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MASSBIRD for Monday, May 26, 2008
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Messages are displayed in the order they were received.
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| Subject | From | Time |
| More Manx Shearwaters at Revere Beach | Tim Factor | 1:34am |
| Mt Auburn This Morning | Cliff Cook | 7:16am |
| Re: moderator - birdathon and carbon footprint
reduction | Jon Woolf | 7:16am |
| Nighthawks in Granby | Lori Rogers | 7:06am |
| Junco, Siskins, RB Nut - still in Newbury | Lynette Leka | 7:34am |
| Re: moderator - birdathon and carbon footprint
reduction | Barbara Volkle and S | 7:44am |
| migratory warblers using bird baths - Newbury | Lynette Leka | 7:40am |
| Pittsfield State Forest | Jason D. Luscier | 8:06am |
| 5/24 Mt. Watatic, Wompatuck, Nahant, Marblehead,
Plum Island | Bates, David Westfal | 8:14am |
| Little Gull, Nbpt harbor 5/26, etc. | Bird Watcher's Suppl | 10:47am |
| Barnstable, Pair of Red-tailed Hawks | Walz,Christopher | 11:34am |
| Re: Barnstable, Pair of Red-tailed Hawks | Ian Nisbet | 12:42pm |
| Mashpee Sightings | Mary Keleher | 1:26pm |
| Fwd: Mashpee Sightings - Oops! | Mary Keleher | 1:36pm |
| General Edwards Bridge, Point of Pines,
Lynn/Nahant Beach, Belle Isle Marsh | Soheil Zendeh | 1:44pm |
| 5/25 Duxbury Beach ISS - Dowitchers,White-rumped
Sandpiper,Clipper Ship! | Rick Bowes | 3:02pm |
| Monday, May 26, Best Yardbird EVER! | John Galluzzo | 3:20pm |
| RE: [Arlington Birds] Bicknell's Thrush-YES | Floyd, Chris | 4:18pm |
| birds of a May vacation | David Larson | 5:40pm |
| moving a bird nest question | Janice F. Jorgensen | 5:46pm |
| Plymouth and Falmouth 5/26/08 | Ian Davies | 5:38pm |
| Re: moving a bird nest question | Eddie | 7:38pm |
| northeast Quabbin 5/26 | Mark Lynch | 7:54pm |
| Mt. Auburn Bicknell's; Oxbow today | Paul Cozza | 7:52pm |
| Roseate Terns - North Falmouth | Ian Nisbet | 8:10pm |
| RE: northeast Quabbin 5/26 | Scott Ricker | 8:42pm |
| Mt Auburn 5/26 | Linda Ferraresso | 9:34pm |
| Notes from Nahanton Park, Newton | Haynes Miller | 9:36pm |
| Plum Island 5/26 | Bird Watcher's Suppl | 10:26pm |
| Seabird and Whale Tales on June 8th | Carol Carson | 10:35pm |
|
To use email addresses replace '(AT)' with '@'.
This is done to confuse the spam 'bots.
|
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: More Manx Shearwaters at Revere Beach
From: "Tim Factor" <tef617(AT)gmail.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 1:34am
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Nobody had mentioned the Manx Shearwaters at Revere Beach in a while so I
stopped by to check if they're still present. They are and there are now at
least seven and more likely nine of them! I had seven, one on the water and
a flock of six shearwatering, in the scope simultaneously shortly after
spotting a pair in flight. They were all relatively close to shore in the
general vicinity of the pink apartments.
Also:
Brant - flock of ~40 in flight plus a few scattered on the water
Common Eider - flock of 5 adult males
White-winged Scoter - 8, all paired
Semipalmated Plovers and Sandpipers, 6 and 8 respectively in a mixed flock
Piping Plovers - two, not together, no sign of nest activity or young
Common Tern - two
Plus the usual suspects (but no loons)
--
Tim Factor
Boston
tef617(AT)gmail.com
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Mt Auburn This Morning
From: "Cliff Cook" <ccook13(AT)gmail.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 7:16am
Migrants were not plentiful at Mt. Auburn this morning, as seems to
have been the case at South Shore locations. There have already been
postings about the Bicknells Thrush spotted this morning by Chris
Floyd. Two other noteworthy birds seen today around 10 AM were Yellow
Bellied Flycatcher and Orange Crowned Warbler. Both were seen around
the location known as Oak Knoll, bordered, I think, by Cherry and
Birch Aves. I believe I might have been the only person to get a good
look at the Orange Crowned Warbler. It was perhaps the dullest
colored example of the species I have ever encountered.
There were a smattering of migrants elsewhere in the cemetery.
Redstarts were the most common warbler in my experience today. I
heard reports of Blackburnian and Bay Breasted but did not encounter
them myself.
Cliff Cook
Watertown
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: moderator - birdathon and carbon footprint
reduction
From: Jon Woolf <jsw(AT)jwoolfden.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 7:16am
At 09:52 PM 5/25/2008, Barbara Volkle and Steve Moore wrote:
>Additional concrete suggestions for saving energy while birding are welcome.
If I may be so bold ...
As far as I know, the leading suggestions for saving energy while
birding are similar to suggestions for saving energy during any other
kind of short-range travel:
1) don't idle your car engine for long periods of time. The bigger
the car, the bigger the engine, the more gas you can waste this way.
2) when driving, watch your speed and more important, your engine
RPMs. Gas consumption is actually a function of engine revolutions,
not distance, so lower RPMs = less gas burned. Reduce highway speeds
especially -- it takes significantly more engine RPMs, and therefore
more gas, to cruise at 70 than it does to cruise at 65, and you
really don't get there very much faster.
3) Many cars and SUVs sold in the last five years or so have come
with trip computers that include a real-time MPG monitor. Use
them. If yours doesn't, then there are add-on devices you can buy
that provide the same functionality.
4) I'd guess that most of us already do this: If you have a regular
birding route with pre-planned stops, then sit down with a map and
plan out the route ahead of time, to minimize distance and driving
time between stops. An advanced GPS can be handy when doing this, as
some of them allow you to plot a route on your PC, then download the
resulting set of navigation points to the GPS.
5) If you have two vehicles, then take the more fuel-efficient one.
6) if you like to carbird, by which I mean drive along with the
windows open listening for birdsong, then turn off the car A/C while
you're doing it.
7) If you're considering buying a new car, then get the smallest one,
with the smallest engine, that will do what you need it to do.
There are all kinds of other little tricks and tips for reducing gas
consumption, some of which work and some of which are old mechanics'
tales. Tire pressure, car weight, and so on. There are plenty of
lists on the Web -- run a search and see what you find.
