Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7.25 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain, Mark Morris, Tom Gottschang
Visitors: Alec Macleod
Weather: Valley fog to start that burned off by mid morning. Light and variable winds calm to 7mph. Temps ranged from 51'-74'F. Beneficial cumulous clouds emerged mid-day to create a nice background for spotting Raptors.
Raptor Observations: We had very light Raptor migration movement today. Broad Wings still trying to file thru with a total of 4. We had another 4 UR's today, which could have been a few more Wings. Mid-day, the thermals were excellent as the crew repeatedly watched local Raptors; especially Bald Eagles; climb fast and soar. Local Raptors: BV-2, TV-21, OS-2, BE-6, RS-1, RT-6
Predictions: Showers and thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow. No Watch is planned ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 10:15:00 Total observation time: 3.75 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Kathryn Chihowski, Ted Mara
Visitors: Jim & Christina MacDougall (Jim has been involved with conservation projects for a long time and is currently working with Green Belt), Matt Sabourin, Marj Watson and Andy Sanford.
Weather: Fairly gentle (4 to 6 mph) west, NW and WNW winds, temps 13 to 20 deg C and mostly cloudy (65% cover) until the very end of watch. Not surprisingly, an onshore breeze took over during the last half hour of the watch.
Raptor Observations: We recorded four migrants today--three Sharp-shins and one Merlin.
Raptors seen but failed to migrate: 2 TV, 1 imm BE (a 1-year-old), at least 2 NH and several resident OS.
Non-raptor Observations: Other birds: A slow but steady trickle of Blue Jays, 2 Raven, several Fish Crows, 2 Great Egrets, 1 Great Blue Heron and at least 60 Double-crested Cormorants. A number of birders stopped by en route to the restrooms after birding on the island and all agreed that the diversity and concentration of warblers on island was pretty low today: this might at least in part explain the low number of Sharpies in our count.
Predictions: Forecast is for 12 to 15 mph NE and ENE winds all day with rain showers all afternoon and temps in the mid-40's (7 to 8 deg C). No hawk watch will be conducted. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Date: 5/8/25 7:26 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] May 8, 2025 Parker River NWR, Newburyport - Decent amount of migrants, but not overwhelming
Hi All,
I had a nice trip to Parker River today, spending most of my time at Hellcat and running into some friendly faces. There's definitely activity coming through, but nothing overwhelming; I'm still waiting for that really big day. You could probably get to 100 species today overall if you checked the oceans and hung around long enough, but there were a lot of one-offs. I saw a few chestnut-sideds, a couple black-throated blues, a multitude of black-and-white warblers, and tons and tons of pugilistic orioles. I enjoy watching bird-drama as they vie for control of one or another tree. Outside of that, there was a black-throated green, a redstart, a parula or two. I saw reports from earlier that noted dozens of parula, so maybe they moved off the island by the time I got there just before 7. It was definitely "birdy" though, lots of lingerers, white-throated sparrows for instance, and breeders, liked red-winged blackbirds were everywhere. I'm waiting for that 18-20 warbler species day though. Other reports I heard included black-billed cuckoo around the Pines Lot.
That's all for now,
Matt s. Newton, NH <Accipiter22...>
-------------------------------------------------------- Parker River NWR, Essex, Massachusetts, US May 8, 2025 6:50 AM - 10:32 AM Protocol: Traveling 12.19 mile(s) 67 species
Date: 5/8/25 6:11 am From: <blafley...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] New Salem - 5/8/25
Hello,
Walked around yard and had coffee under the flowering crabapple trees.
S Main St, New Salem US-MA, Franklin, Massachusetts, US May 8, 2025 6:55 AM - 8:14 AM Protocol: Traveling 0.1 mile(s) Checklist Comments: Walked around yard and out near sugar house. 40 species
Mourning Dove 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 1 Least Flycatcher 1 Eastern Phoebe 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Red-eyed Vireo 1 Blue Jay 1 American Crow 1 Black-capped Chickadee 2 Tufted Titmouse 1 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Northern House Wren 1 Gray Catbird 2 Hermit Thrush 1 Wood Thrush 1 American Robin 4 2 harassing a gray squirrel Cedar Waxwing 5 Purple Finch 1 American Goldfinch 2 Chipping Sparrow 2 White-throated Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 1 Eastern Towhee 1 Brown-headed Cowbird 1 Ovenbird 1 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Common Yellowthroat 1 American Redstart 1 Northern Parula 1 Blackburnian Warbler 1 Pine Warbler 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 1 Scarlet Tanager 1 Northern Cardinal 2
Date: 5/7/25 9:02 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] 5/7 Blue Grosbeak, Etc. at McLaughlin Woods
Thanks to Paul Peterson for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Wed, 7 May 2025 23:29:10 +0000 (UTC) From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63...> Subject: 5/7 Blue Grosbeak, Etc. at McLaughlin Woods
A very small area of oaks on both sides of Parker Hill Ave., near the entrance to Iroquois Woods, was the place to be. A BLUE GROSBEAK, a Yellow-throated Vireo, and fourteen warbler species were in those oaks. The birds were often low due to the heaviness of the air. I birded from 10:50-2:00:
Red-tailed Hawk 1 Peregrine Falcon 1 diving on red-tail Wild Turkey 1 Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Blue-headed Vireo 1+ Veery 1 Swainson's Thrush 1 Cape May 1 Black and White 14 Northern Parula 13 Nashville 3 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 Yellow Warbler 2 Magnolia 2 Common Yellowthroat 2 Chestnut-sided 1 Black-throated Blue 1 Black-throated Green 3 Blackpoll 1 Ovenbird 2 American Redstart 2+ Blue Grosbeak 1 saw rufous wing bars well as bird was high in an oak; flew off
Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 13:30:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris
Observers: Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain, Ted Purcell, Tom Gottschang
Visitors: David and Shelly Small
Weather: Mostly to partly cloudy with temps ranging from 57'-69'F. Winds were consistent from the SSW 5-10mph with a few gusts to 22mph. Visibility was limited due to distant haze and remnant fingers of moisture from the West. Puffy high Cumulous clouds aided in creating a nice background for spotting birds.
Raptor Observations: The first hour of the watch was spent observing passerines. TV's started coming off their roosts at the 8am hour. After 3 day's of rain, we had some initial Raptor movement in this hour with 5. Sorting thru local Raptor traffic on this Watch, we finished with 16 migrants. Local Raptors: BV-2, TV-17, OS-1, BE-2, SS-1, CH-2, RS-1, RT-9
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-4, D.C.Cormorant-12, G.B.Heron-1, Solitary Sandpiper-1(Retainment Pond), R.B.Gull-3, Mourning Dove-5, R.T.Hummingbird-1, C.Swift-1, R.B.Woodpecker-1, D.Woodpecker-2, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, N.Flicker-5, E.Phoebe-1, Raven-1, C.Crow-4, Fish Crow-2, Blue Jay-136(migrating groups of 22,20,18,9,32), Tree Swallow-5, N.R.Winged Swallow-4(Retainment Pond),Barn Swallow-6(group),B.C.Chickadee-2, C.Wren-1, E.Bluebird-2, A.Robin-6, G.Catbird-6, Starling 30+/-, H.Sparrow-8, N.Parula Warbler-2, Pine Warbler-1, Chestnut Sided Warbler-1,C.Yellowthroat-2, Yellow Warbler-1, S.Tanager-1, E.Towhee-1, S.Sparrow-4, Field Sparrow-1, Chipping Sparrow-1, N.Cardinal-5, A.Goldfinch-2, Indigo Bunting(M)-1, R.B.Grosbeak-4, B.Oriole-3, C.Grackle-2, R.W.Blackbird-1, B.H.Cowbird-7 Predictions: Partly sunny skies to start with light NW winds and a high of 69'F. Increasing clouds in the afternoon ahead of a low pressure system which will bring more rain into New England for Friday. Light Raptor migration is predicted. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Date: 5/7/25 6:49 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] May 7, 2025 Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge: Lots of Warblers! Early, Mid and Late Season birds were all around.
Hi All,
May 7, 2025 Mount Auburn Cemetery
After some lousy weather recently I finally got to Mount Auburn today. As
soon as I got out of my car by the Dell where I usually start I knew it was
going to be a good day. I picked up a Maggy, several parula, B&W and
yellow-rumps right off the bat. The latter 3 were all over the place
through the cemetery. I picked up Tennessee as I entered the dell, and
then a blackpoll. Their song always sounds like the ghost of another
warbler, to me anyway. The blackpoll reminded me that migration has really
been going at a good clip since late April. That is the 2nd straight year
it seems like we’re having earlier flows, I wonder if birds are starting to
adapt to earlier bloom time.
The bottom of the dell did not have any action going on; I like checking
the water for birds bathing by some of the bushes, but no luck today. Above
me though there was a lot of noise, so I ascended up towards Harvard Hill
and got a BTG along the way, and then at the top, behind Harvard Hill I
picked up a Cape May Warbler, then another one, along with a Nashville.
Other folks had blackburnian, bay-breasted, and a prairie. I hopped over
to the Ridge but it was fairly quiet for me, as was Spectacle, though a
Canada was observed there, another late-season specialist coming out
early. I did pick up another Cape May though. All along the way there was
the YR, B&W, Parula early-season platter of warblers.
As I traveled around I stopped by Halcyon, which was quiet, although the
trees “above” contained another Tennessee. I circled back to the Dell and
it was still hopping, only this time I picked up another male Cape May at a
different part, then the two that were still hanging around the same pine
tree, then a female Cape May on Harvard Hill as well. That brought me to
five, I think the most I’ve ever seen in one day. One thing that struck me
about them, in the moment, was how unassuming their song is. I never
remember it, because it’s so “standard” in a way. Pretty, but not
distinct. As I left the Dell area I grabbed a BTB on my way out and headed
to Willow Pond where a northern waterthrush was seen earlier, but the
grounds crew were there, so no dice on that one. Overall, a very birdy
trip, lots of activity from the “early season” crew, but the May-peak and
even post-peak birds were there too, which was surprising. It felt good to
be back at Mount Auburn.
That's all for now
Matt s.
Newton, NH
<Accipiter22...>
Mount Auburn Cemetery, Middlesex, Massachusetts, US
May 7, 2025 7:32 AM - 10:01 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.7 mile(s)
48 species
Observation start time: 07:15:00 Observation end time: 11:00:00 Total observation time: 3.75 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Ted Mara
Visitors: Dan Prima, Sam and Carla Miller.
Weather: Rather weak (4 to 7 mph) SSW and SW winds dwindled to a standstill by the start of the 10 o'clock hour. Ten minutes later, the definite roar of the breaking surf heralded the onset of a steady onshore breeze which lasted for the remainder of the watch.
Raptor Observations: We recorded six migrant raptors today. One OS passed right over us 400 feet above on a path directly north. All three NHs were first observed at a fairly low altitude before spiraling upward to several hundred feet and then peeling off to the north, two over the marsh and one over the ocean just offshore. The CH flew northward almost directly over the platform shortly after the start of the watch period. The Merlin came through approximately 50 feet up and, once again, directly over us.
Several OS, at least 1 NH, 1 Red-tail and 1 TV were observed but failed to migrate.
Non-raptor Observations: A huge group of Double-crested Cormorants (Ted's estimate was just over 600 birds) gathered over the shallows just offshore and directly to the east of our platform before streaming in a long, wide procession almost directly over ups before dispersing over the marsh. Other birds: For 20 minutes, 3 Fish Crows were continuously repulsed by the 10 or more Purple Martins in the gourd tree area. Also, 2 Ravens, 2 Great Blue Herons, 2 Great Egrets. Several Willets out on the marsh surface. Predictions: The forecast for tomorrow has deteriorated for our purposes in the past 12 hours or so. Weak to moderate NW and NNW winds will come to an end before 11:00 am replaced by less favorable ENE and east winds for the remainder of the watch period. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Date: 5/6/25 9:30 am From: PAUL ROBERTS <phawk254...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] RFI: Shrew Bacchanalia at Plum Island
No, this isn't a request for a recipe for some sort of exotic mammal stew. It is a request anyone who sees a Northern Short-tailed Shrew Bacchanalia at Plum Island over the next several weeks to call, text, or email me when and where you are seeing it or saw it. (Ideally in real time and I might be on the island with a chance to see and video it.) Last year in mid-May a stranger reported seeing 40-50 mice running around in the leaf litter on the Hellcat marsh trail. He gave me directions and then walked back to be sure we saw it. It was a very slow day for migrant passerines, but suddenly we saw dozens of short-tailed shrews running erratically over, under and around the leaf litter. It was a micro explosion of frenetic energy release by very small rodents on very short legs, and apparently very poor vision. I foolishly tried to photograph them, but they were quicker than my brain or the shutter. If you see it, take running video of a specific spot and they will likely rush through your field of view. I've seen lots of small rodents in my life, but this was one of the most amazing mammal experiences I've ever had. Ironically, as I mentioned it to people, some of whom were strangers and others friends, several remarked that they had just seen something like that in Hellcat just that morning or earlier that week, but they had no idea what it was they were watching. Dave Brown, renowned Massachusetts tracker, said he was not aware of any papers or articles on this behavior, but he thought it was a spring mating ritual. Northern Short-tailed Shrews, which some think to be the the most abundant mammal in much of eastern North America, were apparently seeking mates. Shrews have very poor vision but incredible noses. When a female shrew enters estrus, ready for mating, males apparently pick up that scent and initiate immediate hectic nose-searches for that female, or any female in estrus. We saw only a rapid evacuation of the area (several square yards at least), suggesting that the female in question had moved under the boardwalk to a new area and all the apparently male shrews were in pursuit, literally following their noses. Over 50+ years I've spent many a May morning on the island and had never seen anything like this before. I'd like to see it again, and ideally video it. Whatever, keep your eyes open. The whole bacchanalia might last only a few minutes, especially if there is a strong breeze. Call me when you see it, so you can keep your eyes on the whole event. When it's over, text or email me where you saw it and when, and what you saw. I'd add that the same day last year I had two different Meadow Voles sitting out in the open in the marsh sunning and eating away as though they hadn't a care in the world. Perhaps Meadow Voles get a special spring mating fever. They mate pretty much every month the year, but I've never seen two Meadow Voles sunbathing and munching away before, without a care in the world. Usually they seem afraid of their own shadow, fearing that a Red-tailed or Cooper's hawk will spot them. I want to see warblers, but a shrew bacchanalia is much better than not seeing anything. Best, Paul Paul M. Roberts Medford, MA <phawk254...> 339-222-0197
All previous week, our Drumlin Farm's trip this past Sat. & Sun. [May 3rd &4th] to Ct looked iffy due to rain & storms - fortunately only Sat around 4 pm through midnight was washed out and the balance of the weekend we were not impacted as we explored/birded a variety of upland and coastal birding habitats.
