Ducks galore in Concord, MA!

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!

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

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)

eBird Report - Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit, 5/26/10 - Numerous Marsh Wrens....JOY!

I must tell ya, Marsh Wrens are my absolute favorite wren! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy all the wrens I come across immensely, but the Marsh takes the cake! Its gurgling, rattling, rolling trill makes me smile and laugh every time! And when it does pop out of the reeds, it flits around sporadically and on occasion will fly kinda like a miniature hovercraft from one section of reeds to another, gurgling the whole time! Man, ya just got to love all wrens....just zany, crazy, spunky little birds!

Anyhow, so yes, that was my highlight for today at Great Meadows NWR in Concord, being there from 8:30 am to 11 am. Sadly, no Moorhens, no Coots, no Pied-billed Grebe or Least Bittern (though I thought I might have heard the bittern's call, but am not confident about it). I must've been just a little too late in the morning. Plus, it was a bit sticky and fairly warm, and by the time I left, it was already about 90 out (its 94 now in Littleton, as of 1 pm). It was also a distinct pleasure to come across another Willow Flycatcher....just love their song (ritz-BEW!) And it was also sweet to see another small flock of another fave bird of mine, the Cedar Waxwing (Bohemians are just as amazing!). Well, enough from me, enjoy your day everybody and happy birding!

Location:     Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit
Observation date:     5/26/10
Notes:     Marsh Wrens mainly found along center dike trail bisecting the Upper and Lower Pools, but also a few along both dike trails that parallel the Concord River; relatively small flock of Cedar Waxwings found along dike trail parallel to concord on the Lower Pool side; Willow Flycatcher found in wetlands in between Concord River and Lower Pool in small copse of deciduous trees.
Number of species:     37

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis     24
Mute Swan - Cygnus olor     4
Wood Duck - Aix sponsa     3
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos     3
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus     3
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias     4
Osprey - Pandion haliaetus     1 (seen flying over small creek that empties from the Lower Pool)
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis     1
Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes     2
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus     1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     2
Eastern Wood-Pewee - Contopus virens     1 (Timber Trail)
Willow Flycatcher - Empidonax traillii     1 (Lower Pool Dike Trail)
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe     1 (Bathrooms)
Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus     2
Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus     1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     2
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor     6
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica     2 (buzzing by me along middle of center dike trail)
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     7
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     3
Marsh Wren - Cistothorus palustris     11
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     6
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis     2
Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum     11
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia     2
Ovenbird - Seiurus aurocapilla     1 (Timber Trail)
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas     1 (near Overlook Tower)
Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina     6
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     3
Swamp Sparrow - Melospiza georgiana     1
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     46
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula     27
Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula     1
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis     9

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

MAS 2010 Bird-a-thon: 4 new Life birds and a Red-headed Woodpecker at Oxbow NWR!

This year's MAS Bird-a-thon was my first time ever participating in this event, and it was one of the most memorable and exhausting birding experiences I have had to date!!

I was part of Team Drumlin Farm, going out into the field with Pamela Sowizral, Mary Brogan and Bruce Black and we definitely made the most of this year's event! 78 TOTAL BIRDS we observed/heard over the course of these 2 days, and saw several excellent birds!

The 4 Life birds for me was seeing the MANX SHEARWATER, MONK PARAKEET, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER & CLAY-COLORED SPARROW!! (Don't worry, in the list I'll tell ya'll where these awesome birds were/are!)

DAY ONE:

Friday evening we started off visiting Revere Beach to look for our target bird, the MANX SHEARWATERS. We weren't there long before they graced us with their presence (6 in total), roughly 50 to 100 yards offshore. What fantastic pelagic birds they are! We then headed over to Bremen Street Park in East Boston to gaze upon the nesting MONK PARAKEETS. We had to wait awhile, roughly 15-20 minutes before a pair of the Quaker Parrots (as they are commonly referred to and sold under in stores). So very nice to see such exotic birds in the wild, though seemingly very far from their supposed natural element! We then tried to go for the Clay-colored Sparrow at Millennium Park in West Roxbury, but it was just far too late in the evening to see much of anything.

