October 14, 2018. Cuttyhunk Island, Cuttyhunk. Photo by Sean Williams.
2 records
| MARC number | Decision | Species | # | Location | County | Arrival | Departure | Observers | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-001 | A | Painted Redstart | 1 | Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary | Essex | 10/18/1947 | 10/18/1947 | Mrs. Heyliger de Windt | 13 |
| 2018-044 | A | Painted Redstart | 1 | Cuttyhunk Island | Dukes | 10/14/2018 | 10/14/2018 | Mike Sylvia* (ph), Maili Waters†(ph), Sean Williams†(ph) | 23 |
The 1947 was present for two days and was seen by many. It was photographed with a motion picture camera; however, it has not been possible to locate this film. Nonetheless, eight Committee members concurred that given the number of observers (including Ludlow Griscom) it merited acceptance. The full story appeared in The Auk: Vol. 65: Issue 4.
Early in the morning of October 14, 2018, the second record for the state popped up in front of Mike Sylvia on Cuttyhunk Island and promptly disappeared. Fortuitously, a boatful of birders on a planned trip to the island arrived just in time to attempt to refind the redstart. Mike encountered the bird again at 8:30 am, vocalizing, on private property and grabbed two nearby observers within earshot. After a few minutes, the bird moved downhill and out of sight, and unfortunately, was not seen again despite a full day of effort by more than a dozen observers. Read Mike’s full story in Bird Observer Vol. 47, No. 1.