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)
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