Day 1 - First stop is a totally under birded location - Morey Pond & Nipmuck SF off Rt 84 near Stafford Springs - woodland habitats mixed with wet areas as you drive these well-maintained dirt roads you are surrounded by song/birds. The challenge is how to bird these 2 spots in 2 to 3 hrs so that we can move along to our other southern Ct locations.Our group arrived about 9 am & before we drove 50 yds down the dirt road, not even out of the cars, we could hear a Louisiana Waterthrush calling near the road. While looking at the Waterthrush, we had Blackburnian & Blk&Wht Warblers in the trees, N Parulas, Am Redstarts, Ovenbirds, Gt Crested Fly, Scarlet Tanagers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, N Flickers, E Towhees, Gt-crested Flycatchers,Veery, Red-eyed Vireos & more singing in the woods nonstop around us. The real challenge was trying to separate all the species singing around us & not missing some of those high-pitched songs. To our surprise, a D-C Cormorant fly over. Down at the pond, we spotted a Wood Duck, Tree Swallows, Yellow Warblers, C Yellowthroats etcThe Nipmuck section which is a long loop road through the forest/wet areas was alive with all the species seen on the pond road but additional Blk-thr Green Warblers, Nashville Warblers, another Louisiana Waterthrush but close looks at a N Waterthrush for comparison. Other highlights were stunning looks at a male Scarlet Tanager in full sun, Cedar Waxwings, Wht-b Nuthatch, Wood Thrushes singing, Yellow-b Sapsucker &again all the song along the loop road.We then drove south to South Windsor to enjoy Station 43 [a Hartford Audubon Soc preserve] - a narrow trail along a stream opening up into a large marsh area. Along the trail you had Warbling Vireos, Yellow Warblers, C Yellowthroats, Baltimore Orioles, Catbirds, N House & Carolina Wrens, Swamp Sparrows - once we arrived at a clear opening where we had marsh on either side, we flushed a pair of Blue-w Teal & Wood Duck, a Glossy Ibis and quick looks at Virginia Rails moving through the grasses, 2 Green & several Gt Blue Herons, a Cooper's Hawk flying off with a snake, many Tree & 1 Rough-winged Swallows flying about, Marsh Wrens singing, E Kingbirds plus volumes of Red-w Blackbirds & C Grackles. The previous morning, a Least Bittern was calling there but not for us unfortunately.Close by is Vibert Rd that leads you down to the Ct River pass sod fields - once scanning the river, we had 3 to 4 Bald Eagles sitting & soaring plus several Bank Swallows that nest there along the banks. - many Baltimore Orioles in the trees along the river.After lunch, we traveled to NorthWest Park in Windsor - here we knew the impending storms could be an issue, but all was calm as we walked out towards the fields. To our delight we quickly had a few Indigo Buntings teed up, singing Blue-w Warblers, many Baltimore= Orioles along with 1 male Orchard Oriole, Field Sparrows - once in the woods heading back to the cars, we ran into a small pocket of birds that included a Ruby-cr Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and a group of sparrows in the brush - but at the same time we heard the storm coming quickly so we left also quickly for the cars. Once in the cars, the rain came hard washing out all our evening birding plans. Despite the shorten day, we managed 81 species Day 2 - We had an early departure down to New Haven & East Rock Park where you walk past the gate up Summit Rd to the top by the monument overlooking New Haven. This location is one of the most birded spots in Ct for migrant species but while there, we had only a few pockets of warblers, I think the storm earlier affected our findings [me being greedy]. We certainly had many N Parulas & Black&Wht Warblers along the climb plus Gt-crested Fly, Red-eyed Vireos, Wood Thrushes & Veery, Red-bellied & Downy Woodpeckers, N Flickers plus Worm-eating & Prairie & Nashville & Blackpoll & Blackburnian & Yellow-rumps & Am Redstarts & male Blk-thr Blue Warbler, Chimney Swifts, Scarlet Tanagers, Fish Crows, Bald Eagle, Black & Turkey Vultures [upon reflection, a nice variety]. To our enjoyment, we watched 2 different Raccoons resting in trees.Next stop is one of my favorite coastal birding locations in Ct as we worked our way back north - never see other birders there unlike other locations - I just call it the Secret Spot - as we approached the marsh & channel, the tide was low boding well - once we walked out by the channel, we were surrounded by Osprey, Willets. Purple Martins along with Blk Oystercatchers, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plovers, flocks of Dunlin. 1 Spotted Sandpiper, Common Terns, Boat-tailed Grackles - the 2 highlights were at least 5 or 6 Clapper Rails calling all around us with 1 walking out in the open & also close to us was a Seaside Sparrow teed up singing. A few other species was our 1st Snowy Egret, Rough-w & Tree & Barn Swallows, Killdeer plus all the regular gulls & D-C Cormorants.Next coastal stop was Hammonasset Beach SP - drove out to Meig's Point area to view the ocean where we had Brant, Red-thr & Common Loons, Surf Scoters, Common Terns & a Blk Oystercatchers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Willets, Gt Yellowlegs, Great Egrets - given few migrants had been seen there that day, we left spotting a Brown Thrasher on the way out.Last stop was a quick stop at Harkness Memorial Park - chance to show the participants this lovely location of marshes, lawns & ocean & a majestic mansion - among the variety of species spotted where Piping Plovers, Least Sandpipers, Willets. Gt Yellowlegs, Osprey, Black Scoter, Common Eider, Red-thr & C Loons, Glossy Ibis & Savannah SparrowFinal count for Day 2 was 100 species - combined with day 1 species we ended up with 118 species for the trip - like always, you miss some species [Wht-thr Sparrow, Kingfisher, Rose-br Grosbeak] but you have many exciting, unexpected sightings like the 2 rails, Seaside Sparrow, the 2 Waterthrushes, teed up Scarlet Tanagers, male Blk-thr Blue Warbler, etc. etc Thanks like always to Dan Fournier & Lindsay Neubeck-Brooks for all the leadership/driving plus a great group of participants up to the challenges of this trip as we covered a lot of territory - one special veteran birder actually flew up from Louisiana [must be a record] to join 2 friends for this weekend birding trip Next trip is on May 17th visiting my Bird Banding Site at West Hill Dam plus other Uxbridge birding locations - great chance to see species in the hand, ageing them, etchttps://www.massaudubon.org/programs/drumlin-farm/97066-bird-banding-in-uxbridge
Date: 5/5/25 10:20 am From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] eBird Report - Oxbow NWR (Worcester Co.), May 4, 2025
Thanks to Sandy Oxley for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough,MA <barb620...>
*
From Sandy Oxley:
Liz Markiewicz and I co-led this Brookline Bird Club/Boxborough Birders walk at Oxbow NWR on Sunday, May 4. We had a productive morning in spite of some very iffy weather. The rain held off and we had about 50 species seen and/or heard. Sixteen of us were able to be there: the birds did not disappoint.
- Sandy Oxley
---------- Forwarded message --------- Date: Mon, May 5, 2025 at 12:08 PM Subject: eBird Report - Oxbow NWR (Worcester Co.), May 4, 2025 To: <cassandra.oxley...>
Oxbow NWR (Worcester Co.), Worcester, Massachusetts, US May 4, 2025 7:05 AM - 10:05 AM Protocol: Traveling 2.118 mile(s) 52 species
Canada Goose 6 Wood Duck 2 Mallard 5 Mourning Dove 1 Killdeer 1 Spotted Sandpiper 2 Great Blue Heron (Great Blue) 2 Broad-winged Hawk 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3 Downy Woodpecker (Eastern) 1 Hairy Woodpecker (Eastern) 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 6 Eastern Kingbird 1 Yellow-throated Vireo 5 Blue-headed Vireo 1 Warbling Vireo 2 Red-eyed Vireo 3 Blue Jay 2 Black-capped Chickadee 9 Tufted Titmouse 2 Tree Swallow 2 White-breasted Nuthatch (Eastern) 2 Brown Creeper 4 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Eastern) 7 Found throughout the walk Northern House Wren (Northern) 1 Gray Catbird 8 Eastern Bluebird 4 Veery 2 Wood Thrush 1 American Robin 7 House Finch 1 American Goldfinch 2 Chipping Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 4 Song Sparrow (melodia/atlantica) 13 Baltimore Oriole 8 Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged) 24 Brown-headed Cowbird 11 Common Grackle (Bronzed) 3 Ovenbird 17 Northern Waterthrush 1 Black-and-white Warbler 2 Common Yellowthroat 18 American Redstart 8 Northern Parula 5 Yellow Warbler (Northern) 10 Pine Warbler 6 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 6 Scarlet Tanager 3 Northern Cardinal 2 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5
Date: 5/4/25 2:59 pm From: Rajesh Mohan <rmohan26...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] fish and birds - a documentary
Dear all -
While migrating warblers are the rockstars at this time, we also have an ecologically significant migration happening right under our noses - the alewife run. Some of you may have volunteered for the count at Mystic Valley. It took me a few seasons to be able to put together a short feature documenting this phenomenon. While the story is about the fish, the action scenes of birds hunting the fish were filmed with a special camera that can film at 1000 frames per second - basically slow the action by 40 times, which I hope is a visual treat. Most of these scenes lasted just a second or 2 that with super slow motion is slowed to a minute or so. These form the core of the documentary. Most of it was filmed in Mystic Valley/Winchester/Horn Pond and some from Damariscotta mills.
This is entirely a solo production from me - so please feel free to share, watch on TV and the biggest satisfaction for me would be that more people watch it.
Date: 5/4/25 2:40 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Blake-Nuttall Fund Grants - 2025 Request for Proposals
The Nuttall Ornithological Club is soliciting proposals for bird-related projects to be conducted in 2025–2026 under the direction of organizations meeting certain qualifications.
Selected projects are supported by grants from the Club’s Blake-Nuttall Fund.
The Fund supports ornithological research, conservation, and education, with particular emphasis on the birds of New England and the Northeast.
The receipt deadline for applications is *1 September 2025*. Awards will be announced by *30 September 2025 *and funds will be distributed shortly thereafter.
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 13:45:00 Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Eric Mueller, Ted Purcell
Observers: Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain, Ted Purcell
Visitors: Several of the Adams Farm customers stopped by to ask about what we were doing.
Weather: Variable cloudiness throughout the session with coverage varying from 30% to 95%. Several cells of rain skirted by us to the NW in the morning and afternoon, but one finally headed our way at 1:45 EDT at which point we called it a day. Temps ranged from 57F to 82F, but Orange airport reported that the temp dropped 20 degrees as the final rainstorm passed through. The air was hazy enough to block our view of Mt. Greylock and the VT mountains.
Raptor Observations: Another light day for raptors as the migration winds down. An unusually high percentage of unidentified raptors today due to high flight paths and poor light under the cloud cover. The BE's and RT's that migrated were all Immatures. We did have a big showing by the local TVs today with 51 rising up from the local roosts between 7:30 and 8:45 am EST.
Non-migrating raptors: TV - 51 BE - 1 (adult) CH - 2 (including 1 adult doing the "moth" flight and showing off his white undertail coverts) BW - 2 RT - 4 RS - 1
Non-raptor Observations: Another strong migration day for Blue Jays with 154 passing through. We also had first-ever appearances here by an Ovenbird, a Common Yellowthroat and a Red-eyed Vireo which brought our total number of species reported at this site on eBird to 95. Non-raptors sighted today: Mourning Dove (2), DC Cormorant (3), YB Sapsucker, Pileated WP, N Flicker, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay (156, 154 migrating), Amer Crow (2), Comm Raven (4), BC Chickadee, Tree Swallow (2), Barn Swallow, Euro Starling (40 +/-), Gray Catbird, E Bluebird, Wood Thrush, Amer Robin (4), House Sparrow (4), House Finch, Amer Goldfinch (7), Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow (3) Wht-thr Sparrow, Song Sparrow (2), E Towhee (2), RW Blackbird (2), Comm Grackle (2), Ovenbird, Comm Yellowthroat, YR Warbler, N Cardinal (3), RB Grosbeak
Predictions: There are fair chances for rain most of Sunday, and stronger chances of rain on Monday, so it's likely that we won't conduct watches either day. Mark will check the forecast again Sunday morning and will send out an email to the team with any updates. ======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Observation start time: 10:15:00 Observation end time: 14:15:00 Total observation time: 4 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris
Observers: Ernie Leblanc, Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain
Weather: Morning fog delayed this watch for 3 hours. The first hour featured very limited visibility. Temps ranged from 56'-68'F. Winds were from the South 7-13mph. Visibility overall was hampered by low clouds and haze.
Raptor Observations: I started the watch as some local TV's left their roosts very late. As clouds dissipated, Raptors took to the air both locally and with a few migrants. Expected more migrants today after evening rain. Local Raptors: TV-15, OS-2, BE-3, SS-1, CH-2, BW-4, RT-7, ML-1
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-6, D.C.Cormorant-53, Ring Billed Gull-2, Mourning Dove-1, Chimney Swift-2, Pileated Woodpecker-1, Raven-2, A.Crow-1, Blue Jay-44, Tree Swallow-3, Barn Swallow-2, E.Bluebird-1, A.Robin-3, G.Catbird-3, Starling-25+/-, Pine Warbler-1, Ovenbird-1, Song Sparrow-4, Field Sparrow-2, E.Tohwee-1, Rose Breasted Grosbeak-1, House Sparrow-7, N.Cardinal-2, B.H.Cowbird-1
Predictions: Warm with a high temp of 77'F. Winds SSW 5-10mph in the afternoon with gusts to 20 possible. Chance of showers/thunderstorms mid afternoon. Light Raptor migration movement is expected. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Date: 5/2/25 4:44 am From: MARK ZAMBROWSKI <zambrowski...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] ? Birding London or Mosel/Ramstein area of Germany
MorningIf anyone has any recommendations for birding areas in and around London England or the Mosel/Ramstein area of Germany, please forward directly to my email. Any recommendations on guides would be helpful as well.
ThanksMark
Mark <Zambrowskizambrowski...> and WhatsApp 1-508-826-3526
Date: Thu, 1 May 2025 22:20:36 +0000 (UTC) From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63...> Subject: 5/1 Indigo Bunting+Orchard Oriole+Ten Warbler McLaughlin
Hi, Another beautiful day to be out birding. I birded from 8:00-11:15
Cooper's Hawk 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Fish Crow x heard only Ruby-crowned kinglet 2 Hermit Thrush 5 Prairie Warbler 1 down near end of dirt path (continuing?) Black-throated Blue Warbler 2+ Black and white Warbler 4 Yellow-rumped Warbler 5 Palm Warbler 1 Northern Parula 8 Nashville Warbler 6 Ovenbird 5 White-throated Sparrow 8 Orchard Oriole 1 Indigo Bunting 1
Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7.25 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Eric Mueller, Joe Fountain, Mark Morris, Scott Wiinikka, Tom Gottschang
Weather: Great spring day at Adams Farm with temps ranging from 48'-70'F. Clear skies and South winds calm -10mph. Visibility was good with distant haze in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations: It was another day of light Raptor migration. A sprinkling of various Raptors with Broad Wings leading the way with 9. Local Raptor traffic has been reduced somewhat probably due to nesting chores. Red Tails have been the exception as with any breeze at all, they are in the air. Local Raptors: TV-19, BE-3, SS-1, BW-3, RT-7 Non-raptor Observations: D.C.Cormorant-1, G.B.Heron-2, Mourning Dove-3, Chimney Swift-3, Eastern Kingbird-1, Pileated Woodpecker-1, R.B.Woodpecker-1, D.Woodpecker-1, Hairy Woodpecker-1, N.Flicker-1, Y.B.Sapscker-1, Raven-2, Blue Jay-97, Tree Swallow-3, Barn Swallow-2, N.Rough Winged Swallow-2, B.C.Chickadee-1, W.B.Nuthatch-1, A.Robin-2, E.Bluebird-1, G.Catbird-1, Starling-30+/-, House Sparrow-5, Song Sparrow-2, W.T.Sparrow-1, Chipping Sparrow-1, Field Sparrow-1, E.Towhee-2, N.Cardinal-4, A. Goldfinch-5, House Finch-1, C.Grackle-1, R.W.Blackbird-2
Predictions: Chance of showers or storms early and late tomorrow with a high temp of 75'F. Winds will be light from the South 3-8 mph. Light to moderate Raptor migration is predicted. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
On this beautiful day we hiked Mt Toby to mainly enjoy the early spring wildflowers (21 species) before leaf out but we looked up quite often and noted the birds also.
Mount Toby State Reservation, Franklin, Massachusetts, US May 1, 2025 8:50 AM - 1:41 PM Protocol: Traveling 3.85 mile(s) Checklist Comments: Hiked from Reservation Rd parking to summit and looped back on Robert Frost Trail 44 species
Mourning Dove 1 Turkey Vulture 1 Cooper's Hawk 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 5 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Downy Woodpecker 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1 Eastern Phoebe 2 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Yellow-throated Vireo 1 Blue-headed Vireo 4 Blue Jay 2 American Crow 2 Common Raven 1 Black-capped Chickadee 6 Tufted Titmouse 4 White-breasted Nuthatch 3 Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 Northern House Wren 1 Winter Wren 2 European Starling 1 Hermit Thrush 1 Wood Thrush 2 One was singing American Robin 2 House Finch 1 American Goldfinch 4 Chipping Sparrow 5 Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 1 Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged) 1 Brown-headed Cowbird 1 Ovenbird 12 Louisiana Waterthrush 4 Black-and-white Warbler 10 Tennessee Warbler 1 Nashville Warbler 2 American Redstart 2 Pine Warbler 6 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 6 Northern Cardinal 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Fifteen birders met at 6:30 and birded out the back of the visitor center lot on the left when you come in( larger lot) heading to N5 over to Wildcat pond then back to Main rd. Via Gate 11. We had 12 warbler species with good looks , The Broadwings , veery, Blueheaded vireos are in. We had 46 species.