It's true that one person won't ever change the planet this way. But
you can certainly change your little corner of it, just a little bit,
set a good example for others, and perhaps save yourself quite a bit
of money in the process. Those of us who remember the gas crunch of
the 1970s may also remember that when large numbers of people
starting switching from full-size gas-guzzlers to compact cars, gas
consumption went down so sharply and steeply that it led to an oil
oversupply and gas prices dropped significantly. One person won't
make a difference, but one or two million will.
-- Jon Woolf
Manchester, NH
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Nighthawks in Granby
From: "Lori Rogers" <lorir56(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 7:06am
Late yesterday afternoon we had two Common Nighthawks fly over our yard here
in Granby.
On Friday night, we had a visit from a bear. The bear that was here in
April was shot with a bow and arrow by another Granby resident a few blocks
from us. The environmental police had to euthanize it when they located it.
We had just put the feeders out in the front yard again because we hadn't
had any bear visits since, but they came down again on Saturday....
Good birding,
Lori Rogers
Granby, MA
lorir56(AT)yahoo.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Junco, Siskins, RB Nut - still in Newbury
From: Lynette Leka <lynetteleka(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 7:34am
I was quite surprised yesterday to see a Dark-eyed Junco male hopping around on
my deck
and there were several Pine Siskins using my thistle feeders
I also continue to have at least one Red-breasted Nuthatch gleaning in the
pines
-----------------------------
Lynette Leka
Newbury, MA 01951
email: lynette.leka(AT)yahoo.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: moderator - birdathon and carbon footprint
reduction
From: Barbara Volkle and Steve Moore <barb620(AT)TheWorld.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 7:44am
Several of you have contacted me directly, so I think it important to
share my perspective from my role as moderator.
I agree that discussion on this topic is important. However, from
the moderating perspective, there are several things I need to
consider and ask you to consider:
- I don't want people leaving the list or being turned off to birding
because of this discussion. Birding is good. Birding is a way to
turn folks ON to these issues.
- it's a birding list. In the past, when I've seen other lists go
whole hog on "side topics" for lack of a better way to put it, the
list itself suffered.
- it's hard to maintain a potentially volatile discussion via
email. The tendency is to drift to personal comments. Remember,
there are over 900 folks here (and many more reading the archives),
so comments should be very, very carefully considered. It may look
like there are 3 of us, or five of us, but there are not. What seems
like a simple statement to one person, seems very heavy handed to
another. And so it goes....
Let me share my favorite quote from Mahatma Gandhi. It's important
enough to me that's it's on my refrigerator. It's simply "Be the
change you wish to see in the world".
Barbara Volkle, moderator MASSBIRD
Northborough, MA
barb620(AT)theworld.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: migratory warblers using bird baths - Newbury
From: Lynette Leka <lynetteleka(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 7:40am
several species of wood warblers have been using the bird baths: both
Black-throated Blue and Black-and-White have actually bathed, and just now a
Chestnut-sided perched for a drink
it is such a delight watching birds use bird baths, and I encourage everyone who
also enjoys this to be very careful to change the water frequently (2-3x a
day), brushing out and rinsing the baths each time - especially when the weather
is warm, dry, and the baths become heavily used
-----------------------------
Lynette Leka
Newbury, MA 01951
email: lynette.leka(AT)yahoo.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Pittsfield State Forest
From: "Jason D. Luscier" <jluscie(AT)uark.edu>
Date: 26 May 2008 8:06am
Below is a list of birds seen/heard at Pittsfield State Forest on Saturday, 24
May:
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Veery
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Bobolink
American Goldfinch
Jason D. Luscier
http://comp.uark.edu/~jluscie/
Dept. of Biological Sciences - SCEN 632
1 University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: 5/24 Mt. Watatic, Wompatuck, Nahant, Marblehead,
Plum Island
From: "Bates, David Westfall,M.D." <DBATES(AT)PARTNERS.ORG>
Date: 26 May 2008 8:14am
I posted this yesterday a.m. but it didn't go through. Jan Smith, Deb Kovacs
and I did a Big Day on 5/24, and ended up with our personal best, 179 species,
including 27 species of warblers, despite not having anything terribly
surprising. Altogether, was an amazing day, with some but not overwhelming
migration at the coast. There were obviously a lot of warblers around and we
did very well on flycatchers and thrushes, which were largely still absent on a
scouting day earlier in the week. We ended up including Wompatuck for the
first
time which as per all the other posts has many species just not possible
elsewhere. I always find the misses interesting, and our worst were Green
Heron, and any accipiters, falcons or cuckoos.
Selected highlights:
Mt. Watatic (Ashburnham)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Groton powerlines
Eastern Wood Pewee 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
Prairie Warbler 3
Wompatuck State Park (Hingham), ~9 a.m.
Hooded Warbler 1 (Gate 11, singing loudly, unbelievable views)
Cerulean Warbler 1 (Boundary Pond)
Tennessee Warbler 1 (Gate 11)
Worm-eating Warbler 3 (several sites, most Gate 9)
Nahant 10:30 a.m.
Thicket:
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Least Flycatcher 1
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Northern Parula (several)
Beach (from near the rotary, north)
Black-headed Gull 1
Opposite side of rotary
American Oystercatcher 2
Marblehead Neck--noon
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1
Alder Flycatcher 1
Cape May Warbler 1
Quite a few other warblers
Pikul's Pans
Wilson's Phalarope 4
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Newburyport Harbor (from Yacht Club)
Great Cormorant 1 (immature)
Forster's Tern 1
Plum Island 5 pm on
Blue-winged Teal 1 (old blind, Hellcat)
Red-breasted Merganser 2 (Emerson Rocks)
Clapper Rail 1 (calling near dusk, just beyond the first hill on R)
Sora 2 (calling, old blind, Hellcat)
Common Moorhen 1 (calling, old blind, Hellcat)
Least Bittern 2 (calling, old blind, Hellcat)
American Bittern 1 (old blind, Hellcat)
White-rumped Sandpiper 2 (S end)
Whimbrel 1
Alder Flycatcher calling, Warden's
White-crowned Sparrow 1 (on road, S end)
David Bates, Watertown, MA
dbates(AT)partners.org
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Little Gull, Nbpt harbor 5/26, etc.
From: "Bird Watcher's Supply & Gift" <birdwsg(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 10:47am
Fay Vale called to report that Doug Chickering and Lois cooper found an immature
little gull in Newburyport harbor from the boat ramp on Water Street.
Doug and Lois also found an immature little blue heron south of the Salt Pannes
on Plum Island.
Margo and I had an orange-cr warbler, 2 wood pewees, and black-billed cuckoo
along the road north of Hellcat this morning.
Fay reported seeing a mourning warbler at the New Pines Trail and Terry Leverich
saw an olive-sided flycatcher at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Newburyport.
