Gardner Ashburnham Birds 6/30 (Fitch 1 block)

This morning I put in 7 hours of birding, starting at 5:15Am and completed the 20 hours of preliminary observation for Fitchburg 1 block (Mass. Breeding Bird Atlas). I started at High Ridge WMA to cover the marsh for rails, and struck out again ( both Sora and Virgina Rail have been present in past years) but managed to get a decent view of an American Bittern pair. There were singing Swamp Sparrows, an Alder Flycatcher, Baltimore Orioles and a male Evening Grosbeak was calling as it flew overhead, I would hear a few more later. A few confirmed breeders were Mallard with young, House Wren feeding a fledgling and Yellow Warblers feeding young.

There were many Cedar Waxwings in the area, one pair was gathering nesting material but later, at a near by industrial park, I found waxwing entering a nest in white pine tree (below).
Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing Nest

In the same area as the as the waxwing nest was a Red-breasted Nuthatch, Nashville Warbler, Eastern towhees and this White-throated Sparrow (below).

White-throated Sparrow

In South Ashburnham I walked an abondonded RR track, I was targeting Winter Wren, which I had yet to find in this block. I first walked a few streets, for suburban type birds where I managed to find a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding on wild flowers. Along the RR trail there were several Hermit Thrushes(one was feeding a begging fledgling), a few veerys and the typical assortment of woodland birds such as Ruffed Grouse, Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-eyed vireo, Ovenbird and Scarlet Tanager. Ebony Jewelwing along a stream

I must have walked into the nesting area of a Broad-winged Hawk, as it persistantly called moving about the forest canopy. This agitated some a nearby Hairy Woodpecker and a Winter Wren, which gave its charactoristic double chip note, one of two I heard on this walk.

The detail for the preliminary 20 hours between 5/5/07 and 6/30/07, details on the code definitions are at atlas codes

Canada Goose....CO(ON)
Wood Duck....CO(PY)
Mallard....CO(PY)
Hooded Merganser....CO(FL)
Ruffed Grouse....CO(DD)
Wild Turkey....PR(S)
Common Loon....CO(PY)
Double-crested Cormorant....OB(O)
American Bittern....PR(P)
Great Blue Heron....PO(X)
Green Heron....PR(P)
Cooper's Hawk....PO(X)
Broad-winged Hawk....PR(A)
Killdeer....CO(DD)
Rock Pigeon....PO(X)
Mourning Dove....PR(S)
Black-billed Cuckoo....PO(X)
Barred Owl....PR(S)
Chimney Swift....PR(P)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird....PO(X)
Belted Kingfisher....PO(X)
Red-bellied Woodpecker....PO(X)
Downy Woodpecker....PR(S)
Hairy Woodpecker....PO(X)
Northern Flicker....PR(S)
Pileated Woodpecker....PR(S)
Eastern Wood-Pewee....PR(S)
Alder Flycatcher....PR(S)
Willow Flycatcher....PR(S)
Eastern Phoebe....PR(S)
Great Crested Flycatcher....PR(S)
Eastern Kingbird....CO(CF)
Blue-headed Vireo....PO(X)
Warbling Vireo....PR(S)
Red-eyed Vireo....PR(S)
Blue Jay....PR(S)
American Crow....PR(S)
Common Raven....PO(X)
Tree Swallow....CO(FY)
Barn Swallow....PR(A)
Black-capped Chickadee....CO(FL)
Tufted Titmouse....PR(S)
Red-breasted Nuthatch....PR(S)
White-breasted Nuthatch....PO(X)
Brown Creeper....PR(S)
House Wren....PR(S)
Winter Wren....PO(X)
Marsh Wren....PO(X)
Veery....PR(S)
Hermit Thrush....CO(FL)
Wood Thrush....PR(S)
American Robin....CO(CN)
Gray Catbird....PR(S)
Northern Mockingbird....PO(X)
European Starling....CO(CF)
Cedar Waxwing....
CO(ON)
Nashville Warbler....PR(P)
Yellow Warbler....PR(S)
Chestnut-sided Warbler....PR(S)
Magnolia Warbler....PO(X)
Black-throated Blue Warbler....PR(S)
Yellow-rumped Warbler....PR(S)
Black-throated Green Warbler....PR(S)
Blackburnian Warbler....PO(X)
Pine Warbler....CO(CN)
Black-and-white Warbler....PR(S)
American Redstart....PR(S)
Ovenbird....PR(S)
Northern Waterthrush....PR(S)
Common Yellowthroat....CO(CF)
Canada Warbler....PR(S)
Scarlet Tanager....PR(S)
Eastern Towhee....PR(S)
Chipping Sparrow....CO(CF)
Song Sparrow....CO(CF)
Swamp Sparrow....PR(S)
White-throated Sparrow....PR(S)
Northern Cardinal....PR(S)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak....PR(S)
Indigo Bunting....PR(S)
Bobolink....CO(CF)
Red-winged Blackbird....CO(CF)
Common Grackle....CO(CF)
Brown-headed Cowbird....PO(X)
Baltimore Oriole....PR(S)
Purple Finch....PR(S)
House Finch....CO(CN)
American Goldfinch...PR(P)
Evening Grosbeak....PO(X)
House Sparrow.........PR(S)

