The two people who joined me on the fall Turkey Hill walk were treated to some great birds and good looks of a few special ones. By the time we walked from the parking lot on 3A to the top of the path along the field, we had seen 15 species of birds including Baltimore Oriole, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Bluebird, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. A female Black-throated Green Warbler was hopping from tree to tree and showed us her colors occasionally between leaves. The cuckoo, unfortunately, did what cuckoos so often do, arranging itself along a branch behind leaves, so that the others only got a sense of the motion, and not of its rusty wing patch, its long tail, and its yellow lower mandible.
Eastern Bluebirds were plentiful at the peak of the hill, flitting between cedar trees, down to the grass, and posing on farm equipment parked along the hay bales. All these birds, male and female alike, appeared to be in adult plumage.
As a Red-tailed Hawk flew across the field on the farm, we heard the call of a Red-shouldered and so assumed it was a Blue Jay calling. Minutes later, a Red-shouldered Hawk flew over our heads, so perhaps it had been the caller after all, chasing away the Tail.
A flock of blackbirds flew over the crest of Turkey Hill at one point and we identified them as Brown-headed Cowbirds because of the color differentiation within the flock. Later, this large flock of birds was found foraging on the ground around the Belted Galloways, confirming our identification.
Woodpeckers were plentiful and the red head of the Redbellies, the yellow shafts of the Flickers, and the long bills of the Hairy's glistened in the abundant sunlight.
Last week, I walked this exact route at the same time for the Fall Roundup, and the suite of birds was quite different. For example, there were no robins to be seen or heard a week ago, and a week later they were feeding on fruit throughout the woods. The Blue Jays were quiet for the first two hours, but then picked up on their cacophony for the remainder of the morning.
It was a sparkling day, and a great time to be at this location. We saw so many birds at the outset, that we ran out of time to make a trek through the Holly Grove. Perhaps that lower area would have been quiet anyway as we approached the noon hour.
Sally Avery
Turkey Hill/Weir River Farm/WhitneyThayer Woods, Norfolk, Massachusetts, US
Sep 28, 2019 8:03 AM - 11:50 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.5 mile(s)
Comments: Sunny light breeze in 70’s
31 species
Wild Turkey 4
Mourning Dove 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 7
Eastern Phoebe 4
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 13
American Crow 1
Black-capped Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 6
Carolina Wren 1
European Starling 56
Gray Catbird 3
Eastern Bluebird 9
American Robin 18
House Sparrow 20
House Finch 9
American Goldfinch 1
Chipping Sparrow 5
Eastern Towhee 1
Baltimore Oriole 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 50
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Scarlet Tanager 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60175788
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)september 28
The South Shore Bird Club (SSBC) was founded in 1946 and the first members set out to explore the birds and birding habitats of the South Shore of Massachusetts. We concentrate on field trips for both members and non members. Most trips involve car-pooling with occasional canoe trips or beach hikes. Non-members are always welcome.