Steve Grinley
Bird Watcher's Supply & Gift and Nature Shop at Joppa Flats
Newburyport, MA
BirdWSG(AT)Verizon.net
978-462-0775
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Barnstable, Pair of Red-tailed Hawks
From: "Walz,Christopher" <CWalz(AT)nec.edu>
Date: 26 May 2008 11:34am
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
Hey everyone, just had the wierdest sighting. At 11:15am, moving =
southwest from Barnstable Harbor at low tide, I spied a pair of =
Red-tailed Hawks not too interesting except that one of them had a fish =
in its talons! I am entirely positive of my I.D. It was a whole fish =
that it was carrying, I got a good look at the tail, a deep rounded =
fork, similar to scup. All I've ever seen red-tails carrying are =
squirrels and mice, and knew that sometimes they get birds or reptiles, =
but I wouldn't have believed this if I didn't just see it.
=20
=20
Chris Walz=20
West Barnstable, MA
Property Manager
Mid-Cape Sanctuaries
CWalz(AT)massaudubon.org
CWalz(AT)nec.edu
----DELETED text/html MIME SECTION----
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: Barnstable, Pair of Red-tailed Hawks
From: Ian Nisbet <icnisbet(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 12:42pm
----DELETED HTML-ENCODED SECTION----
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Mashpee Sightings
From: Mary Keleher <maryeak(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 1:26pm
Location: Mashpee, Barnstable County, MA, US
Observation date: 5/26/08
Number of species: 52
Mute Swan 11
Gadwall 3
Northern Bobwhite 1
Great Blue Heron 4
Osprey 4
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Willet 1
Herring Gull X
Least Tern 1
Mourning Dove 7
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 3 (1 pair nest building)
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 6
Fish Crow 1
Purple Martin 8
Tree Swallow 9 (1 nest with eggs)
Black-capped Chickadee 6 (1 pair nest building)
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 3
House Wren 2
Eastern Bluebird 2 (pair, nest with eggs)
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 13
Gray Catbird 5
European Starling 1
Cedar Waxwing 6
Northern Parula 2 (possible pair)
Pine Warbler 4
Prairie Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 1
Ovenbird 8
Common Yellowthroat 14
Scarlet Tanager 1
Eastern Towhee 4
Chipping Sparrow 9
Song Sparrow 5
Northern Cardinal 4
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Common Grackle 12
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Baltimore Oriole 5
House Finch 6
American Goldfinch 8
House Sparrow 4
This report was generated automatically by eBird
v2(http://ebird.org)
Mary Keleher
Mashpee, MA
Cape Cod Bird Club
www.massbird.org/ccbc
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Fwd: Mashpee Sightings - Oops!
From: Mary Keleher <maryeak(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 1:36pm
Though Gadwall would have been nice, make that 3
Mallard not 3 Gadwall!
--- Mary Keleher <maryeak(AT)yahoo.com> wrote:
> Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 10:25:01 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Mary Keleher <maryeak(AT)yahoo.com>
> Subject: Mashpee Sightings
> To: Massbird <Massbird(AT)world.std.com>,
> CapeCodBirds <capecodbirds(AT)yahoogroups.com>
>
> Location: Mashpee, Barnstable County, MA, US
> Observation date: 5/26/08
> Number of species: 52
>
> Mute Swan 11
> Gadwall 3
> Northern Bobwhite 1
> Great Blue Heron 4
> Osprey 4
> Red-tailed Hawk 1
> Willet 1
> Herring Gull X
> Least Tern 1
> Mourning Dove 7
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
> Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
> Downy Woodpecker 2
> Hairy Woodpecker 1
> Northern Flicker 2
> Eastern Phoebe 2
> Great Crested Flycatcher 3 (1 pair nest
> building)
> Red-eyed Vireo 2
> Blue Jay 4
> American Crow 6
> Fish Crow 1
> Purple Martin 8
> Tree Swallow 9 (1 nest with eggs)
> Black-capped Chickadee 6 (1 pair nest building)
> Tufted Titmouse 3
> White-breasted Nuthatch 1
> Carolina Wren 3
> House Wren 2
> Eastern Bluebird 2 (pair, nest with eggs)
> Wood Thrush 1
> American Robin 13
> Gray Catbird 5
> European Starling 1
> Cedar Waxwing 6
> Northern Parula 2 (possible pair)
> Pine Warbler 4
> Prairie Warbler 1
> Blackpoll Warbler 1
> Ovenbird 8
> Common Yellowthroat 14
> Scarlet Tanager 1
> Eastern Towhee 4
> Chipping Sparrow 9
> Song Sparrow 5
> Northern Cardinal 4
> Red-winged Blackbird 15
> Common Grackle 12
> Brown-headed Cowbird 2
> Baltimore Oriole 5
> House Finch 6
> American Goldfinch 8
> House Sparrow 4
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird
> v2(http://ebird.org)
>
>
>
> Mary Keleher
> Mashpee, MA
>
> Cape Cod Bird Club
> www.massbird.org/ccbc
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Mary Keleher
Mashpee, MA
Cape Cod Bird Club
www.massbird.org/ccbc
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: General Edwards Bridge, Point of Pines,
Lynn/Nahant Beach, Belle Isle Marsh
From: "Soheil Zendeh" <szendeh(AT)rcn.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 1:44pm
25 May 2008
General Edwards Bridge, Saugus River, Revere/Lynn
9:30 am dst
Tide: low (low tide 9:15 am)
Sky: clear
Temperature: 70°F (21°C)
Wind: nw 10 - 15 mph (16 - 25 kph)
Visibility: good
This is a Common Tern nesting spot I have monitored for some years. Each
bridge piling has a few nesting pairs of terns. Easy to see from above and
very close.
There is a larger colony on an old oil or gas terminal nw of the bridge,
with a couple of rotted docks that birds nest on. Formerly there were many
pairs of terns all over these docks--up to 30 or 40 pairs. Recently the ones
closer to the bridge have not been used. Only the one that is separated from
the others and behind them has up to 9 pairs of terns nesting. Yesterday I
understood exactly why: A raccoon was climbing around the closer docks. I'm
sure the raccoon can swim to the farther dock separated by about 40 feet of
water, but then it has to climb up relatively slippery support pilings to
get up to where the birds are. We'll see how well the birds do this year.
As far as the bridge pilings are concerned, no doubt four-legged predators
can get to them too. Fewer pairs of terns nest there in recent years than in
the past. I'm just not there often enough to see what goes on with the birds
and predators.
Total Common Terns: 35
Sitting on nest: 23
__________________________________________
Point of Pines, Revere Beach
10 am dst
Tide: very low, coming in slowly
Sky: clear
Temperature: 70°F (21°C)
Wind: nw 10 - 15 mph (16 - 25 kph)
Visibility: good
The tide was initially too far out for shorebirds to gather. But there were
no shorebirds in any case. I did see one Piping Plover flying around calling
at the north end of the beach, near the fenced off area, and another one
inside the snow fencing. There was a beach cleaning crew and the calling
PIPL may have been agitated by their proximity to the nesting areas, though
they did not seem to be in the fenced areas.