Gardner Birds 6/27 (Fitch BBA 1)

Common Loon and chick(stretching its leg) on Lake Wompanoag

Common Loons have nested on Lake Wompanoag (located in Gardner and Ashburnham) for the past 13 years. The nest sight is located, on a small island near the dam, on the Ashburnham side.

This morning an adult and newly hatched chick were just off shore where the lake "touches" Raymond Street (in Gardner), allowing me an excellent view. I did not see this adult's mate, but saw and heard a loon calling from Crystal lake, little more than a mile away. A week ago there was a pair on Crystal Lake, it would be doubtfull they were both the Wompanoag birds as I can't imagin they would leave the nest unattended. Unfortunately there are no islands on Crystal lake to provide a nesting sight for loon. Perhaps, this would make a good location for a nesting raft.

Also at Crystal Lake was a Cooper's Hawk crossing the lake, carrying prey, practically being ridden by an angry Eastern Kingbird.

Westminster Birds 6/23/07

Saturday, I got an early start to my breeding bird atlas work, in the Fitchburg 2 block at 4:30Am , for rails at Trophet Swamp in Westminster. An early start is important here because of traffic noise on Rte2 A (Which bisects the swamp). I walked the road-side for the approx. 1/2 mile along the edge of this large cattail marsh. I have not birded this area much over the years, mostly because of the traffic. 5 Virginia Rails responded to recordings, but zero for Sora...certainly there must be Sora in this marsh. Several Swamp Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats and a few Alder Flycatchers were calling. A Mallard with young swam across the stream and an Eastern Kingbird was sitting tight on its nest atop a snag about 50 feet off the road.

From here, I was off to the Westminster side of High Ridge WMA (formerly the Gardner Colony for the Insane, the term "politically correct" was not in the dictionary in those days!) to spend the rest of the morning on foot. I worked the edge of stream hoping for and missing the Lousiana Waterthrush and Winter that "should" have been there, but a few Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers,a Pileated Woodpecker, Veeries , Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Scarlet Tanagers were nice. Fern covering the forest floor, perhaps an old logging road or landing.

After leaving the forest I traveled the road for awhile, the fields were busy with nesting Bobolinks, many of which were carrying food to nestlings. Typically the haying is "delayed" here until the later half of July to allow Boblinks to fledge. Ninty percent of the Bluebird boxes are occupied by Tree Swallows the balance are used by House Wrens and Bluebirds. I only saw one Bluebird this morning, near the Hunter Saftey headquarters. There were Chipping Sparrows along the road(including a few streaked juveniles), a few Indigo Buntings, Balitmore Orioles and Black-billed Cuckoo was seen and not heard (for a change).

A cooperative female Bobolink

After 50+ hours of work this breeding season, in 4 "blocks", I finally managed to see and hear a few Least Flycatchers. Certainly not an unusual species in the area, I just hadn't "hit" the right habitat.

By the time I got to the beaver pond on the south side of Beech Hill, I was soaked from walking through the edge of a wet hayfield but I managed to flush a Ruffed Grouse from edge of the woods. While walking the edge of the pond, a few pairs of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks constantly scolded me with their harsh chip notes and a pair of Great-creasted Flycatchers and a few titmice got in on the act for bit too. I counted 17 active Great Blue Heron nests on the pond, all high in dead snags except the one below, which appeared to be atop a stump. I don't recall seeing a GB Heron nest this low before. Great Blue Heron nest and young

