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  Twenty-sixth Report of the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee

  ACCEPTED RECORDS Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) [3 records accepted in this report, 16 total] 2021-049: 1 at Salt Pond, Falmouth, Barnstable, 7/15/2021 [Amy Roberts* (ph), m.ob.]. 2021-048: 7 at Lucy Vincent Beach, Chilmark, Dukes, 7/30/2021 [Jim Shoemaker* (ph)]. 2022-058: 1 at Town Beach Road Marsh, Richmond, Berkshire, 6/16/2022 [Zach Adams* (ph), v.o.]. First accepted to the state list from a 2008 record, this species continues to be a regular vagrant in recent years, with most records of short-staying birds or flocks from April 29 to August 4; the Berkshire record was a county first. Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) [9, 34] 2021-088: 4 at Longmeadow Flats, Longmeadow, Hampden, 12/11/2021 [Jeremy Spool*, Meghadeepa Maity* (ph)]. 2021-091: 1 at Shaw Road, Fairhaven and Mill Road, Fairhaven, Bristol, 12/14/2021 to 12/17/2021 [Dan Mckinnon*, m.ob.]. 2021-092: 1 at Stanley Park, Westfield, Hampden, 12/16/2021 to 12/18/2021 [Frank Bowrys* (ph)]. 2021-096: 1 at 2236 Riverside Avenue, Somerset, Bristol, 12/21/2021 [Jim Sweeney* (ph), m.ob. (ph)]. 2022-003: 2 at Connecticut River, Hadley (Mitch’s Way and Hadley Bridge), Hampshire, 1/4/2022 to 1/11/2022 [Mary McKitrick* (ph), m.ob.]. 2022-005: 1 at Duxbury High School area, Duxbury, Plymouth, 1/12/2022 to 1/16/2022 Emily Szczypek* (ph), ...
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  About Books: The Big Slaughter

  The modern market in birds was short-lived but broadly influential. At its height between 1870 and 1900, market hunting was a huge and lucrative business across much of North America, its rise and fall occurring simultaneously with the emerging Progressive Era conservation movement. This was no coincidence. Market hunting in its modern form became arguably the single most important issue for the initial generation of self-proclaimed wildlife protectors. (p. 4) Andrea M. Smalley is professor emeritus at Northern Illinois University. The listed co-author, Henry M. Reeves, died in 2013. Henry M. Reeves, known to friends as “Milt,” was the chief of migratory bird management for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Author of several books and papers on migratory birds, Reeves had been researching for years the connections among migratory birds, hunters, the market, and consumers, but died before he could finish his planned book on that subject. Smalley was contacted by the Reeves family, and Milt’s wife, Merilyn, organized his unfinished chapters and handed over to Smalley these chapters as well as boxes and file cabinets of material Henry ...
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  Tricky Birds: Large Alcids

  First some caveats. This article does not cover smaller alcids such as the tiny Dovekie (Alle alle), Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle), and Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica), or extreme rarities such as murrelets. But as always, be cautious about the trap of relative size when identifying birds in the field—especially when they are distant. Do not make an identification primarily based on perception of the size of the bird in question, and always include other field marks, features, and behavior in concert with size. Another trap to avoid is the confusion of alcids with similarly sized, fast-flying, largely black-and-white sea ducks such as Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) (Figure 1). Finally, there will be times, perhaps many occasions, when identifying individual birds may be impossible, and other designations—e.g., alcid sp. —may be the best way forward. It is always desirable to approach bird identification with caution and understand that one cannot confidently identify every bird observed. Razorbill Figure 2. Razorbills in flight. Photograph by Sebastian Jones. In Massachusetts, Razorbills are the most common and widespread large alcid species observed from shore. In almost all circumstances, consider ...
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  John’s World of Birds: Say, What's in a Name?

  Say’s Phoebe is one of about 80 bird species occurring in the United States named in honor of an actual person, in this case, a gentleman by the name of Thomas Say. Say collected a specimen of the bird, as well as a few other bird species, in Colorado in the early nineteenth century (Choate 1985). The eponymous name is intended to be honorific, a kind of thank you from the person who described the bird for science, in this case Charles Lucien Bonaparte—a nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte—to Say, the person who first collected a specimen of the species. That is how it worked back in the days of rough and challenging exploration. American ornithology was fundamentally in its infancy, focused on the collection of specimens, often by tough, hardened explorers who endured difficult and sometimes risky field conditions. This was followed by museum-based studies to name and classify the newly discovered birds. Rarely was a bird species studied while it was alive. (But do yourself a favor and read some of Alexander Wilson’s accounts in his American Ornithology, ...
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  Birding the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire

  VERMONT Lake Runnemede/Evarts Pond Lake Runnemede, also known locally as Evarts Pond, is by far the top birding hotspot in Windsor County, boasting an all-time tally of 218 species. Located in Windsor, this 62-acre human-created water body is embedded within 224-acre Paradise Park, featuring mixed hardwood forests, shrubby cattail wetlands, agricultural lands, and open water. The public park offers numerous access points and foot trails. For birding, a multi-use trail across the large dike at the lake’s east end and a connected loop around the horseshoe-shaped interior provide the best opportunities. Spring and fall can be exhilarating, especially on good fallout mornings, which are often associated with low cloud ceilings and drizzle or light rain. Even in winter, the interior agricultural fields—typically planted in pumpkins and/or corn—with their embedded weedy patches and surrounding dense thickets, can harbor large flocks of Snow Buntings, hardy sparrows, and an occasional Northern Shrike. Bald Eagles are predictable, often feeding on ice-fishing offal. Following spring migration, early summer can still offer fruitful birding. Alder and Willow flycatchers nest in the shrubby wetlands, as do Virginia Rails ...
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  Bygone Birds: Historical Highlights for September-October

  10 YEARS AGO September–October 2013 Hawk watchers on Mount Wachusett tallied 14,471 Broad-winged Hawks—the largest number of this species since 1989. The raptor highlight was a Swainson’s Hawk that was caught and banded in Carver on September 4. A Brown Booby was found off Race Point in Provincetown on September 17 and apparently stuck around unnoticed until October 12 when reported again at Race Point. A Purple Gallinule discovered in Peabody was more cooperative, staying a week for many birders to enjoy. Any hummingbird found in mid-September should be closely observed. At the Nantucket Birding Festival, a Calliope Hummingbird was found, only the fifth state record. A Rufous Hummingbird was banded in Brewster. Highlight of the period: the passerine fall migration. Birders were out and about enjoying great weather both in September and October. In addition to the spectacular concentration of Tree Swallows, two major fallouts resulted in large numbers of songbirds descending on Plum Island. Notable were 18 Philadelphia Vireos and 18 warbler species, including 12 Cape May Warblers. For the period throughout the state, 31 warbler species were noted with ...