Brant 193
The usual large collection of Ring-billed Gulls, some Herring Gulls, no
Bonaparte's Gulls, no shorebirds
______________________________________________
Lynn / Nahant Beach, Lynn
11:30 am dst
Tide: mid, coming in
Sky: clear
Temperature: 70°F (21°C)
Wind: switched abruptly to ne 10 -15 mph (16 - 25 kph)
Visibility: good
The northern end of Nahant beach is covered with delightfully fresh mats of
Pillayella algae that the shorebirds and gulls love to pick at for
invertebrate tidbits. Check it out over the next week for incoming waves of
additional shorebirds.
The dowitchers were in a tight feeding flock at the edge of the incoming
tide directly in front of the Ward Bathhouse (north end of beach). By
walking into the water and approaching them that way, I was able to get up
within 15 feet of some for wonderful encounters.
There was also a peculiar Purple Sandpiper, peculiar only because it was on
the beach (where I've hardly ever seen one), picking at the Pillayella.
By standing in one place and surveying the algae carefully, I kept picking
out more and more shorebirds. Closer to high tide it is easier to see where
they all are because they get concentrated, but then there is greater chance
of their getting flushed by the stray dog or human. In general incoming
mid-tide has been an excellent time to check out Nahant beach.
Brant 65
Semipalmated Plover 40
Sanderling 10
Semipalmated Sandpiper 43
Least Sandpiper 3
Purple Sandpiper 1
Dunlin 1
Short-billed dowitcher 44
Bonaparte's Gull 150 (mostly subadult)
_______________________________________________
Belle Isle Marsh
3:00 - 4:00 pm est
Tide: high (high tide 3:15 pm)
Sky: clear
Temperature: 70°F (21°C)
Wind: e 10 - 15 mph (16 - 25 kph)
Visibility: good
Observers: Ron Hansen, Soheil Zendeh
I was very pleased to meet Ron, birder of Chelsea. The marsh was quiet for
high tide, but some Black-bellied Plovers have arrived. At high tide they
were roosting along an arc of small salt pans to east and northeast of the
Boardwalk.
Number of bird species: 35
American Black Duck 4
Mallard 2
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Snowy Egret 1
Green Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 1
Osprey 2
American Kestrel 1
Black-bellied Plover 48
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Willet 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Least Sandpiper 1
Ring-billed Gull 6
Herring Gull 4
Least Tern 4
Common Tern 2
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 2
Warbling Vireo 2
Common Raven 3
Tree Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 4
American Robin 3
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 5
Yellow Warbler 2
Song Sparrow 2
Bobolink 1
Red-winged Blackbird 25
Common Grackle 3
Baltimore Oriole 3
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 12
Soheil Zendeh
42 Baker Ave
Lexington, MA 02421
home phone 781-863-2392
cell phone 617-763-5637
office phone 617-528-4013
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: 5/25 Duxbury Beach ISS - Dowitchers,White-rumped
Sandpiper,Clipper Ship!
From: Rick Bowes <rbowes(AT)bowesweb.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 3:02pm
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
Sun 5/25/08 3:00-6:30pm; HiTide 3:54pm (only 9ft);Clear; Temp
53;Wind: light SW; bay and ocean calm
The highlight of the day had to be watching the clipper ship
Freedom head south out of the bay and then an hour later, having
rounded Saquish and the Gurnet point, come up the coast headed back
to Salem with most of its sails set. Duxbury kicks off summer with
"Opening the Bay" festivities on Memorial Day weekend punctuated by a
visit from a "tall ship", and given the shipbuilding history of the
town it is fun to see a tall ship sail into what once was a major
shipyard. It makes it easy to imagine what it must have been like
150 years ago to look out see these big beauties routinely coming up
the bay. And then to see it under sail on the open water was an
extra treat. Btw... while scoping the Freedom I found no trailing
Gannets or Shearwaters or even gulls ;-)
Brant numbers are way down. It appears nearly all headed north
during the week right on schedule. I only saw 9 scattered
individuals while there were easily 300-500 feeding about the Bay
last weekend. Two Red-br Mergansers are lingering along with 30-50
Common Eiders in small groups. The Great Cormorant and visiting
Purple Sandpipers appear to be gone, but I did get a flyby male
White-winged Scoter (heading south!) on the ocean side and a single
Common Loon only about halfway into breeding plumage.
As for the ISS censusing, even though the beach was swarming with
people, the birding was productive. The numbers were not the same as
last weekend, but there was plenty of evidence that migration was
proceeding in typical fashion. I had 13 shorebird species
highlighted by a nice flock of Short-billed Dowitchers on the
peninsula at High Pines. A sidebar highlight was encountering two
singing Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows (one opposite the 2nd
crossover and the other on the marsh south of High Pines).
I had my first chance to really study a White-rumped Sandpiper close
up in good light. I've pretty much always picked them out before by
seeing them fly or had them at a distance in a mixed flock. This
time I was able to slowly walk up to the bird which kept about a 20
foot distance. This individual confused me because it displayed a
two-toned bill (quite yellow for nearly a third of the lower
mandible - measured from the face), and I was unaware that
White-rumps could have this. I was much relieved to find reference
to it in Cornell's Birding Online when I got home! Otherwise it was
a pretty typical specimen in terms of the black legs, flank streaking
and a slight eyeline/brow. It displayed very little chestnut
coloration on the head, however. The bird was hanging out with two
Leasts so the size and shape differences were easy to see with the
long wings and more angular look as was the color difference - and of
course when it finally flew a few feet it flashed its signature field mark.
A troubling vignette: A pair of very animated and loud Willets were
dive-bombing three Crows in the dune between the road and the ocean
beach about 1/4 mile south of the bridge. Crows are serious
predators on the Beach and especially for the Piping Plovers -
they've learned to follow the beach monitors and so they, now, have
to take care not to give away the locations of nests. I don't know
whether the Crows were successful with the Willets' nest or not;
perhaps the fierceness of the Willet attacks and their very
formidable bills will give the Crows pause.. somehow I doubt it, however.
Shorebirds (13 species):
Black-bellied Plover - 87 scattered about, no real flocks
Semipalmated Plover - 38 In the rocks at water's edge on bay
side, mostly north of High Pines
Piping Plover - 3 individuals, their mates probably tending nests
Killdeer - 1 Gurnet marsh
Greater Yellowlegs - 1 High Pines with Turnstones and Dunlin
Willet - 18 Scattered about; mostly pairs
Ruddy Turnstone - 167 Scattered with most in Gurnet marsh
Sanderling - 21 two small flocks on bayside.
