Turkey Hill and Weir River Farm; October 26, 2013

Five people joined me in a stroll around Turkey Hill and the Weir River Farm on a beautiful sunny day that started with freezing temperatures but warmed up over the course of four hours to about 60 degrees.  Birds were present in large numbers, but the most exciting were probably the two Indigo Buntings that were flitting in the shrubs below the enclosure for the Belted Galloways. One poorly seen bird was most likely a female but the other molting male posed for beautiful looks at his still rather blue breast.

The group scans for the Indigo Buntings

Osprey  1
Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  5
Downy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  2
Blue Jay  25     Numerous; count may be low
American Crow  7
Black-capped Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
Carolina Wren  5
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Eastern Bluebird  1
American Robin  80     Numerous; count may be low
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  16
Cedar Waxwing  25     numerous; count may be low
Nashville Warbler  1     seen briefly hopping through some brush; gray head with eye ring; yellow throat
Yellow-rumped Warbler  18
Song Sparrow  15
White-throated Sparrow  12
Dark-eyed Junco  6
Northern Cardinal  4
Indigo Bunting  2
Common Grackle  1
Brown-headed Cowbird  10
House Finch  7
House Sparrow  X

Sally Avery

Belted Galloways forage at Weir River Farm

 

Fowl Meadow, Milton - 10/19/2013

Five people joined me for a walk through Fowl Meadow on October 19.  It was a bright sunny day with stunning foliage.  We walked the two miles out to Route 128, and returned via the somewhat parelleling trails that start with the unfinished cloverleaf for the the Route 95 extension through Fowl Meadow that never happened and ends back at the "crossroads."  The trees in places were dripping with yellow-rumped warblers.  Other migrants were ruby-crowned kinglets, 3 blue-headed vireos, 3 black-throated greens, a nicely handkerchiefed female black-throated blue eating blue berries.  Two rusty blackbirds were a nice plus.

 Canada Goose 7
 Red-tailed Hawk 2
 Mourning Dove 1
 Belted Kingfisher 1
 Downy Woodpecker 12 small black and white woodpecker, small bill, climbing trees, whinnying
 Northern Flicker 9
 Blue-headed Vireo 3
 Blue Jay 18
 American Crow 24
 Black-capped Chickadee 21
 Tufted Titmouse 3
 White-breasted Nuthatch 3
 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 7
 Hermit Thrush 5
 American Robin 23
 Gray Catbird 2
 Cedar Waxwing 15
 Blackpoll Warbler 5
 Black-throated Blue Warbler 1 female with nice hankerchief
 Yellow-rumped Warbler 74
 Black-throated Green Warbler 3 2 m, 1 f, bright yellow cheeks, males had black   throats
 Eastern Towhee 1
 Song Sparrow 15
 Swamp Sparrow 10
 White-throated Sparrow 12
 Dark-eyed Junco 3
 Northern Cardinal 8
 Red-winged Blackbird 12
 Rusty Blackbird 2
 Common Grackle 2

 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

 Patty O'Neill

Cape Cod - 10/05/2013

Eastern Phoebe (tame)

Highlights only for the Outer Cape trip.
I thought at the end of the trip we were less than 100, but more than 80; maybe 88. We ended with at least 109! I need to see other's lists to see if any other species were seen by the group and not known to me. Nothing rare, just a good cross section of what's normally around at this time of year. The Eastham Stump dump area has drastically changed in a year, especially the back area with almost all the thickets removed. Still the most productive area. Most surprising miss was Tree Swallow-first time since doing this trip; should have hundreds if not thousand(s).

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Wood Duck (2 flyovers in Eastham, 1 in the ocean at Coast Guard Beach!)
Green-winged Teal (Herring Pond-Eastham)
skeins of scoters and eiders at First Encounter
Red-throated Loon (Herring Cove)
Osprey (Pilgrim Lake)
Northern Harrier (1 male at Fort Hill/Nauset Marsh, total of 3)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Fort Hill)
Virginia Rail ( 2 at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary {WBWS})
American Coot (Herring Pond-Eastham)
Solitary Sandpiper (2 WBWS, 1 Beech Forest)

WILLET (late, Nauset Marsh, not seen well enough to determine if Western)
Lesser Yellowlegs (3 WBWS)

Pectoral Sandpiper 1 (Truro-High Head Road)
White-rumped Sandpiper (3 First Encounter)
dowitcher, sp. (2 flybys in bad light at Herring Cove; probably Short-billed)
Parasitic Jaeger 9 (3 at Herring Cove, 6 at Coast Guard Beach)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (2 at WBWS-we never seem to miss it at this location on this trip)
Hairy Woodpecker (7; 6 at the stump dump-were they moving?)
Merlin (flyover along Rt 6 in Eastham)
Peregrine Falcon (1 at Nauset Beach)
EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE (at the headquarters to Marconi area-late)

