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

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!!

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

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)