The Nuttall makes the NYT

There's a nice article in the New York Times on the Nuttall Ornithological Club ("the nation's oldest birding group") featuring a visit to Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology and view of many very famous skins, such as a trio of large woodpeckers.

From top: Imperial, Ivory-Billed, Pileated Woodpeckers (Photo: MCZ)

Several local birding notables get a mention:  my neighbor Peter Alden, MCZ bird collection manager Jeremiah Trimble, and some hot young birders.  I did not know this, but the MCZ has skins of 7, 000 species.

250!

As my son said about making 250 lifers this week, "now all you need is 50 more!" And then 50 more ...

My three readers have been on the edges of their seats since my riveting Oct. 22 post, Nearly 250, where I began the countdown.  One reader cast her vote for ducks comprising 249 and 250.  Safe bet.  So without further ado,

249. Canvasback (11/10, Fresh Pond, Cambridge)
250. Northern Shoveler (11/13, Arlington Reservoir, Arlington)

Coincidentally, the Shoveler brings my 2011 count for Massachusetts to 200, which was my goal for the entire year.

With December ahead, I need to make a concerted effort to get to the coast for ocean birds, which remain a huge hole in my birding experience.