Date: 3/7/25 8:20 am From: Liz Pease <lizpease...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Ross's Gull - Remembering "The Bird of the Century," a Half-Century Later
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
>> 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
>
>
