Forays into the World of Birding

eBird Report - Great Brook Farm SP, 4/24/11: An Easter to remember!

2011-04-25T20:56:00.000-04:00

Most often for me over the years, Easter is relatively unmemorable. The usual spending time with family (always welcome nonetheless), the usual stuffing your face, the usual stomach-ache afterwards. But on this past Sunday's Easter, it was a day I surely will never forget!

I met up with Kirk in Burlington by 7:30 am, then we headed off to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, MA to get our bird on, after having had a long, arduous and dull week at work. Yesterday was a much needed day outdoors, and Great Brook Farm (and Oxbow as I will mention later) did not disappoint!

We had had aspirations of coming across at least one of the 2 Winter Wrens at Great Brook, but we were in the wrong area (stayed around the Meadow Pond trails). But thats okay, because we were treated with something we had not seen before (though I have yet to see a Winter Wren....my nemesis bird!), something that one might find in a nature documentary on Animal Planet. After coming across numerous Palm Warblers and a few Yellow Warblers (they were also singing) near the juncture of the Maple Ridge Trail, we chanced upon 2 Pileated Woodpeckers on the same dead tree....one of which we had already come across early along the Maple Ridge Trail......but it was what these two Pileateds did that took our breath away! Kirk, having had spotted these woodpeckers first, had a feeling, with the way these two Pileateds were interacting with one another, that a love-making session might be in order! And sure enough (lasting only 5 seconds......hmmm, sounds like most guys huh ladies??), these 2 love-birds (no pun intended) got it on, the male spreading out his wings as he planted the seeds of life! Just something you surely don't see every day, 2 woodpeckers copulating, and Pileateds to boot! The female stayed on a large snag on the dead tree, preening herself while the male flew off after doing the dirty deed. Certainly an unexpected and unique treat! And no, we aren't voyeurs, even if I am indeed a pervert!

Other highlights were several Wood Ducks and Ring-necked Ducks on Meadow Pond, 2 singing Brown Creepers following one another along the Keyes Loop Trail, a myriad of singing Chipping Sparrows throughout (3 of which we were actually able to observe), a singing Ruby-crowned Kinglet (one observed, others heard) and 2 Black-and-white Warblers (one along the Maple Ridge Trail on our way back to the parking lot and one near the junction of the Corn Cob and Erickson Trails). A truly remarkable time at Great Brook Farm we had, all 3 hours of our time there, with a good variety of birds and fantastic weather conditions (lows 70s, light and variable winds, sunny).

Location: Great Brook Farm SP
Observation date: 4/24/11
Number of species: 27

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 4
Wood Duck - Aix sponsa 6
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 5
Ring-necked Duck - Aythya collaris 6
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 2
Rock Pigeon - Columba livia 7
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 5
Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus 2
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 3
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 5
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 3
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 9
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 4
Brown Creeper - Certhia americana 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula 1
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 13
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - Dendroica coronata coronata 11
Palm Warbler (Yellow) - Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea 16
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 2
Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina 3
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 3
Swamp Sparrow - Melospiza georgiana 1
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 13
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 7
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 7

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

We left Great Brook by 11 am and made a fairly brief (about 45 mins) visit at Oxbow NWR in Harvard, MA. We didn't expect to see much, and we really did not, seeing more Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers and most notably, a singing Blue-gray Gnatcatcher! But the HUGE moment was coming upon a BLANDING'S TURTLE along Tank Road near the top of the hill underneath the tall white pines, that of which are fairly close to the junction of Turnpike Trail and Tank Road. This Blanding's was on the right-hand side of Tank Road if you are heading northwards on it. Kirk captured several pictures of the amazing turtle, and after going further up Tank Road for a brief spell, on our way back I observed the Blanding's splooshing into the pools of water lining the edge of the railroad tracks.

Truly what a remarkable way to end our morning on Easter, seeing that Blanding's Turtle, something of which both Kirk and I have been desperately hoping to see at Oxbow due to the fact the USFWS is managing breeding populations there. Happy birding everyone, and just think, the big Spring migration is just around the corner (starts salivating......**DROOOOOOL**)!!

eBird Report - Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, 4/9/11 - First visit of the year at my paradise in Mass!

2011-04-09T18:25:00.000-04:00

What a superbly gorgeous day to be outside, no doubt about that! Temps in the low 60s, light and variable winds, a crystal-clear azure sky, with wood frogs and spring peepers abounding in song! I was at my own little slice of heaven here in Massachusetts, Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge in Harvard, MA, just after having finished up my work week in Bedford, MA. I honestly didn't expect to see much, but most appreciatively, was surprised to see what I did!

First up was a lone Wild Turkey just strutting around along the dirt road that leads to the entrance and parking lot for Oxbow NWR. I know, most everyone sees a turkey here and there (had a sizable flock in my own backyard last week), but I found this one most amusing for it didn't seemed to be phased by my car's presence at all as I was driving into the refuge. After a few minutes, it considered I posed no threat and meandered off slowly.

Next up I came across 2 Fox Sparrows along the Riverside Trail, nearer to the junction of said trail and Turnpike Trail. These two Fox Sparrows were calling to each other, Peterson referring to such a call as a "strong, flat chup." One was about 5 feet up in the snags of a pine tree while the other was foraging on the ground with its characteristic "double-scratching" move, kicking up the forest floor detritus for deliciousness.

Onwards I came across a soaring Red-shouldered Hawk on the Turnpike Trail, going in relatively lazy circles, its flight of choppy wing-beats in evidence.....though what is more tell-tale and striking is its "translucent window" along its primaries near the outer-edges of its wings....the sun was blazing gloriously through them as I followed its flight....the first time, as with the Fox Sparrows, that I had ever seen such a bird at Oxbow. I had seen Red-shouldered Hawks before at SVT's Memorial Forest in Sudbury, but to see it in my little slice of heaven was a real treat!

However, the biggest treat of the day has to go to while I was on my way back to the parking lot along Tank Road (along the wetlands on your left as you are walking back). Such a treat was an American Woodcock being flushed out in broad daylight, but to my good fortune, the woodcock landed about 15 feet away, just along the edge of the pathway and the mucky leaf matter littering the area. Whats most amusing to me was that I had been practically on top of this bird initially, me being unaware of the bird's presence as I was looking at other birds in the area. The timberdoodle had me in its sights the entire time, but whilst this bird was walking along, 15 feet away, it was performing its "mating dance" where it teeter-totters and bobbles in a herky-jerky motion that is purely comical and a delight to behold! Such a bizarre bird, I instantly fell in love with this bird the moment I first saw it, over 2 years ago, in the same area at Oxbow that I saw this particular woodcock today! 4 times now during my many ventures at Oxbow NWR have I had the good fortunes of coming across an American Woodcock out in broad daylight. Simply wonderful!

Anyhoo, the full listing of my sightings today during my time at Oxbow (12:45 to 2:45 pm) are below.....happy birding everybody and enjoy this superb weather we are finally having!

Location: Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge
Observation date: 4/9/11
Notes: Ruffed Grouse heard only drumming near parking lot; Red-shouldered seen on Turnpike Trail along the boardwalk sections; American Woodcock seen bobbing whilst walking amongst muck and leaf matter alongside Tank Road; Fox Sparrows seen along Riverside Trail nearer to the junction with Turnpike.
Number of species: 26

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 2
Wood Duck - Aix sponsa 2
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 5
Ruffed Grouse - Bonasa umbellus 1 (Heard only, drumming near parking/train tracks area)
Wild Turkey - Meleagris gallopavo 1
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus 1
American Woodcock - Scolopax minor 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 3
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 3
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 4
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 3
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 13
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 4
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 2
Brown Creeper - Certhia americana 4
Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis 2
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 21
Fox Sparrow (Red) - Passerella iliaca iliaca/zaboria 2
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 3
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 1
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 5
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 32
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 6

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

eBird Report - Nashoba Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 3/28/11 - A Phoebe and 2 Ravens!

2011-03-28T18:31:00.001-04:00

More signs of Spring have become evident with the coming of the Eastern Phoebe! The phoebe I observed at Nashoba Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Westford was not the first one nor would it be the last one for today! When I got up this morning, after having showered and had breakfast, I observed a singing Eastern Phoebe on the edges of our backyard while taking Mr. Gildor, our Corgi, outside for a bathroom break. And as the phoebe at Nashoba was not the last one, another was heard singing along Gray Farm Road in Littleton while taking Gildor for a walk late this afternoon, after having done my 4 miles worth of trekking at Nashoba.

It sure was a pleasant day to be outside, in spite of the brisk winds and slightly-below-normal temperatures. Today's little excursion started off with coming across 5 Golden-crowned Kinglets way up in the tops of the pines along the Woodland Loop Trail. Onwards, while on the trails situated on lands owned by the Westford Conservation Trust that connect the 2 parcels of property that make up Nashoba Brook, I came upon a Brown Creeper going from tree to tree, singing its lovely, ethereal song....a treat that was since the song of the creeper is one of my favorites! Lastly, the other most notable species of bird I came across was while on the trails near Nonset Brook that reside within property owned and maintained by the Westford Conservation Commission. These trails also connect to the MAS lands comprising Nashoba Brook. This particular species was a pair of calling Common Ravens observed flying just above the treetops heading northwards. I just love their guttural croak! The full listing of birds seen at MAS Nashoba Brook Wildlife Sanctuary are below:

Location: Nashoba Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Observation date: 3/28/11
Number of species: 17

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 6
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 1
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 3
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 5
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 15
Common Raven - Corvus corax 2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 18
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 6
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 14
Brown Creeper - Certhia americana 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - Regulus satrapa 5
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Before I depart here, I also wanted to mention a bird I have never had in our yards at home before until this past Saturday, that being a lone Fox Sparrow that came around late afternoon time (4:15 to 5:40), kicking up the ground very much in the fashion of an Eastern Towhee.....twas only the 3rd time I had ever seen a Fox Sparrow! Below is the full listing of birds in our yards observed at that time:

Location: 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date: 3/26/11
Notes: First Fox Sparrow I have ever seen in our yard, only the 3rd Fox Sparrow I have seen in my life thus far (first in 2009 in Sanbornton, NH; 2nd in 2010 at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary).
Number of species: 15

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 4
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 1
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 7
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis 2
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 2
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus 2
Fox Sparrow (Red) - Passerella iliaca iliaca/zaboria 1
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 5
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus 6
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

It has been another good year of birding thus far! Get out there folks and enjoy it! Happy birding!!

Winter Wren Portrait

2011-03-26T15:42:00.000-04:00

Video and audio of Winter Wren by The Music of Nature

I truly LOVE all wrens, whether it be House, Marsh, Carolina, Sedge and Winter (though there are the Western species still to see). But I without a doubt, above all the other wrens, the Winter Wren is my absolute favorite! However, sadly enough, it is my NEMESIS bird! So many times I have heard their truly remarkable, tinkering, cascading song, whether it be at Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge of Jefferson, NH; up in the various locales in Pittsburg, NH; or even in some places out in central to western MA. But never have I actually seen a Winter Wren! Last year was the most gut-wrenching while being up in Pittsburg, NH for family vacation. 10 different occurrences in our 7 days up there in the North Country of NH I heard this bird sing, but never could I get upon one! THIS YEAR will be the year I mark the Winter Wren off my list of Lifers to get, and no more shall the Winter Wren be my Nemesis bird!

Ducks galore in Concord, MA!

2011-03-25T17:51:00.001-04:00

Ah, a beautiful day it was to be outside today, though it would've been even nicer had it been a tad bit warmer! Beggars can't be choosers eh??! Kirk and I desperately needed to get outdoors and scare up some good birds! We were hither and yonder in Middlesex County, but mainly around the Concord area.