The park’s Gate is open 24/7 but officially it is open dawn to dusk. Unfortunately the main road at the back of the park before Gate 16 is closed to cars but foot traffic can go as far as S19. Which will allow you to make a circuitous route to HOLLY POND, BOUNDARY POND AND PICTURE POND. Road work continues for 5 weeks. Park at Mt. Blue Spring on right( bring your gallon water containers. Spring is newly refurbished.
Maps can be downloaded at Wompy.org/Map. Visitor center opens at 8 am for restrooms and paper maps. Once campground opens there will be restrooms available earlier.
Of, note, MERLIN was hearing a Cerulean warbler. We could not find one but found Merlin pretty accurate today. Great looks at all the Warblers!
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 13:30:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Eric Mueller, Joe Fountain, Tom Gottschang
Weather: Clear skies today with WNW winds 10-17mph with gusts to 26. Temps ranged from 54'-69'F. Visibility was good with some distant haze and heat shimmer.
Raptor Observations: Despite the seemingly good wind conditions, we had a very light Raptor migration movement today at Adams Farm. Broad Wings were our top producer with 5. We also had a small group in the morning with 1 Osprey and 2 Bald Eagles move North Together. Local Raptors: BV-2, TV-9, BE-3, SS-1, CH-3, RT-7, AK-1 Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-2, D.C.Cormorant-2, Mourning Dove-3, E.Phoebe-2, R.B.Woodpecker-1, N.Flicker-1, Raven-2, A. Crow-3, Blue Jay-4, Tree Swallow-3, B.C.Chickadee-2, House Wren-1, A.Robin-2, E.Bluebird-1, Wood Thrush-1, Starling-75+/-, House Sparrow-6, Pine Warbler-2, Chestnut Sided Warbler-1, E.Towhee-2, Song Sparrow-4, W.T.Sparrow-1, Chipping Sparrow-1, Field Sparrow-2, N.Cardinal-2, Rose Breasted Grosbeak-1, House Finch-1, Red Winged Blackbird-2, B.H.Cowbird-3
Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast calls for sunny skies once again with a high temp of 72'F. Calm winds to start increasing from the South 5-7mph. Light to moderate Raptor migration movement is expected. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 13:30:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Kathryn Chihowski, Paul Roberts, Peter Duffy, Ursula Goodine
Visitors: Andrea Cannizzo. A steady flow of visitors on their way to the restrooms many of whom were curious about our watch operation.
Weather: While today's forecast predicted moderate WNW and NW winds, reality set in when, within a half hour following the start of the watch, the WNW wind strengthened into the 30 to 40+ mph range with gusts even higher. But even when they did subside to a level more suitable for migration birds were simply not showing up.
Raptor Observations: The first four and a half hours of the watch produced no migrants whatsoever. Only after the stiff WNW winds subsided to more moderate levels did a rather meager trickle of raptors begin. In all, we counted 7 migrants: 1 NH, 4 AK (2 of them females) and 2 ML (1 of them a female).
Raptors that failed to migrate: 2 NH, 2 TV and several local OS.
Non-raptor Observations: Other birds: A very persistent Fish Crow carried on a lengthy attempt to get at the south Purple Martin gourds while being continually attacked by the Martins (there were at least 9 of them present today) before finally giving up. Also, 1 Snowy and 1 Great Egret and 9 Double-crested Cormorants.
Predictions: Southeast winds all day so not very promising for our purposes. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Date: 4/30/25 2:37 pm From: Richard George <passingphase...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] A comparison of backyard audio tools
Slightly late to the party due to the aforementioned mail problems, but I thought this might still interest:
With due recognition that these devices are useful rather than flawless, a useful comparison of the Haikubox system I use, the interesting Birdweather system that some here have mentioned (thank you!), and the MOTUS-equipped newcomer:
Date: 4/30/25 2:27 pm From: Richard George <passingphase...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Juncos, Hummers, Orioles and Wrens
Posting from a spare account as my mail host has lost their ability to talk to theworld.com for the last two weeks, just as the seasonal shift change occurs:
- As expected, our Junco population plummeted around Friday last week, seen both by automatic audio recognition and by visual confirmation. Approximately one Junco stuck around as a rearguard through Tuesday, but none were seen or heard today. (1)
- My niece reports that she saw the year’s first Ruby-throated Hummingbird at the feeder yesterday evening; sadly it had been displaced by the gusty winds by the time I tried to look.
- The first Baltimore Oriole of the season appeared at the feeder at lunchtime today (2)
- And the House Wrens are staring to claim the nestboxes (3), I’m sure we’ll see one used and one barricaded, just as last year.
- Finally, so far, warbler activity here, at least in terms of visual confirmation, has been limited to Yellow-rumps
Hopefully, this mail account will behave itself and stick to plain text - many thanks to Barbara for her patience and guidance!
Date: 4/30/25 12:29 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] 4/30 Great Day at McLaughlin Woods
Thanks to Paul Peterson for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2025 18:35:22 +0000 (UTC) From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63...> Subject: 4/30 Great Day at McLaughlin Woods
9:07-1:07 McLaughlin and Iroquois Woods:
large raptor sp. 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 Blue-headed Vireo 1+ Common Raven 1 a local told me their nesting spot Tree Swallow 1 Brown Creeper 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4 House Wren 2 Hermit Thrush 8 Gray Catbird 12 Brown Thrasher 2 Wilson's Warbler 1 heard only; wouldn't come out of hiding Blackburnian Warbler 1 top of stairs (more popular staircase) Black-throated Blue Warbler 1+ Black-throated Green Warbler 3 Black and White Warbler 7 Nashville Warbler 5 Northern Parula 8 Common Yellowthroat 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 8 Prairie Warbler 3 Ovenbird 5 Eastern Towhee 3 Field Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 17 Savannah Sparrow 2 Scarlet Tanager 1 female at end of long, cement path (if coming from the top Baltimore Oriole 2
Date: 4/30/25 9:47 am From: Cliff Cook <ccook13...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Bird Flu Research
Aisha
The Brookline Bird Club has a video on our website from a 2024 talk about
avian flu by Dr. Wendy Puryear from Tufts. You might start by watching
that then reaching out to her. This is link for the page where you can
kickoff the video:
On Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at 10:53 AM Aisha Yousuf <ayousuf1101...> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> As a birding enthusiast, I am super excited that my work has decided to do
> some research in bird flu. I have a few requests:
>
> 1. Does anyone have recommendations for ornithologist(s) or public
> health experts who have expertise in bird flu? Haha I am a birder but I
> don't count as an expert by training ;)
> 2. There is a lot of publicly available birding data, but does anyone
> know of any good wildlife video data, possibly data being collected by
> local agencies or universities that isn't publicly available?
> 3. Lastly, any recommendations on local universities/organizations
> that are doing research in this area who we might partner with?
>
> Thanks,
> Aisha Yousuf
> Cambridge, MA
>
Date: 4/30/25 7:45 am From: Aisha Yousuf <ayousuf1101...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Bird Flu Research
Hi All,
As a birding enthusiast, I am super excited that my work has decided to do some research in bird flu. I have a few requests:
1. Does anyone have recommendations for ornithologist(s) or public health experts who have expertise in bird flu? Haha I am a birder but I don't count as an expert by training ;) 2. There is a lot of publicly available birding data, but does anyone know of any good wildlife video data, possibly data being collected by local agencies or universities that isn't publicly available? 3. Lastly, any recommendations on local universities/organizations that are doing research in this area who we might partner with?
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Bob Michaud, Eric Mueller, Joe Fountain, Scott Wiinikka
Weather: Very summery day for late April as we had mostly clear skies with temps ranging between 47'-78'F. Winds were mainly from the South calm- 21mph with gusts to 31mph. Visibility was a challenge as we went from decent in the morning to hampered by mid day with haze, pollen, smoke, etc.
Raptor Observations: Light Raptor migration today across the board. A mixed bag again from several species. We had a few Osprey move thru once again as they have been consistent this month. Sharpies in small groups as well. Expected more movement today. Local Raptors: BV-1, TV-16, BE-3, SS-1, CH-4, BW-4, RT-6, AK-1
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-1, D.C.Cormorant-56, Killdeer-1, Mourning Dove-3, Chimney Swift-1, Pileated Woodpecker-1, R.B.Woodpecker-1, N.Flicker-1, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, Raven-3, A.Crow-2, Fish Crow-1, Blue Jay-121, E.Phoebe-1, Tree Swallow-5, Barn Swallow-1, N.Rough Winged Swallow-2, A. Robin-2, E.Bluebird-1, G.Catbird-1, B.C.Chickadee-1, T.Titmouse-1, Starling-35+/-, H.Sparrow-6, Song Sparrow-4, W.T.Sparrow-1, Chipping Sparrow-1, Field Sparrow-2, E.Towhee-1, House Finch-1, C.Grackle-3, R.W.Blackbird-1, B.H.Cowbird-2 Predictions: Mostly cloudy thru mid morning with a high of 65. North West wind 14-17mph. Light to moderate Raptor migration is expected. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Observation start time: 05:30:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore, Kathryn Chihowski
Observers: David Goodine, Dick Hughes, Donna Blasko, John Cannizzo, Judd Nathan, Kathryn Chihowski, Paul Roberts, Peter Duffy, Susan Moses, Ted Mara, Tom Wetmore, Ursula Goodine
Visitors: Andrea Cannizzo, Matt Sabourin, Marj Watson, Andy Sanford, Dave Salt.
Weather: Southwest winds all day, weak (4 mph) during the first hour but gaining strength to 18 mph with gusts to 25 mph later in watch. Cloud cover both thin and minimal.
Raptor Observations: We counted 77 migrants today including 2 OS, 6 NH, 32 SS, 35 AK 1 ML and 1 UF. The vast majority of these (63 migrants) passed through between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm. We had anticipated a major movement of Sharp-shins today, and, with lots of warblers sighted on the island at the start, we thought that the Sharp-shin count would live up to expectations. Sadly, such was not the case. Early in the watch 3 BE (2 ad & 1 imm) were observed engaging in aerial combat for several minutes, performing talon grasping for short intervals in the process.
Raptors that failed to migrate: 1 or 2 NH, 4 TV, 3 BE.
Non-raptor Observations: Several birders mentioned that the initial fallout of warblers quickly evaporated when they were observed flying en masse in a northwest direction over the marsh and onto the mainland still very early in the morning.
Predictions: WNW and NW winds 14 to 17 mph, temps in the low 60's throughout the day us hopeful that migrants will be moving through on the island. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Date: 4/29/25 3:21 pm From: yellowrail2 <yellowrail2...> Subject: FW: [MASSBIRD] Saturday bird walks (Berkshires) with Anti- racist Collective of Avid,Birders / Feminist Bird Club Western MA
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone -------- Original message --------From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Date: 4/29/25 5:13 PM (GMT-05:00) To: massbird <massbird...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Saturday bird walks (Berkshires) with Anti- racist Collective of Avid,Birders / Feminist Bird Club Western MA Thanks to the Feminist Bird Club of Western Massachusetts for this announcement.Barbara VolkleNorthboroough, <MAbarb620...>*From: Feminist Bird Club of Western Massachusetts <fbc.wma...>Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:54:45 -0400Subject: Saturday bird walks (Berkshires) with Anti- racist Collective of Avid Birders / Feminist Bird Club Western MAThe Anti- racist Collective of Avid Birders (Feminist Bird Club of WesternMass) is expanding our Berkshires community this spring! Please join us atour upcoming bird walks at Wild Acres Conservation Area in Pittsfield on(Saturdays) May 3, May 17 and May 31. These events are free andregistration is not required. More details below.Sincerely,Anti- racist Collective of Avid Birders Leadership TeamWhat to expect: A beginner-friendly, all-ages birding meetup at Wild AcresConservation Area. We will walk 1.1 miles through forest and wetland,alongside Pittsfield Municipal Airport, and finally to a tranquil pondbefore returning to the parking lot. We will look and listen for waterfowland shorebirds near the marsh, migrant wood warblers, sparrows, bluebirds,and other birds of the forest and wetlands. The space is designed so thatthe event can be adapted to the needs of the group.Parking: Enter through the gate and park in the second lot, nearest thetrailhead. There are two accessible parking spaces on either side of anaccess aisle.What to bring: Binoculars if you have them, water, snacks, bug and sunprotection (!), a mask or two. Masks are optional at this outdoor event. Byattending, we all agree to mask if that is requested by any participant. Wewill have extra masks and binoculars!Accessibility: We will be hiking up to 1.1 miles on mostly flat trail.There is a total elevation gain of 59 feet with one steep section. There isample access to shade and several benches along the trail. The trailsurface is grass, boardwalks, and packed dirt with occasional roots, rockand mud. It will not support mobility devices. We will have other shortertrail and stationary birding options if this particular loop is notaccessible to all participants: we can practice stationary birding at thecovered picnic area nearest to the parking lot, or we may opt for a shorterhike to a pond with several benches around. There are two bathrooms withramp access but they may be locked. Wild Acres is right next to an airport.The airplanes are small, but it can get loud. Participants with noisesensitivity should take note and plan accordingly.Questions? Concerns? Requests? Contact <FBC.WMA...>
Date: 4/29/25 2:07 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] April 29, 2025 Parker River NWR Newburyport - A brief warbling
Hi All,
Radar looked great last night, so this morning I headed over to Parker. Folks had been reporting a pretty good haul right after it opened, but by time I got there it looked like the party was over. I liken these days to a volcano that explodes once and then goes silent again. I saw / heard a few yellow-rumps, and at Pines had a quartet of Parula, and a B&W, but other than that not a ton. A killdeer is nesting right in the middle of the maintenance shed area. I almost tripped on it before it shouted at me. There was a single egg in the nest. On my way back, staff was cordoning off the area to give the bird space. Not a ton else to report, earlier in the day there were BTG, Blue-Winged, Ovenbird, etc. in good numbers.
Coolest part of the trip was that Sam Z had spotted a flight line of warblers leaving the island, by the maintenance area, and sure enough, over the curves and heading inland was this constant flow of warblers. Too distant to pick out firm IDs, along with starting to get hit by the sun from the vantage point I was viewing. I had 75+ over a period of time, in groups of 4 or 5, and Sam had reported it quite some time prior to my arrival. I assume they had made landfall overnight and reorienting to get further inland and continue on their journey. It's like a bowl full of warblers, and it was draining for who knows how long, hours probably.
That's all for now, sighting list below.
Matt S. Newton, NH <Accipiter22...> --------------------------- Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) X Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 4 American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 2 Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) 2 Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2 Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1 Willet (Tringa semipalmata) X Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) X American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) X Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 6 Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 2 Great Egret (Ardea alba) 4 Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1 Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 2 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1 American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 1 Common Raven (Corvus corax) 1 Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 2 Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 4 Purple Martin (Progne subis) 8 Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) 2 American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 2 House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 3 Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) 2 American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 15 Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) 1 White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 8 Savannah Sparrow (Savannah) (Passerculus sandwichensis [sandwichensis Group]) 3 Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 16 Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) 15 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 6 Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 2 Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 6 Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1 Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) 4 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) (Setophaga coronata coronata) 6 new world warbler sp. (Parulidae sp.) 75 flight line heading inland, it was much higher than this as Sam had been watching for a while, but in the time I spent there they were rolling through in groups of 5 or 6 for a good amount of time. Too distant and sun-blinded to pick out IDs
Date: 4/29/25 2:00 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Saturday bird walks (Berkshires) with Anti- racist Collective of Avid,Birders / Feminist Bird Club Western MA
Thanks to the Feminist Bird Club of Western Massachusetts for this announcement.
