28-Feb-97 left from Flourtown approx 3pm and headed straight to Susse Chalet in Amesbury MA. Stopped for dinner along the way at a service area. No traffic, good weather. We arrived approx 9:30pm, checked in and met with John who flew in from Boston. He was going to bird with us on Saturday and then make calls for his tee-shirts the remainder of his trip.

01-Mar-97 met for breakfast at 7am, loaded up and left at 7:30am to bird Cape Ann area in the morning and then return to Newburyport, Plum Island, Parker River NWR, Salisbury and New Hampshire beaches in the afternoon. Picked up lunch outside Essex (?) at a Cumberland Farms. Started out at Magnolia Point and worked through Dick Walton's Cape Ann route. Lots of sea ducks all along the coast. Picked up a Common Black-headed Gull in the mud flats of East Gloucester Harbor. We weren't able to get a scope on it before it flew but we all were able to make out the red bill and legs with out bins. We also were able to pick up the wing pattern differences as if flew with Bonaparte's Gulls over the harbor. At Eastern Point Light we added a few Black Guillemots to our trip list including 1 or 2 in alternate plumage. Ate lunch in the parking area at Halibut Point. At the point, had Red-necked grebe and Harlequin Ducks in the surf. Back in Newburyport, the tide was out along the Merrimack River and we had two adult Iceland Gulls at Joppa Flats. Plum Island, Salisbury Beach and the New Hampshire Coast were rather quiet and as a light rain began to fall we called in a day. Dinner at the Sylvan Street Grille which was very good.