Gardner Birds 10/3

I made a series of quick stops along Kelton and Raymond Streets this morning, between 7 and 8AM. Before leaving I hear a few White-throated Sparrows in my yard and a Carolina Wren, which has been present for the past several days. While Carolina Wrens are not too uncommon they still not terribly wide spread in the higher elevations of north Worcester County.

I did see a few Black-poll Warblers, which are now thinning out in numbers. Some years Black-polls are the most common warbler in the area during mid September.

I spoke briefly with a genlteman who lives on Lake Wompanoag, who mentioned the pair of Common Loons did indeed loose their young this year. Apparently both adults where very adgitated for about 2 days after he had last seen evidence of the chick(s). He said he'd seen two young, but I personally had seen just one newly hatched chick...so perhaps the chicks were lost on two different dates.

last evening, in Groton, I had a nice look at an adult White-crowned Sparrow. October tends to be the best month for sparrows in this area.

This morning's list:

Ring-billed Gull...4
Downy Woodpecker...2
Hairy Woodpecker...1
Northern Flicker...3
Eastern Phoebe...3
Blue-headed Vireo...1
Blue Jay...10
American Crow...2
Black-capped Chickadee...15
Tufted Titmouse...3
Red-breasted Nuthatch...4
White-breasted Nuthatch...1
Brown Creeper...1
Carolina Wren...1
Golden-crowned Kinglet...2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet...8
American Robin...1
Gray Catbird...6
Yellow-rumped Warbler...6
Pine Warbler...1
Blackpoll Warbler...2
Common Yellowthroat...6
Eastern Towhee...1
Chipping Sparrow...2
Song Sparrow...2
Swamp Sparrow...1
White-throated Sparrow...3
Purple Finch...8
American Goldfinch...3

Keene Airport (Swanzey, NH)

I stopped by the Keene ariport on way home from Keene, NH today. The rainy weather weather must have grounded a flight of American Kestrels, I saw 12 perch on one section of fence on the north end of the air field. I could see a few more perched on runway lights a few hundred meters from the parking lot. I drove to the south end of the runways and found more Kestels there, the count was 22. Nice to see a good number of this species , which has been (and still is) in serious decline in the past several years!

Another nice sighting was an American Golden Plover that was spooked from the grass by passing aircraft on the runway.

In Templeton, Ma. , I stopped by the Templeton Developement Center and saw a yellow kingbird sized bird perched on the wire. A Western Kingbird would be a great find in North Central Massachusetts, the problem was it was a Scarlet Tanager pretending to be a much rarer kingbird!

Here is the list from Swanzey, NH:

Species
Number reported

Wild Turkey...12
Northern Harrier...1
American Kestrel...22
American Golden-Plover...1
Killdeer...15
Mourning Dove...5
Eastern Phoebe...2
Blue Jay...2
American Crow...5
American Robin...2
European Starling...100
Cedar Waxwing...10
Savannah Sparrow...5
Rose-breasted Grosbeak...1
American Goldfinch...3

Nighthawk Update

Evening Nighthawk watching from High Ridge WMA in Westminster, Ma.

I have continued my sporatic autumn nighthawk coverage on a limited basis, results are fed into the, now expanding, SuAsCo nighthawk migration survey. This season's results from High Ridge are below:

8/12......9

8/14......3

8/21.....11

8/26.....59

8/27....221

8/28.....81

8/29.....91

8/30....50

Season toal 525

Below I have compiled some data from the Furbush Bird Club's annual publication "The Chickadee", of peak annual Common Nighthawk counts going back 25 years. I have also included the peak count from 2007 (to date) from Rick Quimby's Central Massachusetts sightings web site. Keep in mind these are one night high counts as reported to "The Chickadee" editorial committee and NOT season totals, so these maybe of little statistical significance, but I feel worth a look. I have included the year, the date, person(s) reporting the sighting, town location and number reported and the 3 year average.
The graph below is of the table listed above with the blue data line the annaul peak count and the pink a 3 year running average. The black data line is a linear trend line of the annual peak count data.

