions and arrived in Scituate to find Bill Drummond, in charge and directing everyone to parking spaces.
Over the years, I was always grateful that Bill would invite us on his scouting trips around the country and a few foreign places, from Alaska to Arizona, to Churchill to Florida to Ecuador. Bill has always been a generous and thoughtful guy.
From Don Wilkinson:
Bill Drummond is an outstanding birder, leader, teacher and human being. I benefited greatly from his over 12 out of state trips that I went on, gaining many lifers and great experiences. I am most grateful to Bill for his support and encouragement for me to also be a leader. I learned from the best and base all my trips on his expertise. Thanks, Bill!
From Wayne Petersen:
One of the advantages of not being young is the perspective it affords; it offers the long view, if you will. As a keen birder since childhood virtually my entire life has been involved with birds or birding to one degree or another. Accordingly I have enjoyed the benefit of knowing a great many different birders through the years. Many of these folks are either nameless or else have long been forgotten, but some will remain forever memorable. Bill Drummond is such an individual, and he is someone who will always hold an enduring place in the birder portion of my cerebral Rolodex.
Because much of my personal enjoyment in birding through the years has come through the portal of education and the sharing of information with others, I’ve long maintained a healthy respect for like-minded birders. Bill Drummond is such an individual. While I cannot recall where or when I first encountered Bill, it was likely sometime in the early 1970s. It could have been on a pelagic trip, or possibly on Plum Island. It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that wherever it was, I can attest with clarity that Bill was somehow sharing his knowledge and his expertise with others. And from that seminal meeting, virtually every future encounter with Bill was within the context of group birding. Whether the encounters were on the muddy trail leading into Boxford’s Crooked Pond, the observation tower at Plum Island, the seawall in Newburyport, the mudflats of Monomoy, the byways of Mt. Auburn Cemetery, or at some obscure location wherever the “rarity du jour” happened to be, Bill was always with a group of faithful followers.
Bill’s birding style – though militaristic some might say – was characteristically predicated on the principle that everyone in his group must see the bird, whatever species was being sought at the time. Like a drill sergeant barking out orders, Bill would sternly, but deftly, orchestrate his group in ways that would ensure that all the members of his flock got to see whatever the object of his quest happened to be. He would give directions, deploy his foot soldiers, assign responsibility to individuals, describe field marks for those in need, and offer generous encouragement until the bird was found and everyone got to see it. Should a member of his flock transgress in some way however, he would sternly chastise them if their behavior jeopardized the ultimate success of the group. His militaristic demeanor and occasionally abrupt reprimands to flock members failing to adhere to the “Drummond School of Birding Protocol” notwithstanding, Bill Drummond is an outstanding leader – a fact borne out by the popularity of his always full continental birding tours, and the glowingly satisfied reviews from any birder fortunate enough to have participated in one of these trips. Through the years I can recall many such trip participants reporting on how successful they were in finding the birds they particularly wanted to see. What finer testament to a tour leader can there be?
For Bill’s many years as a stalwart Brookline Bird Club supporter, officer, board member, and active trip leader, as well as being a champion of birding at its best it gives me great pleasure to offer these remarks on the occasion of Bill’s recognition ceremony. Bill, I salute you!
From Steve Grinley:
I have known Bill Drummond since before there were cell phones, before there was eBird and Massbird, and, yes, before there were FRS Radios. Bill, like so many of us, is a creature of habit, and, like me, a bit of a dinosaur. We never want to let go of the “old technology” that we know, that is comfortable to us, and that still works.
Margo and I bird together most of the time, and any time we run into Bill on Plum Island, or at Mount Auburn, Marblehead Neck, or most anywhere, we are always expecting the same question. “Do you have your FRS Radio?”, Bill will inquire. If, God forbid, we said “no”, we would get a penetrating stare of disappointment. If we said yes, the follow-up question is always, “Well, is it turned on?”