DAY TWO:

So, guess what our first stop was today, this Saturday the 15th??! Yup, you guessed it, Millennium Park in West Roxbury to try for the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW again, and this time, we got all that we could've hoped for. I must say, I truly wish I had an iPhone with the iBird app installed on it, because it was indispensable this whole trip in verifying bird calls and songs. It was using this program coupled with a Sibley Guide that confirmed the presence of the Clay-colored! This lovely little sparrow was located, if looking from the front entrance to the park (gate), off to the left side of the hill in the reeds (phragmites); side of the hill in between the road that goes to the river and the road that goes toward the top of that hill. The next stop was the Boston Public Gardens. Our hope was to try and get upon the female Summer Tanager that had been reported there, but no luck. Nonetheless, we were delighted to come upon several warbler species, including the aforementioned BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER as well as other goodies like the BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, the BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, and MAGNOLIA WARBLER! CHIMNEY SWIFTS were indeed everywhere there at Boston Public Gardens. I also ran across my great friend and buddy Kirk Marshall there, for after seeing the Massbird report from there, he too had to get in on the action!! From there we made a quick stop to Hanscom Field and lucked upon a couple of BOBOLINKS. We proceeded to Great Meadows NWR, Concord Unit, and sadly, there was not much to see. Several MARSH WRENS were putting on quite the show for us though along the Dike Trail. Next up was Bolton Flats WMA, and we came across several YELLOW WARBLERS, a LESSER YELLOWLEGS and a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER as the highlights from there. Our final stop was Oxbow NWR where the day before a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER had been reported, and again, we were not disappointed! Had fantastic looks at this lovely and striking pecker for at least 15 minutes. He can or should be found off of Tank Road to your left in the swampy area that set in a bit. Put it this way, when on Tank Road and you come upon the culvert that leads into a more open-watered swamp on your right, look and listen off to your left into the swamp there. I hope this Red-headed decides to stick around so others can see him! That of course was the main highlight, but VEERYS were heard and seen, and a number of YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS were heard (seen by other birders there), but we could not get on them. OVENBIRDS were fairly plentiful as well. Oh, how could I forget, when we were over by the photo-blind off of Turnpike Trail, a COMMON NIGHTHAWK came soaring over.....yet another awesome bird!

Anyhow, enough from me, here is the full list (78 total):

MANX SHEARWATER - (Revere Beach; look for pink apartment buildings)

NORTHERN GANNET - (Revere Beach; seen off a ways, fairly good looks with scope)

Double-crested Cormorant - (first observed while driving along Route 145)

Great Blue Heron - (first observed for me while driving past Littleton Heron Rookery heading east on Route 2)

Turkey Vulture - (Bolton Flats WMA)

Canada Goose - (first observed at Millennium Park on the 14th)

BRANT - (Revere Beach, at least half-dozen observed)

Mute Swan - (Boston Public Gardens)

Wood Duck - (Oxbow NWR)

American Black Duck - (Boston Public Gardens)

Mallard - (first observed at Millennium Park on the 14th)

WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - (Revere Beach)

RED-SHOULDERED HAWK - (seen being mobbed by Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds near Assabet River while stopped at traffic light for jct. of 62 & 117 in Maynard)

Red-tailed Hawk - (first observed at Millennium Park on the 15th)

RUFFED GROUSE - (heard drumming several times from parking lot at Oxbow NWR)

Wild Turkey - (Drumlin Farm education dept. parking lot)

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER - (Bolton Flats WMA)

Killdeer - (first observed at Millennium Park on the 14th)

LESSER YELLOWLEGS - (Bolton Flats WMA)

AMERICAN WOODCOCK - (heard peenting while watching the Red-headed Woodpecker; was seen by other birders there along Turnpike Trail)

Ring-billed Gull - (Revere Beach)

Herring Gull - (Revere Beach)

Great Black-backed Gull - (Revere Beach)