Nighthawks passing 8/27

In recent years I try to spend some time, from mid to late August, looking for migrating Common Nighthawks from the High Ridge Wildlife Management Area. From this vantage point I have a nice view to the east south east toward the city of Fitchburg, Mass. The first few years 2001,2002 and 2003 I was watching for my own curiosity and to compair my numbers with others. Observers such as Fran McMenemy, Bart Kamp, Shiela Carrol and Mark Lynch have tallied excellent numbers (some evenings counting 1000+ nighthawks!) from various points within and near the city of Worcester, Ma.

More recently, I have fed my data into a more formal nighthawk survey, organized by Jeff Slovin and Hank Norwood.

The survey web site can be found here: http://borobirding.net/nighthawks/

To date I have been out 5 times, all from the Westminster section of this WMA, with the following results:

8/12......9
8/14......3
8/21.....11
8/26.....59
8/27....221

It appears the major numbers have a little bit later than previous years, not only from my site but from others within the survey area. Sunday evening appeared to be the beginning of the major migration

Mount Madison and Adams (White Mtns.) 8/5 and 8/6

My girl friend Laura and I did some hiking in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire last week. This was an overnight stay at the Madison AMC Hut, located on the col between Mt. Madison and Mt. Adams, both 5,000+ peaks above tree line.
The first day we'd hike 3.7 miles on the Airline Trail to the Madison Hut (a 3,500 foot climb), drop our packs at the hut and continue the final 1/2 mile to the Madison summit with a minimum of gear. Bird song was quite sparse, being very late in the breeding season, but Hermit Thrushes and Red-eyed Vireo were heard at lower elevations on the climb. Family groups of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and both species of Chickadees (Boreals were at the higher elevations in spruces) were present.

Red-breasted Nuthatch
Boreal Chickadees

Once we broke the tree line the views were spectacular looking up the "Knife's Edge", a sharp ridge line, that the Airline Trail follows to Mt. Adams. It took about 4 hours to reach the hut, the occasional stop for birds, water breaks and to enjoy the views...no speed records on this trip. I did manage to see one Bicknell's Thrush at the edge of the tree line, I had a nice look and was able to rule out Swainson's and Hermit Thrushes. Once reaching the alpine zone Dark-eyed Junco and White-throated Sparrows were quite common. I am enjoying the view with the Madison summit in the back ground.

It was nice to leave the packs at the hut, as the climb to the summit of Mount Madison, from the hut, is essentially like climbing a 500 foot rock pile. A few Ravens were seen in the area and 3 Pine Siskins flew overhead calling near the summit.

The Air Line Trail follows this sharp ridge line to Mt. Adams, a side trail leads to the Hut and Mt Madison.

Mt. Jefferson (far left) and Mt. Adams (center) from atop Mt. Madison

Madison Hut photographed from the climb of Mt Adams, with Mt Madison in the background

Mount Washington from atop Madison, note the auto road (left) and the plume of smoke from the Cog Rail Road just to the right of the summit.

The accomadations at the hut were very nice, a friendly staff, home cooked dinner (pea soup and stuffed shells) and breakfast (home made bread, oatmeal, scrambled eggs). Sleeping arrangments are 2 co-ed bunk rooms with 26 people per room. It had been years since I slept in a bunk, so took the forth level.

Monday morning was gloomy, rain was expect in the afternoon and thunders stroms later in the afternoon. So we left our packs taking only water, a snack and light rain gear, to summit Mt. Adams, a rocky 1,000 ft. climb (see below). After 10 minutes on the summit some rain began (about 5 hours early) and we quickly headed back to the hut, to avoid being above tree line if lightening should arrive. While the wind was not too strong, the combination of wind and rain made conditions cool enough to numb the hands. We made it back to the hut before the heavy rain began, traveling light worked well for moving over the wet rocks.

The rocky trail up Mt. Adams
A "low" cloud moving over Mt. Washington

After reaching the hut and gathering up our packs, we headed back to the car down the Valley Way Trail in the rain. This worked well because this trail get one back below tree line a few hundred yards from the hut, giving shelter from wind , rain and later some lightening. I heard a few more Boreal Chickadees on the hike down but little else. This more sheltered trail may have been better for birding than Air Line Trail, but the Air Line offers more dramatic views but less protection in fowl weather.