Our first stop was Nine-Acre Corner in Concord where we had good reports from there the past few days via Massbird. Our ultimate hope was to see a Horned Grebe in breeding plumage, but we had just missed the lone bird by about 20 minutes to our arrival (which was around 9:30 am). Nonetheless, we had plenty of ducks to look at, amongst dozens and dozens of Canada Geese. David Swain had reported 107 Green-winged Teal the day before, and there had to be at least that many there this morning. We also had about a half-dozen Northern Pintails, a number of American Black Ducks and Mallards, at least 40 Ring-necked Ducks, a small contingent of Common Goldeneye and one Pied-billed Grebe. There was also a handful of Wilson's Snipe in the mud flats bordering the flooded farm fields there. A Red-tailed Hawk and a Turkey Vulture also made an appearance, and there was also a number of Red-winged Blackbirds. We even had the good fortune of meeting Willy Hutcheson and Pam Sowizral, but most notably, the venerable David Allen Sibley himself (well, he does live in Concord afterall)!

Next up on our list was Dunback Meadows in the Waltham/Lexington area. Numerous Song Sparrows we had, as well as a few Blue Jays pestering a Red-tailed Hawk. We had aspirations of perhaps coming across Fox Sparrows there, but it seems they had already moved through (they had been reported earlier in the week at Dunback). For me, the highlight at Dunback was coming across a couple Golden-crowned Kinglets.

Onwards we stopped over at the Waltham Street Fields where there were at least 30 Canada Geese, but more notably, several (at least 7) Wilson's Snipe that we flushed out as we made our way around the fields there. What amusing calls they have with their erratic flight that is reminiscent of most shorebirds, but especially American Woodcocks.

Our last stop was Great Meadows NWR in Concord. Unfortunately, we thought the dike trail in its entirety was passable.....well, it was, that is if you don't mind getting your feet wet! Highlights there were a few Swamp Sparrows, Song Sparrows, a large contingent of Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds (especially near the Concord River), a handful of Buffleheads, a small group of Common Goldeneye, a couple of Mute Swans and a very large flotilla of Ring-necked Ducks. We also saw several Muskrats, a lone Downy Woodpecker and more notably, a Northern Harrier. What was most nice to see while there, and for Kirk and I, a more significant telltale sign Spring is well at hand and that warmer temps are coming, is that we saw 2 Tree Swallows flying around the center dike trail nearest the Concord River canoe launch. Soon enough there will be hundreds of Tree Swallows at Great Meadows!

Not the most momentous day of birding, but decent enough and certainly more than worth it, for any day of birding, whether it be good or bad, is far superior than a good day of work or being at home doing absolutely nothing! Happy birding everyone!

Winter finches galore on this day of my birth!

2011-03-13T16:56:00.002-04:00

What a year of bird watching it has been thus far, and today has by far and away been the best day of birding yet, and there has already been several momentous occasions! On the day of my birth (30 today) that had promised milder temps, some sun and the allure of the hunt for seeing more winter finches, brought us all that and more (even a few intermittent snow flurries in Royalston)!

My good buddy and fellow birder Kirk and myself ventured back out to West Concord at the Thoreau School again to get more of a Redpoll fix! It was my 3rd time visiting this location, and today's hope was not only to see the myriad numbers of Common Redpolls, but also to see if we could chance upon at least one of the Hoary Redpolls that the venerable David Sibley had observed earlier in the week. This time around, we didn't have to wait for the Redpolls to show up, for we got there at about 8:30 am and two-thirds of the flock was present and accounted for, mowing down upon the feeders full of millet. One of the Redpolls that alighted on the feeders was without a doubt a Hoary Redpoll. It was marginally larger, had that frostier, paler appearance and the more refined and less noticeable brown streaking along its flanks. It also appeared to have an even stubbier yellow bill than that of its Common brethren. We were there in West Concord for about 20 minutes before deciding to head out west to continue to feast our eyes upon more winter finches! There was another Redpoll that seemed to be a candidate for a Hoary, but we weren't definitively sure of it. Nonetheless, that one Hoary we saw was fantastic, never mind the fact of just having all those Redpolls there at once down here in the Bay State!

Location: Thoreau School, West Concord, MA
Observation date: 3/13/11
Notes: The sizable flock of Redpolls continues at this location, though only about half to two-thirds of the flock was present and accounted for. The Hoary (1 of a few that had been reported earlier in the week by David Sibley) has all the features we were looking for: the slightly larger size, the even shorter, stubbier yellow bill, the more refined brown streaking along the flanks than that of the Commons, and just the overall "frostier" appearance, looking like it has just spent a night in the freezer!
Number of species: 8

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 4
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 3
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 5
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 2
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 1
Common Redpoll - Acanthis flammea 40
Hoary Redpoll - Acanthis hornemanni 1
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Here are a couple pics of the myriad of Redpolls seen in West Concord by my good buddy and birding mentor, Kirk Marshall:

Common Redpoll goodness in West Concord, MA near the Thoreau School

Part of flock of Common Redpolls visiting millet feeders in West Concord, MA

About an hour and a half later, at around a little after 10:30 am, we started our venture within the town of Royalston, MA in hopes of coming across other notable winter finches that had been reported earlier in the week by Paul Peterson, Pete Gilmore and Paul Sullivan along North Fitzwilliam Road, Northeast Fitzwilliam Road and Proctor Hill Road. Around Northeast Fitzwilliam Road, we didn't come across any of the winter finches we were hoping for, but things started off fairly well when we arrived there, with 3 American Crows harassing the living daylights out of a calling Common Raven! We had parked in the parking lot near the church in the center of town (we weren't sure which building was the Phinehas S. Newton Library). After seeing the Raven, we walked northwards along NE Fitzwilliam Road and came upon a sizable flock of about 40 Red-winged Blackbirds and at least 8 Common Grackles. Even more notable here was a Mink that Kirk had spotted crossing NE Fitzwilliam Road right near the juncture with Frye Hill Road....I hadn't seen a Mink since being at Wompatuck on the South Shore last summer! After having no luck with finding winter finches along NE Fitzwilliam Road, we decided to head up North Fitzwilliam Road. Driving for about a half-mile to 3/4 of a mile up, we came upon a house with a large flock of Common Redpolls just covering the ground and the feeders that were out in front of this white house with 3 deciduous trees in the front, right along the side of North Fitzwilliam. But not only were Redpolls there (we couldn't discern any Hoary's, especially since most of the Redpolls went to the feeders in behind the house), but there were at least 2, probably more, Pine Siskins there as well.....great looks at them, along with the "ZZZZZzzzzzzrrrreeeeeee" vocalizations in effect! What also astonished us was the presence of a Brown Creeper looking for deliciousness on the ground near the base of the middle tree. Never before had Kirk or myself seen a Creeper on the ground! Just fantastic!

After getting our Redpoll meter up to maximum for the day, we continued on northwards on North Fitzwilliam Road and turned left onto Proctor Hill Road. Paul Peterson and his posse reported that a local resident had a flock of at least 17 Evening Grosbeaks at her feeders at her home that was the 2nd home on the right on this road. We checked out this home and had no luck (though there are numerous feeders there), so we went up the road for about another 1/4 mile and decided to turn around just in front of a large white farmhouse with barn animals and a friendly yellow dog present. Just as I was finished making my 3-point turn, we had noticed a flock of birds in the treetops in behind this farmhouse we were turning around at. Then Kirk exclaimed with glee: "There they are!!!" And sure enough, there they were indeed, a flock of 17 Evening Grosbeaks! We just gawked at these amazing Life birds for the both of us, admiring the startling beauty of both male and females, but especially that of the male EVGR, with its bright patterns of golden-yellow, black, rich brown and grays with black wings marked with bold, white wingbars! These Evenings were very noisy and very social amongst themselves.....but 17 just wasn't enough! About 7 or so minutes later, another group of EVGRs joined the flock already there, bringing the total tally of birds to at least 35, possibly more!! Below is a location map of where we were in Royalston today:

The lat/long marker at the top left is the spot where the Evening Grosbeaks were seen on Proctor Hill Road. The middle lat/long marker along North Fitzwilliam Road is where the Redpolls, Pine Siskins and the Brown Creeper was observed. The location along NE Fitzwilliam Road is where the blackbirds and grackles were seen.

Location: Proctor Hill/N. Fitzwilliam/NE Fitzwilliam Rds., Royalston, MA
Observation date: 3/13/11
Notes: Brown Creeper, Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls seen at home along North Fitzwilliam Road, about a half-mile to 3/4 mile from junction with NE Fitzwilliam Road at white house along left-side of road with feeders and 3 deciduous trees in front yard. Also feeders along side-yard and in backyard; flock of at least 35 Evening Grosbeaks seen about 3/4 mile up Proctor Hill Road on left-hand side of road in trees behind white farmhouse with barn animals and a lovely yellow dog present. Grosbeaks were very social and communicative....simply startling and gorgeous! What a Lifer! The EVGR appeared to be engorging themselves on feeders in behind the farmhouse, though we could not tell for sure the existence of feeders or not without fear of trespassing.
Number of species: 19

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 5
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 2
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 6
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 3
Common Raven - Corvus corax 1
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 12
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 16
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis 1
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 3
Brown Creeper - Certhia americana 1
American Tree Sparrow - Spizella arborea 12
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 3
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 43
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 8
Common Redpoll - Acanthis flammea 70
Pine Siskin - Spinus pinus 2
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 15
Evening Grosbeak - Coccothraustes vespertinus 35

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

My gods.....what a phenomenal birthday, and moreover, a fabulous day of birding! Now all I need is both Crossbills and a Pine Grosbeak to round out the winter finches (neverminding the Rosy Finches out in Colorado)! I could not have asked for a better day.....thanks be to Ryan Schain, David Sibley, Paul Peterson, Pete Gilmore and Paul Sullivan....and of course Kirk Marshall, for contributing in some manner to make such a day come to fruition!! Happy birding to everyone out there!!

3 Common Redpolls just simply is not enough to satiate my hunger!!

2011-03-06T18:50:00.000-05:00

After having a fantastic day of birding the day before with Kirk in numerous locations across northeastern Massachusetts, you'd think I would have had my weekly fill of our fine avian friends. However, there was one bird in particular that I just simply had to see more of! After having seen a report online this morning on the Massachusetts Birding List by Willy Hutcheson of the numbers of Common Redpolls being seen at the feeders near the Thoreau School in West Concord, I just had to try and see more of these wonderful winter finches! So, just prior to the rains moving in, I arrived at the aforementioned location that I had visited yesterday with Kirk by 12:20 pm. Having waited for 15 minutes with only a lone American Goldfinch at the feeders, a few Redpolls moved in to chow down. But minutes later, the whole rest of the flock maneuvered in! Only a few more alighted on the feeders, the rest of the brethren (over 70 birds!) perching themselves in the deciduous trees forming a perimeter around the grouping of feeders! All of them were quite communicative and flitty, moving as a whole over my head from tree-to to tree-top! What a spectacular sight this all was, and surely I had gotten my fix for Redpolls.....at least for now!

Location: Thoreau School, West Concord, MA
Observation date: 3/6/11
Notes: Arrived at Thoreau School parking lot in West Concord by 12:20 pm to get my fill of observing Redpolls after getting my first taste at the same location the day before. Waited about 15 minutes before a few showed up at the feeders. Then a few minutes later, the whole flock arrived of at least 70 birds. I think it is safe to say the flock was larger than 70, but that is what I could count before my I lost track as they kept flying together around me from tree to tree that forms a perimeter around the feeders.
Number of species: 4

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 5
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 2
Common Redpoll - Acanthis flammea 70
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Today was also the day I usually spend time observing my own feeders here at home for Cornell's Project FeederWatch. I had missed Week 15's observance last Sunday due to being busy with family, visiting the Peabody Essex Museum. Nonetheless, today did not yield much in the total numbers of birds, but the number of species of birds in attendance is in keeping with the entirety of the FeederWatch observance to date, at least for the most part. My ever-present, good little buddy, the Red-breasted Nuthatch, was still hanging around, taking its opportune moments to swoop in and score some black sunflower seeds. A Carolina Wren also came around, being as noisy and boisterous as ever!

Mourning Dove	4
Downy Woodpecker	1
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	1
American Crow	1
Black-capped Chickadee	7
Tufted Titmouse	4
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
Carolina Wren	1
American Robin	1
Dark-eyed Junco	1
Northern Cardinal	2
House Finch	3
American Goldfinch	1

A weekend full of wonderful birding was had, and it had been some time since I have had such a memorable, full weekend birding (at least since January 1st of this year). So far, I have 5 new Lifers this year (Green-tailed Towhee, Spotted Towhee, King Eider, Great Cormorant, Common Redpoll), thusly, a great start! But me thinks I am being greedy, for I would still love to have Redpolls here at my own feeders before this winter is said and done! But that is just being selfish isn't it??! Anyhoo, good birding to everyone!!

