Winter 2014 Meeting

Friday, February 28, 2014 at 6:30pm
John Glenn Middle School 99 McMahon Rd, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730

Our guest speaker, Mr. Norman Smith, will present

“Snowy Owls to Saw-whet Owls”

Since 1981, Norman Smith has spent countless days and nights, in every imaginable weather condition, observing, capturing, banding and color marking Snowy Owls at Logan International Airport. Data has been collected on roosting, hunting and behavior while on their wintering grounds. Most recently satellite transmitters have been attached to owls to learn more about their movements. Find out what has been learned to date, what questions remain and how this project developed to include research on Saw-whet Owls.

Norman Smith is a self-taught naturalist who has worked for the Massachusetts Audubon Society since 1974. His current position is Director of Blue Hills Trailside Museum and Norman Smith Environmental Education Center in Milton, Massachusetts. Norman has studied birds of prey for over 35 years, including rehabilitating the injured and successfully fostering over 1,000 orphaned hawk and owl chicks into adoptive nests. His ongoing long-term projects include trapping and banding migrating hawks and owls in the Blue Hills Reservation, banding nestling hawks and owls, and doing research on snowy owls and other raptors wintering at Boston's Logan International Airport. He has also traveled to Alaska to study snowy owls in their native tundra habitat. His research work has been published in National Geographic, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Yankee, Massachusetts Wildlife, Bird Observer, Birding, Sanctuary, Geo, Nature, Grolier Encyclopedia, Owls of the Northern Hemisphere and Owls of the World. His mission is to use the information gathered from his research to stimulate a passion in everyone he meets to help us better understand, appreciate and care for this world in which we live.

Preceding Norman’s presentation will be a viewing of “Epic Journeys: Tracking the Migrations of Shorebirds in the Western Hemisphere”, the latest documentary by Shawn Carey and Jim Grady of Migration Productions. Each year millions of shorebirds make an amazing round-trip journey between the Northern and Southern hemisphere. Migration Productions’ newest video, “Epic Journeys”, looks at three shorebird species—Red Knot, Piping Plover and Semipalmated Sandpiper—and the challenges these species face during each of their monumental annual treks. To view a trailer of the film, go to http://www.migrationproductions.com/video-epic-journeys/.

Social hour and light refreshments will begin at 6:30 PM. Meeting and lecture will begin promptly at 7:30 PM.

Members and guests are cordially invited. Admission and parking are free.

Birder’s Exchange Program Donations: please bring your used binoculars and other birding equipment. For more information, go to www.aba.org/bex/

Snowy photo by Shawn Carey

2013 Pelagic Page

2013 Schedule
 
SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013:  12 hours 
Hyannis to Nantucket Shoals area.
Birds expected: Shearwaters, Wilson's Storm-petrels, Gannets, Phalaropes, Fulmar, Jaegers, Terns, several Gulls and Marine animals. Hope to see Skuas and any rarity.
Limit: 65 participants
Cost: $110  - BBC  members,   $125 non-members.

SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2013: 2AM - 7PM
RESCHEDULED TO SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, SPACE STILL AVAILABLE
Hyannis to Hydrographer Canyon area.
Birds expected: 4 or 5 species of Shearwaters, Leaches and Wilson's Storm-petrels, Jaegers, Gannets, Terns, and several Marine Animals. We hope to see Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Bridled Tern, Skuas and other rarities. Anything is possible.
Limit: 50 Participants
Cost:  $185 -  BBC Members -  $200.00 - non members 
Results

SATURDAY, SUNDAY. AUGUST 24, 25, 2013
WAITING LIST ONLY
5:30AM Saturday to 6:00PM Sunday
Hyannis to Hydrographer, Veaches, Atlantis Canyon area.
Birds expected: WHITE-FACED STORM PETRElS, (22 WHITE-FACED STORM-PETRELS
seen in August 2010),  4 species of shearwaters, Jaegers, Gannets, Gulls, Terns and Several species of Marine Mammals. We hope to see Skuas, Bridled Tern and other rarities. In 2007 and 2012, we found a Little Shearwater, so anything is possible.
Limit: 50 participants
Cost:   $295 BBC Members,  $310  non-members.

SATURDAY, NOV 09, 2013 7AM- 3PM
HYANNIS to the Nantucket Shoals Area
Birds expected: Alcids, Gannets, Shearwaters, Phalaropes, Jaegers, Gulls, Fulmar, marine mammals and any rarities such as Skua, etc.
Limit: 65 Participants
Cost:  $95  BBC members,  110  Non-members

Please be advised that because of the possible increase in the cost of fuel, there may be a surcharge to cover any extra expense. We have Master birders leading these trips. Our boat, the Helen H, is a very comfortable, fast, 100 foot fishing boat with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic Captain and crew.
There are 38 bunks aboard which will be available to the first 38 who sign up. There is a full galley with excellent food at reasonable prices. Parking is free.

