Odd and Ends from the past week

Just a few photos from North Central Mass. this past week.
My first Blackpoll Warbler of the year on May 14th, in Sterling, I also had a Wilson's Warbler at the same spot (the edge of an apple orchard). A little later, I got a Lincoln's Sparrow at Sholan's Apple Orchard, in Leominster. A nice surprise, from Sholan Farm, was an American Bittern flying high above a distant ridge line over Sterling.

This candid Rose-breasted Grosbeak was along the Nashua River in Pepperell, Ma. ..where I managed to "find" a few ticks.

I guess that's how the Cormorant got it's first name, Double-crested.

This Red-Breasted Merganser was on Whalom Lake, in Lunenburg, on May 18th...never a common bird in Worcester County.

It showed nicely, cruising past several fishermen along the Whalom waterfront, another noteworthy "item" from Lunenburg is a "new" Bald Eagle nest, with 2 recently hatched chicks has been reported.

I recall reading a section of Kevin McGowan's web-site, an ornithologist associated with Cornell, titled "bad pictures of good birds". Here you go, find the American Bittern, flying over the marsh off East Gardner Road, in Westminster.

Here is a better shot, before it flew, it stood in that spot for about 30 minutes (calling off and on and enjoying the early morning sunshine) before it left. I had been watching it for sometime before it took flight, I don't think I spooked it..as I was still and quiet when it left.

I got an email from Richard Spedding about a Dulin at Bolton Flats on the 19th, the north side of rte 117, in Bolton...same place as last Saturday's Sandhill Crane. I stopped by after work and was fortunate it was still there. Last week, in Duxbury, I'd seen hundreds of Dunlin, but Bolton ain't Duxbury and a Dunlin is a good bird any place inland.