The list from 6/23

Canada Goose..2
Wood Duck..13
Mallard..5
Ruffed Grouse..1
American Bittern..1
Great Blue Heron..50
Turkey Vulture..1
Virginia Rail..5
Killdeer..1
Rock Pigeon..2
Mourning Dove..9
Black-billed Cuckoo..1
Belted Kingfisher..1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker..3
Downy Woodpecker..1
Hairy Woodpecker..4
Northern Flicker..2
Pileated Woodpecker..2
Eastern Wood-Pewee..6
Alder Flycatcher..2
Least Flycatcher..4
Eastern Phoebe..2
Great Crested Flycatcher..2
Eastern Kingbird..4
Blue-headed Vireo..1
Warbling Vireo..1
Red-eyed Vireo..7
Blue Jay..7
American Crow..1
Tree Swallow..39
Northern Rough-winged Swallow..1
Barn Swallow..3
Black-capped Chickadee..15
Tufted Titmouse..7
Red-breasted Nuthatch..1
White-breasted Nuthatch..1
Brown Creeper..1
House Wren..4
Eastern Bluebird..1
Veery..6
Wood Thrush..7
American Robin..22
Gray Catbird..16
European Starling..4
Cedar Waxwing..8
Yellow Warbler..5
Chestnut-sided Warbler..6
Black-throated Blue Warbler..1
Black-throated Green Warbler..1
American Redstart..1
Ovenbird..11
Common Yellowthroat..17
Scarlet Tanager..5
Eastern Towhee..2
Chipping Sparrow..14
Field Sparrow..1
Song Sparrow..20
Swamp Sparrow..6
Northern Cardinal..3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak..11
Indigo Bunting..2
Bobolink..47
Red-winged Blackbird..50
Common Grackle..30
Brown-headed Cowbird..5
Baltimore Oriole..10
Purple Finch..1
House Finch..1
American Goldfinch..12
House Sparrow..10

Gardner 6/22 (Fitch BBA 2)

I did some "atlas" work in my home block (Fitchburg 2) this evening, trying a few streets in South Gardner and Westminster. Later, I walked some RR tracks to look over some wetlands and a power line "cut". I was able to confirm breeding on some common birds, such as Wood Duck (with young) Killdeer (w/young), Gray Catbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Black and White Warbler, Ovenbird and Scarlet Tanager (the later species all "lugging" food).

It rained, and I got fairly wet, but the rainbow (above) helped ease any discomfort. While I was enjoying the colors, I heard a barking like noise behind me in the water. Apparently my presence had annoyed a River Otter, it would duck under and come up in various spots, raise about a 1/3 of its body from the water and "bark". As I walked, for about 200 meters, along the track, the Otter followed and vocalized its displeasure at me. I digi-binned a few fuzzy photos, though my binoculars, in poor lighting (one is below).

River Otter

I did a little "bush whacking" to the back side of a beaver pond where I heard a few Hermit Thrushes singing from the Hemlocks. Looks like it'll also be a decent area form Northern Waterthrush and Canada Warbler too. At the edge of a clearing there was White-tailed Deer "frozen" and looking at me, the ears looked a bit large (in the poor light)...this was a buck with antlers in velvet. After a minute or two of staring toward each other, it grunted and bounded off. Forest area with singing Hermit Thrushes

Wood Duck...5
Mallard...1
Wild Turkey...1
Great Blue Heron...1
Killdeer...3
Rock Pigeon...10
Mourning Dove...4
Chimney Swift...1
Downy Woodpecker...1
Hairy Woodpecker...1
Eastern Kingbird...1
Red-eyed Vireo...4
Blue Jay...2
American Crow...5
Tree Swallow...15
Barn Swallow...1
Black-capped Chickadee...5
White-breasted Nuthatch...2
Brown Creeper...1
Veery...1
Hermit Thrush...2
American Robin...10
Gray Catbird...4
European Starling...5
Yellow Warbler...2
Chestnut-sided Warbler...1
Pine Warbler...1
Black-and-white Warbler...2
Ovenbird...4
Common Yellowthroat...6
Scarlet Tanager...2
Eastern Towhee...4
Chipping Sparrow...6
Song Sparrow...4
Swamp Sparrow...2
Northern Cardinal...3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak...1
Red-winged Blackbird...15
Common Grackle...20
Purple Finch...1
American Goldfinch....5
House Sparrow....10

Massachusetts Sandhill Crane status

Judging from an email I received today, and I assume most folks involved in the Breeding Bird Atlas, that Sandhill Cranes have nested in Massachusetts this spring at an undisclosed location. I beleive this to be a first state nesting record for the state of Massachusetts.