Nashua River waterfowl 3/18/2008

After moving and squaring away my former house I am finally starting to settle back into a "normal" schedule. I viewed the Nashua River during my lunch and went back after work to look for puddle ducks in a few depressions in a corn field adjacent to the river.

The noon-time list, from behind the horse track:
Canada Goose...50
Mute Swan...2
Wood Duck...16
American Wigeon...1
American Black Duck...4
Mallard...4
Canvasback...5 (an uncommon migrate in this area)
Ring-necked Duck...14
Common Goldeneye...15
Hooded Merganser...48
Common Merganser...20
Great Blue Heron...1
Red-tailed Hawk...2
Ring-billed Gull...1
Great Black-backed Gull...4
Belted Kingfisher...1
Tree Swallow...2
Black-capped Chickadee...2
Tufted Titmouse...1
White-breasted Nuthatch...1
Brown Creeper...1
Eastern Bluebird...1
Song Sparrow...1
Northern Cardinal...1
Common Grackle...2

The list from the evening from 2 different vantage points, Gardner Farm and behind the horse track, most of the puddle duck were are Gardner Farm:

Canada Goose...400
Mute Swan...3
Wood Duck...8
American Black Duck...30
Mallard...300
Northern Pintail...3
Green-winged Teal (American)...11
Ring-necked Duck...24
Bufflehead...1
Common Goldeneye...3
Hooded Merganser...60
Common Merganser...75
Great Blue Heron...3
Great Black-backed Gull...3 (one had a small Largemouth Bass)
Mourning Dove...1
Tufted Titmouse...2
White-breasted Nuthatch...1
Eastern Bluebird...1
American Robin...15
European Starling...400
Song Sparrow...2
Red-winged Blackbird...20
Common Grackle...2
House Sparrow...5

It is alway nice to watch groups of Mergansers displaying courting behavior, the drake Hoodies "throwing" their heads back while the Commons are involved in animated chases on the water. Also seen were 3 or 4 Muskrats and a River Otter.

Gardner to Thorofare, NJ 2/20 and 2/21

I took a recent business trip to visit one of the company planta in Thorofare, NJ., I chose to make the solo trip behind the wheel vs. the Boston to Philly flight. The air trip takes nearly as long as driving by the time I'd drive to the airport, wait, board the jet...and wait, fly for an hour, get a rental car and drive to the plant. The drive gave me an oppertunity to listen to some music and do some casual birding from behind the wheel.
The first good bird bird was a red-shouldered Hawk the passed over the vehicle just into Conn.(on rte 395), a few miles later a Northern Raven was a nice surprise. Though Ravens have expanded their range south and east in New England so I doubt it was "out of place". A big surprise was the fact I did not see a Red-tailed Hawk until I was well into New York, in the Tapan Zee Bridge area. Afterwards I saw my fair share of "tails", then several Turkey Vultures once I was within New Jersey.
Once near Thorofare, which just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, were 3 Black Vultures, flapping and soaring just to the west of rte 295. I had a few free minutes before my 1PM meeting and drove a few side streets near Paulsboro, NJ...near the Delaware River. There were many Canada Geese, Black Ducks, Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, a few Buffleheads, Hooded and Common Mergansers. A red-throated Loon was on the river and a few Great Blue Herons. Gulls numbers were dominated by Ring-billed along with few Herring and Great Black-backed.

I haven't been posting too much, as my house sold and I had to find a new place to live which will be in Westminster (locals call it Westminister... an extra "i") the next town to the east of Gardner. So... So...while the corporate headquarters, of "Birding North Central Massachusetts...and beyond", is changing...I woun't have to change the blog name :)



The species list of the Jersey trip:
Canada Goose
Black Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Mute Swan
Red-throated Loon
Great Blue Heron
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Raven
Downy Woodpecker
Americna Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Junco
White-throated Sparrow
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird

Bohemian Waxings in Townsend, Ma. 1/31/2008

Occassionally, I like to make a few quick stops along West Meadow Road in West Townsend, during my commute to work. Over the years, I've found some nice birds such as Northern Shrike, Cackling Goose, Glaucous Gull (years ago, when there was a dump nearby), and 4 Sandhill Cranes last spring.

