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NH.Birds for Sunday, May 25, 2008
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Subject: Re: (no subject)
From: "Chet" <c_farwell(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 25 May 2008 12:04am
Speaking of which, I happened upon a family of them yesterday at
Pickering Ponds.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrc_5150/2519529747/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrc_5150/2520348972/
Chet
Dover, NH
**GBA===
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrc_5150
----- Original Message -----
From: JORYANDBRENDA(AT)aol.com
To: New Hampshire Birds
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2008 10:04 PM
Subject: (no subject)
We have three new born canada geese at our pond here in Effingham.
Jory, Brenda and Maggy
**************Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with
Tyler Florence" on AOL Food.
(http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4&?NCID=aolfod00030000000002)
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: NH Big Day - 140 Species (Sooty Shearwater, Brant & Scoter
migration!)
From: Steve Mirick <smirick(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 25 May 2008 10:26am
Jane and I did a "Big Day" yesterday for the NH Audubon Birdathon where
we attempted to see or hear as many species as we could in one day. We
covered southeastern New Hampshire. I have now been doing these May
"Big Days" just about every year for about 21 years. We started the day
in Portsmouth at 2:55 AM and we finished at Chapman's Landing at 8:30 PM
(17 1/2 hours non-stop). Along the way, we birded in Durham, Newmarket,
Nottingham, Epping, Brentwood, Exeter, Kensington and the seacoast from
Seabrook north to Portsmouth, the Pease International Tradeport,
Greenland and Stratham.
The morning weather was decent, but a bit cold and light winds. The
winds picked up considerably however, and by noon they were blowing our
hats off. Memorial day beach goers clogged the seacoast making it a bit
difficult to find roosting shorebirds at high tide as fishermen were in
the marshes and beach goers were all over the Hampton harbor breakwater.
We ended up with 140 species which is pretty good. Especially
considering we picked up over 10 species after leaving the seacoast at
the end of the day. Totals since 2003 are 2003-144, 2004-137, 2005-144,
2006-154, 2007-150, and now 2008-140. The day was rather ordinary with
few surprises to start. No migrant flocks and birds were slow to come
by and nothing terribly out of place. The day finished with a bang,
however as we picked up a Sooty Shearwater from Odiorne late in the day,
and then witnessed a spectacular scoter migration which included Brant
and Short-billed Dowitchers.
Time - 3:00 AM to 8:30 PM
Temp - 46F - 68F
Clouds - Partly sunny to mostly cloudy
Winds - Strong NW winds during late morning and through afternoon at 10
- 25 mph. Light in morning and calm by dusk.
Miles by Car (not proud of this) - 225 door to door.
Total Species - 140
Red-throated Loon - 2 off Seabrook Beach
Common Loon - Including one calling off Odiorne.
RED-NECKED GREBE - Nice breeding plumage bird off Bicentennial Park
picked out by Jane.
HORNED GREBE - Nice breeding plumage bird on Rye side of town line cove.
SOOTY SHEARWATER - The biggest surprise, and best bird of the day by far
from Odiorne Point in Rye. After searching offshore for 10 minutes and
watching migrating scoters, Jane and I incredibly got on this bird at
the same time as it was swimming at a medium distance offshore. Any
doubts as to its identity were quickly eliminated when it finally took
flight. This is one of only a few Sooty Shearwater records for me from
shore, and my first May Big day record. I had a similar sighting
experience with Mark Suomala with Sooty Shearwater seen from
Hampton/Seabrook breakwater on 5/28/02.
Great Cormorant - 1 nice immature at Rye Ledge
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret - Only 1
Snowy Egret - Only 1
Green Heron - Gile Road marsh only
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 adult from Ft. Constitution in New Castle.
BRANT - Wonderful INLAND MIGRATION flight of 50 total. Flock of 8,
flock of 10, and beautiful flock of 30. Flying over our heads heading
NORTHWEST as seen from McIntyre Road in Newington looking over the
Pease Tradeport.
Canada Goose - Including goslings.
Mute Swan
Wood Duck - Including bachelor flock of 14 (!) males off Squamscott Road
in Stratham.
American Black Duck - Only 1 for day on Great Bay.
Mallard - Including ducklings
Common Eider - No young seen yet on coast.