Barbara Volkle Northboroough, MA <barb620...>
*
From: Feminist Bird Club of Western Massachusetts <fbc.wma...> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:54:45 -0400 Subject: Saturday bird walks (Berkshires) with Anti- racist Collective of Avid Birders / Feminist Bird Club Western MA
The Anti- racist Collective of Avid Birders (Feminist Bird Club of Western Mass) is expanding our Berkshires community this spring! Please join us at our upcoming bird walks at Wild Acres Conservation Area in Pittsfield on (Saturdays) May 3, May 17 and May 31. These events are free and registration is not required. More details below.
Sincerely, Anti- racist Collective of Avid Birders Leadership Team
What to expect: A beginner-friendly, all-ages birding meetup at Wild Acres Conservation Area. We will walk 1.1 miles through forest and wetland, alongside Pittsfield Municipal Airport, and finally to a tranquil pond before returning to the parking lot. We will look and listen for waterfowl and shorebirds near the marsh, migrant wood warblers, sparrows, bluebirds, and other birds of the forest and wetlands. The space is designed so that the event can be adapted to the needs of the group.
Parking: Enter through the gate and park in the second lot, nearest the trailhead. There are two accessible parking spaces on either side of an access aisle.
What to bring: Binoculars if you have them, water, snacks, bug and sun protection (!), a mask or two. Masks are optional at this outdoor event. By attending, we all agree to mask if that is requested by any participant. We will have extra masks and binoculars!
Accessibility: We will be hiking up to 1.1 miles on mostly flat trail. There is a total elevation gain of 59 feet with one steep section. There is ample access to shade and several benches along the trail. The trail surface is grass, boardwalks, and packed dirt with occasional roots, rock and mud. It will not support mobility devices. We will have other shorter trail and stationary birding options if this particular loop is not accessible to all participants: we can practice stationary birding at the covered picnic area nearest to the parking lot, or we may opt for a shorter hike to a pond with several benches around. There are two bathrooms with ramp access but they may be locked. Wild Acres is right next to an airport. The airplanes are small, but it can get loud. Participants with noise sensitivity should take note and plan accordingly.
I birded here today from 6:25 a.m.-10:10 a,m,. I have averaged about eight Hermit Thrush each of the last nine visits here, but today not a single one. I already miss these guys!
Great Blue Heron 1 Cooper's Hawk 2?chase occurring Chimney Swift 2 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Blue-headed Vireo 1 Brown Creeper 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 House Wren 1 Gray Catbird 2 Yellow Warbler 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 2 Palm Warbler 1 Black and White Warbler 3 Ovenbird 3 Northern Parula 2+ Nashville Warbler 1+ Yellow-rumped Warbler 20 Eastern Towhee 2 Field Sparrow 1 Chipping Sparrow 3 White-throated Sparrow 13 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 Baltimore Oriole 1 Red-winged Blackbird 1 Painted Lady 1FOY
A resend. Grasshopper Sparrow has been removed. It was a brief sighting (by an excellent birder) who was the last straggler as we all were racing back to the parking lot in the wind and rain (which was NOT in the forecast!). I was under the impression it was seen by 3, but, due to only one sighting, w/o auditory or visual back up...decided to remove the Grasshopper as the sighter is not 100% sure. - Rita
Delaney WMA, Middlesex, Massachusetts, US Apr 27, 2025 7:25 AM - 9:45 AM Protocol: Traveling 2.0 mile(s) Checklist Comments: 45F at start, last 45" was rainy, cold and windy. Otherwise, some good highlights including excellent viewing of 2 spotted sandpipers, the immature bald eagle and the grasshopper sparrow seen by some towards the end. Towards the end of the walk one participant using Merlin indicated both a rusty black bird and a cedar waxwing were heard. Not seen by anyone. 41 species (+1 other taxa)
Snow Goose 2 Clearly seen by all using the spotting scopes. Pair was near the west bank of of the pond north of the dike Canada Goose 12 Mute Swan 1 Wood Duck 6 Mallard 4 Ring-necked Duck 8 Mourning Dove 1 Killdeer 5 Excellent sightings. Spotted Sandpiper 2 Excellent viewing of pair in lower meadow north of main dike/meadow trail. Double-crested Cormorant 5 Great Blue Heron 1 Cooper's Hawk 1 Seen by 2 experienced participants. Sharp-shinned/Cooper's Hawk 1 Soaring over head. Bald Eagle 1 Immature; soaring. Red-tailed Hawk 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Eastern Kingbird 1 Warbling Vireo 1 Clearly heard by 2 of us. Blue Jay 5 Probably more American Crow 2 Heard calling from north side. Black-capped Chickadee 2 Tufted Titmouse 1 Tree Swallow 65 Best estimate...perhaps more. Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1 Barn Swallow 12 Perhaps more. White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Eastern Bluebird 4 American Robin 6 American Goldfinch 5 Chipping Sparrow 9 Dark-eyed Junco 1 White-throated Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 7 Red-winged Blackbird 12 Brown-headed Cowbird 4 Common Grackle 2 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Yellow Warbler 1 Pine Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 16 Northern Cardinal 3
Observation start time: 07:15:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Bob Stone, Dick Hughes, Donna Blasko, Janet Kovner, John Cannizzo, Maryellen Stone, Ted Mara, Ursula Goodine
Visitors: Andrea Cannizzo, Sally Hamblen, Rich Kosian, Jerry Chen, Bob Murphy, Marj Watson, Mary Margret Halsey, Ursula Collinson and Lenny Cawley.
Weather: Weak to moderate NW, NNW and WNW winds with temps in low 50's to low 70's. Clear skies all day.
Raptor Observations: We recorded 51 migrants today including 6 TV, 24 SS, 1 CH, 1 NH, 14 AK, 3 ML, 1 UF and 1 UR.
Raptors seen but failed to migrate: 1 or 2 NH, 3 TV and 1 BE.
Non-raptor Observations: Other birds: 2 Raven, D-c Cormorants, 2 Killdeer, 6 Purple Martins, Great Blue Heron and several Blue Jays.
Predictions: Moderate SW and SSW winds all day with temps in the mid 50's to mid 70's. Sunny with zero probability of rain. If they come to pass, these forecast conditions would favor Sharp-shin movement at our specific site. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 14:30:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Dave Small, Eric Mueller, Ernie Leblanc, Joe Fountain, Tom Gottschang
Visitors: Dave Adrien, Tom Graham, Leslie Kramer, Dominyc Rivera
Weather: Beautiful spring day here in central Massachusetts with clear skies and temps between 50'-74'F. Winds were generally from the North and West, but variable 8-17mph. Visibility was good initially, with some distant haze and heat shimmer in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations: Light Raptor migration recorded today with low counts of mixed species. Broad Wings were surprisingly low with 7, and Sharpies chipped in with 6 birds, respectively. In the period between the 12-1pm hour, we had a mix of 3 Sharpies, 2 Broad Wings, 2 Black Vultures, and a Bald Eagle move North together. The BV's were eventually noted as local. Local Raptors: BV-2, TV-21, BE-3, CH-4, BW-4, RS-1, RT-9, AK-2
Non-raptor Observations: D.C.Cormorant-1, G.B.Heron-1, Mourning Dove-2, Chimney Swift-1, R.B.Woodpecker-1, N.Flicker-1, Raven-2, A.Crow-4, Blue Jay-6, E.Phoebe-1, Tree Swallow-3, Barn Swallow-1, N.Rough Winged Swallow-1, R.C.Kinglet-1, E.Bluebird-2, A.Robin-2, Starling-12, Cedar Waxwing-1, House Sparrow-4, Song Sparrow-4, W.T.Sparrow-1, Field Sparrow-1, A,Goldfinch-3, N.Cardinal-4, C.Grackle-2 Predictions: Summer like forecast with sunny skies and Southwest winds 5-15 mph with gusts as high as 25mph. Light to moderate Raptor migration movement is expected. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Delaney WMA, Middlesex, Massachusetts, US Apr 27, 2025 7:25 AM - 9:45 AM Protocol: Traveling 2.0 mile(s) Checklist Comments: 45F at start, last 45" was rainy, cold and windy. Otherwise, some good highlights including excellent viewing of 2 spotted sandpipers, the immature bald eagle and the grasshopper sparrow seen by some towards the end. Towards the end of the walk one participant using Merlin indicated both a rusty black bird and a cedar waxwing were heard. Not seen by anyone. 42 species (+1 other taxa)
Snow Goose 2 Clearly seen by all using the spotting scopes. Pair was near the west bank of of the pond north of the dike Canada Goose 12 Mute Swan 1 Wood Duck 6 Mallard 4 Ring-necked Duck 8 Mourning Dove 1 Killdeer 5 Excellent sightings. Spotted Sandpiper 2 Excellent viewing of pair in lower meadow north of main dike/meadow trail. Double-crested Cormorant 5 Great Blue Heron 1 Cooper's Hawk 1 Seen by 2 experienced participants. Sharp-shinned/Cooper's Hawk 1 Soaring over head. Bald Eagle 1 Immature; soaring. Red-tailed Hawk 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Eastern Kingbird 1 Warbling Vireo 1 Clearly heard by 2 of us. Blue Jay 5 Probably more American Crow 2 Heard calling from north side. Black-capped Chickadee 2 Tufted Titmouse 1 Tree Swallow 65 Best estimate...perhaps more. Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1 Barn Swallow 12 Perhaps more. White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Eastern Bluebird 4 American Robin 6 American Goldfinch 5 Grasshopper Sparrow 1 Seen clearly by several participants who lingered towards the end of the walk not far from parking lot. Chipping Sparrow 9 Dark-eyed Junco 1 White-throated Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 7 Red-winged Blackbird 12 Brown-headed Cowbird 4 Common Grackle 2 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Yellow Warbler 1 Pine Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 16 Northern Cardinal 3
View this checklist online athttps://ebird.org/checklist/S230215416
Date: 4/28/25 11:39 am From: Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
Just fyi, as of today, I still have one Junco in Newton. Poor guy must
have been left behind.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Matt S. <accipiter22...>
Date: Sat, Apr 19, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a
lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
To: GLENN D'ENTREMONT <gdentremont1...>
CC: <Massbird...>
You hit the nail on the head...for me August 1 has the same sort of
feeling. Up until then I can find something, anything making noise and
singing. Go up into the mountains, wherever, you can find bird sounds. I
keep a journal of sorts, and I mention that the frenetic pace of New
England life, both human and avian, goes full-tilt, with people moving full
speed from May through July. Then August hits and everything kind of
dissipates all at once; I wrote something like "who makes memories in
August?" When I was in school my mom always said July was the safe month;
school a fading memory, and the month after that you still were on
vacation. But then August does come...and suddenly it seems like every
single insect is contributing to this bassline during the day, and a
mourning dove plaintively calling is a treasure, and somehow fits in with
the otherwise still air. Evenings you get the blanket of crickets...and
yes, it's hard to believe but you have 6 months until bird song picks up
again. It's not just late August either, it seems like right off the bat
every year, still definitely summer, the Sun yellowing in the afternoon but
not yet fading as it does in September, accompanied by that "loud" silence.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 8:26 PM GLENN D'ENTREMONT <gdentremont1...>
wrote:
> Yes, the absence of sound is deafening! I have two days in a calendar
> year which I dislike: the first will make sense to most-the first Monday
> evening in November after the clocks move back and driving home in the
> dark.
>
> The second one is equally as ominous to me; August 1. That's the day the
> birds go silent. August becomes the month of insects-katydids, crickets,
> cicadas, a constant din, but more subtle than the in your face bird song.
> One has to wait until late February to begin to get a daily dose of bird
> song.
>
> Glenn
>
> Glenn d'Entremont: <gdentremont1...> Stoughton, MA
>
> On 04/18/2025 9:01 AM EDT Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi All,
>
> We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter,
> sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing,
> and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It
> makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I
> noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals
> and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator
> nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no
> juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The
> world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were
> still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've
> been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a
> couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride
> out on the warm air the last few days?
>
> I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds, I
> thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that
> came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID,
> even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in
> the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I
> would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was
> equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall
> them in the kind of numbers we had juncos.
>
> Safe travels friends!
>
> Matt S
> Newton, NH
> <Accipiter22...>
>
>
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 13:30:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore, Brian Rusnica
Observers: Bob Secatore, Brian Rusnica, Christopher Godfrey, Harry Wales, Janet Kovner, John Cannizzo, Kathryn Chihowski, Mark Timmerman, Nancy Given, Paul Roberts
Visitors: Visitors: Andrea Cannizzo. A relatively small number of refuge visitors stopped by on their way to the rest rooms.
Our counter team today (in no particular order): Harry Wales, Chris Godfrey, Kathryn Chihowski, Amy Maurer, Judd Nathan, Brian Rusnica, Paul & Julie Roberts, John Cannizzo, Mark Timmerman, Janet Kovner, Nancy Given, Caitlin Callahan, Dan Lounsbury and Bob Secatore.
Weather: We conducted a watch between 6:30 am and 1:30 pm, and variable weather unfortunately played havoc with our efforts all day. Early on, things looked promising; wind was manageable, out of the west and at moderate speed. But, just before 10:00am, it started raining and only two counters stayed at the platform to monitor any movement for the next hour and a half while several of us opted to wait it out elsewhere. When rain ended around 10:30, several of us returned to the platform and birds again started moving through in modest numbers. Unfortunately, the wind velocity then got really high and only a few additional migrants passed through. Finally, at 1;30 the rain started once again and the watch ended at that point.
Raptor Observations: In all, we recorded 14 migrants today including 1 BE, 2 NH, 3 SS, 3 AK and 5 ML.
Raptors that were seen but failed to migrate: At least 12 TVs, 1 BE, 1 imm Red-tail and 1 or 2 NH.
Non-raptor Observations: Other birds: Given the weather extremes, few birds were seen: 3 Blue Jays, 1 Great Egret, our usual pair of Mallards that have again taken up residence nearby, a single Northern Gannet that provided a great fly-by view and approximately 22 Double-crested Cormorants.
Predictions: Winds NW and NNW 8 to 11 mph with gusts of 25 mph possible. Temps 54 to 70 deg F. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Date: 4/27/25 2:10 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] West Hill Dam - Banding
Thanks to Strickland Wheelock for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2025 18:46:20 +0000 (UTC) From: Strickland Wheelock <skwheelock...> Subject: West Hill Dam - Banding
It has been a long painful wait since last fall not banding but opened up the nets this Sunday [4/27] under very windy conditions at West Hill Park in Uxbridge. To our surprise, the 1st net check of our 8 nets opened captured 9 birds - the highlight was 2 Brown Creepers plus 3 Wht-thr Sparrows [1 ASY + 2 SY], 1 Cardinal, 1 Chickadee, Robin, 1 Song Sparrow. Additional birds captured later were more Wht-thr Sparrows, Swamp & Chipping Sparrows, Robins, Chickadees, Red-w Blackbirds plus 2 birds banded last year as HY by us - Blue Jay & Am Goldfinch. [now SY] -However around the nets just returning overnight were Baltimore Orioles, Warbling Vireos plus Ovenbirds, Towhees, Field Sparrows, Ruby-cr Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Bluebirds - overhead were Broad-winged Hawks plus 2 D-c Cormorants [surprise] & in the marsh a Green Heron & Wood Ducks.The combination of the gusty cool winds blowing the nets, lack of leafy foliage still to come, we were pleased to capture 20 birds as this point - during the week with warmer temperatures, hopefully less winds, more migrants, our research at this site over the past several years will continue to provide additional data.Near the peak of spring migration at West Hill Dam, we are going to have a bird banding demonstration [very detailed info] through Drumlin Farm in the morning, have lunch, then bird 2 other Uxbridge birding locations for a variety of other species. Up to that point, many weekdays my banding team will join me as we continue banding, maybe adding some net lanes - just enjoying the fresh morning air and all the bird song surrounding us as we as we admire all the striking spring plumages of these migrants, https://www.massaudubon.org/programs/drumlin-farm/97066-bird-banding-in-uxbridge
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 11:15:00 Total observation time: 4.75 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris
Observers: Eric Mueller, Jon Skinner, Ted Purcell
Weather: Overcast and cool with temps ranging from 44'-51'F. Winds were from the NW 8-16mph with gusts as high as 26mph. Visibility was fair. Light rain showers in the 7-8am hour. Low pressure system was still spinning in energy from the NW.
