The club took 39 trips in western Massachusetts, thirteen trips to the Massachusetts coast, two to Vermont and Connecticut, one each to Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine, and New Hampshire. We also conducted two Christmas Counts, a May Census, and Hawkwatch counts in the fall and spring. For all these trips and projects our total species count was 263 in Massachusetts (269 last year), 287 in the Northeast (292 last year), and 200 (205 last year) in western Massachusetts.
| July-August 2002 | October 2002 | January-February 2003 | May 2003 |
| September 2002 | November-December 2002 | March-April 2003 | June-July 2003 |
Plum Island looked food for the Hotline Trip, so eleven of us headed there to garner Glossy Ibis, Piping Plover, Hudsonian Godwit, Stilt Sandpiper, among 71 species. There were thirteen who braved summer on Cape Cod, and it was smashing as usual with 95 species. On the beaches and marshes we enjoyed hordes of shorebirds (17 species). Highlights were 100 Oystercatchers, 4 Whimbrel, and 2 Marbled Godwits, and 6 Roseate The whale boat we came up to many Greater, Sooty and Manx Shearwaters, a Cory’s Shearwater, and hundreds of Wilson’s Petrels. One of the group heard the Chuck-will’s Widow in Wellfleet. Nine members studied a Louisiana Waterthrush and the nesting Ospreys on the early August Lower River trip. Then it was back to Plum Island for 15 members, who found 2 Whimbrel, 20 White-rumped, 3 Stilt, and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper as well as a few Long-billed Dowitchers and Sharp-tailed Sparrows. The Nighthawk Watch produced the expected birds (about 60), but also twenty Green Herons and 60 Wood Ducks flying to roost.
There were many participants and some migrants on the five Stebbins Refuge Walks, but few highlights. A kayak paddle on the Connecticut River in Sunderland produced four Bald Eagles and five species of swallow, including Cliff Swallow. We hit the sandbars in Longmeadow and Agawam on foot and observed a Peregrine Falcon, and 3 Lesser Yellowlegs. We beat our July species count by two on another Plum Island trip. There were 14 shorebird species 2 Shovelers, and a Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow, but the very best bird was an immature Little Gull. The hawks were a bit fewer on Blueberry Hill, but 34 watchers ate well and counted over 250 migrants of seven species. A special treat was a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in the trees nearby. On the second morning there were warblers like Bay-breasted, and Nashville. Probably the highlight of the Monhegan Trip was the meals where we met other birders. The poor weather kept our species count down to 75 with low numbers of 13 warbler species. The only rare bird was a Blue Grosbeak, but the Gannets and Guillemots were nice. The first Northampton trip got a Peregrine and Lincoln’s Sparrow.
The second watch on Blueberry Hill had only one Broadwing, but there were still nearly 200 migrants of 11 species, including 7 Bald Eagles, 11 Harriers, 68 Sharpshins, 48 Kestrels. A flock of 20 Pipits was the reward for the next trip to Northampton. It was time for the Cape Cod weekend, and despite the threat of rain six members arrived at Coast Guard beach where we had a Western Sandpiper among the more common shorebirds. After lunch at a member’s cottage we went on to Race Point, finding seabirds moving past in the drizzle. We spotted more than 100 Greater Shearwaters, 2 Sooty Shearwaters and all three scoters. We returned the next morning and added a Pacific Loon, 2 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Fulmar’s, Wilson’s and Leach’s Storm Petrels, a Dovekie, and 8 Kittiwakes. Later in the morning we found 6 Forster’s Terns. The next week 13 species was a poor day at Quabbin, but Common Loons, Horned Grebes and ten Bluebirds was not too shabby.
November-December 2002
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The Berkshire Lakes beckoned, offering to 8 members a Red-necked Grebe, an American Wigeon, ten Ruddy Ducks, and a surprise Moorhen. The venerable late fall journey to Cape Ann was re-instituted this year to rave reviews. We counted over 1000 Gannets as well as both Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers. We checked off the adult King Eider, 2 Thick-billed Murres, and more than ten Razorbills. We also went to Plum Island, bringing the tally to 37 species of water birds. We followed that up with a South Shore trip, where only three hardy members saw Gannets and Kittiwakes, a Shoveler, Rough-legged Hawk, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull, all through the snow flurries. The scheduled Rhode Island trip was detoured to Falmouth and Sagamore due to ice. Even there we had to be happy with a raft of over 1200 Greater Scaups and a flock of 250 Tree Swallows. Snow covered the Quabbin, but seven undaunted searchers celebrated over 16 equally stubborn Wild Turkeys. The cold let up for the Springfield Area Christmas Count, but the rain did not, so we worked for our 70 species. The special birds were a Red-throated Loon, Great Cormorant, two Rough-legged Hawks, an Iceland and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 2 Catbirds, a Meadowlark and nine Redpolls. It was dry and not too cold on the Westfield Area Count, but the wind blew mightily. Still, we counted 68 species, including a Turkey Vulture, Pintail, Greater Scaup, Goshawk, Saw-whet Owl, Catbird , Yellow-rumped Warbler, and White-crowned Sparrow.
January-February 2003
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The cold finally was too much even for us, and we canceled the Sandwich-Falmouth-Plymouth trip. The Local Hotline trip had only two participants, and not many more birds. The rough weather did not let up for the Coastal Hotline trip, but five members still hit a bonanza with a Snowy, Long-eared, and three Short-eared owls, plus a Black-crowned Night Heron. The leaders again prepared well for the Rhode Island weekend, so eight of us were pleased with five Tundra Swans, a Tufted Duck, 30 Purple Sandpipers, and two Razorbills. A follow up weekend on the Massachusetts North Shore picked up Harlequin Ducks, 2 Barrow’s Goldeneyes, a Rough-legged Hawk, a Snipe, 3 Black Guillemots, plus both white-winged gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Patience gave us the Clay-colored Sparrow at Grinley’s store, and the three-owl jackpot was also repeated.
