Bird Sightings: The Voice of Audubon

To submit bird sightings call
(781) 259-2150.

The Voice of Audubon offers regular updates on birds sighted across the state to introduce you to the wide variety of species Massachusetts has to offer.

Below are the most recently published sightings. Sightings in the past month are also available.

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Cape Cod

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Another bout of southwest winds brought another pulse of wayward cave swallows to the region on Monday, with sightings of 1-4 birds from White Crest Beach Wellfleet, Dowse's Beach Osterville, South Cape Beach in Mashpee, and Oyster Pond Rd. in Falmouth. The wintry winds that have since arrived from the north will certainly have swept them from the area by now. Another vagrant from the west, a western kingbird, was possibly sighted at Fort Hill in Eastham, though unequivocal looks were not to be had.

Some other birds that should be further south by now were a young osprey, a common tern, and a barn swallow seen in Wellfleet. Also seen in Wellfleet were a black-headed gull at the Herring River mouth, plus over 100 Bonaparte's gulls and a lesser black-backed gull in the harbor. On the ocean side of town 2 Iceland gulls, 40 snow buntings, 3000 white-winged scoters, and several dozen red-throated loons were noted.

Birds seen in a check of thickets around Falmouth on Tuesday included an impressive 8 yellow-breasted chats, a yellow-bellied sapsucker, 2 brown thrashers, an orange-crowned warbler, 4 Carolina wrens, 147 white-throated sparrows, 112 northern cardinals, and a fox sparrow.

Provincetown, as usual, was great for seabirds this week, with 125 greater shearwaters, 1800 northern gannets, 700 black-legged kittiwakes, a little gull, 2500 Bonaparte's gulls, 2 Iceland gulls, 20 common terns, 5 parasitic jaegers, and a razorbill noted from Race Point, plus 2000 red-breasted mergansers, an Iceland gull, 2 lesser black-backed gulls, and 6 laughing gulls at Herring Cove.

In miscellaneous sightings this week there was  a turkey vulture in Eastham, a northern shrike at Crane WMA in Falmouth, 3 harlequin ducks off Nauset Beach in Orleans,  peregrine falcons in Wellfleet and Orleans, 5 eastern meadowlarks and an American bittern at Fort Hill in Eastham,  and 20 pine siskins in Mashpee.

These bracing northerly winds and plummeting temperatures should bring some cold-stunned sea turtles to bay side beaches on the Cape. Walking beaches around high tide and checking the wrackline is the best strategy. If you do find a turtle, to repeat our usual instructions: place it above the high tide line, cover it with wrack to insulate it, mark the spot, and call the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary at 508-349-2615 x-104.

If you have questions about these sightings, or want to report a sighting, call the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary at 508-349-2615 or send e-mail to sightings@massaudubon.org.

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Eastern Massachusetts

Monday, November 17, 2008

Following the initial incursion of Cave Swallows along the coast last Tuesday, small numbers have continued to be reported from various coastal locations. This afternoon, 7 were seen feeding over Waring Field off South Street in Rockport, 4 were noted today at Dowes Beach in the Osterville section of Barnstable, 4 were found yesterday at the Salisbury Beach State Park, a single was reported yesterday from West Island in Fairhaven, one was at Halibut Point in Rockport on Saturday, and another single was noted on Saturday in Dorchester.

A Franklin's Gull found at the south end of Plum Island on Saturday was not reported again, but other weekend reports from the island included 48 American Wigeon, 30 Northern Pintails, 175 Green-winged Teal, 10 White-rumped Sandpipers, 635 Dunlin, 1 Iceland Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Snowy Owls, 1 Lapland Longspur, and 230 Snow Buntings.

A Greater White-fronted Goose continues in the fields off School Street in Acton where other reports included 14 Killdeer, roughly 100 Horned Larks, 120 American Pipits, 30 Snow Buntings, and 2 Lapland Longspurs.

Seen in East Gloucester were several Greater Shearwaters, 1 Black-headed Gull, 250 Bonaparte's Gulls, 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 5 Iceland Gulls, and 1 Glaucous Gull, and seabirds seen off Provincetown included roughly 2000 Red-breasted Mergansers, 125 Greater Shearwaters, 1800 Northern Gannets, 700 Black-legged Kittiwakes, 300 Laughing Gulls, 1 Little Gull, 2500 Bonaparte's Gulls, 2 Iceland Gulls, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 20 Common Terns, 5 Parasitic Jaegers, and 10 unidentified jaegers.