Eastern Phoebe (a very obliging bird on the springs trail at WBWS, landed on a couple of people; images taken; probably the same individual someone reported from there recently)
Fish Crow (4 at WBWS)
Red-breasted Nuthatch 3 (2 at stump dump, 1 at WBWS)
Brown Creeper 1 at stump dump
House Wren 2 at stump dump
MARSH WREN 1 at Fort Hill marsh-not normal here, but have had it on this trip in the past at this location
Eastern Bluebird (7 at stump dump, 1 at WBWS)
Brown Thrasher 2 (1 at WBWS, 1 at High Head Road, Truro)
Nashville Warbler 2 (1 at stump dump, 1 at WBWS)
Common Yellowthroat 9 (8 at stump dump, 1 at WBWS)
American Redstart 2 at WBWS
Pine Warbler 15 at Marconi headquarters

Saltmarsh Sparrow 1 at Fort Hill marsh
White-crowned Sparrow 1 imm (This might have been the coolest bird of the day-a leucistic bird at the WBWS feeders-the back and underparts are paler than normal with white feathers in primaries(?), rump and tail.)

Scarlet Tanager 1 flyover at Stump dump
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 at Stump dump

Indigo Bunting 4 at Stump dump
Bobolink 2 at Stump dump

*Photos courtesy of Liam Waters.

Glenn d'Entremont

Fall Roundup 2013 - 9/21/13

This Roundup is one of the longest running fall migrant studies in New England, and possibly the country. It occurs on the third Saturday of September and is composed of 7 teams of 2-6 birders. It runs like a CBC and numbers of each species recorded are even more important than the total species list. It starts before dawn and ends when the groups assemble for the tally about 6:30 p.m. Each team follows a traditional schedule/route, has a variety of habitats (100 species is possible), and is named for the town where most of the
route is located; Quincy, Hingham, Scituate, Marshfield, Duxbury, Plymouth, with a 7^th team called Inland whose territory runs from Lakeville Ponds to Route 28. The total area is from the Neponset River/Blue Hills to Manomet/Lakeville; it is a rectangle of about 40x20 miles.

This year we tallied 159 species – see below for the details. While there were no new species this year 2 Whip-poor-wills in Plymouth were unusual; the species had been recorded in 1959, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1983.   In the most recent 32 years the count averaged 156. This year was warm (57-77F) sunny, with a few passing clouds and a modest south breeze. The four prior days also had been warm and sunny so a migration was not in evidence. Birders often ask what species were the worst missed. Based on the prior six years the following were seen in 4 or more roundups: Merlin (6), Willet (5), Field Sparrow (5), Saltmarsh Sparrow (5), Piping Plover (4), Whimbrel (4), Philadelphia Vireo (4), Golden-crowned Kinglet (4) Gnatcatcher (4), and Black-throated Blue Warbler (4).

Birders often comment “there are not nearly as many birds as in the old days”. A quick bit of research involving Vireos and Warblers 20 and 40 years ago shows the following:

Species/individuals                         1973                       1993                       2013

Vireos species/individuals             4/26                         3/33                         3/21

Warblers species/individuals       25/267                   22/163                      21/173

Another measure you might try – the "David Clapp review" - he would take this year’s totals and note what species are there with but one bird seen; see how close we were to missing many species.

