Note: To those who are unfamiliar, these social distancing “walks” are not in-person walks but rather a group chat where members share their experiences for the morning and stay connected. South Shore Bird Club is strict about (and very impressed by its members) adhering to social distancing guidelines, which includes avoiding populated areas, large groups, and close social interaction. We fully support members enjoying the healing and mindfulness that nature can provide and want to foster a social environment for those who may feel isolated- these walks are intended to achieve both of these goals with safety at the forefront of our mission.
On a day marked by ongoing protests against racism in the U.S. and a persistent global coronavirus pandemic, 20 of us birded mostly apart and yet shared our experiences through text messages. This was our 10th virtual walk and we collectively identified 124 species (2,534 individual birds) and submitted 31 checklists to ebird.
Our sightings spanned from Cape Cod to Maine, or as Mary Jo put it, “a nice stretch of territory!” The change of pace, from exhilarating migration madness to the liberating days of summer, was palpable.
The team quickly started to spot breeding birds. Glenn confirmed two new breeding birds for his Bird Street Conservation Area list in Stoughton: Northern Waterthrush and Hermit Thrush. Pete snagged looks at a Barred Owl in Hockamock Swamp, the largest freshwater wetland in Massachusetts, and heard 11 singing Northern Waterthrush.
On Cape Cod, Keelin enthused about the “gorgeous morning” while listening to an Acadian Flycatcher “conversation” near a nest at the South Sandwich Conservation area. Mary Jo had nesting Willets, Osprey, Least Terns and Piping Plovers on West Dennis Beach. Nate chimed in that he had fallen and was temporarily out of commission but would bird vicariously through our chats. Had he been climbing a cell tower to peek at Raven babies?! We may never know.
Three of us--Kathy in Hingham and Carol and Moe in Middleboro-- inspected substantial woodpecker holes that might have been used for nesting, feeding young or extracting food.
There was high drama at Allen’s Pond in Dartmouth: Steven and Christine watched as two Great Black-backed Gulls “were feeding on Willet hatchlings, gobbled up one after the other whole and seemingly alive.” Then a Herring Gull flew by with a {Willet’s??} egg in its bill! Avian aggression was also front and center at Brownfield Bog in Maine where Joe saw an Eastern Kingbird drive off two crows by “sitting right on their backs in flight.” The crows did not return.
Last week we heard about a dog running amok off leash in the Central Park Ramble. This week, Lisa posted a photo of unleashed deer meandering across a beach after sunrise in Plymouth County.
For me, one of the best parts of birding is keeping eyes peeled for other forms of life. Elizabeth gets the humanitarian award for her efforts to rescue an Eastern Box Turtle from its likely demise on a busy Falmouth road. Our collective gaze honed in on an architectural masterpiece of a mushroom, a Rosy Maple Moth, a Bald-faced Hornet the size of a hummingbird (kidding, sort of), a Mourning Cloak Butterfly, a Lady’s Slipper Orchid and a dazzling native thistle that supports bees and birds.
Happy birding,
Kim
Pleated Inkcap Mushroom, Parasola plicatilis, Kathy Rawdon
In the life-is-short category, this tiny mushroom appears after rain, releases spores, and within 24 hours is gone.
Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda, Kathy Rawdon
Eastern Box Turtle, under threat in Massachusetts from habitat destruction, Elizabeth Clemmey
EpiPen, anyone? Mike Nolan
The egg thief! Steven Whitebread
Yellow Thistle, Cirsium horridulum, Kim Wylie
A native plant found in New England, especially near salt marshes.
