Date: 3/7/25 7:54 am From: Richard Veit <rrveit23...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Ross's Gull - Remembering "The Bird of the Century," a Half-Century Later
it was herm weissberg and phil parsons who reported in mid december 1974. I
was at Ruth Emery's house that day and saw their transcribed description.
I searched for it for two full days after that, as did Denny Abbott.
Weissberg and Parsons description convinced me at the time it was a Ross
Gull
dick veit
On Fri, Mar 7, 2025 at 10:24 AM <jshetterly...> wrote:
> I beg to differ a bit with my friend Glenn. Hermann D'Entremont had
> reported a possible Ross's Gull earlier, but the second person at that
> point was not Paul Miliotis. As time has gone by, various people crept into
> the story who were not there at first.
>
> It was a cold and snowy day when the Ross's Gull was confirmed at the boat
> ramp, the moment that started the enormous spectacle.
>
> I should say first that of the four people involved, I was the least
> qualified. I would not have dreamed to call a Ross's on my own.
>
> Paul Miliotis and I had been out for several hours in the Newburyport area
> looking for Snowy Owls and whatever might come along. Early afternoon we
> went to the fields around the boat ramp in Salisbury to look for Longspurs
> and Snow Buntings. A young man named Walter Ellison from White River
> Junction was there with his Father. Walter didn't drive yet. We went over
> to the boat ramp to ask what they were seeing. At some point Ed Gruson
> joined us. There was a large flock of Bonaparte's Gulls, maybe 300, going
> back and forth in the channel. The sun was getting lower and there was some
> reddish in the sky making some of the gulls look pink at the right angle.
> Walter called out "Ross's Gull!" Ed immediately screamed "That's not
> funny!" Ed could scream.
>
> There was a very long pause. Eventually Paul caught up with the bird that
> Walter was looking at. And Paul said, "He's right, Ed." Not to miss a
> chance at fame, Ed made up some excuse about having to leave for a bit, and
> went to a pay phone to call his contact at the New York Times. I think it
> was his brother. The story the next morning gives a primary role to Ed, an
> important role to Paul, a minor role to Walter, and none to me, That was
> fair for me, but unfair to Walter, and supremely unfair to allow Ed to take
> credit for something that he initially tried to quash. Once Paul, Walter
> and his Dad, and I had seen the bird enough to be absolutely sure, Paul
> went to the pay phone to call PA Buckley, who got out of a sick bed to
> hurry to the scene, with Peter Alden, and others. Within 24 hours, as I
> recall, over a thousand birders showed up. And it built from there.
>
> Of the names mentioned, I think only PA is still around to confirm these
> central facts.
>
> Best, Jay
>
>
> John A. Shetterly
> Attorney-at-Law
> 127 Magazine Street
> Cambridge, MA 02139
> <jshetterly...>
> 857/756-4240
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: <massbird-approval...> <massbird-approval...> On
> Behalf Of Barbara Volkle
> Sent: Thursday, March 6, 2025 6:54 AM
> To: massbird <massbird...>
> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Ross's Gull - Remembering "The Bird of the Century," a
> Half-Century Later
>
> 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
>
>
>
>
--
Richard R. Veit
Professor, Biology
CSI/CUNY
2800 Victory Boulevard
Staten Island, NY 10314
718-354-9802
