Date: 3/4/25 2:52 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Ross's Gull - Remembering "The Bird of the Century," a Half-Century Later - revised link
From National Audubon Society on facebook this morning:
Fifty years ago this week, birders identified a rare Ross's Gull in Newburyport, Massachusetts—the first confirmed sighting for the bird in the Lower 48. An "almost mythical" bird at the time, the gull was quickly dubbed "the bird of the century," and the frenzy it caused was an inflection point for birding, writes bird expert Kenn Kaufman, who saw the gull and keenly remembers the excitement. Read on to learn about this singular moment in birding history and how much has changed since then.
Fifty years ago, a Ross's Gull in Massachusetts had a monumental impact on North American birding. I was just out of my teens but I joined the throngs of birders that went to see the gull, of course, and I write about the experience in this new essay for the National Audubon Society. The photo above was taken by Peter Alden [see the link], who was already one of the top birders and naturalists in 1975 (and still is).