A hint of Spring is in the air with the last vestiges of Winter still lingering!

2011-03-05T19:35:00.000-05:00

With "Cabin Fever" taking a firm grip all over the Northeast and its inhabitants, my good buddy Kirk Marshall and myself just had to get out and about, what with the mild temperatures (40s to 50s), the promise of drenching rains the next couple of days and the fact work was wearing on the both of us! We made a day of it, getting our "bird on", going up the shoreline just north of Boston-proper to the rocky shores of Cape Ann, even making a final stop not too far off from my town of residence, visiting a spot in West Concord!

Our day started off in Belle Isle Marsh in East Boston. It is a favorite haunt of Kirk's, but twas only the 3rd time I had been there, and of course, prior to becoming friends with Kirk, had never been there before. Our hope for this first stop was to chance upon the sizable flock of Common Redpolls that had been reported by Ryan Schain the day before (a flock of 48 of them!), but alas, no such luck. Besides the fact that such a cute little winter finch is so nomadic, I am sure the numbers of dog walkers and the planes overhead flying into Logan held the Redpolls either at bay or scared off altogether. Nonetheless, Belle Isle Marsh offered up an equally wonderful bird, 3 Rusty Blackbirds!! These birds were still in their winter plumage, so thusly they were still had the rusty hue to their feathers that gives them their common name. Whats more is that these Rusty's were singing, which on the only other occasion I had a chance to see a Rusty Blackbird at Oxbow NWR, they had not been. Other birds of note was a sizable group of Buffleheads (a diving duck), 16 in total, and this year's first sightings of Red-winged Blackbirds and a Common Grackle, both signs of warmer times ahead of us! The full list of birds seen at Belle Isle Marsh is below:

Location: Belle Isle Marsh--IBA
Observation date: 3/5/11
Notes: How fantastic it was to come upon the 3 Rusty Blackbirds, still in their winter plumage, singing away in the trees right near the parking lot for Belle Isle Marsh. We had hoped to come upon the good-sized flock of Common Redpolls that had been seen the day before by Ryan Schain (48 of 'em), but no luck.
Number of species: 16

Mute Swan - Cygnus olor 2
American Black Duck - Anas rubripes 9
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 2
Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola 16
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 4
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 2
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 2
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 12
Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos 1
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris 50
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 1
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 8
Rusty Blackbird - Euphagus carolinus 3
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Our next stop was King's Beach (part of the Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation) along the Lynn/Swampscott town line in our pursuit of the very rare Mew Gull. Alas, we didn't have luck with that bird either, however, we did come across 8 more Buffleheads and a flotilla of Brants, at least 60 in number!

Location: King's Beach, Lynn/Swampscott
Observation date: 3/5/11
Notes: Attempted to re-find Mew Gull that had been reported in previous sightings along King's Beach, alas, to no avail. The flotilla of Brant was very nice to come upon though!
Number of species: 3

Brant - Branta bernicla 60
Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola 8
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 12

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Then we were off to the Rockport area of Cape Ann, in search of ducks that you would normally see during the winter-time along the coastlines. However, the diving duck in question we were going after is one wintering duck you wouldn't normally see, as compared to other birds I will mention shortly. We had hoped to come across the adult male King Eider that had been reported along the rocky shores in-between Folly's Cove and Halibut Point, or perhaps the one located just off the shores near the Elk's Club in Gloucester. We sadly could not come upon either majestic male, (though he had been seen earlier in the day off the Elks, half way in-between the shoreline and the horizon). Nonetheless, our consolation prize was seeing 2 1st-winter juvenile male King Eiders right near the rocky shoreline just south of the cliff face at Halibut Point. We also visited Andrew's Point, Cathedral Ledge and the aforementioned shoreline near the Elk's Club in Gloucester and were rewarded with good looks at Harlequin Ducks, all three Scoter species (Surf, Black and White-winged), Greater Scaups, more Buffleheads and another Life bird, a lone Great Cormorant off of Halibut Point. Total numbers from all the locations visited on Cape Ann are below:

Location: Cape Ann--Halibut Point
Observation date: 3/5/11
Notes: 2 first-winter juvenile male King Eiders seen right off the rocky shore just to the south of the cliff face for Halibut Point; please note total numbers are for all birds seen around Cape Ann and at the shoreline in front of the Elk's Club in Gloucester; as such: Common Eiders and Harlequin Ducks were seen at Halibut Point, Andrew's Point and Cathedral Ledge; the Buffleheads were seen in Gloucester near the Elks and at Andrew's Point; the White-winged Scoters were only seen near the Elks; the Black Scoters at Andrew's Point; the Common Merganser at Andrew's; and the Great Cormorant at Halibut Point.
Number of species: 10

Greater Scaup - Aythya marila 3
King Eider - Somateria spectabilis 2
Common Eider - Somateria mollissima 50
Harlequin Duck - Histrionicus histrionicus 20
Surf Scoter - Melanitta perspicillata 8
White-winged Scoter - Melanitta fusca 3
Black Scoter - Melanitta americana 12
Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola 14
Common Merganser - Mergus merganser 2
Great Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Lastly, to use the proverbial "icing on the cake" expression, we made our final stop of the day in West Concord at the Thoreau School in hopes of seeing the small flock (12 at max) of Common Redpolls that had been reported earlier in the week by David Swain at the feeders directly across from the teacher's parking slots at Thoreau. It was 4 pm by the time we got to West Concord and obviously, our light was waning steadily. But after waiting for about 15 minutes (Redpolls were seen 15 minutes prior to our arrival at the school), our patience and long waiting for a new winter finch had paid off! 3 gorgeous, wonderfully cute Redpolls came to the grouping of feeders filled with millet, busily stuffing their faces, but also wary of our presence and even skittish of the Mourning Doves that were perusing the snows below them at the feeders.

Location: Thoreau School, West Concord, MA
Observation date: 3/5/11
Notes: Though more Common Redpolls have been reported here, 3 were seen at a grouping of bird feeders in the back yard of a home directly across from the teacher's parking slots of the Thoreau School in West Concord. What a wonderful Life bird....so gorgeous, so flitty.....only 2nd winter finch species of the year (had a Pine Siskin on Dec. 26th in North Reading, MA).
Number of species: 3

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 4
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 2
Common Redpoll - Acanthis flammea 3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

My gods, what a way to end the day!! 3 new Life birds in one day (King Eider, Great Cormorant, Common Redpoll). After this hellacious winter we have all endured, such a day of great birding and time with my good buddy and birder, Kirk, was much needed!! Here is to a relaxing day tomorrow and to a great year of bird watching!! Happy birding too all my friends!!

Project FeederWatch - Week 14

2011-02-20T17:29:00.000-05:00

Nothing terribly exciting or truly notable to report for this week's observance for Project FeederWatch. Most noteworthy aspect of today's watch was the somewhat sizable numbers of the Northern Cardinal (5), Tufted Titmouse (7) and the always noisy, feisty and aggressive House Finch (12). Still hoping one day one of those wily, elusive and nomadic winter finches will come along (ie Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin or White-winged Crossbill), but I don't hold out much hope. As always, below is the full list of my time spent admiring the local birds. Happy birding everyone!!

Mourning Dove	2
Downy Woodpecker	2
Hairy Woodpecker	2
Blue Jay	2
Black-capped Chickadee	6
Tufted Titmouse	7
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-throated Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	5
House Finch	12
American Goldfinch	3

Another Species of Towhee and Today's Project FeederWatch Observance

2011-02-13T17:58:00.000-05:00

Not many new Life birds yet this year (too much damned snow to venture out too much), but this year of 2011 has gotten off to an amazing start all the same! Yesterday (02/12/2011), Kirk Marshall and myself headed up north a bit (a little over an hour from my home here in Littleton) to Carolyn Grummon's abode in Peterborough, NH to get ourselves the 2nd new species of towhee this year, a Spotted Towhee!! We arrived there a little after 10 am, and within minutes, Kirk got on this venerated bird. He was chillin' in some thickets just behind the myriad of bird feeders that Carolyn has set up! He gave us superb looks before he flew off to another section of the Grummon's property! Much thanks must be given to the graciousness and generosity of Carolyn and her husband, for the only way we could best see this lovely Spotted Towhee was via inside their home. We felt obliged to bring some delicious doughnuts from Gourmet Doughnuts out of Townsend, MA on our way to Peterborough, NH to compensate for such kindness, though I must say it pales in comparison to the grandeur of the towhee and the friendliness of our hosts!

So, for those whom want to venture out to Peterborough, please call Carolyn in advance to set up a time to visit and to get directions! Their number is as follows: 1-603-924-7027. These folks are very friendly and obliging to let us fellow birders into their home to see such a rarity in these parts! Both the Spotted Towhee and the Green-tailed Towhee that Kirk and I observed at Sachuest Point NWR in Middletown, RI back on January 1st, are western species. From what I understand, this Spotted Towhee seen in Peterborough is only the 3rd such record of the bird in New Hampshire!

Other birds seen were typical backyard birds seen in the winter time, and thus, no other real highlights to mention, both for in Peterborough and here at home for today's Project FeederWatch observance. So, both sightings lists are below......enjoy and happy birding folks!!

Location: 121B Old Town Farm Road, Peterborough, NH
Observation date: 2/12/11
Notes: From what I understand, this sighting of a Spotted Towhee is only the 3rd record in NH. Was seen a little after 10 am at host's residence (Carolyn Grummon) in Peterborough, NH. Excellent looks for a few minutes before it flew off to a different section of the Grummon's property. Has been seen over the past 6 weeks with regularity, according to Carolyn, though from what I saw on the NH Birds List, it has only been reported for the past 2 weeks or so. Simply gorgeous bird (male) with the characteristic white spots on back and white wing bars, the deeper chest than that of Eastern Towhee, and the bright coloration as compared to duller colors of a female.
Number of species: 11

Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 1
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 7
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 9
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis 1
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 2
Spotted Towhee - Pipilo maculatus 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Mourning Dove	2
Downy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	5
Black-capped Chickadee	6
Tufted Titmouse	5
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-throated Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	6
Northern Cardinal	4
House Finch	8
American Goldfinch	3

Project FeederWatch - Week 12

2011-02-06T23:46:00.001-05:00

For this weekend, I not only submitted my weekly sightings during today's observance to Cornell for Project FeederWatch, but also for Mass Audubon's Focus on Feeders citizen-science research program. And thankfully, this weekend was a bit more interesting than weekends past due to the following: There were 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers in attendance! One female near the top-center of the dogwood tree that is closest to the suet feeder in our front yard, and one male just a few feet below her. Both would take turns chowing down on the suet feeder nearby! Fucking loved it because they are my favorite woodpecker, with their bright colors and their awesome "chiv-chiv-chiv" call that always amuses me! However, the most notable bird observed today was the presence of an adult Cooper's Hawk that had swooped into our front yard in the same aforementioned dogwood tree. One moment I am looking at 2 Mourning Doves perched on this tree, the next moment, after looking away, watching the Celtics beat up on the Magic, I see a Cooper's Hawk in their place! Unfortunately for the Coopers, the doves got away, but fortunate for me, because it was a first here at home! Gorgeous raptor!! Anyhoo, below is my full listing, happy birding everyone!!

Cooper's Hawk	1
Mourning Dove	7
Red-bellied Woodpecker	2
Downy Woodpecker	2
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	3
Black-capped Chickadee	8
Tufted Titmouse	5
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Carolina Wren	1
European Starling	1
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	3
House Finch	12
American Goldfinch	5

Mass Audubon's Focus on Feeders: Feb. 5th and 6th, 2011

2011-01-31T10:55:00.000-05:00

Just a rather quick message here in regards to a citizen-science project that I had participated in last winter before I was fully aware of Cornell's Project FeederWatch. Mass Audubon has been running their Focus on Feeders project for over the last 40 years, having citizen-scientists collect data on birds observed at their feeders one weekend every winter over the aforementioned time-frame and send them in to Mass Audubon for their research. Here is a copied image of the initial email that was sent to me a few weeks ago in regards to Focus on Feeders:

View this email in a web browser

Mass Audubon’s
2011 Focus on Feeders Weekend
February 5-6, 2011

Northern Cardinal, by David Parish.

