NH.Birds for Saturday, June 7, 2008

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Time   Hooded Warbler in Holderness! (plus butterflies and dragonflies)   Steve Mirick    8:12pm   Southeastern NH/Squam Lake Birds   Benjamin Griffith    9:15pm   Bicknell's Thrushes on Cannon Mt   Mark Suomala   9:16pm

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Subject: Hooded Warbler in Holderness! (plus butterflies and
         dragonflies)
From: Steve Mirick <smirick(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 7 Jun 2008 8:12pm

Jane and I helped out with the first ?annual? Bioblitz of the Squam 
Lakes area today organized by Iain Macleod at the Squam Lake Science 
Center.  We weren't expecting a whole lot, but certainly were surprised 
to find a singing male Hooded Warbler off a trail, not far from the 
Rockywold - Deephaven camps off Pinehurst Road.  Details below.  We 
searched for birds, butterflies and dragonflies and spent some time in 
the incredible heat chasing tiger beetles at a gravel pit with Pam 
Hunt.  The primary area we covered was around the Rattlesnake Mountains 
and eastern areas of Holderness and western areas of Sandwich.  Included 
was a hike over West Rattlesnake in the early morning fog.

No bird photos, but a few neat bug shots:

http://home.comcast.net/~smirick/bioblitz/Squam%20Lake%20Bioblitz/index.html

5:30 AM - 3:00 PM (with a couple of breaks for brunch and lunch)
Overcast, foggy and muggy early, clearing with some light wind in the 
afternoon.
Temp - 61F - 90F

BIRDS
---------
Hooded Merganser - 1 female
Wild Turkey - Several including displaying male
Common Loon
American Bittern - 1 pumping at dawn
Great Blue Heron
Red-shouldered Hawk - At least 2 birds from two different locations.
Broad-winged Hawk - 1
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Olive-sided Flycatcher - 1 singing in marshy beaver pond just east of 
trailhead to West Rattlesnake along Rt. 113 in Holderness.  (FOY)
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1 only
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1 only
House Wren
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER - 4 (!!).  All in Holderness.  I was surprised to 
find any up here, but we had at least 4 including 1 at trailhead to West 
Rattlesnake on Rt. 113, one off Pinehurst Road, and one near Hooded 
Warbler spot.
Veery
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler - Including at least 2 that sounded VERY 
similar to Cerulean with exact same phrase structure.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH - 1 singing just east of West Rattlesnake Mtn. 
along trail in wet swampy area.  Better NOWA habitat, but clearly a LOWA.
Common Yellowthroat
HOODED WARBLER - This bird was extremely difficult to see.  We followed 
it around as it sang for about a 1/2 hour, and we only got a couple of 
distant views, but one clearly identifiable view.  It was singing a 
short distance up from the trailhead just east of Bacon Road along 
Pinehurst.   Park at the intersection of Bacon Road and Pinehurst and 
hike a short distance further down Pinehurst until you see the trailhead 
leading left.  Follow for a few hundred yards until major trail 
junction.  Turn right following 5 fingers trail as it immediately drops 
and crosses a significant stream.  After the stream, the trail hits a T 
intersection.  The bird was heard here and both to the right and left 50 
yards or more each way.  The bird would go through singing bouts, but 
would stop for periods and was covering a lot of ground.  It was singing 
at mid to high locations in the forested area.  It did NOT respond to 
any tapes.  I'm not sure, but this could be a first record for the Lakes 
Region.  This is a rough map of where it was:

http://home.comcast.net/~smirick/hoodedmap.jpg

UPDATE - Ben Griffith just called (7:30 PM) to say that the bird is 
still singing, but NOT seen along this same area of trail.

Scarlet Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak - Several.

BUTTERFLIES
-----------------
Duskywing sp.
Arctic Skipper - Photographed
Hobomok Skipper - Photographed
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
HARVESTER - Life butterfly for me.  See photograph.  Uncommon to rare?
Pearl(?) Crescent
Common Ringlet

DRAGONFLIES/DAMSELFIES
-----------------------------------
Northern/Vernal Bluet
Eastern Forktail
Common Green Darner
Springtime Darner
Harlequin Darner (caught) - Lifer for me! (photographed)
Lancet Clubtail
Common Baskettail (seen only)
Spiny Baskettail (caught) - Lifer for me!
Whiteface sp.
Chalk-fronted Corporal
Four-spotted Skimmer

Steve & Jane Mirick
Bradford, MA


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Subject: Southeastern NH/Squam Lake Birds
From: Benjamin Griffith <gobirding(AT)aol.com>
Date: 7 Jun 2008 9:15pm

Charlie Wright and I spent most of the morning attempting to locate some 
of the birds in southeastern NH that we don't get to see around 
Woodstock.  We made a quick run up the coast from North Hampton to 
Portsmouth, but more effort was placed on southeastern species.

LONG-TAILED DUCK - 1 male at Rye Ledge, late

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON - 1 flying over Rte 113/Pinehurst Rd near 
Squam Lake in Holderness, I believe they've nested here in the past, but 
still a tough bird inland

Upland Sandpiper - 1 at Pease

Laughing Gull - 1 adult

Yellow-throated Vireo - 4 Pawtuckaway

Blue-winged x Golden-winged Warbler - 1 male that could be passed off as 
a Blue-winged without close inspection, but some whitish feathering on 
the breast, bold yellow wing bars, and a grayish back all point to a bit 
of Golden-winged in the bird

Prairie Warbler - 6 at Pawtuckaway

CERULEAN WARBLER - 1 male singing, but not cooperative

Louisiana Waterthrush - 2 along Middle Mountain Road

HOODED WARBLER - 1 heard at the location described in Steve's post on 
the way home!  Thanks Steve!

Ben Griffith
Merrimack, NH


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Subject: Bicknell's Thrushes on Cannon Mt
From: "Mark Suomala" <mrsuomala(AT)marksbirdtours.com>
Date: 7 Jun 2008 9:16pm

Found 4-5 Bicknell's Thrushes on Cannon Mt today. Also, many Swainson's 
Thrushes.

Mark Suomala
www.marksbirdtours.com