Project FeederWatch - Week 10

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

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)

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)

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!!

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)

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

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

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)

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)

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

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)

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

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)