MBC Trip Saturday and beyond
Paul Ippolito
Fellow MBC members,
The Menotomy Bird Club has a trip coming up, Saturday at Horn Pond in Woburn.
To help you plan, we have included trips through the end of May and beyond. We will have our last meeting of the year on Tuesday night, June 25th – “Rarified Air – One Passionate Birders’ Big Year Quest”. Do however continue to look at the weekly e-mails as we continually add trips based upon what is being seen, weather and availability of our leaders.
Spring migration is happening
now with some interesting observations being posted throughout Massachusetts so
keep exploring your local patches, report what you are seeing and enjoy
all that our area has to offer.
Saturday, May 18
Horn Pond, Woburn
Paul Ippolito 7:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Join us as we explore the varied habitat of the Horn Pond Conservation area. As we are still in a peak period for migration, we will be searching for migrating warblers and resident birds such as Orchard Orioles, Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Warbling Vireos, Yellow Warblers and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. Parts of the walk have uneven terrain; muddy areas are possible. Meet at the Sturgis Street entrance 7:00 AM - 9:30 AM Paul Ippolito paulipp...@gmail.com
Monday, May 20
Davidson Park, Winchester
Diana Fruguglietti 4:30 PM
Join us as we explore this small patch in Winchester in search of Spring Migrants. This walk will take us along an easy pathway that runs along a small waterway. Meet at Davidson park entrance at 620 Washington Street in Winchester @ 4:30 PM Diana Fruguglietti dian...@gmail.com
Wednesday, May 22
Spring Migration at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Diana Fruguglietti 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge and Watertown is one of the best local spots to experience spring migration & this is the time of year to search for Mourning Warblers. Park in the cemetery and meet at the kiosk by the main entrance gate. 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM Diana Fruguglietti dian...@gmail.com & Randy Yuen Randy...@yahoo.com
Thursday, May 23
Middlesex Fells, Long Pond, Winchester
Lisa Craig 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Join us for a walk on this 2-mile loop around Long Pond in the Middlesex Fells. We’ll be looking for lingering warblers, later migrants such as flycatchers, as well as year-round residents such as pileated woodpeckers and barred owls. Terrain is fairly easy underfoot, though it can be damp if we have had rain. Meet in the Long Pond parking lot on South Border Road in Winchester. 8:00 – 10:00 AM Lisa Craig lisa.t...@comcast.net
Friday, May 24
Spring Migration at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Diana Fruguglietti 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge and Watertown is one of the best local spots to experience spring migration & this is the time of year to search for Mourning Warblers. Park in the cemetery and meet at the kiosk by the main entrance gate. 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM Diana Fruguglietti dian...@gmail.com & Gino Ellison TBM...@outlook.com
Sunday, May 26
Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Concord
Jason Forbes 6:30 AM - Noon
We’ll look for Marsh birds with rails and Least Bittern our main targets. Note that an entrance fee of $2 per person or pass (America the Beautiful or Duck Stamp) is required. Meet at the Refuge parking lot off Monsen Road (off Route 62) in Concord. 6:30 AM – Noon Jason Forbes ja...@brewsterlinnet.com
Monday, May 27
Breeders and Migrants: Middlesex Fells
Audrey Stanwood & Renee LaFontaine 7:00 AM – 9:30 AM
In late May the breeders have settled into the Middlesex Fells. We’ll look and listen for Great Crested Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, Towhee, and others. This is also the time of year to catch some late migrant species such as flycatchers. Meet on Playstead Road where it meets Winthrop Street in Medford. Please park on the west side in front of the cemetery. 7:00 AM - 9:30 AM. Audrey Stanwood audr...@comcast.net and Renee LaFontaine daco...@tiac.net
Tuesday, May 28
Newburyport Brewing Company, Newburyport
Gabriel Luogo & Gino Ellison 4:30 PM
Looking for something a little different to do? On May 28th @ 4:30 Gabriel Lugo will be on his way to the Acadia Birding Festival and has agreed to stop in the area where you can learn about the birds in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Ecuador and other tropical destinations! This will be held at the Riverwalk Brewing Company in Newburyport in conjunction with the Birds and Brews group run by Gino Ellison tbm...@outlook.com
Sunday, June 9
Weston Station Pond
John Edmondson 6:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Weston Station Pond and the nearby Mass Central Rail Trail is a “hidden gem”, with a good variety of birds, a Great Blue Heron colony, good chance of Indigo Bunting, and other choice bird species (though no guarantees). We’ll walk along Weston Station Pond and then on the bike trail westward as far as the old station, then return by the same route. Expect to walk about 3 miles in total on easy wide trails and paved bike path (more than half on the bike path). Could be muddy on trails. There are no restrooms available at this location. Meet in back of the Biogen parking lot at 133 Boston Post Road in Weston. Enter at the first traffic light west of the Rt 20/Rt 128 intersection. Go around the building. Take a left at the stop. Park at the trailhead visible in the back left corner of the lot. Co-sponsored with the Brookline Bird Club 6:30 - 9:00 AM. John Edmondson johnhed...@gmail.com
Sunday, June 9
Martin Burns WMA, West Newbury
Linda Ferraresso 7:30 AM – Noon
We will walk on fairly level gravel roads for 3 miles looking for breeding birds including Field
Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, and Prairie Warbler. Co-sponsored with the Brookline Bird Club. No
restroom facilities. Meeting location: Martin Burns WMA, Orchard St., West Newbury. 7:30 AM
- Noon Linda Ferraresso tatt...@comcast.net
Sunday, June 9
Breeding Birds at Sandy Beach, Winchester
Renee LaFontaine 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Sandy Beach (Charles Shannon Beach), a small DCR park at the northern end of the Mystic Lakes in Winchester, attracts a large variety of breeding birds. Orchard Orioles, Baltimore Orioles, Eastern Kingbirds, Warbling Vireos, Pine Warblers, and Chipping Sparrows are among the species that nest here every year. Meet in the large parking lot on Mystic Valley Parkway. 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM Renee LaFontaine daco...@tiac.net
Tuesday June 25
5:30 PM Social Time, 6:00 Meeting Start
Rarified Air – One Passionate Birders’ Big Year Quest
Gino Ellison – Jenks Center, Winchester
The Menotomy Bird Club will be hosting a meeting on Tuesday, June 25th @ 6:00 PM at the Jenks Center, 109 Skillings Road in Winchester as Gino Ellison will share his experiences as he undertook his ”Big Year” in 2023.
Have you ever wondered how many different bird species could you dream of seeing, capturing a sound recording of or photographing from January 1 to December 31 of any given year? Have you ever considered doing a Big Year either at the ABA level or the county level or the state level? Why would you want to even do one? How does one plan out all the logistics to ensure that each of the important states are visited at the most opportune times? Can you do this alone or do you need to seek out help?
Well then join us on June 25th and meet Big Year Birder Gino Ellison to learn about the mishaps, the successes, the lessons learned along the way, the hilarious birding stories, the new life-time friends met along the way and the joy of reporting 801 bird species during 2023
Doors open at 5:30 for set up and social time and the meeting starts promptly at 6:00 PM.
If you are interested in leading a trip, please reach out to
Alan Ankers, Renee LaFontaine or myself, the club would be so lucky to have you
lead.
Please continue to post your observations.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Paul Ippolito
Woburn