Christmas Bird Count Schedule 2013

BBC members are encouraged to participate in the 114th Christmas Bird Count, which will take place from December 14, 2013, through January 5, 2014. Sponsored by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. More than 30 count circles are located entirely or partly within Massachusetts. Count dates confirmed are listed below (this list has been updated since the Blue Book was published); contact the count compiler at least a week in advance.
Compilers, if you have an update, let the webmaster know.

Date to Be Determined
Andover:  Donna Cooper  (978) 470-2717
Cape Cod: Blair Nikula  (508) 432-6348
Cobble Mountain: George C. Kingston
Groton-Oxbow: Ron Lockwood  (978) 779-5367  
Mid-Cape Cod: Peter Trimble and Jeremiah Trimble
Plymouth: Trevor Lloyd-Evans  (508) 224-6521
Stellwagen Bank: Simon Perkins   978-369-1284
Taunton/Middleboro: James Sweeney
Tuckernuck: Simon Perkins  (978) 369-1284
Uxbridge: Strickland Wheelock

Saturday, December 14
Athol: Dave Small  (978) 413-1772
Buzzard’s Bay: Jeremiah Trimble  (508) 498-9646
Central Berkshire: Holly Higinbotham and Bob Wood  (413) 684-3724
Newport County, RI/Westport, MA: Robert Emerson  (401) 455-0700
Quincy: Glenn d’Entremont  (781) 344-5857
Springfield: George C. Kingston
Worcester: John Liller (508) 839-5211

Sunday, December 15
Cape Ann: Jim Berry
Greater Boston: Robert Stymeist
Northhampton: Jan Ortiz

Tuesday, December 17
Sturbridge: Mark Lynch (snow/ice storm date December 18)

Saturday, December 21
Millis: Elissa Landre (508) 655-2296 x7301
Northern Berkshire: Pam Weatherbee (413) 458-3538

Sunday, December 22
Marshfield: Sue MacCallumm (781) 837-9400
Westminster:  Charles Caron (978) 874-5469
Newburyport: Tom Young (603) 424-4512

Saturday, December 28
Quabbin: Scott Surner  (413) 256-5438

Sunday, December 29
Concord: Norman Levey
Nantucket: Ken Blackshaw (508) 238-0209 and Edie Ray (meeting the night before)
Greenfield: Mark Fairbrother (413) 367-2695

Wednesday, January 1
Southern Berkshire: Rene Laubach

Friday, January 3
Truro: Tom Lipsky

Winter 2013 Meeting

Following a cancellation by the Blizzard of 2013, our Winter Meeting was held on Friday, February 15th at the John Glenn Middle School auditorium in Bedford, MA. Our guest speaker was Mr. Wayne Petersen.

The social hour opened at 6:30 PM to a hallway filled with Club members eager to shake some cabin fever.

As usual, an assortment of snacks and beverages were on hand.

The meeting opened at 7:30 PM. BBC President, Mr. Eddie Giles, provided updates on the Club's 100th Anniversary. (Keep tabs on the BBC website for updates on the 100th.) Eddie then introduced and welcomed Wayne to the stage.

As part of our 100th Anniversary Celebration, Wayne gave a presentation entitled "The History of Birds in Massachusetts: Tracing a Century of Change". This presentation offered an historical look back at some of the many events that have affected Massachusetts bird populations since the start of the 20th century. These events included habitat disruption and modification, human influences, biological impacts, and most recently climate change. All have variously influenced the birds we currently see inhabiting the Commonwealth today.

A big thank you goes out to Wayne for spending the evening with us. His presentation was well received and very informative for Club members in attendance.

2012 Christmas Counts

BBC members are encouraged to join a Christmas Bird Count. The following is the list of counts in Massachusetts with contact information for compilers. Note that this list has been updated from the blue book.

Date to be Determined

Cobble Mountain: George C. Kingston

Groton-Oxbow: Ron Lockwood

Marshfield: Sue MacCallumm

Mid-Cape Cod: Peter Trimble and Jeremiah Trimble

Plymouth: Trevor Lloyd-Evans (508) 224-6521

Stellwagen Bank: Simon Perkins (978) 369-1284

Truro: Tom Lipsky

Tuckernuck: Simon Perkins

Saturday, December 15

Andover: Lou Wagner (978) 927-1122 x2705

Athol: Dave Small 978-413-1772

Buzzard’s Bay: Jeremiah Trimble (508) 498-9646

Central Berkshire: Tom Collins

Millis: Elissa Landre

Newport County, RI/Westport, MA: Robert Emerson (401) 455-0700 

Northern Berkshire: Pam Weatherbee (413) 458-3538

Quincy: Glenn d’Entremont (781) 344-5857

Springfield: George C. Kingston

Worcester: John Liller

Sunday, December 16

Cape Ann: Jim Barber

Cape Cod: Blair Nikula

Greater Boston: Robert Stymeist

Northhampton: Jan Ortiz

Tuesday, December 18

Sturbridge: Mark Lynch (snow/ice storm date December 19)

