Date: 3/6/25 2:21 pm From: Cliff Cook <ccook13...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Ross's Gull - Remembering "The Bird of the Century," a Half-Century Later
Herman was known as Mr Ross’s Gull among birders when I first began birding around here.
I once asked him about the story behind the sighting. He demurred and told me others had seen the bird earlier. While that was true, from what I understand Herman was the first to go out on what seemed like a limb at the time and call the species. Remember that at the time pretty much all most birders had for ID resources were the Peterson and Robbins field guides. No internet. Either no specialty guides or ones possessed by very few. I’m not sure if anyone was traveling to the far north to see this bird but birding travel was just getting started so there could not have been many.
Cliff Cook Watertown
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> On Mar 6, 2025, at 10:13 AM, Barbara Volkle <barb620...> wrote: > > Thanks to Glenn d'Entremont for this post > > Barbara Volkle > Northborough, MA > <barb620...> > > * > > Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2025 20:19:10 -0500 (EST) > From: GLENN D'ENTREMONT <gdentremont1...> > Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Ross's Gull - Remembering "The Bird of the Century," a Half-Century Later > > The lost history of this event is the fact Herman Weisburg and Paul Miliotis ID'd this bird as early as late January. No one even looked for it as far as I know. > > Glenn > > Glenn d'Entremont > <gdentremont1...> > Stoughton, MA >
