New Arrivals (Gardner) 5/09/07

I typically try to squeeze a little birding each morning in May and I got a few new "year" birds this morning. The first bird of the morning was a Common Loon, calling as it flew near my yard, while I was still in bed. I live about 2 miles from Lake Wompanoag, where a pair of Common Loons have nested since 1995, but they do move about from lake to lake and sometimes call while in flight. The first new "year" bird was a singing Northern Parula which I also heard from my bedroom before I got outside. Species such as Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breatsed Grosbeak, Eastern Kingbird and Common Yellowthroat (to name a few) have arrived in the past few days.

Common Yellowthroat

Up at the Wompanoag MAS I had a very nice look at a White-crowned Sparrow and I managed a few digi-bin photos of it. The Bluebird houses have been active with Tree Swallows for the past few weeks, but today was the first time I had seen Eastern Bluebirds looking one of these dwellings over.

White-crowned Sparrow

Along Raymond Street I heard at least 4 Nashville Warblers, and from locations where they are likely to breed. Ovenbirds and Black-throated Green Warblers had increased in breeding type habitat, but it may be a few more days until I hear a Canada Warbler singing from "its" territory.

Least Flycatcher

East Quabbin (Gates 44 thru 35) 5/06/07

Eight members of the Forbush Bird Club birded the Worcester County portion of the East Quabbin watershed this past Sunday 5/6/07. We are fortunate to be able to have access, once a year, to drive the back roads (bird, nature watch and sight see) of the former townships of Greenwich and Dana. While spring migration was a "bit behind" and the conditions were cool and windy, we managed a similar species total to last year's trip (68 in 2007 vs. 70 in 2006).


Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (the purplish on the back is from light reflection and not part of the bird's color)

Some of the more common species encountered where Blue-headed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet (a few were singing at nearly every stop), Pine Warbler and Chipping Sparrow (see totals below). Some notable misses included Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager and Baltimore Oriole...which were just a few days away from arriving. An adult Bald Eagle put on a nice "show" near Dana Center, we heard the calls of an agitated Cooper's Hawk (at what must have been a nest sight), and Common Loons were spotted at several "water-front" stops. A Black Vulture was seen soaring from Grave's Landing, it was a long distance out, and unfortunately I was the only one to get a decent look at it.

During our lunch stop in Dana Center some folks enjoyed their first sighting of an Eastern Kingbird for 2007, while others enjoyed the stone work of old foundations and the steel safe in the basement of what must have been the bank. meticulous stone foundation in Dana Center

Safe in an old cellar hole, perhaps the former bank (Dana Center)

At west Fever Brook, we saw a very nice school of Largemouth Bass the ranged from 15 to 20 inches in length, swimming near the stone bridge.

Forbush members scan for waterfowl (East Fever Brook)
Black and White Warbler (3/4th up the trunk)

Near the day's end we came across a nice wave of warblers which included Yellow-rumped, Black and White, Palm and American Redstarts. It was the only real concentration of wood warblers we had all day.

The List:
Canada Goose 6
Wood Duck 6
Mallard 4
Hooded Merganser 4
Common Merganser 7
Ruffed Grouse 2
Wild Turkey 1
Common Loon 14
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Blue Heron 2
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 12
Bald Eagle 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Broad-winged Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 4
Ring-billed Gull 12
Belted Kingfisher 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 5
Downy Woodpecker 5
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Least Flycatcher 5
Eastern Phoebe 5
Eastern Kingbird 2
Blue-headed Vireo 21
Blue Jay 15
American Crow 2
Common Raven 1
Tree Swallow 64
Barn Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 32
Tufted Titmouse 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 7
White-breasted Nuthatch 6
Brown Creeper 5
House Wren 1
Winter Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 26
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10
Veery 1
Hermit Thrush 5
American Robin 26
Gray Catbird 1
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 34
Black-throated Green Warbler 12
Blackburnian Warbler 5
Pine Warbler 25
Prairie Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 8
Black-and-white Warbler 12
American Redstart 4
Ovenbird 8
Common Yellowthroat 1
Eastern Towhee 15
Chipping Sparrow 31
Song Sparrow 7
Swamp Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 9
Red-winged Blackbird 8
Common Grackle 4
Brown-headed Cowbird 16
Purple Finch 8
American Goldfinch 19

Migrants slowly trickle in (Gardner 5/5/07)

From 6:30 to 8:30AM I birded locally starting at the the bike path across from Mount Wachusett Community College heading on up Kelton and Raymond ending at the Mass. Audubon's Wompanoag Sanctuary. Some new arrivals included Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Savanaha Sparrow and Brown Thrasher with still good numbers of migrant Yellow-rumped Warblers and White throated Sparrows away from known breeding habitat. I have yet see or hear many species which are back by this date, such as Chestnut-side Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole and Bobolink, to name a few.