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 2 with the Semi Plovers
Least Sandpiper - 14 in marshy areas south of High Pines to Gurnet
White-rumped Sandpiper - 1 on High Pines peninsula
Dunlin - 238 All from High Pines south to Gurnet in grassy and
marshy areas
Short-billed Dowitcher - 34 One flock on High Pines peninsula
(could also see from road)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rick Bowes
rbowes(AT)bowesweb.com
PO Box 1637, Duxbury, MA 02331
----DELETED text/html MIME SECTION----
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Monday, May 26, Best Yardbird EVER!
From: John Galluzzo <johnjgalluzzo(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 3:20pm
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
I woke up this morning in South Weymouth to do some writing, and was surpri=
sed by a seeping noise outside my office window - a Cape May warbler! I don=
't know if I'll ever be able to top that one as a yard bird.
=20
John Galluzzo
South Weymouth, MA
_________________________________________________________________
Make every e-mail and IM count. Join the i=92m Initiative from Microsoft.
http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Join/Default.aspx?source=3DEML_WL_ MakeCoun=
t=
----DELETED text/html MIME SECTION----
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: RE: [Arlington Birds] Bicknell's Thrush-YES
From: "Floyd, Chris" <chrisf(AT)mitre.org>
Date: 26 May 2008 4:18pm
Several of us heard the Bicknell's Thrush singing clearly as late as
6:30 p.m. yesterday (5/25) and possibly later though wind noise began
to make hearing difficult. A little before 8:00 a dull-backed thrush
dropped down and worked its way eastward along the edge of Magnolia
Avenue. The light by then was not sufficient to be sure even of
Swainson's versus Gray-cheeked type. Mike Noland heard the bird and
saw it on the ground, though not much detail, around 4:00. To my
knowledge, the only birders to get any kind of look at the bird were
Mike, Cliff Cook and Jeffrey. None of them saw it well enough to
describe any of the nuances that are tendencies for Bicknell's versus
Gray-cheeked. If anyone had the good fortune to see this bird well, it
would be nice to hear your impressions, particularly of tail-back
contrast, facial coloration and extent of pale coloration on the
mandible. Very nicely, so far as I know, everyone with a trained ear
who heard this bird sing clearly, recognized immediately the upturn of
pitch toward the end of the song, distinctive for Bicknell's.
Chris Floyd
Lexington
chrisf(AT)mitre.org
From: arlingtonbirds(AT)yahoogroups.com
[mailto:arlingtonbirds(AT)yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jeffrey Offermann
Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 11:39 AM
To: Massbird; Boston Birds; Arlingtonbirds
Subject: [Arlington Birds] Bicknell's Thrush-YES
I was at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge when I got a call alerting
me
that a SINGING Bicknell's Thrush had been located. I went to the scene,
but
its discoverer, Chris Floyd had lost it at that point. A search ensued.
Eventually, I circled back to its original location, and had a clear
look at
a Grey-cheeked type thrush. I called folks over to the spot, but by
then the
bird moved high into a maple. But then it sang! Several times--a
classic
Bicknell's song with a rising inflection at the end. Chris also heard
it
call (the Phew! note) before I got there.
Thanks to Chris for finding this bird, which until now I'd never
counted in
Massachusetts before, and to Fay Vale for calling to tell me about it
in the
first place!
Best,
Jeffrey Offermann
Cambridge
offermannATcomcastDOTnet
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: birds of a May vacation
From: "David Larson" <redpoll(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 5:40pm
Susan and I had the past week off. Here are some of our highlights:
5/17/2008
Common Raven from our yard in Bradford
adult Northern Goshawk flying lazy circles over our heads in West Newbury
6 Yellow-throated Vireos in one spot in Groveland
5/19/2008
Barred Owl in Haverhill
9 Wilson's Phalaropes in the pools near Pikul's Farm in Rowley
5/20/2008
Hooded, Cerulean, and several Worm-eating Warblers at Wompatuck State Park in
Hingham
3 Spotted Sandpipers feeding on the gravel carriage path at Worlds End
Reservation
in Hingham
5/22/2008
40 Purple Sandpipers flying around the Dog Bar jetty at Eastern Point in
Gloucester
a Black Guillemot in breeding plumage off Andrews Point in Rockport
5/23/2008
Louisiana Waterthrush along the brook at Gate 15, Quabbin Reservoir,
2 Grasshopper Sparrows singing at Turner's Falls Airport
5/24/2008
4 American Oystercatchers at Snake Island in Winthrop
Still 6 Wilson's Phalaropes (3 pairs) at Pikul's
5/25/2008
Black-billed Cuckoo behind our house
5/26/2008
Black-billed Cuckoo still behind our house
Imm. Little Gull in Newburyport Harbor
Dave
David Larson
Bradford, MA
mailto:redpoll(AT)comcast.net
http://www.larsonweb.org
"The classification of living birds, or, for that matter, any other large group
of
animals, is full of hopeless difficulties and insoluble problems." Ludlow
Griscom
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: moving a bird nest question
From: "Janice F. Jorgensen" <janicejorgensen(AT)charter.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 5:46pm
We are tearing down an old shed that has a phoebe nest in it. Anything we
can do to "move the nest" or some other suggestion?
Janice F. Jorgensen
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Plymouth and Falmouth 5/26/08
From: Ian Davies <goshawk227(AT)earthlink.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 5:38pm
I wlaked around my neighborhood this morning again from 0515-0630, not nearly as
much activity as yesterday. The
Acadian Flycatcher (ACFL) was not calling/present. I was surprised that it wasnt
there, it was perfect breeding habitat. Perhaps it's still around..
Only 10 warblers today, but a Tennessee (TEWA) is still hanging around, and a
Nashville (NAWA) was a new addition. Blackpoll (BLPW) numbers are down, but
still quite common here.
Then Ida Giriunas picked me up at 0730 and we went to Falmouth in search of
Clay-colored Sparrows (CCSP) and Kentucky Warbler (KEWA).
Sadly we missed both, it seems that the KEWA most likely moved out last night
with the massive push that went over Mass, and it was so windy at Crane that the
CCSP were most likely hunkered down. Ah well.
Six Grasshopper Sparrows (GRSP) were a nice consolation though.
After that we headed back to Plymouth for some quick birding, but not much
around, and then it got too hot and stifling to bird. Full list from this
morning and highlights from later on are below.