Because we know Bill so well, we knew it would do absolutely no good to explain to Bill that, because we bird together, Margo and I, we have no need for FRS Radios. After all, Bill and his wife, Barbara, both carry FRS radios, even when they bird together. No, Bill would never understand. Nor would an explanation of “We have our cell phones with us.” Bill wouldn’t understand. As a result, my FRS Radio is always in the glove compartment of my car, if for no other reason, than for a chance encounter with Bill.
Take for example this past Labor Day Weekend. Margo and I were among the birders in the Newburyport area searching for buff-breasted sandpipers, Baird’s sandpipers, and American golden plovers along the Plum Island causeway. We were checking around the Plum Island Airport when we ran into Bill. It turns out he was looking for the buff-breasted sandpipers for his 500th bird of the year!
“Do you have your FRS Radio?” he predictably inquired,
“We do!” we said proudly.
“Is it turned on?”
“No.”
Then came the stare of disappointment.
"We have our cell phones."
Then came Bill's "I don't understand" look.
“OK, we’ll turn it on.”
Bill left to check the field at the Joppa end, and we headed for Plum Bush. There we found four buff-breasted sandpipers in the recently mowed area. Margo and I both grabbed our cell phones. While I tried posting the sighting, Margo called Bill on her cell phone and the all too familiar message came back “This is Bill Drummond. Please leave a message.” I don’t think Bill has ever answered his cell phone when we have called. I’m not sure that it is ever turned on.
Margo then tried the FRS Radio: "Bill, we have the buff-breasted sandpipers at Plum Bush." No reply. After what seemed like a lot of out-of-range static, across came Bill’s voice that he was on his way.
As I turned away from my phone, I peered through the scope and the buff-breasted sandpipers were gone! Darn it. We would have never lost sight of the sandpipers if we just used the FRS radio - it was only when we tried to use our cell phones that we lost sight of the birds.
We continued to search the fields and just as I saw Bill’s car pull in, I was able to relocate one of the birds! Phew! Bill came trotting across the fields, glanced in the scope and smiled. “Number 500”, he said.
Bill got his 500th year bird and we were reminded of one of many valuable lessons from Bill. Stay on the bird!
Using Bill's classic hand signals and FRS radios are still often the best way to do that!
From Michael Onyon:
Get That Bird!
“Get that bird!” is the battle cry that Bill Drummond issues when he is leading a field trip and a targeted bird comes into view. He is all business, directing and positioning his charges so that each person gets a good view of the bird by the naked eye, binoculars, or spotting scope. And he delivers. I accompanied Bill on one of his birding trips to Arizona in 1990, and in 5 intensive days (and nights!) I added 47 species to my life list, among them buff-collared nightjar, elegant trogon, flammulated owl, and red-faced warbler. True, I had never previously birded in that part of the country, so many birds there were new to me, but still, that rate of more than one life bird every two hours was only feasible due to Bill’s military-style logistics, precision planning, and disciplined execution.
Bill is well known and respected as an upper echelon birder within the Massachusetts birding community. This is particularly true among the membership of the Brookline Bird Club (BBC), of which he has been a member 44 years. He also served as vice president of the club for two years, president a subsequent two years, and editor of the BBC bulletin (known as “The Blue Book”) for 10 years. In addition to regularly leading local birding field trips put on by the BBC, he annually leads 4 or 5 out-of-state and out-of-country trips as a service to members.* Bill organizes these excursions expressly to give people the opportunity to see birds, charging just enough to cover the costs of putting on the trips.
I talked with Bill on a sunny October afternoon of 2010 at his home in North Andover. With the autumn foliage ablaze in his yard, we watched the constant traffic of birds coming to feeders on his deck that overlooks an expanse of woods. Bill and his wife Barbara, who is an accomplished birder in her own right, bought the property specifically for its birdy terrain in 1997. Their yard list to date includes 147 species seen, with an additional 4 heard.
Bill keeps a year list, which stands at 528 as of the third week of October, and just this summer he got the gray-headed chickadee in Alaska, which was the very last species he needed to complete his list of the 784 bird species that nest in North America. He said that the gray-headed chickadee was the bird for which he has worked hardest. Checking it off was made possible by his recent retirement from a 40 year career of teaching math at Andover High School, allowing him to travel to Alaska in June when the bird can reliably be seen. He told me he would have to spend some time looking over his records to come up with the number of species comprising his total life list, given the extensive birding he has done across North America, as well as in South America, Europe, Africa and Australia.
