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

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

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)