Bartlett Pond area by foot (0515-0630):
(Vinebrook, Arboretum, and Fair Oaks Roads, and Emerson Field)
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 5
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1 - Vinebrook Rd, same place as yesterday
Chimney Swift 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Empidonax sp. 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 3
Eastern Kingbird 1
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 5
Fish Crow 2
Tree Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 4
House Wren 3
Veery 1
Gray Catbird 15
European Starling 11
Cedar Waxwing 53
Tennessee Warbler 1 - Fair Oaks Rd
Nashville Warbler 1 - Fair Oaks Rd
Yellow Warbler 8
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 3
Blackpoll Warbler 10
American Redstart 1
Ovenbird 3
Common Yellowthroat 7
Wilson's Warbler 1
Scarlet Tanager 1 (Yard bird #149)
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 4
Northern Cardinal 8
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 9
Common Grackle 20
Brown-headed Cowbird 3
Baltimore Oriole 9
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 10
51 species
Crane WMA and Matt Souza Conservation Area (0810-0940):
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Veery 2 - Souza
Northern Mockingbird 2
Northern Parula 1 - Souza
Yellow Warbler 7
Pine Warbler 4
Prairie Warbler 9 - Crane
Ovenbird 4 - Souza
Common Yellowthroat 6
Eastern Towhee 4
Field Sparrow 3 - Crane
Savannah Sparrow 4 - Crane
Grasshopper Sparrow 6 - Crane
13 species
Plymouth Harbor edge (1010-1100)
Brant (Atlantic) 2
Surf Scoter 4
Great Egret 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 - Opposite Nook Rd
Black-bellied Plover 88 - Nelsons Beach
Ruddy Turnstone 9 - Nelsons Beach
Sanderling 9 - Nelsons Beach
Semipalmated Sandpiper 6 - Nelsons Beach
Dunlin 70 - Nelsons Beach
Laughing Gull 28
Least Tern 11
Common Tern 60
Sterna sp. 800 - End of Plymouth beach as usual. Probably all Common.
Willow Flycatcher 1 - Opposite Nook Rd
Warbling Vireo 2
15 species
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Good birding,
Ian Davies
Manomet, MA
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: moving a bird nest question
From: Eddie <emgiles(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 7:38pm
Janice F. Jorgensen wrote:
> We are tearing down an old shed that has a phoebe nest in it.
> Anything we can do to "move the nest" or some other suggestion?
*Wait until the chicks are fledged.
Eddie
*
*
***************************
Eddie, Maura, & Jason Giles
East Bridgewater, MA
emgiles(AT)verizon.net*
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: northeast Quabbin 5/26
From: "Mark Lynch" <moa.lynch(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 7:54pm
From well before dawn till after noon, we atlased ONE block in northeast
QUABBIN: Shutesbury 10, which is partly in Petersham and partly in New
Salem. Atlas blocks are really not that big and are much smaller than what
people know as a “QUAD”. This “birdable” area of this block is even smaller
because about half of it is reservoir water. We birded from gate 35-gate37,
and then covered the shore of gate 22. All of these areas are part of this
one block. It is interesting to spend so much time in such a small area,
you get to recognize individual birds on territory. One highlight today, was
birding an old (a few years) logging road where DCR crews had cut down
selected trees as part of their forestry projects. New growth was really
starting to come back, but it still wasn’t completely re-forested yet by any
stretch of the imagination and the area was quite open. You had great views
of species like Chest-sided and Prairie Warblers; Scarlet Tanager, and
Eastern Wood Peewee as they found mates and began to build nests. For an
atlaser looking for bird behavior, it was a pretty ideal situation.
Migration, like yesterday, was pretty poor, and most birds were migrant
breeders.
Common Loon (5: two pairs and one un-paired. One pair spent most of the
morning quickly flying up and down this part of the reservoir, calling
loudly. We found another pair when a boater pulled up to a small island to
relieve himself and flushed a pair of loons from the immediate shoreline of
island right next to him. )
Double-crested Cormorant (2ad+4imm)
Turkey Vulture (3)
Canada Goose (45: still some flocks flying north)
Wood Duck (pair)
Mallard (1f)
Hooded Merganser (1f)
Bald Eagle (2ad: there are two nests in this block, but only 1 of them is
actually visible from the gate 35 shore)
NORTHERN HARRIER (1adF: while in the logged over area, we looked up and saw
the harrier slowly circling above us and eventually out of sight. Not
typical at all at this time of the year)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Ruffed Grouse (2 drumming)
Wild Turkey (5ad: no poults yet)
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (1: odd bird out today. Gate 35 can sometimes get
plovers, yellowlegs, dunlin et in FALL when there is low water, but spring
shorebirds are much more erratic)
Spotted Sandpiper (4: 2 pair)
Ring-billed Gull (4 1stS)
Morning Dove (5)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1m)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (5)
Downy Woodpecker (3)
Hairy Woodpecker (2)
N Flicker (1)
Eastern Wood Peewee (got to watch a pair doing courtship displays and mate
several times)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (1)
Alder Flycatcher (1)
Least Flycatcher (4)
Eastern Phoebe (3)
Great Crested Flycatcher (4)
Eastern Kingbird (5)
Yellow-throated Vireo (3)
Blue-headed Vireo (3)
Red-eyed Vireo (42)
Blue Jay (5)
A Crow (10)
C Raven (1)
Tree Swallow (10+)
Black-capped Chickadee (7)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (1: ridiculously low)
White-breasted Nuthatch (3)
Brown Creeper (3)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (4)
Veery (27: at dawn we bumped into Dr. Donald Kroodsma in the block. He was
studying Veery vocalization. When I told him I just had a Veery perched on
this ruin of an old stone bridge, he immediately called out the bird’s study
number. Don had a lot to say about female oriole vocalizations done while
nesting. Apparently there will be a new book coming out.)
Swainson’s Thrush (1)
Hermit Thrush (2: low)
American Robin (12)
Gray Catbird (9)
Cedar Waxwing (20: still flocking)
WARBLERS:
Chestnut-sided (30)
Magnolia (3)
Black-throated Blue (19)
Yellow-rumped (7)
Black-throated Green (12)
Blackburnian (4)
Pine (27)
Prairie (10)
Blackpoll (1)
Black and White (17)
A Redstart (24)
Ovenbird (22)
C Yellowthroat (21)
Canada (1)
Scarlet Tanager (15)
Eastern Towhee (21)
Chipping Sparrow (33: we watched a crow land on the main path that runs
along the shore in gate 35. This bird would walk into the grass and brush
about ten feet and scarf stuff up. As best as we could tell, the crow was
eating Chipping Sparrow eggs/hatchlings)
Song Sparrow (5)
Swamp Sparrow (2)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (6)
Indigo Bunting (1)
Red-winged Blackbird (15)
C Grackle (5)
Brown-headed Cowbird (7)
Baltimore Oriole (18)
A Goldfinch (2)
PLUS: a good selection of mammals: Striped Skunk; Beaver; White-tiled Deer;
Woodchuck; Red Fox. But the weirdest sighting was of a medium-sized very
reddish looking BAT hovering and darting above the water, not ten feet out
and periodically, it would swoop down and either get a drink or take
something off the surface of the water. It’s quick, fluttering flight made
getting clear looks impossible despite the bright sunshine and close
proximity.
Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll
Moa.lynch(AT)verizon.net
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.24.0/1462 - Release Date: 5/23/2008
7:20 AM
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Mt. Auburn Bicknell's; Oxbow today
From: Paul Cozza <pcozza(AT)alum.mit.edu>
Date: 26 May 2008 7:52pm
Here is a (belated) picture of the Bicknell's Thrush that has been
present at Mt. Auburn Cemetery yesterday and today:
http://picasaweb.google.com/PaulCozza/MtAuburnBicknellSThrush/photo#5204835565076778034
This morning I spent a while at Oxbow NWR. It was pleasant, though not
overly birdy. Seems that most of the migrants have passed through
already. However, Blue-winged Warblers are at their usual place along
the entrance road near the railroad tracks. Additionally, apparently
at least one pair of Yellow-throated Vireos has now taken up residence
in the reserve. About three weeks ago I heard one singing along the
Tank Rd. Today, in the same spot there were two, one of which was
still singing loudly. They are about 100 yards done Tank Rd. from the
gate. The song is so loud it's pretty hard to miss.
Paul Cozza
Concord, MA
pcozza(AT)alum.mit.edu
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Roseate Terns - North Falmouth
From: Ian Nisbet <icnisbet(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 8:10pm
There was again a flock of about 250 terns - almost all roseates -
feeding in Wild Harbor this evening.
Ian Nisbet
North Falmouth
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: RE: northeast Quabbin 5/26
From: "Scott Ricker" <ptbagger(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 8:42pm
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
MassBirders,
This is a response to Mark Lynch' comments about Dr Donald Kroodsma and
female oriole vocalizations done while nesting;
I had an Oriole calling around my house today that I never saw until about
4:30, I mean I left and went to a cookout and came back and the bird was
still calling. I couldn't figure out what this bird was, I mean I thought it
was a newly arrived vireo because of the nature of the call but after
looking in "All about Birds"/Cornell and listening to many vireos, I
couldn't pin-point this bird. After I saw the Oriole and confirmed that this
bird was making this very clear and consistant call, I looked again on "All
About Birds" and listened to those call notes, but didn't here anything
close to what this Oriole was doing.
I know Orioles have a variety of calls, I have heard them for years and
understand there variety of calls but this was a unique call to me.
Scott Ricker
Southwick, MA.
ptbagger(AT)verizon.net
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.1/1468 - Release Date: 5/26/2008
3:23 PM
----INCLUDING message/rfc822 MIME SECTION----
---- DELETING EXCESS HEADER LINES ----
Reply-To: "Mark Lynch" <moa.lynch(AT)verizon.net>
From: "Mark Lynch" <moa.lynch(AT)verizon.net>
Sender: <massbird-approval(AT)world.std.com>
To: "Massbird" <massbird(AT)world.std.com>
Subject: [MASSBIRD] northeast Quabbin 5/26
Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 19:53:53 -0400
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
From well before dawn till after noon, we atlased ONE block in northeast
QUABBIN: Shutesbury 10, which is partly in Petersham and partly in New
Salem. Atlas blocks are really not that big and are much smaller than =
what
people know as a =93QUAD=94. This =93birdable=94 area of this block is =
even smaller
because about half of it is reservoir water. We birded from gate =
35-gate37,
and then covered the shore of gate 22. All of these areas are part of =
this
one block. It is interesting to spend so much time in such a small =
area,
you get to recognize individual birds on territory. One highlight today, =
was
birding an old (a few years) logging road where DCR crews had cut down
selected trees as part of their forestry projects. New growth was really
starting to come back, but it still wasn=92t completely re-forested yet =
by any
stretch of the imagination and the area was quite open. You had great =
views
of species like Chest-sided and Prairie Warblers; Scarlet Tanager, and
Eastern Wood Peewee as they found mates and began to build nests. For an
atlaser looking for bird behavior, it was a pretty ideal situation.
Migration, like yesterday, was pretty poor, and most birds were migrant
breeders.
Common Loon (5: two pairs and one un-paired. One pair spent most of the
morning quickly flying up and down this part of the reservoir, calling
loudly. We found another pair when a boater pulled up to a small island =
to
relieve himself and flushed a pair of loons from the immediate shoreline =
of
island right next to him. )
Double-crested Cormorant (2ad+4imm)
Turkey Vulture (3)
Canada Goose (45: still some flocks flying north)
Wood Duck (pair)
Mallard (1f)
Hooded Merganser (1f)
Bald Eagle (2ad: there are two nests in this block, but only 1 of them =
is
actually visible from the gate 35 shore)
NORTHERN HARRIER (1adF: while in the logged over area, we looked up and =
saw
the harrier slowly circling above us and eventually out of sight. Not
typical at all at this time of the year)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Ruffed Grouse (2 drumming)
Wild Turkey (5ad: no poults yet)
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (1: odd bird out today. Gate 35 can sometimes get
plovers, yellowlegs, dunlin et in FALL when there is low water, but =
spring
shorebirds are much more erratic)
Spotted Sandpiper (4: 2 pair)
Ring-billed Gull (4 1stS)
Morning Dove (5)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1m)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (5)
Downy Woodpecker (3)
Hairy Woodpecker (2)
N Flicker (1)
Eastern Wood Peewee (got to watch a pair doing courtship displays and =
mate
several times)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (1)
Alder Flycatcher (1)
Least Flycatcher (4)
Eastern Phoebe (3)
Great Crested Flycatcher (4)
Eastern Kingbird (5)
Yellow-throated Vireo (3)
Blue-headed Vireo (3)
Red-eyed Vireo (42)
Blue Jay (5)
A Crow (10)
C Raven (1)
Tree Swallow (10+)
Black-capped Chickadee (7)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (1: ridiculously low)
White-breasted Nuthatch (3)
Brown Creeper (3)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (4)
Veery (27: at dawn we bumped into Dr. Donald Kroodsma in the block. He =
was
studying Veery vocalization. When I told him I just had a Veery perched =
on
this ruin of an old stone bridge, he immediately called out the bird=92s =
study
number. Don had a lot to say about female oriole vocalizations done =
while
nesting. Apparently there will be a new book coming out.)
