Date: 3/7/25 10:25 am From: Tom de Boor <tomdb2...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Ross's Gull - Remembering "The Bird of the Century," a Half-Century Later
I was living in Madison, Wisconsin at the time. I understand these days
Wisconsin has one of highest number of birders per capita in the country,
if not the highest. But back then, I'm pretty sure I was the only serious
birder under the age of 18 in the state. For sure, I birded in every
county, riding along with friends like Laura Erickson and Randy Hoffman
like a little Kenn Kaufmann, though far less intrepid or skilled, and never
saw anyone close to my age.
My grandmother, who lived in Cambridge, sent me the Globe article, the one
that told the story of Roger Tory Peterson running up the hill, and when I
wrote back with unusual alacrity for a male grandchild in those days (any
days?), she began clipping out the weekly birding report in the paper
whenever she thought of it. I was a pretty odd kid, and my passion for
birds made me quite a bit odder. Combine that level of isolation with the
usual teen hormones and moodiness, and I don't think it's an exaggeration
to say that a bird making national news, with thousands of birders flocking
to see it, and even more so, a newspaper that actually printed birding news
weekly (not to mention the Asgard promise of a venerable, by birders, for
birders independent bird club like the BBC!) were a real lifeline for me,
which means you birders in MA were the same. So a very belated thank you
for that.
When I was in college, and could take a train to the East Coast myself, I
visited my grandmother several times, and was fortunate and privileged to
get to bird with Herman d'Entremont a few times when I did. One of my
proudest moments as a birder was when I chanced upon a breeding plumaged
Bar-tailed Godwit at Wollaston Beach one May, ran to the nearest payphone
clutching my scope, called Herman, and it was still there when he arrived.
Few things in life feel better than finding and showing an exciting bird to
another who has given you so much, right?
I had no means (or, more accurately, insufficient ambition and
imagination--kid birders these days astound me) to get to the Newburyport
Ross', though for years afterwards, if I happened to be passing through
(I've spent most of my adult life on the East Coast), I'd always stop by
where it was seen and look around, as if I could conjure it up into view
through a combination of the stories and the land (by then I had more
imagination, maybe even a little more than is healthy for a birder in the
field).
But 50 years after The Bird, I still haven't seen one, though I've had some
agonizing near misses--the one on the Chicago lakefront that the birding
community had staked out with walkie talkies from Evanston to Jackson Park
and beyond always comes to mind as quickly and vividly as a trauma, last
seen late the previous afternoon, just before someone wanted to get just a
little bit better picture (in fairness, lenses were a lot more primitive
then), it flew out over Lake Michigan and was never seen again. And most
recently, the one afternoon wonder at Hammonassett here in CT that showed
while I was working on a piece of art with my son for an article (rather
than hopescrolling CT Birds as usual), a wall of famous walls, with
reactions from across the globe to January 6th chiseled into it, as if that
justifies or explains what happened. My son and I made several trips all
around the sound in the month following--we were *so sure* it had to still
be there somewhere, our little avian Great Pumpkin, our hearts quickening
every time we ran across a small battalion of Bonies.
I am an October child grown old, and my beloved, my son, and I are all
resolved that some October when the waters of life have sufficiently
calmed, we're going to go up to Nome and just watch them fly past for days.
You can show almost *anyone* a picture of a pink one and they know it's
special--am I right? Maybe this year will be the year; seems like we might
be wanting and needing a really exceptional escape by then...
Anyway, thanks much for opening the memory floodgates and for the
opportunity to share, hopefully not so self-indulgently as to give offense.
Tom de Boor
Northford, CT
On Fri, Mar 7, 2025, 11:31 Liz Pease <lizpease...> wrote:
> Thank you all for these wonderful stories! I was in Newburyport at the
> time—but in utero! (a soon-to-be-born birder!). I have some recollection of
> my parents talking about this bird. I will have to ask them again. Great
> fun to hear the legend brought to life by those of you who were there!
>
> Liz Pease
> Salisbury
> <lizpease...>
>
> On Fri, Mar 7, 2025 at 11:02 AM Richard Veit <rrveit23...> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/127+Magazine+Street+%0D%0ACambridge,+MA%C2%A0+02139?entry=gmail&source=g> >>> Cambridge, MA 02139
>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/127+Magazine+Street+%0D%0ACambridge,+MA%C2%A0+02139?entry=gmail&source=g> >>> <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
>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2800+Victory+Boulevard+Staten+Island,+NY+10314?entry=gmail&source=g> >> Staten Island, NY 10314
>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2800+Victory+Boulevard+Staten+Island,+NY+10314?entry=gmail&source=g> >> 718-354-9802
>>
>>
>
> --
> Liz Pease
> (she, her, hers)
>
>
