Freetown State Forest 5/11

From Lynn Abbey:

At Freetown State Forest this morning, three birders managed to dodge most raindrops to find lots of breeding birds, notably missing the worm-eating warbler and both nuthatches. We covered the northeast section of the forest and a trail along Rattlesnake Brook. 4.5 hours, approx 10 miles. The following were counted:

Canada goose 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 4
Wild Turkey 1
Mourning Dove 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great-crested Flycatcher 9
Eastern Kingbird 1
Barn Swallow 3
Blue Jay 1
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Tufted Titmouse 1
House Wren 1
Carolina Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
Hermit Thrush 2
Wood Thrush 7
Veery 5
American Robin 5
Gray Catbird 12
Northern Mockingbird 1
Northern Parula 1
Yellow Warbler 10
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 25
Prairie Warbler 12
Black and White Warbler 12
American Redstart 4
Ovenbird 30
Northern Waterthrush 11
Common Yellowthroat 12
HOODED WARBLER 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Scarlet Tanager 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Eastern Towhee 38
Chipping Sparrow 23
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Common Grackle 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 17
Northern Oriole 4
Purple Finch 2
American Goldfinch 5

Warbler species: 12

Total Species: 47

Mt. Auburn 5/11

From Sabrina Hepburn:

The BBC trip ran this morning in overcast and occasionally drizzling weather with up to about 40 participants at one point in the trip.  Despite some challenging viewing conditions due to the overcast skies and often backlit birds, it was an incredible day for numbers with birds pretty much everywhere.  Hard not to undercount on the more common species, though there were notably low numbers of vireos and thrushes at the cemetery for such an otherwise great day.

Below is the trip list:

Double-crested cormorant (1)
Turkey vulture (1)
Canada goose (2)
Mute swan (1)
Red-tailed hawk (2)
Wild turkey (2)
Ring-billed gull (5)
Herring gull (1)
Mourning dove (6)
Chimney swift (2)
Downy woodpecker (4)
Least flycatcher (1)
Eastern phoebe (2)
Great crested flycatcher (3)
Eastern kingbird (2)
Blue-headed vireo (1)
Warbling vireo (1)
Red-eyed vireo (1)
Blue jay (5)
Tree swallow (1)
Black-capped chickadee (2)
Tufted titmouse (4)
White-breasted nuthatch (3)
Ruby-crowned kinglet (2)
Blue-gray gnatcatcher (1)
Hermit thrush (2)
American robin (30+)
Gray catbird (6)
European starling (6)
Blue-winged warbler (1)
Nashville warbler (2)
Northern parula (18)
Yellow warbler (3)
Chestnut-sided warbler (1)
Magnolia warbler (4)
Cape May warbler (1)
Black-throated blue warbler (12)
Yellow-rumped warbler (uncountable)
Black-throated green warbler (9)
Blackburnian warbler (2)
Palm warbler (1)
Bay-breasted warbler (1)
Blackpoll warbler (6)
Black-and-white warbler (11)
American redstart (7)
Ovenbird (3)
Common yellowthroat (2)
Eastern towhee (1)
Chipping sparrow (8)
Song sparrow (2)
White-throated sparrow (5)
Northern cardinal (5)
Rose-breasted grosbeak (2)
Red-winged blackbird (2)
Common grackle (30+)
Brown-headed cowbird (7)
Orchard oriole (1)
Baltimore oriole (16)
House finch (6)
American goldfinch (3)
House sparrow (~20)


Good birding this weekend!

Arnold Arboretum 5/11

From Bob Mayer (check Bob's blog for photos):

The weather held up well for the BBC walk in the Arnold Arboretum this morning and we had a large group of 23 birders, including several hawk-eyed youngsters and representatives from western MA and the UK, to enjoy the birds as well as the flora on the cusp of Lilac Sunday. With able assistance from Andrew Joslin and Will Cochrane, we saw a varied collection of resident and migrant birds with some good looks, altho the flat light and expanding tree foliage made warblers tough to see. The full list:
Arnold Arboretum, Suffolk, US-MA
May 11, 2013 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.5 mile(s)
Comments: 60, cloudy
45 species

Canada Goose 2
Great Blue Heron 1 flyover
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Herring Gull 2
Mourning Dove 7
Chimney Swift 2
Belted Kingfisher 1 flyover
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Kingbird 1
Warbling Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 2
Tree Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 30
Gray Catbird 12
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 3
Cedar Waxwing 4
Black-and-white Warbler 4
American Redstart 1
Northern Parula 5
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 8
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Chipping Sparrow 6
Savannah Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 20
Orchard Oriole 2
Baltimore Oriole 5
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 6

Boston Public Garden 5/8

From Linda Ferraresso:

15 birders joined me this morning at the Public Garden for what started out to be quite dismal and quiet but ended up with some nice birds and a few new arrivals for the garden.

Highlights: (in somewhat random order)

Double-crested Cormorant (flyover)
Mallard 33 (including 7 ducklings)
American Black Duck 1
Common Loon ( flyover)
Red-tail Hawk 2
VEERY 1
House Wren 1
Tree Swallow 6
Chimney Swift 18
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo 2
Black-and-white Warbler
Yellow Warbler 2
Baltimore Oriole 1
Chipping Sparrow 1

For those interested, Romeo and Juliet have arrived at the Pond on target!!
As always, thanks to Tim Factor and Dexter Hunneman for their great spotting and sharing their birds with the group!

We did have an unexpected downfall that caused us to shelter under one of the bridges, where we found a Common Grackle sitting on her nest! Always a silver lining.