Weekend reports from Nantucket included 12 Harlequin Ducks, 2 Cattle Egrets, 1 Osprey, 1 Black-headed Gull, 180 Bonaparte's Gulls, 181 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 3 Iceland Gulls, 1 Glaucous Gull, 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 1 Blue-headed Vireo,  1 Yellow-breasted Chat, and 2 White-crowned Sparrows, and miscellaneous reports from the weekend included a Barrow's Goldeneye at Wachusett Reservoir in West Boylston, a Northern Shrike in Haverhill, a Red-headed Woodpecker in Carlisle, 2 Northern Shovelers and 30 American Coots at the Great Meadows refuge in Concord, a late Yellow-billed Cuckoo elsewhere in Concord, a Dickcissel and 10 White-crowned Sparrows in Lincoln, 3 Glaucous Gulls in Gloucester Harbor, a Short-eared Owl in Revere, a Greater White-fronted Goose in the fields along South Main Street in Sharon, a Barrow's Goldeneye and a late Blackburnian Warbler in Lakeville, an Orange-crowned Warbler, a Nashville Warbler, and a Yellow-breasted Chat in Fairhaven, and 150 Greater Shearwaters and 80 Black-legged Kittiwakes at Head-of-the-Meadow Beach in Truro.

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Western Massachusetts

Monday, November 17, 2008

Several unusual species showed up this week to liven up the birding scene. Various migrating ducks are still stopping to visit area ponds.
Almost all the songbirds reported were of the northern species that migrate late.

An immature common moorhen was seen with six American coots on Pondside Road in Longmeadow.  Also in the area were a great blue heron and a gray catbird.

A cackling goose, 35 killdeer, two golden plovers, three Bonaparte's gulls, 400 horned larks, and 125 American pipits were reported in Hadley.

The cackling goose was also seen on the campus pond at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. A calling eastern screech-owl and 12 common goldeneyes were reported in Turners Falls, a winter wren and three fox sparrows were seen in Belchertown, and a great blue heron and fish crow were found in Northampton.

A sandhill crane was seen in a cornfield along Old Turnpike Road in New Braintree.

Five buffleheads, a greater scaup, two long-tailed ducks, nine common loons, 13 horned grebes, a golden eagle, eight golden-crowned kinglets, a snow bunting, and 80 pine siskins were found at the south end of the Quabbin Reservoir.

Two ospreys, 29 red-tailed hawks, two northern goshawks, a golden eagle, a peregrine falcon, and 10 white-winged crossbills were seen at Barre Falls.

A northern harrier, 37 red-tailed hawks, a golden eagle, a Lapland longspur, and a snow bunting. reported at Blueberry Hill in Granville.

A glaucous gull and a brant were seen on Pontoosuc Lake in Pittsfield.
Eight great blue herons and five American coots were on Richmond Pond.

Six green-winged teal, three black scoters, 80 common mergansers, and
37 Bonaparte's gulls were seen on Lake Wickaboag in West Brookfield.

 

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About the Voice of Audubon

These bird sighting reports are transcripts of recorded messages from each of three regional bird hotlines maintained by Mass Audubon, known as the Voice of Audubon. Beginning November 1, 2006, the phone number for the Voice of Audubon is (781) 259-8805. The toll-free number will no longer be in service, but all three recorded reports from throughout the state will continue to be accessible through the new number, and the transcripts will still be available anytime on our website (www.massaudubon.org/voa). The Voice of Audubon is the oldest phone-based bird alert in the United States, first established on December 1, 1954 (original phone number, KEnmore 6-4050). See the original 1954 press release*.

These reports are intended to provide a "snapshot" of the noteworthy bird activity in each region within Massachusetts. Sightings incorporated into these reports include, for example, rarities, early/first-arriving migrants, late-departing migrants, high counts, unusual sightings (e.g., a seabird found on an inland lake), or simply those that represent exemplary sightings for the time and place.

The Boston Globe publishes one or more of these transcripts (with limited editing) each Sunday. To submit bird sightings call (781) 259-2150.

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