Long-tailed Duck - 1 male off Hampton Beach
Surf Scoter - Two or three
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - SPECTACULAR INLAND MIGRATION FLIGHT of 2,500+ in
the early evening. Almost all of these from McIntyre Road in Newington
looking over the Pease Tradeport to the east. Birds moving generally
northwestward, but clearly moving inland leaving the saltwater for the
next several months. We first noted that scoters were moving from
Odiorne when we had about a couple of hundred flying at about 5:30, but
then we noted about another 100 moving from near the Portsmouth Hospital
a bit later. Then they started flying like crazy while we were in
Newington at about 7:00 PM. Truth be told, the majority of these were
unidentified scoters, however several hundred were definitely
White-winged and no dark-winged scoters were noted. And history seems
to indicate that White-winged Scoters undergo a remarkable spring flight
at very close to this date. (ie. 5,170 White-winged Scoters migrating
along coast 5/24/04, 4,500 scoter sp. migrating at dusk along coast
5/22/99 with 150 Brant, and 300 scoter sp. migrating at dusk in Durham
with 75 Brant!)
Red-breasted Merganser - Single flock of about a dozen south of Rye Ledge.
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Broad-winged Hawk - 1 1st year bird molting primaries in Epping.
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel - About 3 for the day
Wild Turkey - 2
Virginia Rail - 1 at Exeter WWTP
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs - 10 on Great Bay only. NONE ON COAST!
Solitary Sandpiper - 1 off Longmarsh Road in Durham
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
UPLAND SANDPIPER - Scope views of a couple near tarmac at Pease and then
wonderful display fights and vocalizations of a couple of birds off
McIntyre Road in late afternoon.
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER - Out-of-place flock of 32 at Pulpit Rocks in
Rye, then excellent INLAND MIGRATION flock of 100+ flying generally
north (not cutting inland) from McIntyre Road in Newington. Seen during
late afternoon at same time as the scoters and brant were moving.
Semipalmated Sandpiper - A few in Hampton marsh
Least Sandpiper - One or two at Sandy Point in Stratham at last stop of
the day. NONE ALONG THE COAST.
Purple Sandpiper - Couple of flocks along the coast.
Dunlin - A few roosting in Hampton marsh
American Woodcock - 1 displaying off Bennett Road in Durham at dawn.
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Tern
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl - 5 for day including 3 adults and 1 calling juvenile from
Longmarsh Road in Durham. Then one stunning drive by sighting in early
afternoon in Epping.
Common Nighthawk - First bird of day. Calling over lights near Great
Bog in Portsmouth.
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2 seen by me during the day. Both missed by
Jane.
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker - Almost missed this one. Only 1 at Powderhouse Pond.
Pileated Woodpecker - 1 drumming in Nottingham.
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Alder Flycatcher - 1 singing at "super secret spot" in Kensington
Willow Flycatcher - 3 individuals singing from various locations.
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird - Including bird building nest.
Horned Lark - 2 on tarmac at Pease Tradeport.
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven - 1 in Durham being dive-bombed by a crow, and 2 at Gravel
Pit in Newmarket.
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1 in Epping.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Kimball Road in Kensington.
Eastern Bluebird
Veery - Including two different birds building nests.
Hermit Thrush - Only 1 for day in Durham.
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing - VERY close to missing. Finally saw 2 at Odiorne.
European Starling
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo - At least 5 today.
Warbling Vireo
Red-Eyed Vireo
Blue-winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler - Including very late migrant flock of about 5 at
Powderhouse Pond in Exeter.
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush - 1 singing on territory in Kensington.
Louisianna Waterthrush - 2 singing on territory near Round Pond in
Nottingham.
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler - At least 3 for the day.
Canada Warbler - At least 3 for the day including one singing on
territory in Kensington.
Scarlet Tanager - Lots
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting - Lots
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow - 1 singing off McIntyre Road in Newington.
Savannah Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow - A couple singing at dusk at Chapman's
Landing. No Nelson's, however.
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow - A couple at Odiorne only
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole - Male and female at Powderhouse Pond in Exeter. In
field to the rear near Len's Bluebird boxes.
Baltimore Oriole - Including bird building nest high in White Pine
tree. ?Unusual in pine?
Purple Finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak - 1 or 2 vocalizing off Deerfield Road in Nottingham.
House Sparrow
Birds MISSED!
-----------------
Black Scoter - 1 seen Thursday off Bicentennial Park. Not present today.
Hooded Merganser
Piping Plover - None seen on Seabrook Beach and we didn't want to go
through the hassle of seeing them on Hampton Beach even though we could
see the exlosed area of the nest.
Ruddy Turnstone - Many of the roosting shorebirds seen Thursday were not
in the same location today due to human disturbance.
Roseate Tern - First miss since 2002. Partly because we weren't at
Hampton Harbor at low tide.
Bonaparte's Gull - Rarely missed.
Laughing Gull
Iceland - Glaucous - Black-headed Gulls - None to be expected, however
all 3 reported withing the last week along the NH seacoast.
Cliff Swallow - By the time we got to Exeter area it was windy and very
few swallows were present. Birds NOT at lighthouse in New Castle. 2nd
miss ever?