Rock Pigeon - (first observed when on Route 1A in Revere)

Mourning Dove - (first seen flying across hood of car while on Hartwell Ave in Littleton)

MONK PARAKEET - (Bremen Street Park, East Boston)

COMMON NIGHTHAWK - (Oxbow NWR)

Chimney Swift - (Boston Public Gardens)

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER - (Oxbow NWR)

Red-bellied Woodpecker - (heard at Drumlin; seen at Oxbow NWR)

Downy Woodpecker - (first observed at Boston Public Gardens)

Eastern Phoebe - (bathrooms at Great Meadows NWR, Concord Unit)

Eastern Kingbird - (first observed at Boston Public Gardens)

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO - (heard at Oxbow NWR; seen by other birders)

Warbling Vireo - (first observed at Boston Public Gardens)

Blue Jay - (Home)

American Crow - (first observed while driving past Littleton Heron Rookery)

Tree Swallow - (first observed at Millennium Park on the 15th)

Black-capped Chickadee - (Home)

Tufted Titmouse - (Home)

Red-breasted Nuthatch - (heard at Drumlin Farm)

White-breasted Nuthatch - (Oxbow NWR)

Brown Creeper - (Oxbow NWR)

House Wren - (Home)

MARSH WREN - (Great Meadows NWR, Concord)

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - (Bolton Flats WMA)

Eastern Bluebird - (Millennium Park)

Veery - (Oxbow NWR)

American Robin - (first observed at Millennium Park on the 14th)

Gray Catbird - (first observed at Drumlin Farm)

Northern Mockingbird - (heard at Drumlin; first seen at Hanscom Field)

European Starling - (first seen along Route 1A in Revere)

CEDAR WAXWING - (Boston Public Gardens)

Northern Parula - (Boston Public Gardens)

Yellow Warbler - (first observed at Great Meadows NWR, Concord)

MAGNOLIA WARBLER - (Boston Public Gardens)

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER - (Boston Public Gardens)

Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler - (Boston Public Gardens)

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER - (Boston Public Gardens)

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER - (Boston Public Gardens)

Black-and-white Warbler - (first observed at Boston Public Gardens)

American Redstart - (first observed at Boston Public Gardens)

Ovenbird - (Oxbow NWR)

Common Yellowthroat - (Bolton Flats WMA)

WILSON'S WARBLER - (first observed by me at Oxbow NWR; also seen by Pam at Boston Public Gardens)

Scarlet Tanager - (Oxbow NWR)

Savannah Sparrow - (Millennium Park)

Song Sparrow - (heard at Millennium; first seen by me at Bolton Flats WMA)

CLAY-COLORED SPARROW - (Millennium Park; in reeds to the left side of the hill when approaching from main entrance)

Northern Cardinal - (Home)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak - (Oxbow NWR)

BOBOLINK - (Hanscom Field)

Red-winged Blackbird - (seen everywhere)

Common Grackle - (seen everywhere)

Brown-headed Cowbird - (Millennium Park)

Baltimore Oriole - (first seen at Home)

American Goldfinch - (ditto)

House Sparrow - (Revere & Boston Public Gardens)

I want to sincerely thank Bruce Black and Mary Brogan for carting the whole group around and I want to truly thank Pam for inviting me to join them and participate in this year's Bird-a-thon....an amazing experience that shall stick with me forever!!

To all those who participated, I hope you had a great weekend of birding, saw many great birds and just had a fantastic time enjoying yourself, the birds and the company you kept! Happy birding to everyone!!

Invasive Plants - Early Detection

The text and information below is from an email I received from Laura Mattei to all volunteers of SVT. I thought it would be beneficial to share this information as any and all help is needed. Sadly, I cannot attend any of the training dates due to other volunteering obligations (Wildlife Care every Saturday for Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, MA). FYI, Laura Mattei is the Director of Stewardship for Sudbury Valley Trustees.