Raptor Observations: Light Raptor migration today. Raptor activity was down in general it seemed other than Red Tails, which were everywhere. Osprey continue to trickle thru our site this month. We had a migrating Peregrine Falcon circle over our site low, then shake vigorously. It did this in order to shed many feathers; including body and wing feathers; before heading North. Local Raptors: TV-9, BE-3, SS-1, CH-2, BW-2, RT-9, AK-1
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-2, Mallard Duck-2, Mourning Dove-2, Red Bellied Woodpecker-1, Raven-5, C.Crow-3, Fish Crow-1, Blue Jay-7, Tree Swallow-3, A. Robin-4, E.Bluebird-2, Starling-25+/-, House Sparrow-6, Warbler Species-4, Song Sparrow-4, W.T.Sparrow-3, Field Sparrow-1, D.E.Junco-1, N.Cardinal-5, A.Goldfinch-3, E.Towhee-1, Red Winged Blackbird-2, B.H.Cowbird-4
Predictions: Sunny with a high temp of 71'F. Winds from the North West 6-9mph. Should be good for light to moderate Raptor migration. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Date: 4/26/25 5:59 pm From: Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Warbling Vireo at Charles Waterfall Herring-Fest
yes, fellow birders....
'tis a poetic time of year...
read mary
Instructions for living a life:
*Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it.*
--- Mary Oliver (1935-2023)
On Sat, Apr 26, 2025 at 7:57 PM GLENN D'ENTREMONT <gdentremont1...>
wrote:
> Today's report:
>
> Five car-di-nals
> Four calling wrens
> Three star-lings
> Two mourning doves
>
> And a parula in a pear tree!
>
> Couldn't resist
>
> Glenn
>
> Glenn d'Entremont: <gdentremont1...> Stoughton, MA
>
> On 04/26/2025 1:29 PM EDT Maurice Gilmore <petegilmore79...>
> wrote:
>
>
> Parula singing in pear tree in our front yard, around 1 PM
>
> Pete gilmore
> Newton, MA
> <petegilmore79...>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Apr 25, 2025, at 5:51 PM, Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...>
> wrote:
>
> FOY WARBLING VIREO tweedling bravely through the din at Watertown Square
> where the waterfall was challenged by 12-14 noisy Herring (!) Gulls amid
> expertly diving Cormorants, a game Great Blue, and befuddled Mallards.
> --
> <frederickbouchard...>
>
> --
<frederickbouchard...>
Date: 4/26/25 5:05 pm From: GLENN D'ENTREMONT <gdentremont1...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Warbling Vireo at Charles Waterfall Herring-Fest
Today's report:
Five car-di-nals
Four calling wrens
Three star-lings
Two mourning doves
And a parula in a pear tree!
Couldn't resist
Glenn
Glenn d'Entremont: <gdentremont1...> Stoughton, MA
> On 04/26/2025 1:29 PM EDT Maurice Gilmore <petegilmore79...> wrote:
>
>
> Parula singing in pear tree in our front yard, around 1 PM
>
> Pete gilmore
> Newton, MA
> <petegilmore79...>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
> > On Apr 25, 2025, at 5:51 PM, Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> wrote:
> >
> >
>
> > FOY WARBLING VIREO tweedling bravely through the din at Watertown Square
> > where the waterfall was challenged by 12-14 noisy Herring (!) Gulls amid
> > expertly diving Cormorants, a game Great Blue, and befuddled Mallards.
> > --
> > <frederickbouchard...> mailto:<frederickbouchard...> > >
> > Instructions for living a life:
> > Pay attention.
> > Be astonished.
> > Tell about it.
> > --- Mary Oliver (1935-2023)
> >
>
Date: 4/26/25 11:33 am From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] 4/26 Summer Tanager at Iroquois St. Woods, Etc.
Thanks to Paul Peterson for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2025 18:01:11 +0000 (UTC) From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63...> Subject: 4/26 Summer Tanager at Iroquois St. Woods, Etc.
Sorry for the late post, as stuff happens! I birded here and at the neighboring McLaughlin Woods from 9:05-12:05. The rarity was one of the first birds I found, at 9:15. Unfortunately, it hung around for ten minutes and peeled off towards perhaps Leverett Pond with several Yellow-rumped Warblers. It started as on and off light showers for twenty minutes:
Mallard Duck 2 rare here (flyover) Chimney Swift 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1+ Fish Crow 12Â group flyover Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2+ Hermit Thrush 5 Gray Catbird 2+ Brown Thrasher 2 maximum Eastern Towhee 2+ Nashville Warbler 1 Black and White Warbler 3 maximum (probably just one, as it was quite active) Northern Parula 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 15 SUMMER TANAGER 1 1st spring male; same spot as the one I found five years ago (May 18, 2020) Field Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 25 Purple Finch 3 eating buds in treetop at highest level with some goldfinch and White-throateds
Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 13:30:00 Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Eric Mueller, Ernie Leblanc, Joe Fountain, Scott Wahlstrom, Steve Farrell, Tom Gottschang
Weather: Primarily overcast skies with morning showers nearby. Calm winds with an occasional variable breeze. Temps were warm as they ranged from 53'-77'F. Visibility was very much hampered from haze and distant smoke fires.
Raptor Observations: The calm wind kept Raptor movement down in general. Despite the poor wind conditions, we still had light migrant movement. We documented 8 species of migrating Raptors;OS-8 and BW-26. Local Kestrels took the opportunity to feed in flight(bugging). Local Raptor Count: TV-33, BE-3, SS-2, CH-1, BW-5, RT-7, AK-2
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-20, D.C.Cormorant-7, Killdeer-1, G.B.B.Gull-3, Raven-3, A.Crow-2, Fish Crow-2, B.Jay-4, M.Dove-5, P.Woodpecker-1, R.B.Woodpecker-1, D.Woodpecker-1, N.Flicker-2, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, Tree Swallow-5, N.R.Winged Swallow-2, B.C.Chickadee-1, T.Titmouse-1, House Wren-1, A.Robin-1, E.Bluebird-2, G.Catbird-1, C.Waxwing-2, Starling-18, Warbler Species-5, House Sparrow-8, Song Sparrow-4, Field Sparrow-3, Chipping Sparrow-1, E.Towhee-2, N.Cardinal-2, A.Goldfinch-3, C.Grackle-6, R.W.Blackbird-2, B.H.Cowbird-2
Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast calls for a low pressure system enveloping New England and bringing around 1 inch of much needed rain. No Hawk Watch is planned. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Spotted in the rain at our feeders early this morning by my 10-year-old daughter. It was a bedraggled female that we watched feed for several minutes. Glad I got the feeders up yesterday!
Date: 4/25/25 7:49 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Merlin Schmerlin
Hi!
I got mine here, along with a power supply they recommend.
https://www.birdweather.com/ If nothing else, it largely nails the common
stuff and gives you an idea of activity level changes over time in your
yard. You can see my station on the map here:
https://app.birdweather.com/stations/11787
On Fri, Apr 25, 2025 at 8:37 AM Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...>
wrote:
> Hey, Matt!
> I want to buy one of them thar super audio-detection devices.
> Fred
> --
> <frederickbouchard...>
>
Date: 4/25/25 2:42 pm From: Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Warbling Vireo at Charles Waterfall Herring-Fest
FOY WARBLING VIREO tweedling bravely through the din at Watertown Square where the waterfall was challenged by 12-14 noisy Herring (!) Gulls amid expertly diving Cormorants, a game Great Blue, and befuddled Mallards. -- <frederickbouchard...>
Instructions for living a life:
*Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it.* --- Mary Oliver (1935-2023)
Date: 4/25/25 1:25 pm From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Dear Mindy:
Don't let The Man get you down!
Bird on,
Bob
On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 7:39 PM Mindy LaBranche <m.s.labranche...>
wrote:
> I use Merlin with my high school students on our Nauset Regional High
> School campus. We have been recording point counts regularly for 3 years.
> In the past 6 months or so, some of the birds identified by Merlin have
> been odd, and not heard by me.
> Part of this has been the move from Chromebooks (no longer supported) to
> iPads (old and don't always know where we are).
> We also have been under construction so many sounds likely are spurious or
> partially obscured by the ambient noises.
> The species that I don't confirm by ear (and aren't recorded on my phone)
> are mostly Red Crossbill and American Pipit.
> I am suspicious that ever since the new "is this your bird" started to
> appear in Merlin, it doesn't seem as "tight" as it was.
> Just sayin'
> Mindy LaBranche
> Rochester, MA
>
> On 4/23/2025 6:10 PM, <jrees...> wrote:
>
> Today (4/23), Merlin told me there was an American Pipit present as a
> Tree Swallow was chattering away overhead. It thought one little snippet
> of the swallow song was a pipit.
>
>
>
> Jeff Rees
>
> Auburn, MA
>
>
>
> *From:* <massbird-approval...> <massbird-approval...>
> <massbird-approval...> *On Behalf Of *Liz Pease
> *Sent:* Wednesday, April 23, 2025 4:53 PM
> *To:* Josh <opihi...> <opihi...>
> *Cc:* Massbird <Massbird...> <Massbird...>
> *Subject:* Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
>
>
>
> Thanks for the reminder about the hummingbird feeders, Josh! Gotta dust
> them off!
>
>
>
> Merlin (and I) are constantly tricked by the local Blue Jay that imitates
> a Red-Bellied Woodpecker quite adroitly! I also have a device called a
> Terra (https://www.terralistens.com/) that is basically a receiver that
> streams my backyard back to me constantly. I bought it as part of a
> Kickstarter years ago, and just got it about 6 months ago (finally!). I
> find its ID to be quite ... sus(picious), as my kids would say, but it is
> interesting.
>
>
>
> Liz
>
> Salisbury, MA
>
> <lizpease...>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:49 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote:
>
> Hi MassBirders,
>
> I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have not
> backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at least
> listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in question.
> I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is right 99% of
> the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous birds before I
> do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me skeptical. In
> particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as I do myself).
> On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European Starling’s
> imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve also caught it
> falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk. So, maybe the
> crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually lurking in your
> neighborhood, but maybe not….
>
> On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County)
> reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the
> sugar water!
>
> Good birding,
>
> Josh
>
>
> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D.
> Amherst, MA
> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman > https://www.facebook.com/opihi >
> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer
> https://www.birdobserver.org/ >
> Columnist, “Earth Matters”
> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters > https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ >
> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club
> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ >
> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas
> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa >
>
> > On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
> >
> > Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live
> > in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30
> > this morning. A few nice surprises.
> >
> > American Robin
> > Red-winged Blackbird
> > White-breated Nuthatch
> > Yellow-rumped Warbler
> > Savannah Sparrow
> > Palm Warbler
> > American Goldfinch
> > Carolina Wren
> > Northern Cardinal
> > White-throated Sparrow
> > House Finch
> > Song Sparrow
> > Tufted Titmouse
> > Black-capped Chickadee
> > Red-bellied Woodpecker
> > Blue Jay
> > Dark-eyed Junco
> > Chipping Sparrow
> > Eastern Bluebird
> > Morning Dove
> > American Crow
> > Brown-headed Cowbird
> > Eastern Phoebe
> > Canada Goose
> > Red Crossbill (!)
> > Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!)
> > Red-breasted Nuthatch
> > Fish Crow
> >
> > Faithfully submitted,
> >
> > Robert Ross
> > <plumisl...>
> > Byfield, MA
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Liz Pease
>
> (she, her, hers)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient> > Virus-free.www.avast.com
> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient> > <#m_-1652453549882781229_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
>
Date: 4/25/25 1:17 pm From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Love it, Liz!
Here are a couple of positive Merlin experiences, among many. Last spring
and again last fall, Merlin continuously picked up an American pipit in or
around my yard. At first, I was thinking, "Yeah, probably not." But then,
several days later, I was walking by my neighbor's yard, and there it was,
grazing right out in the open.
Approximately a week ago, Merlin picked up a vesper sparrow. It did the
same during the last two early springs. The first time, I could not find
it. The second time, it showed up at my feeders the next day. This time, I
was again patient, and when it showed for only one day as last time, I
included it in a checklist on eBird. Of course, it wasn't confirmed. I do
not mind. I do not post for third-party confirmations. I post to say, there
are some interesting birds around me, and if anyone wants to hit up my
neighborhood, they just might see them as well.
Growing up in the Midwest, I've seen plenty of vesper sparrows. But I
appreciate they are less common along the MA coast. Even so, one never
knows which is certainly part of the attraction of birding, at least for
me. Merlin can offer surprises. Surprises are certainly part of the joy of
birding.
Happy birding,
Bob
On Fri, Apr 25, 2025 at 2:28 PM Liz Pease <lizpease...> wrote:
> Great points, Zoltan!
>
> Robert, I agree with you on man/most counts, and I hope my own post did
> not come across as a snub to Merlin. I, too, delight in seeing unusual
> birds picked up by it, and while my immediate response is usually, "Fat
> chance, Merlin!" there's always part of my brain saying, "Well... what if?
> Wouldn't that be cool!!" It's fun to wonder (and look)! It also cracks me
> up that the red-bellied-imitating blue jay tricks us both.
>
> My 26-year-old stepdaughter is a police officer who never had any interest
> in birds as a teen. One night on patrol, she heard and recorded an owl and
> sent it to me for ID. It was a barred owl, and I told her about Merlin, and
> ever since, she drives around with Merlin running all the time and often
> sends me her sightings/hearings, which I love.
>
> No question Merlin is a great gateway to birding for many folks!
>
> Liz
>
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 24, 2025 at 11:31 PM Zoltan P <zoltanap...> wrote:
>
>> Robert,
>>
>> Good points. Merlin is a fantastic tool for helping birders and
>> non-birders get engaged in the natural world around them. I have seen
>> several non-birder friends get a spark from using Merlin, and before they
>> knew it, they became birders.
>>
>> Merlin has improved tremendously over the last 2 years, and is a great
>> tool for various use cases, for birders and naturalists of all stripes.
>>
>> That being said, Merlin is imperfect, and will likely remain so. The one
>> thing I would suggest, in support of Josh’s point, is that people should
>> not submit sightings in Merlin-generated checklists unless they are very
>> confident that the bird was present. This will help keep eBird data clean,
>> which benefits countless scientific endeavors, and ultimately benefits the
>> birds. I bet it would help ease the strain on the eBird reviewers as well.
>>
>> Just my two cents.
>>
>> Good birding to all!
>>
>> Zoltan
>>
>> > On Apr 24, 2025, at 7:29 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
>> >
>> > Dear Josh:
>> >
>> > Since I posted my list yesterday, I've fielded a few emails like
>> > yours. Respectfully, you are missing the point.
>> >
>> > Firstly, not all birders are scientists. I happen to be in my 39th
>> > year of academic publishing, all of it in STEM. However, I appreciate
>> > the joy of birding. It is much more fun to think there might be a red
>> > crossbill hanging around my backyard than it is to question Merlin's
>> > program. I know about its limitations. Those who constantly point
>> > these out might believe they are doing a service to the birding
>> > community, the vast majority of whom are not credentialed scientists.
>> > I would pose that you are not.
>> >
>> > Science is not about taking the joy out of someone's observations.
>> > Merlin, though developed by scientists, is not meant to be used only
>> > as a scientific tool. A seminal goal behind it, I believe, is to
>> > encourage people to appreciate the hobby of birding and to experience
>> > the joy of it. If that leads to the gathering of data, it's a win for
>> > everyone. But if the tool is not accurate, it does not mean the tool
>> > is worthless to the layman. It might appear so to a scientist and
>> > those who instantly resent anyone posting a Merlin result of a bird
>> > they have not seen themselves, but the point might not be accuracy in
>> > all observations and reporting. Perhaps the point is simply to find
>> > joy.