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 1st miss EVER! Tactical error not to
search Newmarket due to construction. Expected to see in Exeter, but
was wrong!
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Brown Creeper
Blackpoll Warbler - Very few migrant flocks of warblers inland. We
didn't search extensively along the coast due to winds and time constraints.
Other Biodiversity
-------------------
Opossum
Coyote - Beautiful looks at animal at Moore Fields in Durham.
bat sp.
Beaver
Woodchuck
Harbor Seal
Red Squirrel
Gray Squirrel
Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail
Pearl Crescent
Clouded Sulphur
Cabbage White
Spring Azure
Duskywing sp.
Odonate sp. - Lots of odes flying at Brentwood. Teneral whitefaces and
corporals?
Steve & Jane Mirick
Bradford, MA
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Correction on date
From: Steve Mirick <smirick(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 25 May 2008 10:44am
Unfortunately, this sentence was not finished!
> (ie. 5,170 White-winged Scoters migrating along coast 5/24/04, 4,500
> scoter sp. migrating at dusk along coast 5/22/99 with 150 Brant, and
> 300 scoter sp. migrating at dusk in Durham with 75 Brant!)
The 300 scoter sp. and 75 Brant were seen off Packer's Falls Road in
Durham during a Big Day effort with Mark Suomala and Pam Hunt on May 24,
1996! Funny how the date of May 24th seems go come up quite a bit for
this migration!
Steve Mirick
Bradford, MA
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Hancock Shorebirds
From: "RICHARD FRECHETTE" <frechette7(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 25 May 2008 12:58pm
Powdermill Pond, Contoocook River at Elmwood Junction in Hancock:
26 Short-billed Dowitchers
2 Greater Yellowlegs
5-7 Spotted Sandpipers
2 Solitary Sandpipers
12-16 Semipalmated Sandpipers
1 Killdeer
Another Short-billed Dow at Noone,s Falls in Peterborough
Rich Frechette
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: my mistake - Hancock shorebirds
From: "RICHARD FRECHETTE" <frechette7(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 25 May 2008 1:32pm
That should have said Semipalmated Plovers, not sandpipers
Rich Frechette
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Human Powered Birdathon
From: "RICHARD FRECHETTE" <frechette7(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 25 May 2008 1:35pm
Eric Laid down the gauntlet, so we decided to pick it up and run (cycle?) with
it. In hopes of bettering our total of 118 species in 2006, Scott Spangenberg
and I, the Peddling Peregrene's decided to alter our route a bit, and to
eliminate the walking and canoeing parts. This allowed us time to try for
some higher altitude habitats. The weather was perfect except for some
periods of high winds.
We started our quest at 0300 in search of owls and rails, and met with great
sucess. Sora and Virginia Rails called loudly as we admires Jupiter and her
moons over the wetland at Gracie's Grains on Rte 202 in Peterborough. Four
species of Owl sounded off and Woodcock and American Bittern chimed in.A
single Common Nighthawk called as it circled overhead.
As the sun was rising, we peddled south on the Common Pathway to South
Peterborough. The first real suprise of the day was a Short-billed Dowitcher
on an exposed mudflat at Noone's Falls. This find would be reduced to ho-hum
status later in the morning. When we stopped for a quick breakfast at 7 AM we
had reached 49 species.
Mext we cycled north on the pathway, along the Contoocook River, working our
way to the Wolcott Conservation property in Hancock. Along the way we picked
up many warbler species, three empids, Bobolinks and Turkey. The wetlands at
Wolcott had another Sora, as well as Marsh Wrens and a very healthy crop of
Swamp Sparrows. Powdermill Pond and the Stokes property gave us a shorebird
bonanza. 27 Short-billed Dowitchere, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Solitary
Sandpipers several Spotted Sandpipers, 12 or so Semipalmated Plovers and a
Killdeer. It also brought us a much needed rest stop as we sat in Don and
Lillian's gardens, admiring the views and discussing their new bird guide due
out next year.
>From here, we left the easy peddling of the river valley and worked our way up
through the village of Hancock to Lake Nubanuset, ten miles of continuously
uphill cycling. Here we caught up with several singing Blackburnian Warblers
as well as Yellow-throated Vireo. The reasons for the climb, however were the
nesting Bald Eagle and Common Loons. The Eagle was easy as an adult was
perched high in the nest tree when we arrived. We enjoyed sharing our
binoculars with fisherman who wanted a look at the eagles. The loon was
trickier as the winds were fierce. After a long while, the wind slowed and a
loon swam out of the shelter of a cove across from us.