Framingham -  New England Wild Flower Society is seeking volunteers to help with the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord River Watershed Cooperative Invasive Species Management Association (CISMA)’s EARLY DETECTION INVASIVE PLANT SURVEYS.

The goal of the project is to develop a prioritized list of invasive plant populations for management by means of documentation, mapping, and control of early detection invasives plants that are just starting to enter the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord (SUASCO) River watershed area.

WE NEED YOUR HELP IN STOPPING THESE INVASIVE SPECIES BEFORE THEY BECOME WIDESPREAD AND UNCONTROLLABLE!

Volunteers receive one day of training in early detection invasive surveys, then are assigned to survey for the target species. The training sessions run from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., and include a powerpoint presentation on the early detection species with a discussion of their identification, habitats, impacts, and control.  The rest of the morning includes a discussion of survey and documentation methods, locations, use of GPS, and how/where to report findings.  The afternoon training is primarily in the field, doing practice surveys and documentation. CISMA plans to start controlling some of the populations within this field season.

After the training session, volunteers are assigned to specific sites in their hometowns (and further afield, if they prefer) to look for the invasive plant species listed below.  CISMA plans to survey in each of the watershed’s 36 towns.

To volunteer for the training and survey work, please contact Ted Elliman, Vegetation Management Coordinator for New England Wild Flower Society at telliman@newenglandwild.org, or by phone at 508-877-7630 x 3203. 

Four CISMA training dates have been set. Volunteers can choose any one of the sessions. They are: 

• Saturday, May 15 - Southborough Fire Station, 21 Main Street Southborough, 01772  Saturday, May 22 - Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, 73 Weir Hill Road, Sudbury 01776
• Sunday, May 23 - Bedford Town Hall, 10 Mudge Way, Bedford, 01730
• Saturday June 5 - Bolton Town Library, 738 Main Street, Bolton 01740

The eleven early detection species that are the targets of the CISMA survey, taken from the Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group list, are:

• Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus)
• Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
• Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum)
• Kudzu (Pureraria montana)
• Mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum)
• Reed mannagrass (Glyceria maxima)
• Tansy ragwort/ stinking willie (Senecio jacobaea)
• Brazilian waterweed (Egeria densa)
• Great yellowcress (Rorippa amphibia)
• Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata)
• Parrot-feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)

This is an extremely important project for the 36 towns which comprise the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord River watershed area. It is most important that these invasive plants populations be documented, then removed to protect our native plant populations and their habitats.

All volunteers under 18 must have a permission form signed by a parent or guardian. Send us an email for a copy.

Great Meadows NWR (Concord), Oxbow NWR, Nine-Acres Corner - 04/18/2010

The weather may not have been ideal (annoyingly light, intermittent rain showers for most of the day) for heading outside, but it wasn't too awful either, so here are the highlights of todays expedition with my good friend Kirk Marshall!

It started off, before meeting up with Kirk at Great Meadows by 8 am, by seeing a pair of COMMON LOONS on Nagog Pond near the Littleton/Acton border while driving east on 119/2A. This pair, at the time this morning, was drifting along with about a half-dozen RING-NECKED DUCKS. And yes, I had good looks because I had been stuck at the traffic light there to go into Nagog Park.

While at Great Meadows, Kirk and myself got upon 2 AMERICAN COOTS, both on the Lower Pool side of the dike, milling amongst the dead reeds nearest the dike. We also saw a handful of GREAT BLUE HERONS, a pair of MUTE SWANS, and about a half-dozen WOOD DUCKS, a few of which were perched on top of the wood ducks boxes. A few DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS also had the same idea. Strewn throughout the entire area was a myriad of COMMON GRACKLES, TREE SWALLOWS AND RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, many of the male Red-wings displaying! We also lucked upon a MERLIN flying overhead the Lower Pool as well! And yes, there was a large contingent of CANADA GEESE....oh well! But I find the most amusing thing there was this one Great Blue. We'd get within 5-10 feet of it on the dike trail, then it would fly off, but only to just a little ways down the dike trail in front of us. So, we'd come upon him again, and he would fly off again farther down the dike. After the 3rd time, he decided to stand his ground as we walked past him. I guess he liked that dike much too much!