Bird feeding is an extremely popular winter activity in our region and for more than 40 years Mass Audubon has harnessed that interest by asking volunteers like you to participate in our annualFocus on Feeders event.

Focus On Feeders is for backyard bird enthusiasts of all ages!

Join the fun and participate in this long-standing tradition by reporting the number and species of birds in your backyard and visiting your feeders during the weekend of February 5th and 6th.

Results from across the Commonwealth —including yours! — will be tallied and displayed on our website by the end of March.

In addition, all participants will be entered into a drawing to win Mass Audubon grocery bags, baseball caps, and other prizes. Focus on Feeders also features a photo contest, and winning photographs will appear on our website with results.

Visit our website for more information and an official 2011 Focus on Feeders Report Form.

Questions? Contact us at focusonfeeders@massaudubon.org.

Mass Audubon208 South Great Road
Lincoln, MA 01773
781-259-9500 / 800-AUDUBON
http://www.massaudubon.org/

I want to thank a certain follower of my wee little birding blog for sending me a message not only in regards to Focus on Feeders, but her kind words about this blog. I am very glad to know that some people do find some enjoyment with my occasional exploits with the birding world! So, thank you Hilary at Mass Audubon and happy birding to all! Now go out there this upcoming weekend and watch what wonderful birds alight onto your feeders!

Project FeederWatch - Week 11 - The Day After Nothingness in VT!

2011-01-30T19:31:00.000-05:00

Today's numbers were lower than they have been the past several weeks, but the numbers of species and bird totals FAR exceeded the birds Kirk and I tried to see yesterday up at Wenlock WMA in Ferdinand, Vermont! We were virtually "skunked", and I say virtually because we DID see 4 Black-capped Chickadees, but in my books, that equates to zilch when your hoping for at least a few boreal species that can sometimes be found in a boreal forest this time of year! Christ, Kirk and I thought we would see something of interest considering a year ago in January of 2010 we had plenty to make our mouths water. That day we went for our target bird (and got it), which was a Northern Hawk Owl, and we also chanced upon several Boreal Chickadees, a Gray Jay (my 2nd all-time favorite bird), a few Red-breasted Nuthatches and we heard several White-winged Crossbills but could not get on any of them, sadly. What a difference a year makes....and yes, that day in Jan of 2010, we did have BC Chickadees as well.....yay. You can see the aforementioned usual suspect EVERY day no matter where you are in New England. Yes, I am sure you can sense my frustration, and the fact that all this snow we are getting and will be getting (3-6 on Tuesday, 12-18 on Wednesday/Thursday possible this week) is driving me bonkers!

Nonetheless, our trip yesterday was a welcome adventure, just to get out in nature amongst the beautiful pristine climes of a boreal forest in the winter. So, today, when I did my observance for Project FeederWatch, I was secretly hoping for perhaps a Pine Siskin or Common Redpoll, maybe even a WW Crossbill.....but I didn't expect it, and did not receive such awesomeness today. My ever-present buddy, the lone Red-breasted Nuthatch was around and kickin', and we had only our 2nd American Tree Sparrow of the season in attendance today. And yes, that European Starling is still hanging around as well, but that isn't too surprising given the fact that there is a flock of over 200 of them not too far away from where I live. Anyhoo, my full list of sightings is below, and happy birding to all, for I know those winter finches are starting to creep around more and more as of late....you elusive, nomadic little buggers!!

Mourning Dove	4
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	2
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	3
Black-capped Chickadee	7
Tufted Titmouse	3
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
European Starling	1
American Tree Sparrow	1
White-throated Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	3
Northern Cardinal	5
House Finch	8
American Goldfinch	3

Project FeederWatch - Week 10

2011-01-23T22:29:00.001-05:00

Nothing of terrible significance to report in terms of this week's observation for Project FeederWatch. All the same species seen last weekend were seen today, though of course in varying numbers amidst the chilly temperatures. This isn't unexpected to say the least, for most of the time you will typically have the usual suspects in attendance (ie: chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, cardinals, goldfinches, juncos, etc).

Nonetheless, I must say I am becoming a bit antsy, a little bit frustrated. I am desperately hoping some sort of winter finch of significance would make its presence known. Yes, we did have 3 Purple Finches one weekend back in December, and a cadre of House Finches have been hanging around for a while. But it is the more unusual and more interesting finches that I am hoping for, like Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins. I had word that this year might be a good year for irruptive species like redpolls, siskins and perhaps even Evening Grosbeaks, which have unfortunately seen a steady decline in their population and range over the past 50+ years. I certainly haven't given up hope for this season, considering I still have until April 8th, which is when Project FeederWatch will close up shop for the year.

Plus, its not like I haven't had the fortune of having such birds as Pine Siskins or Purple Finches show up here at home. 2 years ago it was an irruptive year for siskins (they showed up several times in late February through early March), and purples were more numerous that year at the feeders as well. On the other hand, last year was a huge downer, for only a small handfull of House Finches had shown up. I just need to be patient and ever-vigilant during the course of the next 12 weeks, and I most certainly will be! Anyhoo, enough ranting and raving from me.....below is my full list of sightings.....happy birding to all!!

Mourning Dove	3
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	2
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	4
Black-capped Chickadee	9
Tufted Titmouse	7
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Carolina Wren	1
European Starling	1
White-throated Sparrow	2
Dark-eyed Junco	4
Northern Cardinal	7
House Finch	6
American Goldfinch	3

Project FeederWatch - Week 9

2011-01-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

Gonna be short with this week's observance for Project FeederWatch. As expected, all the usual suspects, nothing terribly unusual or uncommon. Highlights being as follows: 8 Northern Cardinals (all couples), the high number showing up at dusk; a good group of 16 House Finches causing a ruckus; 2 Carolina Wrens going back and forth between the front and back yards; the European Starling that showed up last week was present again at the suet feeder; and 2 faves of mine, that being 1 gorgeous male Red-bellied Woodpecker and the lone, ever-present Red-breasted Nuthatch! Below is the full listing, happy birding everyone!!

Mourning Dove	4
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	2
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	4
Black-capped Chickadee	6
Tufted Titmouse	5
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
Carolina Wren	2
European Starling	1
White-throated Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	2
Northern Cardinal	8
House Finch	16
American Goldfinch	5

Project FeederWatch - Week 8 (01/09/2011)

2011-01-10T19:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's observance for FeederWatch sure was a blustery one, and still that didn't keep the birds down all too much. A fairly active period of time, and as always, its the usual suspects that are more in abundance than others. Still, a couple new bird species not noted in prior observations showed up, including this winter's first American Tree Sparrow and more unusually, a lone European Starling decided to stop by and gain some deliciousness from both the sunflower seeds and the suet. Yes, I know, its just a starling, and its an introduced species, but never had I seen a starling in our yard before. And yes, I know, its not like there could not have been an instance where a starling had shown up in the past, for I obviously cannot watch the feeders 24/7 year-round! Still, rather unusual in my opinion for here at home! Anyhoo, a Hermit Thrush was still in attendance as well, and thankfully, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is still kicking around! My full results from yesterday are below....happy birding folks!!

Mourning Dove	6
Downy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	6
Black-capped Chickadee	10
Tufted Titmouse	7
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Carolina Wren	1
Hermit Thrush	1
European Starling	1
American Tree Sparrow	1
White-throated Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	8
House Finch	9
American Goldfinch	3

Project FeederWatch - Week 7 (01/02/2011)

2011-01-03T20:14:00.000-05:00

After a fantastic start to 2011 being down in RI, 2011 continued to offer up some goodness during yesterday's observance for Project FeederWatch. It was mostly the usual suspects as is expected at the feeders during this time of year (or any time of the year really), but what was most remarkable to me was the presence of a lone Hermit Thrush chilling around the lilacs and holly bushes that surround the main tube feeder full of sunflower seeds. Certainly a bird that I was not expecting to see this time of year, though as I understand it, it is not entirely unheard of for a few Hermits to winter over this far up north. I know they winter regularly in the South, but up here to me is a bit out of the ordinary. Certainly was nice to see such a lovely bird again!

And speaking of thrushes, a handful (5) of American Robins were present, gulping down the bright red berries that the holly bushes yield every year. A large group of 11 Mourning Doves were in attendance again, and thankfully, the lone Red-breasted Nuthatch that had been in attendance for several weeks and had been absent over the past week, returned for an encore! Here is hoping my all-time favorite bird decides to stick around just a bit longer! Below you will find my full list of sightings....happy birding to all!!

Mourning Dove	11
Downy Woodpecker	1
Hairy Woodpecker	2
Blue Jay	2
Black-capped Chickadee	6
Tufted Titmouse	7
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
Carolina Wren	1
Hermit Thrush	1
American Robin	5
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	4
House Finch	4
American Goldfinch	2

eBird Report - Sachuest Point NWR, 1/1/11 - GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE - What an amazing way to kick off the New Year of 2011!!

2011-01-01T20:03:00.002-05:00

What a way to kick off the New Year of 2011 right by snagging an amazing Life Bird with my great birding buddy, Kirk Marshall and my own lucky bird-charm (and sweetheart), Jennifer Carson!! I say this because during the past few months or so, for the most part, whenever Kirk and I went out bird watching, we would always nearly have bad luck finding the target birds we were looking for (like the Cave Swallows for instance). This time, I was joined by my own very lucky bird-charm, Jen! Her charisma and aura seemed to give us the good fortune we needed to start off 2011 right!

Our whole point and goal heading down to the Newport/Middletown area of Rhode Island was to observe the vagrant Green-tailed Towhee that had made the northwesterly border of Sachuest Point NWR (adjacent to the campground near Second Beach) home for the past couple of weeks! My god, what an utterly amazing and GORGEOUS Lifer!! Tis a bird that Kirk and I have wanted to see for quite some time since first seeing its likeness in our birding field guides. Of course, its range is mainly found out in the Rocky Mountains down through the Southwest and western Texas. From my understanding, it is only the 2nd or 3rd recorded sighting of a Green-tailed Towhee within the Ocean State! This bird was fairly cooperative, though a bit timid at times, hopping in and out of the thickets, kicking up dirt and debris looking for yummy goodness along with a number of American Tree Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, and Song Sparrows.

Photo of Green-tailed Towhee taken on 12/30/2010 by Myer Bornstein of Taunton, MA

The towhee was obviously the big-time highlight of the day, and I would have been completely happy if that were the only bird I saw this day, but again, thanks to good luck that Jen brought with her, we had numerous other birds of interest that made this day superb, including a Northern Shrike!! The shrike is only the second time I have ever had good fortune to observe one (though I have only been an active birder for a few years), this particular bird being found perched atop the highest shrub overlooking the Flint Point Loop side of Sachuest Point NWR. Other rather notable birds included: A half-dozen Common Eiders along the Third Beach side of Sachuest Point; 4 lovely Surf Scoters seen through Kirk's spotting scope off of Flint Point on Sachuest; a lone Brant seen resting on the Island Rocks with a flotilla of a dozen other Brant seen along the Third Beach side of Sachuest near Flint Point; 3 Common Loons in their nonbreeding plumage off of various points of interest along Sachuest; 7 Red-breasted Mergansers, most near Flint Point and the Island Rocks; 2 American Pipits that we heard (through their flight song of course) flying over our heads when we first got to the area where the Green-tailed Towhee was being seen; a pair of Harlequin Ducks (my all-time favorite duck!) seen near the observation platform overlooking Island Rocks off of Sachuest; and lastly, a cluster of 15 Ruddy Turnstones that had been pointed out to us by a very friendly birder from Bristol, RI, whom found them roosting atop the rocky shoreline on the northerly side of Flint Point looking towards Third Beach.

A truly remarkable day filled with wonderful companionship, beautiful weather, and great bird-watching! As always, below you will find my full list of sightings today whilst at Sachuest Point NWR! Happy New Year to everyone, and more importantly, happy birding!!!