By then, we were finished, physically. Fortunately the first 10 miles home
are mostly down hill. We ended our day at 5:30 pm, exhausted, but happy. Our
totals: 126 species of birds, 35 miles of biking, and one great day of
birding. Oh, and no fossil fuel burned.
Rich Frechette
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Hampton: Brant
From: Jason Lambert <smiley314(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 25 May 2008 2:18pm
Not done for today yet but I figured I would post this, there were two flocks
of Brant swimming North near North Hampton State Beach, they were within 75
yards of each other and combined numbers were around 115.
Jason Lambert
Barnstead, NH
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Three Firsts For Me
From: "Chet" <c_farwell(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 25 May 2008 5:43pm
Pickering Ponds 05-23
Philadelphia Vireo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrc_5150/2521781003/
05-25-2008
Green Heron
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrc_5150/2521773813/
Indigo-Lazuli Indigo Bunting hybrid (slightly blurred photo)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrc_5150/2521769707/
Chet
Dover, NH
**GBA===
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrc_5150
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: OS and Alder Flycatchers, Purple Martins in a day in
East-central NH
From: tbbirds(AT)comcast.net (Terry Bronson)
Date: 25 May 2008 10:29pm
Despite fatigue and lack of sleep after yesterday's Birdathon,
Len Medlock and I headed north today to the Ossipee-Freedom-
Kancamagus Highway area in search of some species more
commonly seen in that part of NH.
At Huntress Bridge Road in Effingham, part of NH Audubon's
Watts Sanctuary, 24 species, including:
Common Loon--1 heard yodeling in distance to southeast.
Possibly in Maine since the sanctuary abuts the Maine
border.
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER--2, in same spot as in the last
2 years--about 100 feet into the bog from the Rt. 153 end
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER--1 very cooperative and vocal bird,
my first for NH and obviously first of the year too
ALDER FLYCATCHER--2 not so cooperative birds way out in the
bog. One eventually deigned to come within 50 feet or so
for decent views. First of year also.
Great Crested Flycatcher--2
Least Flycatcher--1
Veery--2
NASHVILLE WARBLER--1
Yellow Warbler--3
Chestnut-sided Warbler--4
Northern Parula--3
Black-throated Blue Warbler--1
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH--2
Common Yellowthroat--5
White-throated Sparrow--3
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW--1
PURPLE FINCH--3 males, 1 female
At the Purple Martin colony on Rt. 153 in Freedom:
PURPLE MARTIN--6, first of year
Tree Swallow--8
In Effingham at the Route 25 bridge over the Ossipee River:
BARN SWALLOW--20, they nest under bridge
Eastern Phoebe--1
Warbling Vireo--1
Common Grackle--6, some on bridge supports
In Ossipee at a wetland along Route 25 across from fairgrounds:
Killdeer--3
No Ospreys or sign of a nest.
In Madison, at the Nature Conservancy's West Branch Pine Barrens:
BROWN THRASHER--1, very unexpected in pitch pine forest
Total of 11 birds of 6 species (we were there during noon hour).
Unfortunately, they were outnumbered by the ticks--Len had 9,
I had 5. Almost all were deer ticks.
In Lincoln along the Greeley Ponds Trail from the Kancamagus
Highway trailhead, as far as Lower Greeley Pond:
BLUE-HEADED VIREO--4
WINTER WREN--0.25, I saw the tiny upright cocked tail of a very
tiny bird briefly before it disappeared into the brush. First sighting
of the year, if you want to call it that.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1
Yellow-rumped Warbler--3
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER--9
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER--6
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER--3
Magnolia Warbler--1
Ovenbird--1
No signs of Peregrine Falcons or nests, though foliage obscured
views of the cliffs in many places.
We were hoping to find a Black-backed Woodpecker and had
very faint hopes of an American Three-toed Woodpecker, but no
dice. There were, however, some fairly recent tree scrapings
with horizontal lines that may indicate some may be there.
Len posted a few photos on his website for those interested:
http://www.pbase.com/lmedlock/up-north
--
Terry Bronson
Hampton Falls, NH
tbbirds(AT)comcast.net
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Nashua osprey, Mute Swan, etc.--photos
From: cmsbirds(AT)comcast.net (Chris Sheridan)
Date: 25 May 2008 10:31pm
On the Nashua River this afternoon, a pair of Osprey, fishing around their nest
(no young observed.)
An alert and aggessive Mute Swan (defending a nest on the island?)
and a few others, including a mink with a good sized fish (it looked like
it had been gutted already--did s(he) find a fisherman's catch?)
Wish I could have stayout out longer...
www.pbase.com/cmsbirds/mine_falls_nashua_nh_may_25_2009
Chris Sheridan
Nashua NH
cmsbirds(AT)comcast.net
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