Woodcock walk in Reading 3/23

From Dave Williams:

Six folks joined me for this evening's cold, but clear, Woodcock walk at the Bare Meadow Conservation land in Reading.  We had 3 Woodcocks with 2 different birds doing their flight display.  We watched 1 male make its stiff-legged, wings-up approach to a female.

Newburyport 3/12

From Bill Drummond:

 

Dear Friends,
We worked the refuge and Salisbury and it was very slow.    There was a pair of Hooded Mergansers on the refuge at Bill Forward Pool.    There was a report of a Canvasback between Kettlehole and the Warden's but we could not find it.   The bird(s) of the day were three great looks at Common Redpolls at Steve Grinley's Birdwatcher's Supply and Gift (Bird Central) at the Route One Rotary.  If you are facing the store with the rotary behind you look at the feeders to your right and the trees close to them.
Good birding, everyone.

Cape Ann 3/6

From Ida Giriunas

Our end of the winter season BBC trip to Cape Ann was a treat.  Balmy
weather and many winter birds to look at without freezing.  

Highlights :
Barrow's Golden eye at Loblolly Cove
Redpolls and Snow buntings at Good Harbor Beach 
Purple Sandpipers at Eastern Point and at Halibut Point
Harlequin ducks in several places
Close-up views of Black Scoters at Andrews Point
The Iceland Gulls 
FOY looks at Red-wing Blackbirds and Common Grackles.  
We could not find the King Eider but it was reported as having been seen
earlier in the day from the Elk's club.
48 species total

Waterfowl Prowl 2011

From Eddie Giles:

Today, Mary Keleher and I Ied our annual MASS Waterfowl Prowl for the Brookline Bird Club.  The intent of this trip is to find as many of the 29 species of duck found in Massachusetts.  Despite a wet & dreary forecast, five birders turned out and were rewarded with sunshine and temps that reached a high of 59 degrees.  We covered the towns of Plymouth, Sagamore, Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Marston Mills, Yarmouth & Sandwich.  Strong SW winds caused problems for us along the southern coast. We ended the day with 24 species of duck and 65 species overall:

_DUCKS_
Wood Duck - Old Fish Hatchery, Sandwich
Gadwall
EURASIAN WIDGEON - Dutchman's Ditch, Falmouth
American Widgeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler - Marstons Mills
Green-winged Teal - Marstons Mills, Yarmouth
Canvasback - Perch Pond
Ring-necked Duck - (biggest flock at Mill Pond, Falmouth)
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck - Hemisphere Restaurant, Sandwich (formerly Horizons)
Surf Scoter - Sandy Neck Beach
White-winged Scoter - Sandy Neck Beach
Black Scoter - Sandy Neck Beach
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Meganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck - Perch Pond, Falmouth
(After the trip had ended, I picked up my 25th duck species for the day, Nothern Pintail in Halifax)

_ADDITIONAL WATERFOWL_
Canada Goose
Brant
Mute Swan
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Great Cormorant
American Coot

_INCIDENTAL SPECIES_
Wild Turkey
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle - Great Herring Pond, Plymouth
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Crow
Fish Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
Common Redpoll
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Eddie