Location: Sachuest Point NWR
Observation date: 1/1/11
Notes: The lone and vagrant Green-tailed Towhee that has been seen since the 18th of December, 2010 was observed my numerous birders throughout the course of our time down and around Sachuest Point NWR, mingling with various other ground-feeders, such as American Tree Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows; Northern Shrike was seen while trekking along the southerly side of the Flint Point Loop trail, looking inland perched atop the tallest shrub in that area.
Number of species: 30

Brant - Branta bernicla 13
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 42
Common Eider - Somateria mollissima 6
Harlequin Duck - Histrionicus histrionicus 2
Surf Scoter - Melanitta perspicillata 4
Red-breasted Merganser - Mergus serrator 7
Common Loon - Gavia immer 3
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 1
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 1
Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 1
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 2
Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres 15
Sanderling - Calidris alba 13
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 3
Herring Gull - Larus argentatus 5
Northern Shrike - Lanius excubitor 1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 6
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 6
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus 1
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 1
Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos 5
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris 200
American Pipit - Anthus rubescens 2
Green-tailed Towhee - Pipilo chlorurus 1
American Tree Sparrow - Spizella arborea 10
Savannah Sparrow - Passerculus sandwichensis 2
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 3
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis 1
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 3
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Project FeederWatch - Week 6 (12/26/2010)

2010-12-27T12:47:00.001-05:00

During the beginning stages and the prelude to this holiday weekend's big snowstorm/blizzard (or as the media calls it: "The Blizzard of 2010"), I continued my participation with Project FeederWatch. And it surely was not disappointing. The birds knew something big was going down, for they were everywhere and in good numbers! And as soon as it started to snow steadily and the winds picked up some, they hunkered down and the activity dropped off dramatically late in the afternoon!

6 Northern Cardinals (4 males, 2 females) were around all day long; 9 Dark-eyed Juncos were meandering around the bushes on the ground, trying to dig up goodness with their feet; 13 Mourning Doves flew in together, again scaring all the other diners off; a gorgeous Red-bellied Woodpecker (mature male) scared off a pair of Blue Jays out front so he could get at the suet cakes; and most notably, 3 Purple Finches and a good grouping of 16 House Finches kept all other comers at bay for the privilege of eating at the main tube feeder full of sunflower seeds.

All in all, quite pleased with yesterday's observance of 16 bird species, totaling 77 birds altogether. As always, the full listing is below.....happy birding everyone and good luck digging out from this storm....we had 12 inches here in Littleton, and I know many other places got much more!

Mourning Dove	13
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	5
Black-capped Chickadee	5
Tufted Titmouse	5
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Carolina Wren	1
American Robin	1
White-throated Sparrow	3
Dark-eyed Junco	9
Northern Cardinal	6
Purple Finch	3
House Finch	16
American Goldfinch	5

Project FeederWatch - Week 5

2010-12-19T19:42:00.000-05:00

Today in Week 5 of my participation in the 2010-2011 Project FeederWatch program featured the highest number of birds seen at any one time during the course of my observance today, that being 46 total birds compared to 43 from last weekend. The pair of boisterous and wicked cutesy (yes, I said cutesy) Carolina Wrens showed up today, eating all 3 varieties of birdy-goodness available (the black sunflower seeds in the main tube feeder; the suet cakes and Nyjer from the Nyjer seed tube feeder).

Woodpeckers were prevalent today, where 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers made an appearance today, though only 1 can be counted for both were not together at the same time, unfortunately. 3 Downy Woodpeckers and 2 Hairy Woodpeckers also showed up.....too bad a Northern Flicker or Pileated Woodpecker didn't show up, or a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker for that matter (one had been seen a couple days ago in Framingham at a feeder).

For me, the biggest surprise of today's count was the number of Northern Cardinals that were around, 5 in all (2 males, 3 females) all at one particular moment in time during the course of my time watching the birdiness today. No matter how many times you see a Cardinal, I can always revel in the rich and bright redness of the male and the brown and subtle redness of the female!

Below, as always, is the full listing of birds seen....happy birding to all!!

Mourning Dove	5
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	3
Hairy Woodpecker	2
Blue Jay	3
Black-capped Chickadee	8
Tufted Titmouse	7
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
Carolina Wren	2
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	5
American Goldfinch	3

Project FeederWatch - Week 4

2010-12-12T19:58:00.000-05:00

This weekend's observance featured the highest numbers of birds and bird species to date during my first go with Project FeederWatch, despite today's nasty weather filled with water and wind! 14 different species visited the feeders at our home (between 11:20 am and 4 pm), including the first White-throated Sparrow to visit during the Project so far. When White-throats first started showing up this season, they were seen for two weeks in a row prior to my joining up with FeederWatch. Since then, nothing seen until today.

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker made an appearance again, mowing down upon the suet before being driven off by Blue Jays. I found it highly amusing to see a small group of Mourning Doves (5 in all) flying in from across the yard all at once to the base of the main tube feeder filled with black sunflower seed, scattering the 2 Blue Jays, gray squirrels and a female Northern Cardinal that had been busy pecking away at the ground for sustenance at the time.

The biggest surprise for me was seeing 2 Carolina Wrens with each other scoping out the ground in the front yard around the base of the suet feeder. None were vocal, but I suppose I wouldn't want to be singing too much with the copious amounts of rain coming down today, and the fact that it is not breeding season!

Anyhow, here is today's full list of birds observed are below. Happy birding everyone!

Mourning Dove	5
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	2
Black-capped Chickadee	8
Tufted Titmouse	6
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Carolina Wren	2
White-throated Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	3
House Finch	2
American Goldfinch	4

Project FeederWatch - Week 3 (12/05/2010)

2010-12-06T19:01:00.000-05:00

This weekend of observing the feeders and environs surrounding them around our house featured 2 new species making an appearance and the return of a species of bird (American Goldfinch) that had been absent last weekend. A lone Brown Creeper (I love them "boids" to pieces!) as well as a lone male House Finch showed up during the course of my observance (from 11 am to 1:15 pm) before heading off to join all the nutjobs in purchasing Christmas gifts.

I just love watching Brown Creepers and their mannerisms! This amazing, bark-colored bird with curved-bill has the habit of walking (climbing) directly up a tree from the base-upwards in a spiral, gleaning insects from the crevices in the bark of the tree....then, when its had its fun, it will either fly back down to base of the very same tree to make sure it didn't miss anything or make its way over to the base of another tree, always spiraling upwards in search of deliciousness! Their habit of walking along the trunks and branches of a tree are similar to woodpeckers and nuthatches, but as noted early, are different for their upwards spiraling climb. Creepers will use their stiffened tail much like a woodpecker for balance and grip. But nuthatches can climb upwards AND downwards in any direction compared the aforementioned. All 3 families of bird species just enthrall me to no end!

Below is my full list for yesterday's observance! Happy birding to everyone out their!

Downy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	2
Black-capped Chickadee	7
Tufted Titmouse	4
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Brown Creeper	1
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	2
House Finch	1
American Goldfinch	4

Project FeederWatch - Week 2 (11/28/2010)

2010-11-29T19:52:00.001-05:00

Nothing overly significant to report with this post....just want to keep a "journal" of sorts of my time participating in Project FeederWatch this year. Though I would imagine on a week-to-week basis that the numbers and variety of species of birds will not change very much. As it is for this weekend (Sunday rather), a very noisy and boisterous Carolina Wren and an always lovely little Red-breasted Nuthatch were the highlights of this week's observance! What was most pleasant was that the RBNH stuck around the black sunflower seed tube feeder during most of the time I watched the feeders, whereas the Carolina was here for a few minutes, flitting from lilac to tree to shrub, etcetera. And yes, the RBNH was making its cute, nasally little "anks"! Anyhoo, here is my full list of sightings around our feeders:

Mourning Dove	4
Downy Woodpecker	1
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	2
Black-capped Chickadee	6
Tufted Titmouse	5
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Carolina Wren	1
Dark-eyed Junco	3
Northern Cardinal	2

Turkey Day Birding: 2 New Lifers (Pink-footed Goose & Northern Pintail)!! - 11/25/10

2010-11-26T12:47:00.001-05:00

Before this momentous day was filled with feasting, football and family got into full-swing, I joined my good buddy Kirk Marshall on a morning/early afternoon stuffed with bird watching! And what a way to start off the day by shooting for our main target species, the rare Pink-footed Goose! This vagrant from Eurasia had been seen over the past week or so in the fields near the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and in the fields in and around the Davis Farm Conservation Land. For today and the past couple of days, the Pink-footed had been sighted by other birders in and around a pond (on a private residence) just due west of the Frost/Fairview Farm area (which is across the street, that being 117/North Road, from the Davis Farm CL) in Sudbury, MA. This amazing Lifer was enjoying itself amongst a moderate-sized flock of Canada Geese (35-50 birds) and a lone juvenile Snow Goose. We had fantastic looks at its pink feet as it would preen itself and walk amongst the Canadas up on the shore of the pond. Its a crying shame I don't have a good camera, for I would have loved to have taken some photos of this once-in-a-lifetime bird!

The route Kirk and I took to get to this location is as follows: From Burlington - take 128/95 South to Exit 30B for Route 2A West. Take 2A West until it joins up with Route 2 West. Continue on 2/2A West until you get to the intersection for Route 126. Take Route 126 South (a left) towards Lincoln/Framingham until it intersects with Route 117. Proceed to take 117 West (a right) towards Concord/Sudbury. The parking lot for the Davis Farm Conservation Land is approx. a mile past the intersection of 117 and Sudbury Road (Nine-Acres Corner) on your left with Frost Farm on your right. Park in the parking lot for the Davis Farm Conservation Land/Recreation Park, cross the street (Route 117/North Road) and go up the private driveway that parallels an old railroad bed that abuts the Frost/Fairview Farms area. The pond with the geese will be on your left across the railroad bed as you walk up the driveway.

Anyhow, after observing this beautiful and rare goose, Kirk and I made our way up to Parker River NWR (Plum Island) to see if we could chance upon at least one Cave Swallow of the myriad of swallows that had been reported over the past day or so up and down the east coast from Maine to New York. Sadly, no luck whatsoever in terms of coming across a single Cave Swallow. It was the second time we had ventured out for such a swallow and came up empty (last time happened to be not too long ago at Salisbury Beach State Reservation). Still, I came across another new Life bird at Stage Island Pool, the fairly common Northern Pintail. I say common because it is, I just never had the fortune of coming across any, though in my defense, I haven't been seriously bird watching for terribly long (coming on 3 years now). What a gorgeous dabbling duck the Pintail is, especially the male of course! Truly lovely! Goes right up there with my other favorite ducks, the Wood Duck and the Harlequin Duck! Another fave duck of mine we observed yesterday at SIP were a few Buffleheads of which I had not seen since last winter (yes, I know, its not technically winter yet, but it sure feels and looks like it)! Other highlights were seeing a lone, mature adult Bald Eagle soaring high over us while stopping by the Wardens and a handful of Northern Shovelers at Stage Island Pool. Below are the checklists from both locations visited yesterday....happy birding everybody and I hope everyone had a momentous Thanksgiving full of good times and deliciousness!

Location: Frost/Fairview Farm, Sudbury, MA
Observation date: 11/25/10
Notes: This location is a private residence (due to the no trespassing signs located along the drive up to the location marked on the map). As noted from the checklist, our target species was the Pink-footed Goose that had been seen for the past week or so in the fields near the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School as well as the fields located in the Davis Farm Conservation Land located just south of this observation area. For the past couple of days the Pink-footed was seen with a moderate-sized flock of Canada's and a lone juvenile Snow Goose as is noted in this checklist. My buddy and myself also observed the Pink-footed Goose along with Zeke Cornwell (Cornell?) and a young lady named Lisa (did not happen to catch her last name, unforatunately).
Number of species: 5

Pink-footed Goose - Anser brachyrhynchus 1
Snow Goose - Chen caerulescens 1
Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 35
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Location: Parker River NWR
Observation date: 11/25/10
Notes: Northern Pintails, Buffleheads and Shovelers seen at Stage Island Pool; Bald Eagle seen soaring over the Wardens
Number of species: 19

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 125
American Black Duck - Anas rubripes 75
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 25
Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata 6
Northern Pintail - Anas acuta 20
Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola 4
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 2
Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus 1
Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 1
peep sp. - Calidris sp. 12
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 2
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 5
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 8
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 6
Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos 2
American Tree Sparrow - Spizella arborea 5
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 3
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis 4
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 7
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Project FeederWatch - Week 1

2010-11-21T20:19:00.002-05:00

Just a fairly quick post here, something of which I will be attempting to do every weekend to give weekly updates on how my time participating in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project FeederWatch is going. This is the 24th year running for this program instituted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada, and this year it will run from November 13th, 2010 up until April 8th, 2011. This is my very first time participating with this annual program (I have participated with Mass Audubon's Focus on Feeders program in the past, and I'll do the same this year when it comes time; this season it is the weekend of February 5th and 6th, 2011).

