Plymouth Day, May 27, 2018

Many Highlights on a gray day

A 06:30 AM start on this rather cool and overcast day kept many birders at home, instead of joining Glenn on this traditional walk of Plymouth Beach. However 10 of us met at the appointed time and set off along the beach. The very first stop, overlooking the mudflats on the inside of the peninsula, yielded one of the most spectacular of the birds for this morning:

  two Black Skimmers -  digiscoped in very windy conditions by Steven Whitebread

and the same birds photographed by Moe Molander

and the well wrapped birders admiring the spectacular birds - photo by Moe Molander

Most of the group made it all the way to the tip of the beach, and turned back just in time so as not to be cut off by the tide! The second highlight of the morning was a Lesser Black-backed Gull

photo by Moe Molander

photo by Steven Whitebread

Admirably in this group were two birders who were also acting as beach cleaners - we are grateful to all that you do to keep our environment clean - thank you!

The cool weather made for brisk walking and the group was back in the parking lot before 10:30 am - this left just enough time to hunt down the reported Red-headed Woodpecker at Manomet before driving over to the airport for part two of the day.
 Incredibly Glenn managed to find this bird for us, even though it did not vocalize at the time!

Red-headed Woodpecker photo by Steven Whitebread

The Plymouth day part two has us meeting at the airport. Glenn has permission from the airport manager to lead a group inside the fence to hopefully get close-up views of those grassland specialists: Meadow- and Horned Lark, Upland Sandpiper, Vesper- and Grasshopper Sparrow. Unfortunately there are not many places left where we can see these species, so this trip always draws a large crowd. Even though it had started to spit/drizzle, this day was no exception. A group of 18  birders joined Glenn for a walk inside the airfield. We had barely passed the fence when we saw a Meadowlark in flight., it landed obligingly on a runway light, so we all got great scope looks. Not long after, Glenn heard the flight call of an Upland Sandpiper - and sure enough it was circling right above our heads - going incredibly high!

The Sparrows proved less cooperative, while most of us heard a faint Grasshopper call - we never really located the bird - a brief glimpse of movement from the direction of the sound was all.
Vesper Sparrow never showed, but a resident Kestrel almost compensated for this. By then we were all wet enough so called it quits.

on the way out of the airport field - photo by Moe Molander

E-bird lists of the beach walk and the airport are below.
Thanks to Glenn D'Entremont for once again leading this walk

Christine


Plymouth Beach, Plymouth, Massachusetts, US
May 27, 2018 6:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.5 mile(s)
Comments:     BBC/SSBC/FMSSF/PasamasketBC trip 10 participants
36 species

Mallard (Northern)  12
Common Eider (Dresser's)  1
Double-crested Cormorant  75
Osprey (carolinensis)  2
Black-bellied Plover  40
Semipalmated Plover  30
Piping Plover  12
Ruddy Turnstone  7
Sanderling  15
Dunlin  2
White-rumped Sandpiper  2
Semipalmated Sandpiper  250
Willet (Eastern)  12
Bonaparte's Gull  25     no adults
Laughing Gull  250
Ring-billed Gull  175     all first and second year birds; one bird close to adult 3rd yr?
Herring Gull (American)  X
Lesser Black-backed Gull  1     ad or 4th year (brown area on bird seen in field, but image(s) do not show this
Great Black-backed Gull  X
Least Tern  150
Common Tern (hirundo)  10
Black Skimmer  2     adult, one larger than other - male?
Mourning Dove  3
American Crow  4
Horned Lark  2
Tree Swallow  3
Bank Swallow  8
Barn Swallow (American)  20
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  X
Common Yellowthroat  1
Yellow Warbler (Northern)  1
Song Sparrow  11
Common Grackle  21
House Finch  7
House Sparrow  X

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S46089903


Plymouth Airport, Plymouth, Massachusetts, US
May 27, 2018 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.25 mile(s)
Comments:     BBC/SSBC/FMSSF/PaskamasketBC trip
20 species

Canada Goose  4
Wild Turkey  1
Great Blue Heron (Blue form)  3
Upland Sandpiper  1     displaying
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  1
American Kestrel  1
Eastern Kingbird  1
Fish Crow  1
Horned Lark  3
American Robin  5
Ovenbird  1
Prairie Warbler  1
Grasshopper Sparrow  2
Chipping Sparrow  2
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  3
Eastern Towhee  3
Eastern Meadowlark (Eastern)  3
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Common Grackle  7
American Goldfinch  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S46089900