Canada Goose   474

Mute Swan   62

Wood Duck   99

Am. Black Duck   96

Mallard   496

Blue-winged Teal   4

Northern Pintail   3 - Duxbury sector

Green-winged Teal   5

Ring-necked Duck   4 - Duxbury sector

Common Eider   155

Surf Scoter   2

White-winged Scoter   27

Black Scoter   1 - Scituate sector

Red-breasted Merganser   2

Wild Turkey   51

Red-throated Loon   1

Common Loon   5

Pied-billed Grebe   2

Northern Gannet   2

Double-crested Cormorant   2194

Great Cormorant   5

Great Blue Heron   66

Great Egret   70

Snowy Egret   92

Green Heron   2

Black-crowned Night-Heron  4

Turkey Vulture   16

Osprey   10

Bald Eagle   3

Northern Harrier   8

Sharp-shinned Hawk   3

Coopers Hawk   10

Red-shouldered Hawk   5

Red-tailed Hawk   25

American Kestrel   3

Peregrine Falcon   3

Virginia Rail   1

Sora   1 - Burrage Pond WMA

Black-bellied Plover   51

Am. Golden Plover   2

Semipalmated Plover   451

Killdeer 76

American Oystercatcher   3

Greater Yellowlegs   142

Lesser Yellowlegs   7

Solitary Sandpiper   7

Spotted Sandpiper   24

Ruddy Turnstone   7

Sanderling   609

Semipalmated Sandpiper   888

Least Sandpiper   49

White-rumped Sandpiper   7

Pectoral Sandpiper   5

Dunlin   38

Short-billed Dowitcher   11

Wilson's Snipe   2

American Woodcock   1

Laughing Gull   181

Bonaparte's Gull 10

Ring-billed Gull   1169

Herring Gull   1481

Great Black-backed Gull   271

Caspian Tern   16 - Quincy sector

Common Tern   4

Forster's Tern   18

Rock Pigeon   137

Mourning Dove   167

Eastern Screech Owl   41

Great Horned Owl   19

Barred Owl   9

Northern Saw-whet Owl   1 - Scituate sector

Whip-poor-will   2 - Plymouth sector

Chimney Swift   3

Ruby-throated Hummingbird   3

Belted Kingfisher   28

Red-bellied Woodpecker   31

Downy Woodpecker   83

Hairy Woodpecker   9

Northern Flicker   43

Eastern Wood-pewee   2

empidonax sp.   3

Eastern Phoebe   71

Great Crested Flycatcher   1 - Cumberland Farm Fields

Eastern Kingbird   1

Blue-headed Vireo   4

Warbling Vireo   1

Red-eyed Vireo   16

Blue Jay   269

American Crow   107

Fish Crow   21

Common Raven   2 - Hingham sector

Horned Lark   3

Tree Swallow   7904

Northern Rough-winged Swallow   1 - Scituate sector

Bank Swallow   6

Barn Swallow   11

Black-capped Chickadee   238

Tufted Titmouse   146

Red-breasted Nuthatch   7

White-breasted Nuthatch   88

Brown Creeper   2

Carolina Wren   99

House Wren   8

Winter Wren   1

Marsh Wren   3

Ruby-crowned Kinglet   2

Eastern Bluebird   20
Veery  1
Swainson's Thrush   1
Hermit Thrush   4
Wood Thrush   1
American Robin   4154
Gray Catbird   250
Northern Mockingbird   27
Brown Thrasher   2
European Starling   3631
American Pipit   6
Cedar Waxwing   85
Blue-winged Warbler   2
Nashville Warbler   7
Northern Parula   14
Yellow Warbler   2
Chestnut-sided Warbler   1
Magnolia Warbler   4
Yellow-rumped Warbler   6
Black-throated Green Warbler   9
Blackburnian Warbler   1
Pine Warbler   9
Prairie Warbler   1
Palm Warbler  7
Blackpoll Warbler   26
Black and White Warbler   13
American Redstart   19
Ovenbird   1
Northern Waterthrush   1
Connecticut Warbler   2 - Cumberland Farm Fields
Common Yellowthroat   43
Wilson's Warbler   4
Canada Warbler   1
Scarlet Tanager   6
Eastern Towhee   31
Chipping Sparrow   36
Clay-colored Sparrow   1 - Quincy sector
Savannah Sparrow   65
Song Sparrow   234
Lincoln's Sparrow   7
Swamp Sparrow   17
White-throated Sparrow   6
Northern Cardinal   93
Indigo Bunting   6 - Cumberland Farm Fields
Dickcissel   1 - Marshfield sector
Bobolink   200
Red-winged Blackbird   825
Common Grackle   6217
Brown-headed Cowbird   22
Baltimore Oriole   2
House Finch   39
American Goldfinch   84
House Sparrow   438 

Total species: 159

Thanks again, we want you with us on the 3^rd Saturday of September in 2014 - so save the date please.

Bob & Dana Fox

Daniel Webster at sunset September 15th 2013

Daniel Webster at Sunset

Ten members met on this gorgeous late summer afternoon to walk the trails and check out the blinds at this birding hotspot. This was intended to be an unhurried and very leisurely trip to end the weekend. We spent quite a while just sitting in the first blind admiring the (first of the season) Green winged Teal. When they show that amazing teal color they are very handsome indeed. While we were sitting there we also managed to get everyone on the scope for excellent looks of a Solitary Sandpiper.

Woodpeckers showed off well too, we saw no fewer than four Flickers close and busy feeding and had a great look at a Red bellied Woodpecker.

 

Most memorable perhaps was the view from Fox Hill: Seeing close to 500 Double Crested Cormorants sitting on the electric cables spanning the Green River pretending to be Swallows is a sight none of us will ever forget!

 

Marshfield: Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary, Plymouth, US-MA
Sep 15, 2013 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     South Shore Bird Club Trip
29 species

Canada Goose  38
Mallard  3
Green-winged Teal  7
Double-crested Cormorant  450
Great Blue Heron  1
Green Heron  1
Northern Harrier  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Solitary Sandpiper  1
Herring Gull  1
Mourning Dove  6
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  4
Eastern Phoebe  12
Eastern Kingbird  1
Blue Jay  4
American Crow  2
Tree Swallow  4
Tufted Titmouse  3
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Eastern Bluebird  4
Gray Catbird  2
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  20
Cedar Waxwing  30
Chipping Sparrow  4
Song Sparrow  1

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15332518

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org

 

Steven and Christine Whitebread