The campus pond at Mount Wachusett Community College

Savanaha Sparrows

This morning's bird list:

Canada Goose 6
Mallard 4
Ruffed Grouse 2
Wild Turkey 1
Common Loon 3
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 8
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 6
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue-headed Vireo 5
Warbling Vireo 1
Blue Jay 19
American Crow 2
Common Raven 1
Tree Swallow 17
Barn Swallow 1
Black-capped Chickadee 19
Tufted Titmouse 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 11
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 27
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 1
Nashville Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 16
Black-throated Green Warbler 5
Pine Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Ovenbird 1
Northern Waterthrush 2
Chipping Sparrow 5
Savannah Sparrow 4
Song Sparrow 7
White-throated Sparrow 14
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Common Grackle 6
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Purple Finch 3
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 11
House Sparrow 2

North Worcester County to Quabbin 5/4

While heading down to the Quabbin Visitor's Center, to pickup some gate keys for a field trip on Sunday, I bumped into Brad Blodgett (former Massachusetts State Ornithologist) on Maple Lane in Petersham. For the past 2 or 3 years a Sandhill Crane has been present in this area, for at least part of the spring, leading a few "bird people" to wonder what this bird's intentions might be! Our conversation centered around Cranes in Maine; it now sounds as if there are at least 3 pairs nesting in remote regions of Maine, if 3 have been found...how many more might there be? We didn't find a Crane but it was nice to "visit" with Brad for a bit.

Near a large marsh on the Templeton/Philipston town line, I saw dozens of Yellow-rumped, and a few Palm and Black-throated Green Warblers, an Eastern Kingbird and 3 Solitary Sandpipers. The Broad-winged Hawk (below) was perched in a back yard, allowing me to "digi-bin" (through 8X32 binoculars) it from inside the car while it carefully studied the ground for a meal...until a few Blue Jays shattered its solitude!
Broad-winged Hawk

Quabbin Park had little variety but I enjoyed excellent looks at a few Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, heard several Pine and Yellow-rumped Warblers along with few Black and White Warblers. Plenty of Turkey Vultures were in the air and a few Sharp-shinned Hawks were fighting a stiff northwest wind near Enfield lookout and I heard a drumming Sapsucker.

looking north from Enfield Lookout

After "running" an errand to Fitchburg, I saw a Common Loon on Snow Mill Pond in Fitchburg. I carefully studied this bird for leg bands, as many central Mass. breeding Loons have been color banded by Biologist, this bird was un-banded. Snow Mill Pond has no motor boat traffic, a small island and is not much smaller than Paradise Pond (Princeton, Ma.), which has a pair of nesting Loons. Chances are this was just a transient bird, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was an un-mated "prospector"!

Here and there 5/3/07

I often try to bird before work during the month of May to look for new arrivals, of course ... so does nearly every other birder in the north east...even if its just a few minutes. Today I stopped, at the bike path, across from Mount Wachusett Community College and a few "road-side" stops along Kelton Street in Gardner. Still no big influx of migrants, perhaps last night's winds were unfavorable. A few new arrivals were a single Ovenbird and Black and White Warbler (though usually I "get" my first Black and White before May 1st).

Tree Swallows caught in "THE act"!

I got out at noon for about 20 minutes, where I walked the bike path off Broad Meadow Road in Groton. Hoping to see Baltimore Oriole(s), or any other "year birds" along the path was unsuccessfull. I did hear a Red-bellied Woodpecker, but couldn't find it, eventually I noticed a nest hole, it ended up poking its head out and made a nice showing. 25 years ago a nesting Red-bellied Woodpecker would've been a big deal, but their range has crept north and now they're quite common. A few digi-binned images are below. Red-bellied Woodpecker "peeking out"
Red-bellied Woodpecker

I stopped at High Ridge WMA, during the evening, where many Yellow-rumped Warblers were flycatching from the the edge of the marsh, mixed in with a few Palm Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. I heard a Virgina Rail calling from where the edge of the marsh "brushes" up to Neighborhood Road, but there was no evidence of the American Bitterns tonight.
Red-winged Blackbird on territory