Species Name | Species Count | Sample Size |
Canada Goose | 94 | 8 |
Mute Swan | 24 | 3 |
Wood Duck | 2 | 1 |
Mallard | 17 | 6 |
American Black Duck | 6 | 1 |
Common Eider | 36 | 4 |
Common Merganser | 1 | 1 |
duck sp. | 1 | 1 |
Wild Turkey | 8 | 5 |
Mourning Dove | 45 | 18 |
Yellow-billed Cuckoo | 4 | 4 |
Black-billed Cuckoo | 1 | 1 |
Chimney Swift | 12 | 6 |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird | 5 | 5 |
Sandhill Crane | 1 | 1 |
Piping Plover | 2 | 1 |
Killdeer | 7 | 3 |
White-rumped Sandpiper | 3 | 1 |
Semipalmated Sandpiper | 2 | 1 |
Willet | 34 | 4 |
Laughing Gull | 7 | 2 |
Herring Gull | 55 | 11 |
Great Black-backed Gull | 18 | 5 |
Least Tern | 11 | 1 |
Roseate Tern | 8 | 1 |
Common Tern | 25 | 1 |
tern sp. | 22 | 1 |
Common Loon | 5 | 2 |
Double-crested Cormorant | 50 | 9 |
Great Blue Heron | 10 | 5 |
Great Egret | 14 | 4 |
Snowy Egret | 11 | 5 |
Green Heron | 6 | 4 |
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | 1 | 1 |
Black Vulture | 1 | 1 |
Turkey Vulture | 8 | 6 |
Osprey | 34 | 12 |
Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 1 |
Bald Eagle | 1 | 1 |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | 1 |
Broad-winged Hawk | 3 | 3 |
Red-tailed Hawk | 6 | 5 |
Barred Owl | 1 | 1 |
Belted Kingfisher | 5 | 5 |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 2 | 2 |
Red-bellied Woodpecker | 13 | 9 |
Downy Woodpecker | 7 | 6 |
Hairy Woodpecker | 4 | 3 |
Pileated Woodpecker | 1 | 1 |
Northern Flicker | 13 | 7 |
Eastern Wood-Pewee | 21 | 7 |
Acadian Flycatcher | 2 | 1 |
Alder Flycatcher | 1 | 1 |
Willow Flycatcher | 6 | 3 |
Eastern Phoebe | 5 | 5 |
Great Crested Flycatcher | 31 | 15 |
Eastern Kingbird | 12 | 9 |
flycatcher sp. (Tyrannidae sp.) | 1 | 1 |
White-eyed Vireo | 1 | 1 |
Warbling Vireo | 6 | 4 |
Red-eyed Vireo | 39 | 17 |
Blue Jay | 40 | 14 |
American Crow | 49 | 19 |
Fish Crow | 6 | 5 |
Common Raven | 1 | 1 |
Black-capped Chickadee | 71 | 17 |
Tufted Titmouse | 57 | 16 |
Northern Rough-winged Swallow | 22 | 3 |
Purple Martin | 2 | 1 |
Tree Swallow | 57 | 11 |
Bank Swallow | 20 | 2 |
Barn Swallow | 42 | 11 |
Red-breasted Nuthatch | 2 | 2 |
White-breasted Nuthatch | 19 | 11 |
Brown Creeper | 5 | 2 |
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 13 | 7 |
House Wren | 22 | 10 |
Carolina Wren | 18 | 13 |
European Starling | 41 | 4 |
Gray Catbird | 107 | 17 |
Brown Thrasher | 1 | 1 |
Northern Mockingbird | 5 | 3 |
Eastern Bluebird | 1 | 1 |
Veery | 38 | 9 |
Hermit Thrush | 3 | 2 |
Wood Thrush | 4 | 4 |
American Robin | 77 | 20 |
Cedar Waxwing | 65 | 11 |
House Sparrow | 9 | 6 |
House Finch | 11 | 7 |
American Goldfinch | 54 | 17 |
Chipping Sparrow | 46 | 13 |
Field Sparrow | 2 | 1 |
Seaside Sparrow | 1 | 1 |
Saltmarsh Sparrow | 4 | 3 |
Savannah Sparrow | 1 | 1 |
Song Sparrow | 67 | 20 |
Swamp Sparrow | 1 | 1 |
Eastern Towhee | 64 | 16 |
Bobolink | 7 | 2 |
Orchard Oriole | 1 | 1 |
Baltimore Oriole | 28 | 15 |
Red-winged Blackbird | 133 | 22 |
Brown-headed Cowbird | 22 | 11 |
Common Grackle | 135 | 19 |
Ovenbird | 125 | 13 |
Worm-eating Warbler | 1 | 1 |
Northern Waterthrush | 15 | 3 |
Louisiana/Northern Waterthrush | 1 | 1 |
Blue-winged Warbler | 6 | 3 |
Black-and-white Warbler | 21 | 10 |
Common Yellowthroat | 43 | 17 |
American Redstart | 17 | 6 |
Northern Parula | 1 | 1 |
Blackburnian Warbler | 5 | 1 |
Yellow Warbler | 65 | 16 |
Chestnut-sided Warbler | 1 | 1 |
Black-throated Blue Warbler | 1 | 1 |
Pine Warbler | 17 | 10 |
Prairie Warbler | 8 | 3 |
Black-throated Green Warbler | 2 | 2 |
Scarlet Tanager | 10 | 5 |
Northern Cardinal | 45 | 18 |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 2 | 2 |