Below you will find a complete list of the birds I observed off and on from Noon-time today until dusk. Highlights were a female Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Red-breasted Nuthatch both visiting our suet feeder out in the front yard. Sadly, of the 3 American Goldfinches that visited the nyjer and black sunflower seed feeders today, one of them had contracted House Finch eye disease, otherwise known as conjuctivitis. Will definitely have to clean the feeders to be sure there is a lessened chance of spreading the disease, and if there happen to be several birds infected, I will have to take our feeders down for at least a full week. Anyhow, here are my sightings for the day (normally, during Project FeederWatch, an observer would try to watch the feeders for 2 consecutive days for any period of time, though if only one day can be done, then that day must have a longer protracted time of observance):

Mourning Dove	4
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	2
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	3
American Crow	2
Black-capped Chickadee	8
Tufted Titmouse	5
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Dark-eyed Junco	3
Northern Cardinal	2
American Goldfinch	3 (1 with eye disease)

Snow Buntings @ Salisbury Beach; Sandhill Crane in Rowley off of 1A!!! - 10/31/2010

2010-11-01T19:03:00.001-04:00

There are some days of being out in the field bird watching that can be just so utterly frustrating! Yesterday, on Halloween in 2010, was one of those days. My buddy Kirk and myself ventured out first thing in the morning (well, not exactly at the crack of dawn) and hit up Salisbury Beach State Reservation around 9 am to look for one of 2 target birds of the day we had planned to try and see, this particular species at Salisbury being a Cave Swallow. A handful of Cave Swallows had been sighted at this location over the past few days, and since knowing the rarity of such a species around these parts (more commonly found in the Southwest and Texas, though even there it is still somewhat uncommon), we just had to try our luck at seeing at least one of them. Well, for roughly 2 and a half to 2 and 3-quarters hours we combed the reservation. When we heard report of the swallows being seen at the main parking lot, we'd head over there and wait a while......but nothing. Then some other birder would venture over and report that a swallow had been seen over near the "Owl Grove" that is near the pull-off in the campground......but nothing. Then we'd hear it was over at near the boat ramp....and still nothing. We were on a wild "swallow" chase, but sadly, no matter our diligence, we were not rewarded with the bird we came to see. It was so frustrating because so many other birders there had an opportunity to see at least ONE Cave Swallow, but us, no such luck. That is how birding can go sometimes, ya know?! Ya have a banner day one weekend, get skunked the next (as we had at Cumbies not too long ago looking for the CT Warbler, Vesper Sparrow and Buff-breasted Sandpiper).

But there is always some sort of positive spin you can make on almost any situation, and despite not being able to see the bird we so desperately wanted to see, we did chance upon a few species of birds that are always nice to see, such as a good-sized flock of 60 Snow Buntings in winter (non-breeding) plumage, a pair of Horned Larks over near the main parking lot, a Forster's Tern (Lifer) and 2 FOS Common Goldeneyes over near the boat ramp.

After the rough and tumble venture at Salisbury, Kirk and I drove over to Pikul's Pan (near Pikul's Farm) off of Route 1A in Rowley to get ourselves the other target bird of the day, a lone Sandhill Crane that had been seen there every day for the past week or so. This majestic and awe-inspiring bird did not disappoint! It was approx. 40 yards from the roadside, feeding and preening in the low waters of the pan. It was accompanied by a pair of Lesser Yellowlegs, but obviously, with the Sandhill there, we could really care less for them! Certainly a Life bird for myself, and twas a Lifer for Kirk the day before when he went out to see it.

To finish the day off, while watching the Vikings vs. Patriots game, we had a lone Golden-crowned Kinglet (female) flitting about the trees out front, seemingly checking out every branch on every tree it visited! First time I had ever seen a GC Kinglet in our yard! Cute, gorgeous "micro-bird" it is!

As always, the full list of sighted birds are below! Happy birding to all!

Location: Salisbury Beach State Reservation
Observation date: 10/31/10
Notes: Our target bird were the handful of Cave Swallows that had been reported. The Cave Swallows were seen by numerous other birders, but unfortunately, we were always in the wrong part of the reservation at the wrong time, going back and forth; thankfully the day was not a total loss. Always a pleasure seeing a good-sized flock of Snow Buntings in their winter plumage!
Number of species: 16

Common Eider (Atlantic) - Somateria mollissima dresseri 3
Surf Scoter - Melanitta perspicillata 5
White-winged Scoter - Melanitta fusca 14
Common Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula 2
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 16
Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 1
Buteo sp. - Buteo sp. 1
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis X
Herring Gull - Larus argentatus X
Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus 4
Forster's Tern - Sterna forsteri 1
Rock Pigeon - Columba livia 2
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 2
Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris 2
Snow Bunting - Plectrophenax nivalis 60
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus 2
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 6

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Location: Pikul's Pan, Rowley, MA
Observation date: 10/31/10
Notes: Fantastic views right from the roadside of this lone Sandhill, observed feeding and preening. It has been in attendance for approximately the past week and several birders from all across the region have had the pleasure of seeing this majestic bird! A Lifer for me!
Number of species: 2

Sandhill Crane - Grus canadensis 1
Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

I have returned from my hiatus and am back in action!

2010-10-17T00:06:00.000-04:00

It seems like it has been ages since last I graced you all with my presence and my whereabouts! Never fear, for bird watching will always be on my mind, just a matter of having the time and mula to do so.

At any rate, I usually spend my Saturday mornings to early afternoons with the fine folks and even more intriguing animals and birds over with Wildlife Care at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary. I have been giving my time, roughly 3 hours at a time, once a week for the past several months since late January of this year. It truly is an honor and a privilege to work with the animals over at WLC, most in particular the birds they tend to there. From the American Crows to the Raven, to the raptors (American Kestrels, Broad-winged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures) and owls (Great Horned Owls, Barred Owls, Eastern-Screech Owls), to even the Mallards, Pekin Ducks, and our "ambassador" Canada Goose, I just can't get enough of them. It is my hope to continue working with these amazing creatures over at Drumlin for as long as possible, of course depending on what life throws at me in the future.

After my time was done today at Drumlin, I shot over to Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge to finally get some physical exercise, to find some sense of solitude, and to see what birds I could possibly find through all the fierce winds we had whirling about today! As expected, not much in the way of activity was observed, thanks in part to the winds and also the simple fact I was there from 12:15 to 3:30 pm when birds typically are not as active. Our avian friends are more apt to be active in the dawn to mid-morning hours and also during the late-afternoon to dusk hours. The best bird of the day was seeing a Brown Creeper while hiking along Petapawag Trail....just fantastic looks at one of my all-time favorite birds! What I found most amusing was its propensity to follow this one White-breasted Nuthatch around from tree to tree. While the nuthatch probed the tree by walking up and down all sides of the trunk and branches, the creeper would, as is characteristic, walk in a spiral from base to crown until the nuthatch moved on and then would keep following aforementioned nuthatch! Its like the White-breasted Nuthatch was the Brown Creeper's best buddy or older brother! Of further note was seeing good numbers of Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers and Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Juncos. Here is the full list of birds seen....not many, but here they are all the same:

Location: Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge--IBA
Observation date: 10/16/10
Notes: Please also note that weather conditions were as follows: Mostly Sunny, temps in the mid 50s, winds at times in excess of 25 mph.
Number of species: 9

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 11
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 2
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 5
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 26
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 3
Brown Creeper - Certhia americana 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - Dendroica coronata coronata 18
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 18

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

To finish the day, I joined up with my always dependable good buddy Kirk Marshall and attended a banding demonstration of Northern Saw-whet Owls over at Drumlin Farm from 7 to 9:45 pm. What a freaking treat that was! For one, neither Kirk or myself had ever seen a Saw-whet Owl, and for me, this was my first banding demonstration of any kind! These lovely little owls (they only average 7 to 8 inches in length, from crown to tip of tail) are just so damned cute, especially with those huge saucer eyes that are so very startling yellow in contrast with their black pupils, pale facial disk and rufous-colored, streaky chest! We got to see how the tags were put on and how they recorded the data they obtained from each owl they captured. By the time Kirk and I had left Drumlin, from my best recollection (I was too concerned with the individual owls themselves afterall), we had 7 Saw-whets captured, banded, data-recorded and released back into the wild. I do wish I could count these Saw-whets as a Life bird, but that would be cheating. Yes, they are wild birds, but they were not seen on normal, everyday terms, as in just being out birding and chancing upon one in the wild, unfettered and not tampered with. These wild owls were captured in nets, tagged, measurements taken and finally released. Oh well.....one day Kirk and I will chance upon a Saw-whet in the wild just doing its thing without human interference! I did take a few pictures, but they are on my camera phone and not readily accessible to download to my laptop and thusly, upload to Facebook and this blog. The memory however, shall always remain, etched in my mind!

Truly a superb day it was....now it is time to catch some shut-eye and sleep in! Happy birding to everyone!

eBird Report - Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, 9/18/10 - The Buff-breasted Sandpiper is still in attendance!!

2010-09-18T15:18:00.000-04:00

Hello my fellow birders! Just a fairly quick notation here about my 55 minute trek at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in search of the reported Buff-breasted Sandpiper that had been seen over this past week and was initially sighted this past Saturday (the 11th) by Pamela Sowizral, Kathy Seymour and her birding group that she was leading that Saturday morning! So yes, as the title of this post implies, the Buff-breasted is still present in the southern section of the Boyce Farm Fields, chilling and perusing along with at least a Baker's dozen of Killdeer (probably more there)! A half-dozen Eastern Bluebirds (most of them immature) were hanging around the bluebird boxes they have up near Boyce Field. Other highlights were a Red-tailed Hawk buzzing by right over my head near the entrance of Wildlife Care while I was walking back to my car; a Red-bellied Woodpecker noisily looking for insects near the Education Center and a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird zipping around and perching near the array of bird feeders that are situated near the main parking lot/walkway up to the Nature Center. I hope other folks get a chance to see this Buff-breasted, for it was definitely a Lifer for me today! Happy birding everybody!

Location: Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
Observation date: 9/18/10
Notes: Buff-breasted Sandpiper is still present at the Boyce Farm Fields near the southwestern quadrant of the area along with numerous Killdeer.
Number of species: 19

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 1 (Wildlife Care area)
Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 13 (Boyce Farm Fields)
Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Tryngites subruficollis 1 (Boyce Farm Fields)

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 1

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris 1 (bird feeder area near parking lot)
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 1 (near Education Center)

Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 1
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 6
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 9
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 3
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 5

Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis 6 (Boyce Field area)

American Robin - Turdus migratorius 10
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 4

Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula 1 (Drumlin Loop Trail)

American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 7
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus 8

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

eBird Report - Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, 9/6/10 - A pleasant afternoon at my favorite place to find solitude!

2010-09-06T19:52:00.000-04:00

I just could not waste this amazingly gorgeous day with a slight breeze in the air, temps in the mid 70s, the sky boasting bright sunshine and a few wispy clouds. Though you may have thought I did waste a good portion of the day sleeping in until 11:20 am, but it was so worth it and necessary! After a great day of birding (and stuffing my face) yesterday, I had to continue this blessed Labor Day weekend being out and about enjoying Mother Nature! Of course, I made sure I completed what errands I had chosen to tackle today before ending my day the best way I could, by taking in all the sights and sounds, the atmosphere and environs of my favorite place to find solitude, that being Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge in Harvard, MA!