>> >
>> > I have introduced several people to the joy of birding by pointing
>> > them to the Merlin app. All of them have come back to me and thanked
>> > me as they now have a tool to learn what birds are around them,
>> > whether they see these species or not. The next step is to search for
>> > these birds, and when finding them, it is not all about confirming the
>> > observation, listing these in an eBird checklist, and building a life
>> > list. Many birders I know have zero interest in any list. It is simply
>> > about appreciating nature, the nature around us we often overlook, and
>> > the joy of it all.
>> >
>> > I would caution you, do not take the joy of birding away.
>> >
>> > Sincerely,
>> >
>> > Bob
>> >
>> > On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:48 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Hi MassBirders,
>> >>
>> >> I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have
>> not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at
>> least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in
>> question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is
>> right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous
>> birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me
>> skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as
>> I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European
>> Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve
>> also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk.
>> So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually
>> lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not….
>> >>
>> >> On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County)
>> reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the
>> sugar water!
>> >>
>> >> Good birding,
>> >>
>> >> Josh
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D.
>> >> Amherst, MA
>> >> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman >> >> https://www.facebook.com/opihi >> >>
>> >> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer
>> >> https://www.birdobserver.org/ >> >>
>> >> Columnist, “Earth Matters”
>> >> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters >> >> https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ >> >>
>> >> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club
>> >> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ >> >>
>> >> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas
>> >> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa >> >>
>> >>
>> >>> On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live
>> >>> in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30
>> >>> this morning. A few nice surprises.
>> >>>
>> >>> American Robin
>> >>> Red-winged Blackbird
>> >>> White-breated Nuthatch
>> >>> Yellow-rumped Warbler
>> >>> Savannah Sparrow
>> >>> Palm Warbler
>> >>> American Goldfinch
>> >>> Carolina Wren
>> >>> Northern Cardinal
>> >>> White-throated Sparrow
>> >>> House Finch
>> >>> Song Sparrow
>> >>> Tufted Titmouse
>> >>> Black-capped Chickadee
>> >>> Red-bellied Woodpecker
>> >>> Blue Jay
>> >>> Dark-eyed Junco
>> >>> Chipping Sparrow
>> >>> Eastern Bluebird
>> >>> Morning Dove
>> >>> American Crow
>> >>> Brown-headed Cowbird
>> >>> Eastern Phoebe
>> >>> Canada Goose
>> >>> Red Crossbill (!)
>> >>> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!)
>> >>> Red-breasted Nuthatch
>> >>> Fish Crow
>> >>>
>> >>> Faithfully submitted,
>> >>>
>> >>> Robert Ross
>> >>> <plumisl...>
>> >>> Byfield, MA
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> Liz Pease
> (she, her, hers)
>
>
Date: 4/25/25 1:11 pm From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Dear Bill:
I guess this is not as clear as I had hoped it to be. No one, including me,
suggested the list I posted was going to be entered into eBird and now, two
days later, it is clear it was not. So again, the warning was not
necessary.
The connection between Merlin and eBird is obvious, however, it is not a
mandatory or certain one.
It was merely a list to suggest, the migration is in swing. Why this
produced warnings, over-reactions, and unnecessary suggestions remains a
mystery. All this explanation certainly threatens the mere joy of sharing
it, which was the warning I returned.
Happy Birding!
Bob
On Fri, Apr 25, 2025 at 2:03 PM <blafley...> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I would like to add to this discussion of the use of Merlin and its
> intersection with contributing sightings to eBird. I remember when I was
> first made aware of eBird (in the early 2000s I believe). It was trying to
> recruit birders to add sightings as a citizen science project to help in
> the understanding and ultimately the conservation of bird
> populations/habitats. In the past number of years it has become more of a
> bird finding/chasing service and list (many competitive, i.e. Top eBirder
> in whatever) keeping database for birders. Although the list keeping aspect
> is convenient I still view eBird through that original lense and hope my
> sightings contribute to that larger purpose. Using Merlin as an
> entertainment app is fine but I think Josh’s and others concern is if
> sightings are entered into eBird based only on Merlin then eBird’s value as
> a conservation tool has the potential to fall prey to the old expression
> ‘garbage in, garbage out’.
>
> Bill Lafley
> New Salem
> <blafley...>
>
> > On Apr 24, 2025, at 8:48 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Josh:
> >
> > Since I posted my list yesterday, I've fielded a few emails like
> > yours. Respectfully, you are missing the point.
> >
> > Firstly, not all birders are scientists. I happen to be in my 39th
> > year of academic publishing, all of it in STEM. However, I appreciate
> > the joy of birding. It is much more fun to think there might be a red
> > crossbill hanging around my backyard than it is to question Merlin's
> > program. I know about its limitations. Those who constantly point
> > these out might believe they are doing a service to the birding
> > community, the vast majority of whom are not credentialed scientists.
> > I would pose that you are not.
> >
> > Science is not about taking the joy out of someone's observations.
> > Merlin, though developed by scientists, is not meant to be used only
> > as a scientific tool. A seminal goal behind it, I believe, is to
> > encourage people to appreciate the hobby of birding and to experience
> > the joy of it. If that leads to the gathering of data, it's a win for
> > everyone. But if the tool is not accurate, it does not mean the tool
> > is worthless to the layman. It might appear so to a scientist and
> > those who instantly resent anyone posting a Merlin result of a bird
> > they have not seen themselves, but the point might not be accuracy in
> > all observations and reporting. Perhaps the point is simply to find
> > joy.
> >
> > I have introduced several people to the joy of birding by pointing
> > them to the Merlin app. All of them have come back to me and thanked
> > me as they now have a tool to learn what birds are around them,
> > whether they see these species or not. The next step is to search for
> > these birds, and when finding them, it is not all about confirming the
> > observation, listing these in an eBird checklist, and building a life
> > list. Many birders I know have zero interest in any list. It is simply
> > about appreciating nature, the nature around us we often overlook, and
> > the joy of it all.
> >
> > I would caution you, do not take the joy of birding away.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Bob
> >
> >> On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:48 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hi MassBirders,
> >>
> >> I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have
> not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at
> least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in
> question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is
> right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous
> birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me
> skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as
> I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European
> Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve
> also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk.
> So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually
> lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not….
> >>
> >> On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County)
> reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the
> sugar water!
> >>
> >> Good birding,
> >>
> >> Josh
> >>
> >>
> >> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D.
> >> Amherst, MA
> >> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman > >> https://www.facebook.com/opihi > >>
> >> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer
> >> https://www.birdobserver.org/ > >>
> >> Columnist, “Earth Matters”
> >> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters > >> https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ > >>
> >> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club
> >> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ > >>
> >> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas
> >> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa > >>
> >>
> >>>> On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live
> >>> in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30
> >>> this morning. A few nice surprises.
> >>>
> >>> American Robin
> >>> Red-winged Blackbird
> >>> White-breated Nuthatch
> >>> Yellow-rumped Warbler
> >>> Savannah Sparrow
> >>> Palm Warbler
> >>> American Goldfinch
> >>> Carolina Wren
> >>> Northern Cardinal
> >>> White-throated Sparrow
> >>> House Finch
> >>> Song Sparrow
> >>> Tufted Titmouse
> >>> Black-capped Chickadee
> >>> Red-bellied Woodpecker
> >>> Blue Jay
> >>> Dark-eyed Junco
> >>> Chipping Sparrow
> >>> Eastern Bluebird
> >>> Morning Dove
> >>> American Crow
> >>> Brown-headed Cowbird
> >>> Eastern Phoebe
> >>> Canada Goose
> >>> Red Crossbill (!)
> >>> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!)
> >>> Red-breasted Nuthatch
> >>> Fish Crow
> >>>
> >>> Faithfully submitted,
> >>>
> >>> Robert Ross
> >>> <plumisl...>
> >>> Byfield, MA
> >>
> >>
> >
>
Date: 4/25/25 11:21 am From: Liz Pease <lizpease...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Great points, Zoltan!
Robert, I agree with you on man/most counts, and I hope my own post did not
come across as a snub to Merlin. I, too, delight in seeing unusual birds
picked up by it, and while my immediate response is usually, "Fat chance,
Merlin!" there's always part of my brain saying, "Well... what if? Wouldn't
that be cool!!" It's fun to wonder (and look)! It also cracks me up that
the red-bellied-imitating blue jay tricks us both.
My 26-year-old stepdaughter is a police officer who never had any interest
in birds as a teen. One night on patrol, she heard and recorded an owl and
sent it to me for ID. It was a barred owl, and I told her about Merlin, and
ever since, she drives around with Merlin running all the time and often
sends me her sightings/hearings, which I love.
No question Merlin is a great gateway to birding for many folks!
Liz
On Thu, Apr 24, 2025 at 11:31 PM Zoltan P <zoltanap...> wrote:
> Robert,
>
> Good points. Merlin is a fantastic tool for helping birders and
> non-birders get engaged in the natural world around them. I have seen
> several non-birder friends get a spark from using Merlin, and before they
> knew it, they became birders.
>
> Merlin has improved tremendously over the last 2 years, and is a great
> tool for various use cases, for birders and naturalists of all stripes.
>
> That being said, Merlin is imperfect, and will likely remain so. The one
> thing I would suggest, in support of Josh’s point, is that people should
> not submit sightings in Merlin-generated checklists unless they are very
> confident that the bird was present. This will help keep eBird data clean,
> which benefits countless scientific endeavors, and ultimately benefits the
> birds. I bet it would help ease the strain on the eBird reviewers as well.
>
> Just my two cents.
>
> Good birding to all!
>
> Zoltan
>
> > On Apr 24, 2025, at 7:29 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Josh:
> >
> > Since I posted my list yesterday, I've fielded a few emails like
> > yours. Respectfully, you are missing the point.
> >
> > Firstly, not all birders are scientists. I happen to be in my 39th
> > year of academic publishing, all of it in STEM. However, I appreciate
> > the joy of birding. It is much more fun to think there might be a red
> > crossbill hanging around my backyard than it is to question Merlin's
> > program. I know about its limitations. Those who constantly point
> > these out might believe they are doing a service to the birding
> > community, the vast majority of whom are not credentialed scientists.
> > I would pose that you are not.
> >
> > Science is not about taking the joy out of someone's observations.
> > Merlin, though developed by scientists, is not meant to be used only
> > as a scientific tool. A seminal goal behind it, I believe, is to
> > encourage people to appreciate the hobby of birding and to experience
> > the joy of it. If that leads to the gathering of data, it's a win for
> > everyone. But if the tool is not accurate, it does not mean the tool
> > is worthless to the layman. It might appear so to a scientist and
> > those who instantly resent anyone posting a Merlin result of a bird
> > they have not seen themselves, but the point might not be accuracy in
> > all observations and reporting. Perhaps the point is simply to find
> > joy.
> >
> > I have introduced several people to the joy of birding by pointing
> > them to the Merlin app. All of them have come back to me and thanked
> > me as they now have a tool to learn what birds are around them,
> > whether they see these species or not. The next step is to search for
> > these birds, and when finding them, it is not all about confirming the
> > observation, listing these in an eBird checklist, and building a life
> > list. Many birders I know have zero interest in any list. It is simply
> > about appreciating nature, the nature around us we often overlook, and
> > the joy of it all.
> >
> > I would caution you, do not take the joy of birding away.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Bob
> >
> > On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:48 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hi MassBirders,
> >>
> >> I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have
> not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at
> least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in
> question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is
> right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous
> birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me
> skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as
> I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European
> Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve
> also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk.
> So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually
> lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not….
> >>
> >> On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County)
> reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the
> sugar water!
> >>
> >> Good birding,
> >>
> >> Josh
> >>
> >>
> >> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D.
> >> Amherst, MA
> >> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman > >> https://www.facebook.com/opihi > >>
> >> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer
> >> https://www.birdobserver.org/ > >>
> >> Columnist, “Earth Matters”
> >> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters > >> https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ > >>
> >> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club
> >> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ > >>
> >> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas
> >> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa > >>
> >>
> >>> On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live
> >>> in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30
> >>> this morning. A few nice surprises.
> >>>
> >>> American Robin
> >>> Red-winged Blackbird
> >>> White-breated Nuthatch
> >>> Yellow-rumped Warbler
> >>> Savannah Sparrow
> >>> Palm Warbler
> >>> American Goldfinch
> >>> Carolina Wren
> >>> Northern Cardinal
> >>> White-throated Sparrow
> >>> House Finch
> >>> Song Sparrow
> >>> Tufted Titmouse
> >>> Black-capped Chickadee
> >>> Red-bellied Woodpecker
> >>> Blue Jay
> >>> Dark-eyed Junco
> >>> Chipping Sparrow
> >>> Eastern Bluebird
> >>> Morning Dove
> >>> American Crow
> >>> Brown-headed Cowbird
> >>> Eastern Phoebe
> >>> Canada Goose
> >>> Red Crossbill (!)
> >>> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!)
> >>> Red-breasted Nuthatch
> >>> Fish Crow
> >>>
> >>> Faithfully submitted,
> >>>
> >>> Robert Ross
> >>> <plumisl...>
> >>> Byfield, MA
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>
>
Date: 4/25/25 11:10 am From: <blafley...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Hello,
I would like to add to this discussion of the use of Merlin and its intersection with contributing sightings to eBird. I remember when I was first made aware of eBird (in the early 2000s I believe). It was trying to recruit birders to add sightings as a citizen science project to help in the understanding and ultimately the conservation of bird populations/habitats. In the past number of years it has become more of a bird finding/chasing service and list (many competitive, i.e. Top eBirder in whatever) keeping database for birders. Although the list keeping aspect is convenient I still view eBird through that original lense and hope my sightings contribute to that larger purpose. Using Merlin as an entertainment app is fine but I think Josh’s and others concern is if sightings are entered into eBird based only on Merlin then eBird’s value as a conservation tool has the potential to fall prey to the old expression ‘garbage in, garbage out’.
Bill Lafley New Salem <blafley...>
> On Apr 24, 2025, at 8:48 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote: > > Dear Josh: > > Since I posted my list yesterday, I've fielded a few emails like > yours. Respectfully, you are missing the point. > > Firstly, not all birders are scientists. I happen to be in my 39th > year of academic publishing, all of it in STEM. However, I appreciate > the joy of birding. It is much more fun to think there might be a red > crossbill hanging around my backyard than it is to question Merlin's > program. I know about its limitations. Those who constantly point > these out might believe they are doing a service to the birding > community, the vast majority of whom are not credentialed scientists. > I would pose that you are not. > > Science is not about taking the joy out of someone's observations. > Merlin, though developed by scientists, is not meant to be used only > as a scientific tool. A seminal goal behind it, I believe, is to > encourage people to appreciate the hobby of birding and to experience > the joy of it. If that leads to the gathering of data, it's a win for > everyone. But if the tool is not accurate, it does not mean the tool > is worthless to the layman. It might appear so to a scientist and > those who instantly resent anyone posting a Merlin result of a bird > they have not seen themselves, but the point might not be accuracy in > all observations and reporting. Perhaps the point is simply to find > joy. > > I have introduced several people to the joy of birding by pointing > them to the Merlin app. All of them have come back to me and thanked > me as they now have a tool to learn what birds are around them, > whether they see these species or not. The next step is to search for > these birds, and when finding them, it is not all about confirming the > observation, listing these in an eBird checklist, and building a life > list. Many birders I know have zero interest in any list. It is simply > about appreciating nature, the nature around us we often overlook, and > the joy of it all. > > I would caution you, do not take the joy of birding away. > > Sincerely, > > Bob > >> On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:48 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote: >> >> Hi MassBirders, >> >> I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk. So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not…. >> >> On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County) reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the sugar water! >> >> Good birding, >> >> Josh >> >> >> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D. >> Amherst, MA >> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman >> https://www.facebook.com/opihi >> >> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer >> https://www.birdobserver.org/ >> >> Columnist, “Earth Matters” >> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters >> https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ >> >> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club >> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ >> >> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas >> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa >> >> >>>> On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote: >>> >>> Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live >>> in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30 >>> this morning. A few nice surprises. >>> >>> American Robin >>> Red-winged Blackbird >>> White-breated Nuthatch >>> Yellow-rumped Warbler >>> Savannah Sparrow >>> Palm Warbler >>> American Goldfinch >>> Carolina Wren >>> Northern Cardinal >>> White-throated Sparrow >>> House Finch >>> Song Sparrow >>> Tufted Titmouse >>> Black-capped Chickadee >>> Red-bellied Woodpecker >>> Blue Jay >>> Dark-eyed Junco >>> Chipping Sparrow >>> Eastern Bluebird >>> Morning Dove >>> American Crow >>> Brown-headed Cowbird >>> Eastern Phoebe >>> Canada Goose >>> Red Crossbill (!) >>> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!) >>> Red-breasted Nuthatch >>> Fish Crow >>> >>> Faithfully submitted, >>> >>> Robert Ross >>> <plumisl...> >>> Byfield, MA >> >> >
Date: 4/25/25 8:00 am From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Dear Zoltan:
Thank you for your email. MassBird listserv, to the best of my knowledge,
is not a science-based data collection platform. No one, and certainly not
I, was suggesting I was posting my list for scientific or data collection.
