Plum Island 9/24

From Ida Giriunas:

A fun day on the Brookline Bird club Plum island trip today (9/24/11). After the drizzles, we enjoyed clear skies and warm weather. Many birding Highlights included one Hudsonian Godwit and many other birds at Stage Island Pool,

2 CASPIAN TERNS and 2 Forster’s terns among the 100 or more Common Terns and hundreds of shorebirds at Sandy Point. Then, on the way to Hampton Beach we stopped to find Wayne Peterson looking at 2 Buff Breasted sandpipers in the plowed field across from the P.I. airport.  At Hampton Beach in N.H. ,we did not find the Curlew Sandpiper but enjoyed close-up views of several Golden Plovers, more Buff-breasted sandpipers and Pectoral sandpipers.  On return to Massachusetts we stopped in Seabrook and saw the American Avocet which has been there for several days.

Outer Cape Weekend

From Bob Stymeist:

This past weekend from Friday through yesterday I led an annual Brookline Bird Club trip-the Cape Cod Blitz from Chatham to Provincetown, nine participants tallied 114 species during the three days; on Friday we started in Chatham and ended up at Hemingway Landing in Eastham. Saturday we birded Wellfleet from 7:30-6:30 and Sunday we started at MacMillian Pier in Provincetown  and ended in Truro. The weather , promising to deliver southbound migrants didn't materialize , at least in our minds and migrants and even residents were hard to come by.

Our highlights included the BROWN BOOBY on the breakwater in P'town Harbor, a BLUE GROSBEAK in Wellfleet (High Toss Road), six Philadelphia Vireos and 15 species of warblers including two Tennessee (one in Wellfleett and one in Truro, an Orange-crowned at Ryder Beach, Truro and a Cape May at Bound Brook in Wellfleet.) There was a good show of jaegers at Race Point along with several Great Shearwaters and a Cory's. Two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls at the Chatham Fish Pier, an Olive-sided Flycatcher in Wellfleet and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at the Beech Forest in P'town.

Goat's Peak 9/18

From Tom Gagnon:

BBC trip to Goat Peak on Mt. Tom State Reservation in the heart of the Connecticut River Valley I listed the following:

Turkey Vulture   4 locals

Sharp-shinned Hawk   10

Cooper's Hawk   2

GOSHAWK   1

Osprey   3

Bald Eagle   several local birds up and down most of the time I was there.

Red-tailed Hawk   6 locals

Broad-winged Hawk   169

Kestrel    4

Ravens   10

Parula Warbler   3

B.T.Blue Warbler    2

Junco   6

Plum Island 9/17

From Bill Drummond:

Dear Friends,
On Saturday morning, Sept. 17 the BBC had a successful trip.   I got a call from Brian Cassie just after 11 AM that there was a winter plumage Curlew Sandpiper at Emerson Rocks.   I did not have a chance to go for it given the Plum Island cleanup and my wife being ill.   But many of the group had a chance to go and they think they saw it , sometime probably just after 11:30 AM.
To go to Emerson Rocks,  pass Stage Island Pool, go past the tower and go to the next parking lot south of that.   We call that the parking lot for Emerson Rocks.   Do not turn right and go to what we call the parking lot at Sandy Point.   Look for the winter plumage Curlew Sandpiper in with a lot of other shorebirds.   This is at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. 

At Hellcat and the Old Pines there was a complete lack of warblers .    I was in shock!   At the Bill Forward blind, also known as the New Blind, we had great looks at two American Bittern.    There were good looks at Baird's Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper at Stage Island.   Park at the parking lot (I think lot 6) which we call the parking lot for Stage Island Pool Overlook.   Walk south of that lot just a short distance and it is often the best place to scan for shorebirds at Stage Island.   

Other great birds were the two Eurasian Wigeon which continued at the Salt Pannes.

Good birding, everyone.