Norfolk/Wrentham area 12/02/2012

Two birders joined me for the South Shore Bird Club (SSBC) outing at
Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Norfolk this morning. There was ice
on much of the water and thick fog for much of the walk, but we had a
nice morning of casual birding. A highlight was two Golden-crowned
Kinglets who came within a few feet for exceptional views along the
main boardwalk. Also along the boardwalk, we identified several
native shrubs and saw the tracks of a Mink in the snow.

We observed one Green-winged Teal on the water feeding alongside two
American Black Ducks and two Mallards. Which is to say, there were
not many ducks today. In the field near the parking lot, we noticed a
uniquely feathered Canada Goose (see photo).

Around 10am, we headed to the William Rice Fields in nearby Wrentham
to see if the Lark Sparrow was around. We didn't find the bird today
but had a nice time watching and listening to a small flock of Eastern
Bluebirds. A couple Savannah Sparrows also made themselves known.

Below are the lists from both locations.

--Josh Fecteau (filling in for Nancy Swirka)


Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Norfolk, US-MA
Dec 2, 2012 7:50 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.9 mile(s)
24 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 19
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 2
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 4
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 4
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 10
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 2
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 10
American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea) 2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 10
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 10
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 4
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 6
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 20

View this checklist online at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12205224


William Rice Athletic Fields, Wrentham, Norfolk, US-MA
Dec 2, 2012 10:20 AM - 11:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.6 mile(s)
16 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 40
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) 7
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 6
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 10
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 6

View this checklist online at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12205257


Josh Fecteau

Plymouth County Waterfowl Survey - 11/17/2012

The third annual Plymouth County Waterfowl Survey was run on Nov 17, and 20 Club members participated. There were four field teams in all, led by Charlie Nims, David Ludlow, Jim Sweeney and Glenn D'Entremont. Skies were clear and there was no ice on the ponds, so the game was on. The goal for the day is to find and count all the waterfowl on freshwater ponds in Plymouth County.  This time of year the days are short but by the end of this day we had recorded over 5,000 waterfowl.



Ruddy Duck



  Some of the most interesting ducks included a female Barrow's Goldeneye, two Northern Shovelers, a White-winged Scoter, Red-throated and Common Loons and Pied-billed, Horned and Red-necked Grebes.

More broadly, we noted a second year of decline in the numbers for Mallards and Am. Black Ducks, and we saw the number of Am. Coots return to normal after a huge year last year.

There were also some fine land birds seen near the ponds and lakes, and in other nearby locations once the count was complete. The biggest star was the NORTHERN LAPWING in Bridgewater, and close behind was a pair of Long-eared Owls seen in flight at the Cumberland Farm Fields in Middleboro (dusk).



Northern Lapwing

  It turned out to be a slow day for waterfowl in Abington, but John Galluzzo got a nice picture of a Coyote.



Coyote



The tally was held at Finna's Tavern in Kingston, and they did a good job for us, providing a separate area for us and plenty of good beer and food.







Joe Scott