Wompatuck from all directions May 21 2016

Ten members of the SSBC attempted to cover Wompatuck State Park in one morning. Unfortunately, we were just one team short to be able to cover the whole park which had been divided into 6 segments.

After maps were handed out, each team walked or drove to a starting point to maximize the time they could spend in their sector. Four hours and a combined 20 miles later we all met up at the picnic area near S. Pleasant / Union Street (the former Hooded Warbler spot) to compare notes.
 A pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoos joined us right there too!

Together we then set off to find some more birds. On the wish lists were species such as the Cape May Warbler or the Worm-eating Warbler which some teams had discovered earlier. Despite some intense listening by 10 avid birders we found neither one of these.

Photo by Linde Eyster

 

However we did find an Ovenbird nest (thanks Sean!). It is truly amazing how rare finding a nest is, considering we noted a combined 164 Ovenbirds seen or heard over the previous 4 hours! Note the different colored eggs, sadly it looks like Cowbirds have also found this particular nest.

Photos by Steven Whitebread

 

Below is the complete list of the 80 species seen.

Species Name	Species Count
Canada Goose	4
Wood Duck	1
Mallard	1
Ruffed Grouse	1
Wild Turkey	3
Double-crested Cormorant	8
Green Heron	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	1
Broad-winged Hawk	2
Red-tailed Hawk	1
Herring Gull	1
Mourning Dove	3
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	9
Black-billed Cuckoo	2
Chimney Swift	3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	9
Downy Woodpecker	4
Hairy Woodpecker	4
Northern Flicker	2
Pileated Woodpecker	2
Olive-sided Flycatcher	1
Eastern Wood-Pewee	3
Eastern Phoebe	8
Great Crested Flycatcher	35
Eastern Kingbird	1
Yellow-throated Vireo	3
Warbling Vireo	1
Red-eyed Vireo	24
Blue Jay	20
American Crow	11
Fish Crow	3
Tree Swallow	4
Black-capped Chickadee	42
Tufted Titmouse	30
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	12
Brown Creeper	4
Winter Wren	2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	17
Veery	54
Swainson's Thrush	2
Hermit Thrush	5
Wood Thrush	24
American Robin	34
Gray Catbird	49
Cedar Waxwing	4
Ovenbird	164
Worm-eating Warbler	2
Northern Waterthrush	9
Blue-winged Warbler	8
Black-and-white Warbler	57
Common Yellowthroat	17
American Redstart	40
Cape May Warbler	1
Northern Parula	6
Magnolia Warbler	3
Blackburnian Warbler	1
Yellow Warbler	14
Chestnut-sided Warbler	2
Blackpoll Warbler	2
Black-throated Blue Warbler	2
Pine Warbler	27
Yellow-rumped Warbler	1
Black-throated Green Warbler	10
Canada Warbler	1
Chipping Sparrow	38
Savannah Sparrow	2
Song Sparrow	7
Eastern Towhee	32
Scarlet Tanager	31
Northern Cardinal	40
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	3
Indigo Bunting	8
Red-winged Blackbird	32
Common Grackle	14
Brown-headed Cowbird	36
Baltimore Oriole	20
House Finch	1
American Goldfinch	10

 

Christine Whitebread