It is that assumption I am suggesting is unwarranted. I do not need to be
warned about something I did not suggest or imply.
To use an analogy off the top of my head, I offer this. If I post on
MassBird, as I have, an observation of birding behavior, does that suggest
I am declaring myself an ornithologist specializing in animal behavior? Of
course not. We must remember, our world is our world and not necessarily
everyone else's world. That was my primary point. All of us should be
allowed to share from our world, whether anyone else shares the same
perspective or not. I have often found new perspectives on MassBird, which
is one reason I value it and am thankful for it.
BTW: I found the swallows. If anyone would like a photo, let me know. I am
still searching for the crossbill 😎. I will add this--neither of these
species, or any others on my list, are necessarily wrong hits on Merlin.
All are possible; nearly all are likely and expected.
Sincerely,
Bob
On Thu, Apr 24, 2025 at 11:17 PM Zoltan P <zoltanap...> wrote:
> Robert,
>
> Good points. Merlin is a fantastic tool for helping birders and
> non-birders get engaged in the natural world around them. I have seen
> several non-birder friends get a spark from using Merlin, and before they
> knew it, they became birders.
>
> Merlin has improved tremendously over the last 2 years, and is a great
> tool for various use cases, for birders and naturalists of all stripes.
>
> That being said, Merlin is imperfect, and will likely remain so. The one
> thing I would suggest, in support of Josh’s point, is that people should
> not submit sightings in Merlin-generated checklists unless they are very
> confident that the bird was present. This will help keep eBird data clean,
> which benefits countless scientific endeavors, and ultimately benefits the
> birds. I bet it would help ease the strain on the eBird reviewers as well.
>
> Just my two cents.
>
> Good birding to all!
>
> Zoltan
>
> > On Apr 24, 2025, at 7:29 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Josh:
> >
> > Since I posted my list yesterday, I've fielded a few emails like
> > yours. Respectfully, you are missing the point.
> >
> > Firstly, not all birders are scientists. I happen to be in my 39th
> > year of academic publishing, all of it in STEM. However, I appreciate
> > the joy of birding. It is much more fun to think there might be a red
> > crossbill hanging around my backyard than it is to question Merlin's
> > program. I know about its limitations. Those who constantly point
> > these out might believe they are doing a service to the birding
> > community, the vast majority of whom are not credentialed scientists.
> > I would pose that you are not.
> >
> > Science is not about taking the joy out of someone's observations.
> > Merlin, though developed by scientists, is not meant to be used only
> > as a scientific tool. A seminal goal behind it, I believe, is to
> > encourage people to appreciate the hobby of birding and to experience
> > the joy of it. If that leads to the gathering of data, it's a win for
> > everyone. But if the tool is not accurate, it does not mean the tool
> > is worthless to the layman. It might appear so to a scientist and
> > those who instantly resent anyone posting a Merlin result of a bird
> > they have not seen themselves, but the point might not be accuracy in
> > all observations and reporting. Perhaps the point is simply to find
> > joy.
> >
> > I have introduced several people to the joy of birding by pointing
> > them to the Merlin app. All of them have come back to me and thanked
> > me as they now have a tool to learn what birds are around them,
> > whether they see these species or not. The next step is to search for
> > these birds, and when finding them, it is not all about confirming the
> > observation, listing these in an eBird checklist, and building a life
> > list. Many birders I know have zero interest in any list. It is simply
> > about appreciating nature, the nature around us we often overlook, and
> > the joy of it all.
> >
> > I would caution you, do not take the joy of birding away.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Bob
> >
> > On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:48 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hi MassBirders,
> >>
> >> I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have
> not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at
> least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in
> question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is
> right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous
> birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me
> skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as
> I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European
> Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve
> also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk.
> So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually
> lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not….
> >>
> >> On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County)
> reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the
> sugar water!
> >>
> >> Good birding,
> >>
> >> Josh
> >>
> >>
> >> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D.
> >> Amherst, MA
> >> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman > >> https://www.facebook.com/opihi > >>
> >> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer
> >> https://www.birdobserver.org/ > >>
> >> Columnist, “Earth Matters”
> >> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters > >> https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ > >>
> >> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club
> >> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ > >>
> >> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas
> >> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa > >>
> >>
> >>> On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live
> >>> in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30
> >>> this morning. A few nice surprises.
> >>>
> >>> American Robin
> >>> Red-winged Blackbird
> >>> White-breated Nuthatch
> >>> Yellow-rumped Warbler
> >>> Savannah Sparrow
> >>> Palm Warbler
> >>> American Goldfinch
> >>> Carolina Wren
> >>> Northern Cardinal
> >>> White-throated Sparrow
> >>> House Finch
> >>> Song Sparrow
> >>> Tufted Titmouse
> >>> Black-capped Chickadee
> >>> Red-bellied Woodpecker
> >>> Blue Jay
> >>> Dark-eyed Junco
> >>> Chipping Sparrow
> >>> Eastern Bluebird
> >>> Morning Dove
> >>> American Crow
> >>> Brown-headed Cowbird
> >>> Eastern Phoebe
> >>> Canada Goose
> >>> Red Crossbill (!)
> >>> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!)
> >>> Red-breasted Nuthatch
> >>> Fish Crow
> >>>
> >>> Faithfully submitted,
> >>>
> >>> Robert Ross
> >>> <plumisl...>
> >>> Byfield, MA
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>
Date: 4/24/25 8:28 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Proposed change to the Endangered Species Act,and Whooping Cranes
Thanks to Peter Van Demark for this post.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2025 21:57:54 From: Peter Van Demark <phvand...> Re: [MASSBIRD] Fwd: [mou-net] Proposed change to the Endangered Species Act and Whooping Cranes
Madeleine:
Here is my comment, Tracking Number: m9t-wrx1-a1uj:
Please do not change the definition of “harm.” Endangered species cannot exist without their habitat. If your home burned down but you got out safely, you are still harmed.
I am an avid birder, and have led walks at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport MA for over 20 years. I have seen how habitat degradation has changed the birds we see, and how habitat restoration brings back species.
The songbird population is way down over the last 50 years. Rescinding the definition of “harm” will accelerate that decline. Please strengthen, not weaken, the Endangered Species Act. Thank you.
Peter
------------------------------------------------------ Peter H. Van Demark Rockport MA
Date: 4/24/25 8:22 pm From: Zoltan P <zoltanap...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Robert,
Good points. Merlin is a fantastic tool for helping birders and non-birders get engaged in the natural world around them. I have seen several non-birder friends get a spark from using Merlin, and before they knew it, they became birders.
Merlin has improved tremendously over the last 2 years, and is a great tool for various use cases, for birders and naturalists of all stripes.
That being said, Merlin is imperfect, and will likely remain so. The one thing I would suggest, in support of Josh’s point, is that people should not submit sightings in Merlin-generated checklists unless they are very confident that the bird was present. This will help keep eBird data clean, which benefits countless scientific endeavors, and ultimately benefits the birds. I bet it would help ease the strain on the eBird reviewers as well.
Just my two cents.
Good birding to all!
Zoltan
> On Apr 24, 2025, at 7:29 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote: > > Dear Josh: > > Since I posted my list yesterday, I've fielded a few emails like > yours. Respectfully, you are missing the point. > > Firstly, not all birders are scientists. I happen to be in my 39th > year of academic publishing, all of it in STEM. However, I appreciate > the joy of birding. It is much more fun to think there might be a red > crossbill hanging around my backyard than it is to question Merlin's > program. I know about its limitations. Those who constantly point > these out might believe they are doing a service to the birding > community, the vast majority of whom are not credentialed scientists. > I would pose that you are not. > > Science is not about taking the joy out of someone's observations. > Merlin, though developed by scientists, is not meant to be used only > as a scientific tool. A seminal goal behind it, I believe, is to > encourage people to appreciate the hobby of birding and to experience > the joy of it. If that leads to the gathering of data, it's a win for > everyone. But if the tool is not accurate, it does not mean the tool > is worthless to the layman. It might appear so to a scientist and > those who instantly resent anyone posting a Merlin result of a bird > they have not seen themselves, but the point might not be accuracy in > all observations and reporting. Perhaps the point is simply to find > joy. > > I have introduced several people to the joy of birding by pointing > them to the Merlin app. All of them have come back to me and thanked > me as they now have a tool to learn what birds are around them, > whether they see these species or not. The next step is to search for > these birds, and when finding them, it is not all about confirming the > observation, listing these in an eBird checklist, and building a life > list. Many birders I know have zero interest in any list. It is simply > about appreciating nature, the nature around us we often overlook, and > the joy of it all. > > I would caution you, do not take the joy of birding away. > > Sincerely, > > Bob > > On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:48 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote: >> >> Hi MassBirders, >> >> I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk. So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not…. >> >> On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County) reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the sugar water! >> >> Good birding, >> >> Josh >> >> >> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D. >> Amherst, MA >> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman >> https://www.facebook.com/opihi >> >> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer >> https://www.birdobserver.org/ >> >> Columnist, “Earth Matters” >> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters >> https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ >> >> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club >> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ >> >> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas >> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa >> >> >>> On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote: >>> >>> Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live >>> in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30 >>> this morning. A few nice surprises. >>> >>> American Robin >>> Red-winged Blackbird >>> White-breated Nuthatch >>> Yellow-rumped Warbler >>> Savannah Sparrow >>> Palm Warbler >>> American Goldfinch >>> Carolina Wren >>> Northern Cardinal >>> White-throated Sparrow >>> House Finch >>> Song Sparrow >>> Tufted Titmouse >>> Black-capped Chickadee >>> Red-bellied Woodpecker >>> Blue Jay >>> Dark-eyed Junco >>> Chipping Sparrow >>> Eastern Bluebird >>> Morning Dove >>> American Crow >>> Brown-headed Cowbird >>> Eastern Phoebe >>> Canada Goose >>> Red Crossbill (!) >>> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!) >>> Red-breasted Nuthatch >>> Fish Crow >>> >>> Faithfully submitted, >>> >>> Robert Ross >>> <plumisl...> >>> Byfield, MA >> >> >
Date: 4/24/25 6:48 pm From: Laura M <magrinha97...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Bird bonanza - (mostly) urban version
What a day - I had to work downtown, but I didn't let that stop me. The urban bird bonanza has begun! Last night I went to Belle Isle Marsh (not urban, but just 15 minutes from downtown) and managed to capture distant pics of the (Eurasian) Green-winged Teal and the Pectoral Sandpiper - both continuing birds hanging out at the same pool. It was a beautiful, warm evening and I enjoyed a nice leisurely walk. Somehow I managed to get a good night's sleep and woke up at 5 a.m. I went to Linda Ferraresso's BBC walk at the BPG (Boston Public Garden) where we saw some nice, feathered friends such as a Blue-headed Vireo and two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, tiny gray sprites with long tails chasing each other through the trees. I spotted a well-hidden Northern Flicker and others spotted Hermit Thrushes and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Had a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets flitting about the blossoming trees with their almond shaped eye rings, tiny red crown patches, and effervescent songs - rippling through the air like bird-laughter. After that I walked to work through the RKG (Rose Kennedy Greenway) where I found the Field Sparrow people were mentioning on eBird. One long time birder told me he doesn't know why they come up rare in Suffolk County, as they are always abundant in Spring. After work, I found a skulky Brown Thrasher at Post Office Square hiding in the bushes - I sat on the grass and tried to pish him out, but he wasn't having it. And I saw a beautiful male Yellow-rumped Warbler, foraging on the ground just three feet away, then two feet, until I thought he might climb up my pant leg the way the squirrels try to at the Public Garden. I may have achieved maximum bird cuteness with one snap I took. Then I made my way back to the RKG, had a Blue-headed Vireo (maybe a patch bird), over 30 White-throated Sparrows in one block, including an interesting dark-faced one, a singing male Eastern Towhee managing to sing and eat seeds at the same time, some juncos, a Hermit Thrush and a flicker. A few days ago one birder counted 56 Hermit Thrushes on the Greenway, an event he called "the Thrushening." I think they have mostly moved through, though. I hope I can get enough sleep in the coming days to keep it all going! "It's the most, wonderful time... of the year..."
After birding at Hall's Pond in Brookline, where I saw a Black and White Warbler, I found myself walking along Crowningshield St. and Elba Rd. I was not birding at this time. I was quite surprised to hear a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on a sidewalk tree. I whipped out my binoculars and saw the bird. Then, a few steps away, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker flew into an evergreen tree at the next property.
Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7.25 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Eric Mueller, Ernie Leblanc, Joe Fountain, Scott Wiinikka
Weather: A non typical warm day in April with calm winds to start shifting to the South 0-10mph with gusts to 18. Temps ranged from 44'-72'F. Skies became overcast early, then cleared out around the noon hour. Visibility was OK, but distant Birds seemed to evaporate in the distant haze.
Raptor Observations: TV's left their roosts as usual. Very light Raptor movement in the morning. 1 Merlin powered thru early. We had light to moderate Raptor movement mid day with a variety of species getting involved. We had a small kettle of 1BE,1SS,and 2 BW move North together. Local Raptors: BV-1, TV-26, OS-1, BE-3, SS-1, CH-2, RS-2, RT-7, AK-1
Non-raptor Observations: D.C.Cormorant-20, Great Egret-1, Mourning Dove-8, Chimney Swift-1, Pileated Woodpecker-2, R.B.Woodpecker-1, D.Woodpecker-1, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, N.Flicker-1, Raven-2, A.Crow-2, Blue Jay-7, Tree Swallow-7, N.Rough Winged Swallow-2, Starling- 12+/-, H.Sparrow-10-+/-, A.Robin-10, E.Bluebird-3, B.C.Chickadee-1, W.B.Nuthatch-1, R.C.Kinglet-1, Song Sparrow-2, Chipping Sparrow-1, W.T.Sparrow-1, Field Sparrow-2, Savannah Sparrow-1, D.E.Junco-1, E.Towhee-2, N.Cardinal-2, A.Goldfinch-1, H.Finch-1, C.Grackle-2, R.W.Blackbird-2, B.H.Cowbird-2
Predictions: Tomorrow's weather conditions look similar to todays with sunny skies and a bit warmer with a high temp of 78'F. Calm to start with a South wind 5-8mph in the afternoon. Increasing clouds ahead of a low pressure system. There should be light to moderate Raptor migrating movement. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Observation start time: 05:15:00 Observation end time: 18:15:00 Total observation time: 12 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Donna Blasko, Harry Wales, Henry Walters, Herrrick Wales, John Cannizzo, Kathryn Chihowski, Kathryn Chihowski, Ted Mara
Visitors: Andrea Cannizzo, Andy Sanford, Lenny Cawley and Marj Watson.
Our excellent observer crew today : Ted Mara, Kathrine Chihowski, John Cannizzo, Harry Wales, Donna Blasko and bob Secatore.