I arrived at Oxbow and started on my way at about 3:15 pm EST, not coming back to the parking lot until 3 hours later. I did my usual, routine route, going from the gate to Riverside Trail that parallels the Nashua River, then following Turnpike Trail that cuts across the vast wetlands until it joins up with Tank Road. Most times I would take a right at this junction following Tank Road all the way back to the parking lot, but on occasion, as I did today, I went left following Tank Road north that eventually comes upon Route 2. I didn't go as far as Route 2, for I typically will stop at the pond that is on the right-hand side, but is fairly close in proximity to Route 2 nonetheless.

I did not expect to see much in the way of birds, even though sometimes birds will become more active again in the late afternoon to evening hours. But once must consider that it is late in the summer and the summer months out here in the inland areas of MA tend to be rather quiet, that is of course until the Fall migration begins anew, which should be within the next week or 2 I believe. All the birds I saw there were of the usual variety, but a few favorites that one can typically find there were in attendance! The most notable birds observed were indeed a few favorites, such as a couple of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, one along Turnpike Trail (great looks!) and one at the parking lot when I had returned. A few Eastern Phoebes were seen, one on Turnpike Trail, one along Tank Road and one at the pond catching some flying insects. 2 noisy, yet striking Belted Kingfishers made their presence known with said explosive chatterings, one briefly seen along Riverside Trail near the junction of Turnpike Trail and one seen at the aforementioned pond that is on the right-hand side of Tank Road. The 2nd Kingfisher was especially cooperative and active. It seemed that he was diving into the water for some din dins, but no, it was diving in to the pond to help preen itself, for it would return to the same snag and start picking away at its water-soaked feathers.

However, the most noteworthy warm-blooded fauna observed were as follows: A Beaver down at that pond along Tank Road nearest to Route 2. This lovely beaver was just lounging, eating some vegetation, caring not for my presence. A Fisher was unexpectantly seen just sitting on the railroad tracks that run parallel to the eastern edge of the refuge, near the entrance to the dirt road that leads down to the parking lot. Initially I did not recognize this mammal to be a fisher until I got my binocs on it! Best looks I have ever had of a fisher, with its dark-grayish head, dark-brown body and very long, bushy tail....it stared at me for a few moments before deciding I was not a threat and headed onwards into Oxbow NWR. What a treat that was, for this was on the way heading out of Oxbow!

I must apologize for my narrative of today's exploits not being so boisterous and exuberant, for I am still feeling a bit exhausted after this long and fruitful weekend! At any rate, my bird observations are below! Happy birding to all!

Location: Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge
Observation date: 9/6/10
Number of species: 17

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 3
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 2
Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 2
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 3
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 2
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 3
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 10
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 3
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 31
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 14
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 9
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 8
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 4
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 1
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 2
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

eBird Report - Parker River NWR, 9/5/10 - 4 More Lifers---JOOOOY! Gotta love Plum!

2010-09-05T17:42:00.000-04:00

Yeup, 4 more Lifers (White-rumped Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper & Whimbrel), bring my Life List total to 249 species of birds seen to date!! Thanks be to my excellent buddy Kirk Marshall and fellow birder extraordinaire Eric Labato for such an awesome day of birding (though it had a wee bit of a rough start). What I mean by that is Kirk's scope he purchased earlier this spring already is having issues. The prism near the eyepiece was off-kilter, for it had lost its adhesive that kept it in place. Kirk pulled a MacGuyver and jimmy-rigged his scope, using part of a Q-Tip to wedge it in-between the prism and the inner casing. It worked, though he will try to properly amend his beloved scope later!

Anyhow, thanks to posts from Eric Labato from Plum Island (Parker River NWR) over the past couple of days, Kirk and I had our sights set on a few target species, that being the Stilt Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper and the Whimbrel. But this is not the only thanks we must give Eric, for we met up with him at Hellcat on the boardwalk leading to the observation blind. His expertise and observation skills were invaluable as the 3 of us proceeded to hit up the Dune Loop at Hellcat, The Pines and Bill Forward Pool Observation Platform. It was at BFP that we came upon the aforementioned Stilt and Baird's Sandpipers! They were intermingling with White-rumped Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and a pair of Black-bellied Plovers. A pair of Pied-billed Grebes were nearby, as well as a Belted Kingfisher of which I thought was kinda a bit out of place with all those shorebirds around! But in nearly one fell-swoop, all aforementioned shorebirds took off in flight thanks to a strafing run by a Peregrine Falcon that had been buzzing back and forth in between the Pines and Hellcat! Always a treat to see such an impressive, speedy raptor!

But the first Lifer of the day was also the best bird of the day, seeing 6 Whimbrels at the Salt Pannes before making our way down to Hellcat. What a striking, remarkable and rather large shorebird with down-curved bill, prominent black head stripes and gray legs! Simply lovely! A great day of birding that was finished off with a nice meal at the Agawam Diner in Rowley! I hope everyone else's Labor Day weekend has been good so far! Happy birding to all my friends!

Location: Parker River NWR
Observation date: 9/5/10
Notes: Birded with Kirk Marshall and Eric Labato. Pied-billed Grebes, Stilt Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plovers, White-rumped Sandpipers, Belted Kingfisher and about half of Semipalmated Sandpipers seen at Bill Forward Pool Observation Blind at around Noon time before being strafed repeatedly by an impetuous Peregrine Falcon; Willet, other Semipalmated Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers and Whimbrels seen at Salt Pannes; Killdeers seen at Plum Island Airport while trying to find Buff-breasted Sandpiper (no luck).
Number of species: 38

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 32
American Black Duck - Anas rubripes 10
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps 2 (Bill Forward Pool)
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 8
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 4
Great Egret - Ardea alba 9
Snowy Egret - Egretta thula 6
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 1
Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus 1 (In between The Pines, BFP and Hellcat)
Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola 2 (Bill Forward Pool)
Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 4 (Plum Island Airfield)
Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca 8 (Salt Pannes)
Willet (Eastern) - Tringa semipalmata semipalmata 1 (Salt Pannes)
Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes 5 (Salt Pannes)
Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus 6 (Salt Pannes)
Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla 21 (BFP & Salt Pannes)
Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla 3 (Salt Pannes)
White-rumped Sandpiper - Calidris fuscicollis 13 (Bill Forward Pool)
Baird's Sandpiper - Calidris bairdii 1 (Bill Forward Pool)
Stilt Sandpiper - Calidris himantopus 1 (Bill Forward Pool)
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 4
Herring Gull - Larus argentatus 6
Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus 1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris 1 (The Pines)
Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon 1 (Bill Forward Pool)
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 2
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 5
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 8 (Dune Loop at Hellcat)
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 1 (The Wardens)
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis 1 (Dune Loop at Hellcat)
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 1
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 2
Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum 1 (The Pines)
Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus 1 (heard only near Lot 2)
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

eBird Report - Hartwell Family Memorial Preserve, Littleton, 8/29/10 - Some midday hometown birding!

2010-08-29T15:11:00.001-04:00

I had desires to get up this morning and to make a day of it hiking/birding out in the Marlborough area at Sudbury Valley Trustee's Sawink Farm and Cedar Hill Reservations, but I thought better of it, desiring more to get a good night's rest and to sleep in! Plus, I didn't fall asleep until say 1:30 am after watching several episodes of LOST and reading a bit afterwards of Patrick Rothfuss' debut novel, "The Name of the Wind". And so, sleep in I did, not getting up until around 10:20 am!

And so I thought since I didn't get out and about 'til much later than usual that I would not see much in the way of birdage, and also considering the fact that it was/is a bit breezy and temps in the low-90s! Nonetheless, there is a reason why I love it here in my "hometown" of Littleton, MA, for the wildlife here is always evident and in good variety! To make a point, just a couple nights ago (Friday evening/night), 6 Common Nighthawks were catching flying insects overhead of our backyard, thusly signifying to me that their migration is in full swing. But that was not all for that night, for while out enjoying a fire in our firepit that resides in our backyard, a Barred Owl startled the wits out of my Dad and myself, giving a very loud and piercing "ooo-aawww" with a bit of their characteristic warble at the end of the vocalization. Besides giving us the heebie-geebies, it woke up Mourning Doves and Northern Cardinals from their slumber! Now, not an hour later, from across the street of our home, an Eastern Screech-Owl gave its clear, tremulous whinny! This was the first time I have ever heard a Screech-Owl's call here at home, let alone anywhere! What a treat that night was!

But I have gone off on a tangent again and must come back to today's exploits! Since I had started the day so late (but the sleeping-in part was nice nonetheless), I chose to get my bird on locally, traversing Hartwell Family Memorial Preserve that is owned and generally maintained by the Littleton Conservation Trust. I took my time in the preserve, being in its midst from 11:30 am to 2 pm, despite the heat. I was just enjoying myself and surprised at the birds I did observe at that time of day! A full list of results, as always, will be below my lovely little narrative. Highlights are as follows:

The most exciting bird I got to see is my favorite little falcon, the American Kestrel! Such a beautiful little raptor, gliding and swooping over the wetlands that border Beaver Brook and then flying off over the tree-tops towards the "summit" of Proctor Hill. I was also fortunate to observe a number of warblers, such species being a pair of Black-throated Green Warblers, a Black-and-white Warbler, a handful of American Redstarts, a pair of Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers and a few Northern Parulas! Simply lovely! What birder doesn't love seeing warblers, no matter what time of year! The thing to remember is to always check the little flocks of Black-capped Chickadees that always seem to be chattering away (as I learned from Kirk) that come through, for it seems various other woodland species like to join in on the fun. That is how I saw ALL of the warblers I observed today, for very few were vocal (only the Black-and-white and Myrtles were a bit vocal). I also had the pleasure of seeing a Northern Flicker perusing the grassy areas along the trail and 2 juvie Red-bellied Woodpeckers making quite the racket as they went from tree to tree!

Again, it goes to show, even if you don't get yourself up early in the morn to try and see birds when they tend to be most active, that you never know how many birds and types of species you'll see at any given time of the day! Even had I not seen what birds I did perchance on today, I would have enjoyed my time of solitude out in the woods and wetlands of the Hartwell Preserve! Happy birding everyone, and get out there!

Location: Hartwell Family Memorial Preserve, Littleton
Observation date: 8/29/10
Notes: Red-bellied Woodpeckers seen were both juveniles; American Kestrel seen swooping and gliding above the tree-tops and edge of the wetlands that run along Beaver Brook (looking towards the summit of Proctor Hill).
Number of species: 24

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 1
American Kestrel - Falco sparverius 1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 2
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 5
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) - Colaptes auratus [auratus Group] 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - Contopus virens 1
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 12
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 25
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 7
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 8
Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus 1
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 23
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 2
Northern Parula - Parula americana 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - Dendroica coronata coronata 2
Black-throated Green Warbler - Dendroica virens 2
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 1
American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla 5
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 5
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 6
Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula 1
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 9

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

eBird Report - Chesterfield Gorge Reservation/Gilbert A. Bliss State Forest, 8/15/10 - A surprising variety of birds out in the Highlands!

2010-08-15T19:10:00.002-04:00

Its been a little while since last I left ya'll with my whereabouts in terms of birding. And so, here I am! Did ya miss me??! I suppose not, but who cares, because whats important is that I have more birdiness to share!!

I chose to join my Dad on a little excursion to the rolling hills of the Highlands of Western Massachusetts in Hampshire and Hampden counties. Our target location was Chesterfield Gorge Reservation (well, for me it was). My Dad's goal, since he is an avid fly fisherman, was to check out the Westfield River. He hadn't been there since probably around 2001. This was, to my recollection, my first time visiting this area. Plus, I am finally putting my Trustees of Reservations membership to good use!

Both of us expected for the river to be low in volume, and it sure was. This bit of a drought we are in seems to be worse than I thought. A Trustees staff member at the parking lot of Chesterfield Gorge commented on this, saying that a good friend and local had not seen the Westfield River that low since 1953! Here is hoping for a good tropical system or two to come through, for all of the Bay State could use the rain!