Cedar Waxwings and a Bohemian
Yesterday, 1/30, there was a flock of 50 Cedar Waxwings working some oriental bittersweet across the corn field to the north. I stopped again today and about 75 Cedars were "teed up" by the road about 50 yards away. While scanning the flock, I heard a Bohemian Waxwing calling and was able to find it a minute or two later. The flock moved a few hundred feet away and joined more waxwings, I heard a Bohemian call again and I finally found another. Half the birds flew off, circled and perched beside the road about 75 feet away. The digi-bin photo (below) does not do this bird, in the early morning sun, proper justice.

One of my winter favorites!

The Superbowl of Birding 1/26/2008

Here is the list of birds seen and/or heard by the "Burger Kinglets" superbowl team between 5AM and 5PM in Essex County, Ma. (north of Boston) on Saturday 1/26. Our route consistied of Owling in Ipswich and Essex, then, Flax Pond in Lynn, Nahant, Lynn/Swampscott (waterfronts), Cape Ann (Gloucester/Rockport), through Essex/Ipswich, West Newbury, Plum Island concluding with a few stops along the Merrimac River to the Chain Bridge. I left the camera at home as there is little time to snap pictures during a day of fast paced birding.

Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe (Nile Beach)
Great Cormorant
Great Blue Heron (Cashman Park)
Turkey Vulture (Ipswich)
Canada Goose
Brant (Nahant)
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck (Niles Pond)
Greater Scaup (Swampscott)
Lesser Scaup (SwampScott)
King Eider (Atlantic Drive , Elks Club stop)
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck (Andrew's Pt)
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Oldsquaw
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser (Flax Pond)
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Bald Eagle (Merrimac River)
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk (Plum Island a few birds)
Merlin (Draw Bridge to plum island)
Peregrine Falcon (Gloucester)
American Coot (Flax Pond)
Black-bellied Plover (Brace Cove)
Sanderling (Brace Cove)
Purple Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
Glaucous Gull ( a few in East Gloucester, one w/ a bad foot)
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Guillemot
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech-Owl (several in Ipswich and Essex, we had one trilling away in the early afternoon in Ipswich)
Great Horned Owl (a few in Ipswich and 1 in Essex)
Snowy Owl (Plum Island)
Long-eared Owl (Harrassed by crow near Niles Pond, 3 members of the team had good a look while it was perched before it was flushed by the crows for a second time), our only real surprise of the day.
Short-eared Owl (a few at plum Island)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (Island Road in Essex)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Shrike (Good harbor beach, Gloucester and Plum Island)
Blue JayAmerican Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Pine on Plum Island)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren (Nahant Thicket, seemed like it was the only land bird in all of Nahant...guess the exterminator must missed this one!)
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird (Town Farm Road Ipswich)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Town Farm Road Ipswich)
House Finch
Common Redpoll (Emery Lane small flock flew overhead)
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Here is a link to the Massachusetts Audubon Superbowl web site .

Our team, "The Burger Kinglets", was comprised of the following members:
Paul Meleski (Team captain)
Dan Berard
Chuck Caron
Rodney Jenkins
Tom Pirro

Possible Cackling Goose (Ipswich, Ma.) 1/24

Chuck Caron and I found a small white-cheeked goose along the Ipswich River yesterday 1/24/2008. It looked very good for being a Cackling Goose, small size 2/3 that of nearby Canada (but maybe just a tad larger than some other Cacklers I have seen), over all a frosty appearance, blocky looking head shape. However, the bill did not appear to be as stubby as I would expect based on previous Cacklers I have seen, field guide illustrations and Internet photos I have reviewed. Here are a few digi photos I took. So is this feature within the "range" of a "normal Cackling Goose", could it be a hybrid or another form within the Canada "clan" or am I looking too deeply into this, comments to ALURAP@VERIZON.NET are welcomed.Possible Cackling Goose
Possible Cackling Goose

Note: in addition to the comment below, 2 others feel this would fit a smaller form on the Canada side of the Cackling/Canada complex. Mainly, based on the lack of a stubby bill and head shape.