Next stop was Oxbow, and it was fairly quiet today, compared to earlier last week. Saw a few WOOD DUCKS and MALLARDS and TREE SWALLOWS, as well as other commonly found birds this time of year, but the highlight from what we saw was the lone PALM WARBLER we observed along the Turnpike Trail. A BELTED KINGFISHER also graced us with its crazed chatterings while walking back along Tank Road.

Our last stop was to check out Nine-Acres Corner for the GLOSSY IBISES, and we were not disappointed. They are in the same southwest quadrant of the area, all 10 of them, along with a few KILLDEER and GREAT BLUE HERONS. Had some seriously great looks at the ibises due to the sun finally shining, making their glossy, purple-hued/iridescent feathers glitter! Also was able to see them in flight as they moved from one flooded area to the next!

All in all, a very nice day to be out and about for the both of us! Happy birding to all!!

Cape Ann, North Shore and Miscellaneous - American Bald Eagles & Harlequin Ducks

What a most gorgeous day to be outside today, getting some fresh air whilst looking for whatever birds we could find! I met up with my good friend Kirk Marshall today in Burlington early enough around 7:30 am. We then made a go of it for a fair portion of the day, first stopping in Newburyport and Amesbury, then heading southward to the Gloucester area and finally in the Rockport area. After dropping Kirk off back in Burlington around 4 pm, I made a quick stop in Concord at Great Meadows NWR. Here are some highlights of what we observed. If I forget anything, I am sure Kirk will post an addendum to this message!

Cashman Park, Newburyport: Here we tried first to spy ourselves an American Bald Eagle or Great Cormorant, but no luck. However, it was nice to hear and see a Northern Mockingbird calling. About a half-dozen Common Goldeneyes were also seen. Other than that, not much to mention.

Deer Island, Amesbury: Our second stop in looking for eagles. Here, after about 10 minutes, we were rewarded with an adult American Bald Eagle first coming in over the Merrimack along the tree tops, then riding the thermals in giant soaring circles, heading downstream of the Merrimack from there. Amusing to me was a Red-tailed Hawk shadowing this Baldy, riding the thermals as well and staying within about 50 feet or so below the Bald Eagle.

Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester: Observed a few White-winged Scoters and Surf Scoters here, as well as a couple of Common Loons...I believe a few Common Eiders as well. Fellow birders that were there had reported seeing Purple Sandpipers around, but we could not get on them.

Cathedral Ledge, Andrews Point & Halibut Point, Rockport: I will start off with saying that we saw nothing off of Halibut Point, nothing that we could see anyhow. Andrews Point and Cathedral Ledge were more rewarding, with a total of about 40+ Harlequin Ducks spotted between the 2 locations. I believe we observed about 4 Common Loons, a mating pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, and about a total of 20+ Common Eiders. Song Sparrows were certainly very abundant amongst the residential area there near both Andrews and Cathedral.

Great Meadows NWR, Concord: I came here to try and see if that Eurasian Green-winged Teal was still hanging around, but again as with 9-Acre Corner off of 117 in Concord, no luck. However, about 10Common Mergansers, 3 Red-winged Blackbirds and 1 American Bald Eagle were seen. This eagle was best seen through a scope from the observation tower overlooking the Upper Pool. From the tower overlooking the Upper Pool, look across to the far side near the Concord River amongst the trees. Well, that is where myself and a number of other birders observed him. The eagle could be anywhere else around Great Meadows come tomorrow. A very nice gentleman allowed me to observe this eagle through his scope. You could still make the eagle out with binocs, but obviously not anywhere near as good as with a scope. Oh, I almost forget to mention, while driving to Great Meadows along Route 62 heading west, just before you cross into Concord from Bedford, I estimate a flock of about 40 or so Common Grackles flew over my car. Largest group of grackles I have seen so far this year.

Well, there you have it. A good day of birding and a great day just to be outdoors! Good luck and happy birding to all!