It was his first grade teacher who initially recognized his interest in birds, and she advised his mother that the series of Golden Nature Guides would make more suitable gifts for him than toys. He received his first pair of binoculars at the age of 7. Bill’s start in birding was a solitary pursuit, as there was no recognizable birding community in Youngstown, Ohio, where he grew up, and there was only a single organized birding field trip offered in the area each year.
Matriculation in a master’s degree program in mathematics at Boston College brought him to Massachusetts in September 1966. His first weekend here he went to Plum Island, where he met members of the BBC and learned of its weekly field trips. It was a revelation to him that there existed an organized community of birders, and that community is what kept Bill in the area when he completed his master’s program. It was on a BBC trip to Cape Ann that Bill would later meet Barbara, to whom he has been married for 30 years.
His passion for birding is exemplified by an impromptu cross-country trip that he once made to get a vagrant hummingbird. A rare Xantus’s hummingbird had turned up at a feeder in British Columbia, hundreds of miles from its home range in Mexico. The upcoming Martin Luther King holiday meant that Bill would have 3 days off from work, and by chance American Airlines was offering a cheap non-stop flight from Boston to Vancouver. Bill unhesitatingly booked the flight (with no guarantee the bird would still be present when he arrived), got the hummingbird, did some supplemental general birding in the area, and got back in time for work on Tuesday morning, a round-trip distance of over 5,000 miles.
It was impossible to pin Bill down to naming his favorite North American birding destination, but rather he listed several: Alaska, Arizona, and Big Bend National Park. When asked about his most memorable birding experiences, with Barbara’s input he came up with a trip to the Dry Tortugas in the 1970s, a cooperative Colima warbler at Big Bend, their first trip to Venezuela on which they got a good 300 life species, and just this year an obliging adult male olive warbler which presented itself to his group for extended close and unobstructed views in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.
I asked Bill his opinion of the reported ivory-billed woodpecker sightings that came from Arkansas in 2004. "I agree with David Sibley, " he said, that it was a case of mistaken identity involving pileated woodpeckers, explaining that the original reports made by scientists were never subsequently substantiated by veteran birders.
When questioned about what impact the internet has had on birding, he was somewhat negative. Because of the internet, birding is not as organized and interactive as it used to be. The art of birding and bird identification is best learned from other birders, in groups, he explained. Some aspiring birders now take photos in the field with the intention of later identifying the birds they encounter, and that approach can result in misidentification. Prior to the internet, reports of rare birds went out immediately by phone hotlines and CB radio, reaching as many people as possible while the birds were on site. Now birders tend to post rare bird sightings on websites like Massbird when they get home, delaying the dissemination of information, meaning fewer people get reports while still current.
One of Bill’s interests outside ornithology is locomotives. In fact, Bill has ridden all the Amtrak routes in the U.S., as well as most of the VIA rail lines in Canada. Many of his train trips culminate with birding ventures. This past July, Bill combined his interest in trains and birds with a unique trip he led to Colorado which covered all the steam trains in the state.
Like most birders, Bill has observed a general decline in bird populations over the years. The decrease is not limited to neotropical migrants, because numbers of non-migrant species are also down. The wood thrushes that were present on Bill’s property when he bought it 13 years ago are gone, and yellow-rumped warblers which were previously common in his yard are now rarely seen. I told Bill that my impression of birders in general is that they tend to have a low level of interest in the environmental issues that are directly impacting their hobby, content to watch birds at their feeders and check off birds on their lists despite the decreases in bird numbers that are occurring. Bill vehemently disagreed, saying that at least among BBC members there is a high level of environmental awareness and concern about the environment.
An enjoyable aspect of the hobby is the camaraderie that comes from sharing birding experiences in the field, and it would be hard to find a more congenial fellow birder than Bill, whether you are a neophyte or well experienced in the sport. And you can be sure that on any trip with Bill he will do his best to see that you "get that bird."
