The Birding Tribe :
crowned Sparrow found in the meadow area was only the fifth record for the state ( April 27 , 1966 ). Other great birds were the Black-throated Gray Warbler ( September 27 , 2000 ), Ash-throated Flycatcher ( December 1998 ), and Whitewinged Dove ( April 22 , 2005 ). Just last spring , three Sandhill Cranes were seen circling the Cemetery . I really wish I was here that day !
Perhaps the best record , and the only State record , is that of a Brewer ’ s Sparrow that was collected on December 15 , 1873 , about where Willow Pond is today . The bird is in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard .
Q . A .
Speaking of which , can you tell us about your work at the Museum of Comparative Zoology ( MCZ )?
I started helping at the Museum when the the
Nuttall Ornithological Club provided a grant to database the threatened and endangered species in Massachusetts , birds like the Peregrine Falcon and Grasshopper Sparrow . Eventually , I continued on to enter more of the collection . Many of the identified specimens I ’ ve added to the database are from several ornithologists buried here now , notably William Brewster and Edward and Outram Bangs .
Q .
You lead many of our bird walks and always seem to know just where to go for a successful morning walk through the Cemetery . Can you share with us some of the more popular spots for birding in Mount Auburn ?
A .
The Dell is one of the premier spots for spring migration . I have seen , on several occasions , the ridges of the Dell with birders all around watching birds bathe in the pool or warblers darting from bush to bush . The area around the Auburn Lake is also a great spot where one can often see a Water Thrush or a Swamp Sparrow feeding along the edge . Halcyon Lake and Willow Pond are also good spots . The oak ridge extending from the Dell to Willow Pond is good for spotting warblers since the oaks are the last trees to fully leaf out .
Q .
As a birder , it is important to be able to identify birds by sight , and then for when the leaves come out and they are harder to spot , by song . For you , what came first , the ability to identify by sight or song ?
A .
Seeing them came first . The bird that really got me started was the catbird . I was at my uncle ’ s rental cottage in Marshfield when this catbird landed on the corner of the chair next to me ! I was also fascinated by terns , which I ’ d watch diving head first into the water and coming up with fish .
Today , though , I probably do identify birds by hearing them first .
Q . A .
When did you start photographing birds ?
I did a lot of photographing years ago and then I stopped . I just started again in the last three or four years . I still have boxes and boxes of slides that I should go through someday , but I probably never will .
Q . A .
Where do you bird when you aren ’ t here at the Cemetery ?
I ’ m a big urban birder . I ’ ve tried to promote that birds are everywhere . You don ’ t need to go to Plum Island or Cape Cod to see them . To promote urban birding I started the Greater Boston Christmas Bird Count in 1973 . I also enjoy birding in Bristol County , which tends to be under-birded , and , more recently , I have done a lot of birding in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont , where my wife and I have a home by Lake Willoughby .
Q . A .
What advice can you offer for someone who is new to birding ?
Join a bird club , go on bird walks , and meet people !
LEARN MORE !
Visit www . mountauburn . org / birdsandbirding for several special online features to celebrate Mount Auburn ’ s past , present , and future as an important place for both birds and bird watchers . See the next page to meet more of our birders .
4 | Sweet Auburn