Spring was still delayed for the brand new Champlain Valley Vermont sojourn, but six Barrow’s Goldeneyes swam among the thousand or more Common Goldeneyes on the only open water. We counted fourteen Rough-legged Hawks and 13 Lapland Longspurs among ten times as many Snow Buntings. We tried again for the Gyrfalcon on the Hotline Trip and failed again, so we moved on to Cape Ann for a Pacific Loon and Eared Grebe. Spring thaws brought 13 members out for the Local Ponds tour, and we managed 53 species. We found an American Bittern, a flock of Snow Geese overhead, two Pintail, 8 Snipe, and a Woodcock. We got flooded out at the Stebbins Woodcock walk, but the new watch in East Longmeadow provided sounds and sights of 13 birds. Only five of us came on the Upper River Tour, but one was a delightful 11-year-old newcomer. After breakfast we discovered a Horned Grebe, two Gadwalls, 4 Lesser Scaup, and many mergansers in Gill. The visit to Hatfield showed us hundreds of Snow Geese plus some Pipits in the snow covered corn, then a Peregrine that chased them and two Harriers. Seven Fox Sparrows at a feeder were great. There were six species of hawks on the hawkwatch after a drive through Granville and Southwick. There was a Vesper Sparrow there, but best species was the four Tundra Swans in Southwick. The next day at Ashley Ponds produced a Goshawk as well as early arrivals like Blue-headed Vireo, Catbird, and Pine Warblers. Evening on the Rail Trail Walk in Amherst was good for beavers and a Meadowlark, while Stanley Park proved good for early warblers. The weekend Stebbins walk gave us close looks at Virginia Rail, and the first Wednesday walk featured a Parula, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and two Northern Waterthrush. The kayak trip was bumped by an offer from Westover to take a guided tour of the airbase. There we found Upland Sandpipers, a Harrier, and Horned Lark.
We started off this big month with an extended stay at Cape May, where 145 species were tallied. The highlights were innumerable, but best of them were Cattle Egret, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Glossy Ibis, thousands of Brant, nine hawk species with five Peregrines, Clapper Rails, 75 Whimbrel, 75 Forster’s and four Gull-billed Terns, 25 Black Skimmers, White-eyed Vireos and Carolina Chickadees. Southern warblers among the 23 species noted were Yellow-throated, Hooded, Prothonotary, and Chat. Two other specialties were Seaside Sparrow and Blue Grosbeak. We had 15 warbler species on the Wednesday Walks at Stebbins. We scoured Granville and Blandford again, reaching a total of 81 species. Special treats were an American Bittern, Barred Owl, Cliff Swallow, and nearly 200 individual warblers of 16 species. Among the 19 warbler species at Robinson Park were a Tennessee, 6 Nashville, 2 Bay-breasted and 2 Canada Warblers. Decent weather greeted 25 workers on the May Census, and 143 species were tallied, including 27 kinds of warblers. Most unusual was a Ring-necked Duck, Semi-palmated Plover, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Cape May Warbler. Other good finds were 2 Sora, Black-billed Cuckoo, Marsh Wren, Brewster’s and Mourning Warbler. We heard the Cerulean Warblers at Quabbin, but no view of them. We did get long looks at Parula and Bay-breasted Warbler. Rain showers dampened the trip to Skinner Park, but this time the Cerulean and Worm-eating Warblers came out for us. What would spring be without at one visit to Plum Island? We would have missed the Tri-colored Heron, Piping Plover, and Willets. We found these and also a Wilson’s Warbler and nesting Cliff Swallows. More rain cut short the Covey WMA walk in Belchertown and the kayaking on the Quinnebaug was canceled. Rain threatened again for our Tyringham Valley hike, but six members were there, finding two American Bitterns, Black and Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Cliff Swallow, Alder and Willow Flycatchers.
The Southwick trip was still plagued by rain, but three of us tracked down a Grasshopper Sparrow. In the evening at Montague we saw three Grasshopper Sparrows, followed by at least ten Whip-poor-wills. Nine of us ventured into new areas on the hill town trip, this time it was Worthington and Chesterfield, where a Common Loon, four Virginia Rails, a Barred Owl, Nashville and Canada Warbler were just part of 72 species encountered before the rain started – again. The sun shone on October Mt. and we tallied 82 species. Best birds were Virginia Rail, Winter Wren, Blackpoll, and 4 Mourning Warblers. Now it was the mother of Massachusetts mountains, Greylock. We were not surprised when it rained again, and the wind blew too, but we persevered and located five Blackpolls, a Mourning Warbler. The next day it was up on the bikes as we rode the Knightville trail along the Westfield River. Flycatchers were a highlight with six species, including 4 Alders, a Willow, and 20 Least Flycatchers We also counted 15 Chestnut-sided Warblers and 30 Redstarts. The weather had momentarily cleared, and the Southern Vermont tour came through with 65 species. On Stratton Mt we got voices and glimpses of the Bicknell’s Thrush, while on the way there we found 3 Common Loons, 3 Swainson’s Thrush, 7 Parula, 7 Blackpoll, and tw0 Mourning Warblers. Then it started to cloud up and rain, forcing us into the pavilion at the Curtis Bar-B-Cue in Putney.