Anyhow, onwards-ho we must go. While Dad tended to the fish in the Westfield (there were not many to be had, as unfortunately expected due to the low water levels), I followed the East Branch Trail from Chesterfield Gorge through the Gilbert A. Bliss State Forest all the way down to near the Indian Hollow Campground just over the Chesterfield/Huntington town-line in Huntington. I approximate I hiked 4.5 to 5 miles down, so thus, a total of 9 to 10 miles of hiking all told. I honestly did not expect to see much in the way of species of birds, at least in variety. I figured I would come across a good number of the usual suspects, but beyond that, not much else.

It had started out as I had feared (though I would've enjoyed my day nonetheless), but around Noon-time and from thereon out, it became much more active in terms of numbers of birds and variety! Such highlights are as follows:

Cedar Waxwings were virtually everywhere up and down the Westfield, as well as copious numbers of the Massachusetts State Bird, the infamous Black-capped Chickadee (definitely got sick of seeing Black-caps after a while....even the Waxwings!) A surprising number of Belted Kingfishers were observed, surprising because the waters were so low. But to no surprise, the Kingfishers stuck to areas near the bigger pools and the gorges themselves. 5 Common Mergansers were floating and diving along together in one of the broader stretches of the river with deeper waters. It was also a bit surprising to see these birds since again, the water levels were so low (but not low enough in that section apparently). For me, the biggest and loveliest surprise of all was the variety of warblers seen for this time of year here in MA! 3 Blackburnian Warblers, 3 Common Yellowthroats, 4 Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers, 4 American Redstarts, 5 Black-and-white Warblers and lastly, 1 Canada Warbler were observed! Just lovely! I know the fall migration has not started quite yet, so all these birds must've been breeding in this area! The most wonderful of these warblers was seeing the Blackburnians, Black-and-whites and the Canada, much to my delight! Anyhoo, the full list of birds seen is below, as always!

As you can see, considering the numbers of times I used the word "surprise" in some form in this post, I was very pleasantly surprised to come across what I did out in Western Mass! Goes to show, no matter what time of the year it is, ya never know what you'll come across.....another reason why I love bird watching so very much.....its just a pity I cannot go out more often! Happy birding everyone!!

Location: Chesterfield Gorge Reservation/Gilbert A. Bliss State Forest
Observation date: 8/15/10
Notes: Hiked approx. 4.5 miles down the East Branch Trail paralleling the Westfield River down to the meadows that are just southwest of the Indian Hollow Campground, then obviously, reversed direction. Numbers of waxwings and chickadees (particularly waxwings) are conservative.
Number of species: 30

Common Merganser - Mergus merganser 5
Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris 2
Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon 4
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee - Contopus virens 4
Blue-headed Vireo - Vireo solitarius 1
Warbling Vireo - Vireo gilvus 3
Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus 7
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 9
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 2
Common Raven - Corvus corax 1
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 8
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 46
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 13
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis 2
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 9
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 13
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 1
Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum 38
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - Dendroica coronata coronata 4
Blackburnian Warbler - Dendroica fusca 3
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 5
American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla 4
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas 3
Canada Warbler - Wilsonia canadensis 1
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Pheucticus ludovicianus 2
Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula 2
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 14

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Some select photographs taken while on vacation in Pittsburg, NH!

2010-08-03T00:57:00.001-04:00

Chris (my younger brother) took the vast majority of the photos posted here. Pictures taken by your host will be noted as such; all other photos are captured by my awesome bro! I thought it would be nice to share some of the awesomeness we observed while being on vacation in the Great North Woods of Coos County in Pittsburg, NH (from the 18th to 25th of July, 2010). Enjoy everybody!!

Common Loon

Myself resting at "the falls" off of The Falls in the River Trail (Cohos)

Bald Eagles (off of Back Lake)

Bald Eagles

Bald Eagle in flight

Common Loon

Moose bones found off of The Falls in the River Trail (Cohos)

Female Common Merganser

Moose near jct. of Indian Stream Road and Moose Pond Road

Moose

Momma Black Bear with 1 of 3 cubs off of Route 142 in Bethlehem, NH

Bald Eagles off of Back Lake

Myself and my Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Gildor, at Big Brook Bog

Gray Jay at East Inlet

Gray (Canada) Jay, aka Whiskey Jack at East Inlet

Photo taken by yours truly of my bro with his big catch!

Photo by yours truly of a Boreal Bluet

American Toad off of trail leading to Little Hellgate Falls

The rare sighting of a Gildor!

More Common Loonage!

Common Loon

Common Loon on Back Lake

Photo by yours truly of Common Loon

Also by yours truly!

eBird Report - Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit, 8/2/10 - Nothing like doing a wee bit of birding after work!

2010-08-02T23:15:00.003-04:00

For a multitude of reasons, I chose to do myself a favor and enjoy myself after a dull and monotonous day at work by doing what I love best....birding! Of course, one never needs any sort of excuse to go birding, for its always a good idea to get your bird on! I chose to hit up the Concord subdivision of Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge because 1) this was the best day weather-wise for this week; 2) I usually go birding on Sundays, whether by myself or with my good buddy Kirk, and so, I want to sleep in this upcoming Sunday; 3) needed to find some solitude in one of my favorite locales to visit; 4) it had been quite some time since last I was at Great Meadows; and 5) just a few days ago, Brian Cassie reported seeing 13 immature Black-crowned Night-Herons at Great Meadows! So, there ya have it! The last reason being the main reason I just had to get out after work!

And so I spent 2 hours and 20 minutes at Great Meadows (5:20 to 7:40 pm), trekking around the dike trail that runs along and bisects the Upper and Lower Pools. Since my main objective was the Black-crowned Night-Herons, I made my way to the man-made pools found near the border of Great Meadows just beyond the Upper impoundment. And most fortunately, I was blessed to observe 4 of these mysterious, skulking freshwater wader! Yet another Lifer for me (though such things happen relatively often when you are a novice birder like myself). Its too bad no full-fledged adult Night-Herons were around, but no complaints here, for I take what I can get, ya know?!

Other highlights were as follows: An Osprey gliding low overhead, heading towards the Lower Pool; 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and 2 Warbling Vireos while searching for the Night-Herons; a Pine Warbler along the dike trail running in between the Upper Pool and Concord River; a Spotted Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage teetering and tottering its rear-end whilst perusing the juncture of the spillway into the Concord River that enters from the Upper Pool; and lastly, an immature Green Heron warily keeping an eye on me from about 75 yards out from the bridge spanning the spillway that leads into the Concord River from the Lower Pool. Oh, and while trekking along the Upper Pool, from best I can tell, and from what I just read online, a Meadow Jumping Mouse went hopping across the path from the riverside into the reeds. It had to be one, for I have never seen a mouse hop in any manner, for every mouse prior to today has always just hurriedly scampered along! Its hops were about 3 inches in length, and like most mice, was a wicked cute little bugger!

Ultimately, a wonderful, tranquil and leisurely stroll of about 3 miles I had at GMNWR, enjoying the solitude and taking in all the sights and sounds such a wonderful array of habitats that Great Meadows offers! I'll be back again soon enough for the shorebird migration and for the Nighthawk migration as well! Happy birding everyone!

Location: Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit
Observation date: 8/2/10
Notes: Snowy Egret, 4 immature Black-crowned Night-Herons seen along the edge of the man-made pools found beyond the Upper Pool; immature Green Heron seen on edge of creek going down center of Lower Pool nearest the Concord River.
Number of species: 34

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 28
Wood Duck - Aix sponsa 2
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 13
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 7
Snowy Egret - Egretta thula 1
Green Heron - Butorides virescens 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax 4
Osprey - Pandion haliaetus 1
Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius 1
Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla 1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 3
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 2
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus 5
Warbling Vireo - Vireo gilvus 2
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 3
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 5
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 11
Bank Swallow - Riparia riparia 5
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 6
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 11
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 5
Marsh Wren - Cistothorus palustris 6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 2
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 37
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 2
Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum 6
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia 2
Pine Warbler - Dendroica pinus 1
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas 1
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 2
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 4
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 21
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 22

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Plum Island in Newburyport, MA.....always top notch, no matter what time of the year!

2010-08-01T22:13:00.002-04:00

A week removed from being up in the Great North Woods of Coos County in the township of Pittsburg, NH, I was at it again, getting my "bird" on with my good buddy Kirk Marshall up at Sandy Point State Reservation and Parker River NWR on Plum Island! We had several target species to shoot for, and we knew we had to get to Plum early to avoid the droves of "beach weasels" that enjoy getting skin cancer. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice day, but burning my skin to a crisp doesn't sound like a good idea to me......getting my skin burnt to a crisp while searching out all sorts of bird species sounds like a much better idea!! Thankfully, I had some good breathable clothing and the all important "field" hat with a brim all the way around to protect my pale, freckled skin on and near my head!

Ah yes, got a bit sidetracked there....the target species we had on our docket were as follows: Western Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher (Kirk had already seen these prior to this trip) and most importantly, the quite rare (in this region anyhow) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher!! This wonderful, extremely long-tailed bird (fairly common in places like Oklahoma) had been seen for what, about a week and a half, with several birders having seen it and a number taking some decent photos of it. Our first priority was trying to get on the Scissor-tailed that had been found at Sandy Point. We had been perusing the general area that this bird had been seen for about an hour and half or so, but then decided to keep on going, checking out the rest of the hotspots where other bird species we hoped to see would be. Not a half hour later after we had left Sandy Point did we find out from other birders (seemingly everyone we came across) that the Scissor-tailed had indeed come out from hiding for a few minutes before being harassed and chased off by the myriad numbers of Tree Swallows that had called Plum Island home today. Needless to say we were definitely even more bummed when we found out it was indeed still hanging around the area. But by that time, we had had our fill, and Plum Island was filling up fast with "beach weasels" galore (and the sun was draining us of energy as well).

We didn't get upon the Western Sandpiper or Stilt Sandpipers either (at least we think we didn't anyhow.....shorebirds/waders are such a frakking pain in the buttocks to identify, especially to a novice like myself). However, we did see several Short-billed Dowitchers (a Lifer for myself) at BFP, feeding with that sewing machine motion of theirs, as well as a Black-bellied Plover coming in for a landing at Bill Forward Pool to give us some amazing looks of it in its full breeding plumage!

Despite coming up short, we still had a great time seeing all that we could see (the full sightings list is below) whilst getting nagged by sand fleas and greenheads and the onslaught of full-on "sunnage" upon us (at least after the morning fog had lifted). We ended our time up in Essex County having lunch at the Agawam Diner in Rowley off of Route 1. While enjoying our cheese steak sandwiches, we were "graced" with a surprise visit from Senator Scott Brown, his wife Gail Huff (yeah WCVB Channel 5!!), along with perhaps one of his aides (?) and one of his rather lovely daughters....Ayla Brown?? Not too sure. Never did watch American Idol, and never will! It certainly made for a more interesting than usual time at the Agawam!

Happy birding everyone, and some day I will get upon a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (also got jipped at the Orange Municipal Airport in Orange last year of one)! Take care folks!!

Location: Parker River NWR
Observation date: 8/1/10
Notes: Numbers of Tree Swallows are more than likely conservative, as well as number of Bank Swallows intermingling with Tree Swallows; struck-out in search of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, but was seen by other birders visiting Plum; numbers of shorebirds are also conservative, and since not entirely familiar with all species of waders, may have overlooked species not noted in this list.
Number of species: 38

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 34
Mute Swan - Cygnus olor 3
American Black Duck - Anas rubripes 18
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 7
Great Egret - Ardea alba 10
Snowy Egret - Egretta thula 6
Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola 1
Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus 8
Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca 4
Willet (Eastern) - Tringa semipalmata semipalmata 2
Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes 6
Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla 21
Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla 19
Short-billed Dowitcher (Atlantic) - Limnodromus griseus griseus 26
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 5
Herring Gull (American) - Larus argentatus smithsonianus 7
Great Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus 3
Least Tern - Sternula antillarum 9
Common Tern - Sterna hirundo 3
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 4
Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus 3
Purple Martin - Progne subis 8
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 1250
Bank Swallow - Riparia riparia 11
Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis 1
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 6
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 4
Brown Thrasher - Toxostoma rufum 1
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris 33
Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum 40
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia 4
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas 1
Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus 3
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 5
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 4
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 3
Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula 1
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 7

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)