Swainson=92s Thrush (1)
Hermit Thrush (2: low)
American Robin (12)
Gray Catbird (9)
Cedar Waxwing (20: still flocking)
WARBLERS:
Chestnut-sided (30)
Magnolia (3)
Black-throated Blue (19)
Yellow-rumped (7)
Black-throated Green (12)
Blackburnian (4)
Pine (27)
Prairie (10)
Blackpoll (1)
Black and White (17)
A Redstart (24)
Ovenbird (22)
C Yellowthroat (21)
Canada (1)
Scarlet Tanager (15)
Eastern Towhee (21)
Chipping Sparrow (33: we watched a crow land on the main path that runs
along the shore in gate 35. This bird would walk into the grass and =
brush
about ten feet and scarf stuff up. As best as we could tell, the crow =
was
eating Chipping Sparrow eggs/hatchlings)
Song Sparrow (5)
Swamp Sparrow (2)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (6)
Indigo Bunting (1)
Red-winged Blackbird (15)
C Grackle (5)
Brown-headed Cowbird (7)
Baltimore Oriole (18)
A Goldfinch (2)
PLUS: a good selection of mammals: Striped Skunk; Beaver; White-tiled =
Deer;
Woodchuck; Red Fox. But the weirdest sighting was of a medium-sized very
reddish looking BAT hovering and darting above the water, not ten feet =
out
and periodically, it would swoop down and either get a drink or take
something off the surface of the water. It=92s quick, fluttering flight =
made
getting clear looks impossible despite the bright sunshine and close
proximity.
Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll
Moa.lynch(AT)verizon.net
No virus found in this outgoing message.
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Subject: Mt Auburn 5/26
From: Linda Ferraresso <tattler1(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 9:34pm
Since I don't see any reports from Mt Auburn today, here are a few birds
seen there this a.m.
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Eastern Wood Pewee
1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (2nd hand report)
2 Alder Flycatcher
2 Willow Flycatcher
2 Least Flycatcher
2 Great Crested Flycatcher
2 Eastern Kingbird
2 Red-eyed Vireo
2 House Wren
1 Swainson's Thrush
2 Wood Thrush (with nesting material)
3 Cedar Waxwing
2 Yellow Warbler
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
3 Blackpoll Warbler
3 American Redstart
3 Canada Warbler
Cheers!
Linda
--
Linda Ferraresso
Watertown, MA
tattler1(at)verizon(dot)net
“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark" -
Tagore
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Subject: Notes from Nahanton Park, Newton
From: hrm(AT)math.mit.edu (Haynes Miller)
Date: 26 May 2008 9:36pm
Notes from Nahanton Park, Newton
Two or three pairs of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are nesting this year.
Fewer House Wrens than in past years. Many Yellow Warblers and Baltimore
Orioles. Great-crested Flycatcher, Wood Thrush.
Eastern Bluebird (pair tending the left box in front of the upper garden)
May 21:
Magnolia Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Osprey (flyover)
Scarlet Tananger (Woodcock field)
May 23:
Black-billed Cuckoo (woods between the soccer field and the lower garden)
Northern Waterthrush (pond)
Broad-winged Hawk (flyover)
American Redstart (at least 4 - probably breeding)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (2 males)
Willow Flycatcher (heard and seen at upper garden)
Eastern Kingbird
May 25:
Northern Harrier (flyover)
Snowy Egret (flyover)
Orchard Oriole (first year male, in song)
Cedar Waxwings
Haynes Miller
Newton
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Subject: Plum Island 5/26
From: "Bird Watcher's Supply & Gift" <birdwsg(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 26 May 2008 10:26pm
Margo Goetschkes and I birded Plum Island today and saw the following birds:
Location: Plum Island
Observation date: 5/26/08
Number of species: 96
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan 12
Gadwall X
American Black Duck X
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler 2
Green-winged Teal 3
Double-crested Cormorant X
Great Egret 6
Snowy Egret 14
Little Blue Heron 1, Margo
Turkey Vulture 1, Margo
Osprey 2
Bald Eagle 1, Margo
Northern Harrier 2
Virginia Rail 1
Sora 1
Common Moorhen 1
Black-bellied Plover 40
Semipalmated Plover 25
Killdeer 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1, Margo
Greater Yellowlegs 6
Willet 16
Ruddy Turnstone 4
Semipalmated Sandpiper 200
Least Sandpiper 15
White-rumped Sandpiper 2
Dunlin 4
Short-billed Dowitcher 4
American Woodcock 1
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Least Tern 6
Common Tern 8
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Black-billed Cuckoo 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 4
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Alder Flycatcher 1
Willow Flycatcher 5
Least Flycatcher 1
Empidonax sp. 3
Eastern Kingbird 8
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Purple Martin 12
Tree Swallow 30
Barn Swallow 12
Black-capped Chickadee X
Marsh Wren X
Veery 1
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Northern Mockingbird 2
Brown Thrasher 2
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing X
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Northern Parula 2
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler 3
Magnolia Warbler 14
Black-throated Blue Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 2
American Redstart X
Northern Waterthrush 1
Common Yellowthroat X
Wilson's Warbler 3
Canada Warbler 1
Scarlet Tanager 1
Eastern Towhee X
Field Sparrow 3
Savannah Sparrow 2
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow 6
Seaside Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow X
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal X
Bobolink X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Eastern Meadowlark 2
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Baltimore Oriole 5
Purple Finch 7
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Steve Grinley
Bird Watcher's Supply & Gift and Nature Shop at Joppa Flats
Newburyport, MA
BirdWSG(AT)Verizon.net
978-462-0775
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Subject: Seabird and Whale Tales on June 8th
From: Carol Carson <krillcarson(AT)mac.com>
Date: 26 May 2008 10:35pm
Hello: Tickets are still available for our Seabird &Whale Tales
excursion, Sunday, June 8th, 2008 from 8 am to 6 pm.
Join us for an exciting marine wildlife cruise to support local
marine education and widlife conservation. This all day event is
sponsored by the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) and
OceanQuest Hands-on Marine Education (OQ). Wildlife experts Wayne
Petersen (Massachusetts Audubon), David Clapp (Natural History
Services), Dr. John C. Jahoda (Bridgewater State College) and Carol
"Krill" Carson (NECWA) lead this informative excursion to view
seabirds, whales, dolphins and basking sharks off New England.
Our course is set along the beautiful Cape Cod coast, traveling in
style aboard the “Tails of the Sea”, a 110 foot luxury commercial
whale watching vessel owned and operated by the Captain John Boats of
Plymouth. The cruise is from 8 am to 6 pm and leaves from the
Plymouth Town Pier. Enjoy our fully guided commentary, plankton
demonstrations, chumming for seabirds, a full galley of delicious
homemade food and our free nature-themed onboard raffle.
Please visit www.oceanquest.org or www.necwa.org to learn more about
this amazing trip or to download the registration form. Or call
508-385-7656 to book your reservation today.
Ticket price is $110. Reserve your ticket today for space is limited
to ensure a comfortable ride offshore.
For more trip information, contact Krill Carson at 508-946-4345 or
krillcarson(AT)mac.com or call OceanQuest at 508-385-7656. This is a
fundraising event for NECWA and OQ who are both registered 501(c) 3
non-profit organizations.
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