Mt. Auburn 5/8

From Mark Rosenstein:

Nine people joined me for the BBC walk at Mt Auburn Cemetery this morning in Cambridge. The day started warm and sunny, but the birds just weren't there. Only 2 warbler species. Highlight was a Great Horned Owl, seen well in dell, and flying several times as it was harassed by jays and crows. It started raining just before 8 so we ended the walk quickly.

Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Middlesex, US-MA
May 8, 2013 6:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.6 mile(s)
Comments: Led BBC Walk. Warm, still sunny at first, becoming overcast with light rain right at end of walk.
30 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 5
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 3
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) 2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 4
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) 1
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) 2
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) 1

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 4
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 3
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 35
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 2
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 2
Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) 5
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 8
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 5
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 6
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 20
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 5
Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) 1
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 4
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 1

South Shore 5/5

From Glenn d'Entremont:

Beginning at 4:00 at the main parking area at Wompatuck, we headed to the back door and walked into the Holly Pond loop in the dark. Immediately upon getting out of the car there was Barred number 1. No further owls and very little sound in the dark, but as it lightened we were hearing more and more. At the far end of the loop daylight really broke and we were serenaded by Barred Owls numbers 2 through 5. For fifteen minutes Christine Turnbull and I stood quietly listening to Wood and Hermit Thrushes, two Winter Wrens, a Northern Waterthrush, a couple of "veer"s from Veerys and a cast of usual suspects. This was one of the highlights of the day. As been documented on these pages, no migration was detected and "normal" birds like Worm-eating Warbler was not located. Still our goal of 100 was attained with 101 the total. We went to World's End, North Scituate, Ferry Hill Thicket (big bust), Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, Great Sandy Bottom Pond in Pembroke, Burrage Pond WMA, Plymouth Airport, and ended at Plymouth Harbor.

Highlights:

Bufflehead 6 (5-Pembroke)
Ruddy Duck 10 - Pembroke
Red-necked Grebe 1 in mostly breeding plumage at North Scituate (NS)
Glossy Ibis 1 - Daniel Webster (DW)
Great Cormorant 25 - NS
RUFFED GROUSE 1 - Wompatuck (W)
COMMON GALLINULE 1 - DW Note-this is in an area not easily seen from the trail. Patience and look through the phrags just a little beyond the trail which goes over the bridge at the corner of the Green River which has a flattened phrag area. The bird spends time laying in this area and will venture to the water's edge and swim to feed.
UPLAND SANDPIPER 1 - Plymouth Airport (PA)
Laughing Gull 75 - Plymouth Harbor (PH)
Common Tern 50 - PH
Barred Owl 5 - Wompatuck (W)
Belted Kingfisher 1 - Carver
Winter Wren 5 - W
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4 - W
Eastern Bluebird 4 (World's End {WE}, DW)
Wood Thrush 1 - W
Hermit Thrush 4 - W
Veery 2 - W
Ovenbird 19 - W
Northern Waterthrush 2 - W
Nashville Warbler 1 - W
Northern Parula 2 - WE
Prairie Warbler 2 - Burrage Pond, PA
American Redstart - 1 just outside W
EASTERN MEADOWLARK 2 - PA
Orchard Oriole 2 - WE

Oxbow NWR and Vicinity 5/5

From Jonathan Center:

Seven participants attended a Brookline Bird Club walk on May 5th to Oxbow Natl. Wildlife Refuge, Harvard with an extension afterwards to Bolton Flats and Pine Hill Road Grasslands in Lancaster. 57 species were totaled. Weather was clear starting at 40 degrees (or possibly lower by a few degrees) at 7:00am and ending at around 64 degrees by 3:00pm.

Nice views were had of a Yellow-throated Vireo, Great Crested Flycatchers, two Common Ravens souring overhead, several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at Oxbow NWR.

Multiple Yellow Warblers were seen and heard at Bolton Flats. Also a single Virginia Rail was heard and a couple of Rough-winged Swallows were observed darting around and disappearing in a possible nest hole in a bank of the Nashua River.

The trip concluded at the Pine Hill Rd. Grasslands in Lancaster with excellent views of Vesper Sparrow and singing Prairie Warblers.

See the complete list below.

Oxbow NWR (Worcester County), Worcester, US-MA
May 5, 2013 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: BBC scheduled walk
42 species

Canada Goose 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 6
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 5
Great Crested Flycatcher 4
Yellow-throated Vireo 2
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 6
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 1
Common Raven 2
Tree Swallow 4
Black-capped Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 1
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 8
Eastern Bluebird 1
American Robin 14
Northern Mockingbird 1
Ovenbird 2
Blue-winged Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 6
Yellow Warbler 8
Yellow-rumped Warbler 10
Chipping Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 8
Swamp Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Common Grackle 8
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
American Goldfinch 4

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

Bolton Flats WMA , Worcester, US-MA
May 5, 2013 11:30AM - 1:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Covered main area of Bolton Flats north of route 117
22 species

Canada Goose 2
Mallard 6
Great Blue Heron 3
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Virginia Rail 1
Killdeer 2
Rock Pigeon 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 3 -4 (possibly nesting in river bank of Nashua River near the bend)
Tree Swallow 10
Bank Swallow 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Yellow Warbler 11
Savannah Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 8
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Common Grackle 10
American Goldfinch 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird

Pine Hill Rd. Grasslands, Worcester, US-MA
May 5, 2013 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
6 species

Belted Kingfisher 1
Brown Thrasher 2
Prairie Warbler 2
Eastern Towhee 1
Field Sparrow 2
Vesper Sparrow 2 two seen together on ground about 8-10 feet apart

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