Sunday, December 23

Newburyport: Tom Young (603) 424-4512

Westminster: Charles Caron

Saturday, December 29

Quabbin: Scott Surner (413) 256-5438

Taunton: James Sweeney

Uxbridge: Strickland Wheelock

Sunday, December 30

Concord: Norman Levey (concordcbc.org)

Greenfield: Mark Fairbrother

Nantucket: Ken Blackshaw (508) 238-0209 and Edie Ray (meeting the night before)

Fall 2012 Meeting

Friday, November 2, 2012 at 7:30 PM

Geological Lecture Hall, Harvard University

24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA

Our guest speaker, Peter Trull, will present "The Symbiotic Relationship Between Humpback Whales and Marine Birds"

Photo by Peter Trull

Symbiotic relationships occur throughout Nature, some subtle, others compelling! In the open sea, Humpback Whales create bubble columns and bubble clouds that trap and drive small fish to the surface, providing an opportunity for a diversity of marine birds to share in the bounty. Symbiosis occurs in three forms, Mutualism, Commensalism and Parasitism.  In "The Symbiotic Relationship Between Humpback Whales and Marine Birds", we’ll see through vivid images how one form, commensalism, occurs in a dynamic display of power and beauty.  Learn about the behaviors and adaptations of birds, most notably the Gulls, Shearwaters and Petrels found in our coastal waters, as they coexist with Humpback Whales.  A diversity of marine birds and marine mammal species will be shown and described in close-up images.                                                                                                              

Pete Trull and Petrel

Peter Trull has been involved in Research and Education for over 35 years.  In the 70s an 80s he coordinated Massachusetts Audubon Society's coastal seabird monitoring program, assessing the breeding success and its limiting factors on 4 species of terns as well as piping plovers.  He conducted field research in Guyana and Surinam, studying the market trapping of Common Terns and Roseate Terns, working with local bird trappers in coastal villages where he hesitatingly admits he’s eaten Common Terns and 15 to 20 species of the sandpipers and plovers on your year list.  As Education Director at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, he developed programs and began studying Eastern Coyotes in 1989.  Through the 90's, as a researcher and Education Director at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, he developed and taught classes related to whales and marine birds and has completed over 2100 whale watching trips related to education and research.  He presently teaches 7th grade Science at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Harwich MA, and holds a Master’s Degree in Education.  He has written five books about Cape Cod natural history including, Coyotes In The Neighborhood, and his two newest books, Closer To The Great Whales and An Illustrated Guide To The Common Birds Of Cape Cod, published in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Members and guests are cordially invited. Admission is free. Parking is free at the 52 Oxford Street garage (opposite Everett St). Tell the guard you are attending the BBC meeting.

Birder's Exchange Program Donations: please bring your used binoculars and other birding equipment. For more information, go to the Birder's Exchange on the web.

An Evening With Greg Miller

The BBC's Winter Meeting was held on Friday, February 3, 2012 at the Bedford Middle School. Our guest speaker was Mr.Greg Miller. The social hour opened at 6:30 PM to a hallway filled with Club members eager to meet Greg. He was an absolute delight, shaking hands, autographing books, and mugging for the cameras. The meeting opened at 7:30 PM to an audience of nearly 200 people. BBC President, Mr. Eddie Giles, provided updates on several upcoming events, including the Club's 100th Anniversary. (Keep tabs on the BBC website for updates on the 100th.) Eddie then introduced and welcomed Greg to the stage.

Armed with only with a microphone, Greg took us on a journey through his life growing up as a birder in Ohio, outlined the inspiring events that lead up to his Big Year in 1998, and conveyed his personal experiences as he sought to break seeing 700 bird species in a single year. He then told us stories about being involved with Mark Obmascik's book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession and his experiences working on the 2011 20th Century Fox film The Big Year.

His tales took us from his initial phone conversations with the director, his first meeting with Jack Black while on the movie set, to embarrassing yet funny moments such as one where he accidentally dropped an extra large, chicken salad sub on the floor of Owen Wilson’s brand new Cadillac! Greg kept the audience completely enthralled and entertained.

His talk brought us many moments of laughter and heartfelt poignancy. By the time Greg finished, nearly two hours had passed. For those in the audience, it seemed as if time had stood still. Club members were eager to hear more from Greg as he shares our passion for birds and birding and he has so many inspiring messages to convey. Greg gave us an intimate view into what it means to be a birder. For those fortunate enough to attend that evening, it was a meeting that will be remembered for a long time to come.
To see more photos from the meeting, check out the photo album on the BBC Facebook page!