Weather: Watch began with dense fog making seeing anything (even the Near Midden, a 12 foot high mound 80 yards away from out platform) very difficult to see. Fortunately, shortly thereafter the bright morning sunlight fairly quickly dispensed with the problem and the first two Kestrels came through at 814 AM. Thereafter we had bright sunlight all day. NW and WNW winds between 7 and 15 mph, temps low 40's rising to 70's as day progressed.
Raptor Observations: We counted 174 migrants today including 2 BE, 1 OS, 5 SS, 1 CH, 7 NH, 143 AK, 10 ML, 1 PF, 3 UR and 1 UA. Early on before thermals started forming over the island and marsh, the birds were coming through at fairly low altitude. But, for the last two thirds of the watch, most birds were very high, typically spiraling upward before peeling off to the north.
Other raptors seen but failed to migrate: 2 or 3 NH, several TVs
Non-raptor Observations: Other Birds: Snowy Egret, 6 Purple Martins at the nesting gourds, at least 70 D-c Cormorants, 3 Great Blue Herons, 10 Fish Crows, 1 Great Egret, 2 Northern Gannets and a steady trickle of Blue Jays ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Date: 4/24/25 8:27 am From: Barbara M Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] The Owls of Logan Airport
From facebook:
Boston Logan International Airport April 22 Massport and the Boston Logan community are proud to honor Norman Smith for his pioneering work on the Snowy Owl Project. Since 1981, Norman has safely relocated over 900 snowy owls from Boston Logan International Airport, setting the standard for how airports across North America and the world can humanely handle snowy owls on their runways. David Ishihara, Director of Aviation Operations, presented Norman with a runway light to thank him for his efforts to keep Boston Logans runways safe on behalf of Massport. Discover more about Norman's contributions to snowy owl conservation and his work at Boston Logan with snowy owls in the new film, The Owls of Logan Airport. Watch it here: https://www.annamillermultimedia.com/owls
Date: 4/24/25 5:37 am From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Dear Josh:
Since I posted my list yesterday, I've fielded a few emails like yours. Respectfully, you are missing the point.
Firstly, not all birders are scientists. I happen to be in my 39th year of academic publishing, all of it in STEM. However, I appreciate the joy of birding. It is much more fun to think there might be a red crossbill hanging around my backyard than it is to question Merlin's program. I know about its limitations. Those who constantly point these out might believe they are doing a service to the birding community, the vast majority of whom are not credentialed scientists. I would pose that you are not.
Science is not about taking the joy out of someone's observations. Merlin, though developed by scientists, is not meant to be used only as a scientific tool. A seminal goal behind it, I believe, is to encourage people to appreciate the hobby of birding and to experience the joy of it. If that leads to the gathering of data, it's a win for everyone. But if the tool is not accurate, it does not mean the tool is worthless to the layman. It might appear so to a scientist and those who instantly resent anyone posting a Merlin result of a bird they have not seen themselves, but the point might not be accuracy in all observations and reporting. Perhaps the point is simply to find joy.
I have introduced several people to the joy of birding by pointing them to the Merlin app. All of them have come back to me and thanked me as they now have a tool to learn what birds are around them, whether they see these species or not. The next step is to search for these birds, and when finding them, it is not all about confirming the observation, listing these in an eBird checklist, and building a life list. Many birders I know have zero interest in any list. It is simply about appreciating nature, the nature around us we often overlook, and the joy of it all.
I would caution you, do not take the joy of birding away.
Sincerely,
Bob
On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:48 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote: > > Hi MassBirders, > > I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk. So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not…. > > On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County) reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the sugar water! > > Good birding, > > Josh > > > Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D. > Amherst, MA > https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman > https://www.facebook.com/opihi > > Writer/compiler, Bird Observer > https://www.birdobserver.org/ > > Columnist, “Earth Matters” > https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters > https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ > > Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club > https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ > > Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas > https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa > > > > On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote: > > > > Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live > > in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30 > > this morning. A few nice surprises. > > > > American Robin > > Red-winged Blackbird > > White-breated Nuthatch > > Yellow-rumped Warbler > > Savannah Sparrow > > Palm Warbler > > American Goldfinch > > Carolina Wren > > Northern Cardinal > > White-throated Sparrow > > House Finch > > Song Sparrow > > Tufted Titmouse > > Black-capped Chickadee > > Red-bellied Woodpecker > > Blue Jay > > Dark-eyed Junco > > Chipping Sparrow > > Eastern Bluebird > > Morning Dove > > American Crow > > Brown-headed Cowbird > > Eastern Phoebe > > Canada Goose > > Red Crossbill (!) > > Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!) > > Red-breasted Nuthatch > > Fish Crow > > > > Faithfully submitted, > > > > Robert Ross > > <plumisl...> > > Byfield, MA > >
I have a record of Brant and Long-tailed Duck (and Virginia Rail!) standing in total darkness in the Myles Standish State Forest (Plymouth MA) in May. While doing a Whip-poor-will survey these birds were heard overheard migrating. the Long-tails were cool; could hear them a long ways away; likely coming from Buzzards Bay (?) going NE and we could hear them turning 90 degrees to the NW almost over our heads. Next stop-Churchill?. Based on what we could determine to be both ends of the flock estimated 50 birds.
Glenn
Glenn d'Entremont: <gdentremont1...> Stoughton, MA
> On 04/23/2025 8:54 PM EDT Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote:
>
>
> I have a recording device that uses something (not Merlin). If it says 500 detections in a day of something, it's probably a good clue that thing was there (goldfinches now, chickadees, etc. Juncos over the winter). But here are some doozies, who knew you could get this just over the border in the middle of the New Hampshire woods in the middle of winter, I should've moved here sooner:
>
> Gray Heron
> Gadwall
> Bohemian Waxwing
> Great Cormorant
> Great Egret
> Red-Headed Woodpecker
> Brant - Maybe it was dabbling in my pool.
> Wigeon
> Northern Gannet
> COMMON BUZZARD
> EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH
> Surf Scoter (I do love a good scoter)
> Grasshopper Sparrow - We have a lot of stinkbugs, even over the winter, maybe it was feeding on those.
> Cape May Warbler
> EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
> Sandhill Crane - roaming the grounds whenever I looked away, perhaps
> White-Winged Crossbill - one of the most common "detections".
> Common Merganser - found my birdbath to be a bit too shallow
> Chimney Swift - couldn't light a fire in my fireplace all december since apparently I had one living in there all winter.
> Greater Yellowlegs
> Common Redpoll (there were definitely no redpoll around)
> Evening Grosbeak (See redpoll comment)
> WHIMBREL
> CAROLINA CHICKADEE
> Green-winged Teal - every. single. day. it detects a teal. All I hear is dead air. Maybe it's a ghost teal.
> Osprey - doing it's best Merlin sound-detection-impression, apparently.
>
> I enjoy having the device though; I check anything unusual it detects, and listen to the sound files. Then I know what to keep an eye out for in the yard that day when I head out. It even picked up a woodcock one time, the day after I had seen one in the woods, so I know it stuck around one more day. I also like seeing the ebbs and flows of detection quantities for species as things arrive and leave. Junco was the most prevalent for a couple months, by far. The past two days, one detection each day.
>
>
> Matt s.
> <Accipiter22...> mailto:<Accipiter22...> > Newton, NH
>
> On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 9:04 AM Robert Ross <plumisl...> mailto:<plumisl...> wrote:
>
> > Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live
> > in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30
> > this morning. A few nice surprises.
> >
> > American Robin
> > Red-winged Blackbird
> > White-breated Nuthatch
> > Yellow-rumped Warbler
> > Savannah Sparrow
> > Palm Warbler
> > American Goldfinch
> > Carolina Wren
> > Northern Cardinal
> > White-throated Sparrow
> > House Finch
> > Song Sparrow
> > Tufted Titmouse
> > Black-capped Chickadee
> > Red-bellied Woodpecker
> > Blue Jay
> > Dark-eyed Junco
> > Chipping Sparrow
> > Eastern Bluebird
> > Morning Dove
> > American Crow
> > Brown-headed Cowbird
> > Eastern Phoebe
> > Canada Goose
> > Red Crossbill (!)
> > Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!)
> > Red-breasted Nuthatch
> > Fish Crow
> >
> > Faithfully submitted,
> >
> > Robert Ross
> > <plumisl...> mailto:<plumisl...> > > Byfield, MA
> >
>
Date: 4/23/25 5:59 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
I have a recording device that uses something (not Merlin). If it says 500
detections in a day of something, it's probably a good clue that thing was
there (goldfinches now, chickadees, etc. Juncos over the winter). But here
are some doozies, who knew you could get this just over the border in the
middle of the New Hampshire woods in the middle of winter, I should've
moved here sooner:
Gray Heron
Gadwall
Bohemian Waxwing
Great Cormorant
Great Egret
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Brant - Maybe it was dabbling in my pool.
Wigeon
Northern Gannet
COMMON BUZZARD
EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH
Surf Scoter (I do love a good scoter)
Grasshopper Sparrow - We have a lot of stinkbugs, even over the winter,
maybe it was feeding on those.
Cape May Warbler
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
Sandhill Crane - roaming the grounds whenever I looked away, perhaps
White-Winged Crossbill - one of the most common "detections".
Common Merganser - found my birdbath to be a bit too shallow
Chimney Swift - couldn't light a fire in my fireplace all december since
apparently I had one living in there all winter.
Greater Yellowlegs
Common Redpoll (there were definitely no redpoll around)
Evening Grosbeak (See redpoll comment)
WHIMBREL
CAROLINA CHICKADEE
Green-winged Teal - every. single. day. it detects a teal. All I hear is
dead air. Maybe it's a ghost teal.
Osprey - doing it's best Merlin sound-detection-impression, apparently.
I enjoy having the device though; I check anything unusual it detects, and
listen to the sound files. Then I know what to keep an eye out for in the
yard that day when I head out. It even picked up a woodcock one time, the
day after I had seen one in the woods, so I know it stuck around one more
day. I also like seeing the ebbs and flows of detection quantities for
species as things arrive and leave. Junco was the most prevalent for a
couple months, by far. The past two days, one detection each day.
Matt s.
<Accipiter22...>
Newton, NH
On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 9:04 AM Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
> Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live
> in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30
> this morning. A few nice surprises.
>
> American Robin
> Red-winged Blackbird
> White-breated Nuthatch
> Yellow-rumped Warbler
> Savannah Sparrow
> Palm Warbler
> American Goldfinch
> Carolina Wren
> Northern Cardinal
> White-throated Sparrow
> House Finch
> Song Sparrow
> Tufted Titmouse
> Black-capped Chickadee
> Red-bellied Woodpecker
> Blue Jay
> Dark-eyed Junco
> Chipping Sparrow
> Eastern Bluebird
> Morning Dove
> American Crow
> Brown-headed Cowbird
> Eastern Phoebe
> Canada Goose
> Red Crossbill (!)
> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!)
> Red-breasted Nuthatch
> Fish Crow
>
> Faithfully submitted,
>
> Robert Ross
> <plumisl...>
> Byfield, MA
>
Date: 4/23/25 5:51 pm From: Barbara M Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] 4/25 - South Asian Vultures: Crisis & Conservation by Meera Subramanian
Join the Brookline Bird Club for our ANNUAL MEETING!
South Asian Vultures: Crisis & Conservation by Meera Subramanian Friday, April 25, 2025, 7:30 – 9 PM, 6:30 Social Hour Harvard University Geologic Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, with FREE PARKING at the 52 Oxford Street Parking Garage.
See www.brooklinebirdclub.org for the zoom registration. We will be presenting, for Members voting, the slate of BBC Officers and Directors, additional business items, and club updates. Not long ago, vultures in South Asia were so abundant that no one had bothered to count them in their millions, then during the 1990s the populations of three Gyps vulture species collapsed by more than 97 per cent. This was the fastest avian decline ever recorded. Conservationists scrambled to find the cause and start captive breeding programs. What happens when South Asia’s essential clean-up crew vanishes? Join us to learn more about this environmental lesson for all. Meera Subramanian is an award-winning freelance journalist and National Geographic Explorer whose work has been published in Nature, The New York Times, The NewYorker.com, Audubon, and many others; she is a contributing editor of Orion. She is the author of A River Runs Again: India’s Natural World in Crisis, which was short-listed for the Orion Book Award. Based on a glacial moraine on the edge of the Atlantic, she’s a perpetual wanderer who can’t stop planting perennials. You can find her at www.meerasub.org. The author will bring copies of her book for purchase.
Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris
Observers: Eric Mueller, Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain
Weather: Beautiful spring day here in central Massachusetts with a gentle NW wind 5-12mph and a high temp of 68'F. Clear skies and visibility was excellent in the morning with gradual distant haze.
Raptor Observations: TV's rose up from their roosts promptly to start. A Cooper's Hawk and a dozen Broad Wings soon followed as these were probably birds that rested overnight. Another day of rinse and repeat single or double birds migrating thru the morning hours. Local Raptors: TV-26, BE-2, SS-1, CH-1, BW-5, RT-7
Non-raptor Observations: C.Loon-1, D.C.Cormorant-2, Mourning Dove-1, N. Flicker-1, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, E.Phoebe-1, Raven-4, C. Crow-5, Fish Crow-1, Blue Jay-6, Tree Swallow-9, N.Rough Winged Swallow-2, R.C.Kinglet-1, E.Bluebird-2, A.Robin-5, Starling-20+/-, House Sparrow-13, Pine Warbler-3, E.Towhee-3, Song Sparrow-4, Field Sparrow-1, D.E.Junco-1, N.Cardinal-5, C.Grackle-5, R.W.Blackbird-1, B.H.Cowbird-3
Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast calls for sunny skies and a high temp of 72'F. Calm wind to start becoming SW around 6mph. There should be light to moderate Raptor migrating movement. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
I use Merlin with my high school students on our Nauset Regional High School campus. We have been recording point counts regularly for 3 years. In the past 6 months or so, some of the birds identified by Merlin have been odd, and not heard by me. Part of this has been the move from Chromebooks (no longer supported) to iPads (old and don't always know where we are). We also have been under construction so many sounds likely are spurious or partially obscured by the ambient noises. The species that I don't confirm by ear (and aren't recorded on my phone) are mostly Red Crossbill and American Pipit. I am suspicious that ever since the new "is this your bird" started to appear in Merlin, it doesn't seem as "tight" as it was. Just sayin' Mindy LaBranche Rochester, MA
On 4/23/2025 6:10 PM, <jrees...> wrote: > > Today (4/23), Merlin told me there was an American Pipit present as > a Tree Swallow was chattering away overhead. It thought one little > snippet of the swallow song was a pipit. > > Jeff Rees > > Auburn, MA > > *From:*<massbird-approval...> <massbird-approval...> > *On Behalf Of *Liz Pease > *Sent:* Wednesday, April 23, 2025 4:53 PM > *To:* Josh <opihi...> > *Cc:* Massbird <Massbird...> > *Subject:* Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury > > Thanks for the reminder about the hummingbird feeders, Josh! Gotta > dust them off! > > Merlin (and I) are constantly tricked by the local Blue Jay that > imitates a Red-Bellied Woodpecker quite adroitly! I also have a device > called a Terra (https://www.terralistens.com/) that is basically a > receiver that streams my backyard back to me constantly. I bought it > as part of a Kickstarter years ago, and just got it about 6 months ago > (finally!). I find its ID to be quite ... sus(picious), as my kids > would say, but it is interesting. > > Liz > > Salisbury, MA > > <lizpease...> > > On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:49 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote: > > Hi MassBirders, > > I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you > have not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it > lists, or at least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims > are the species in question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in > our yard, and while it is right 99% of the time, and often detects > the presence of less conspicuous birds before I do, I also catch > it in mistakes often enough to keep me skeptical. In particular, > it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as I do myself). On > multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European > Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. > I’ve also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a > Red-shouldered Hawk. So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that > surprised you were actually lurking in your neighborhood, but > maybe not…. > > On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County) > reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start > brewing the sugar water! > > Good birding, > > Josh > > > Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D. > Amherst, MA > https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman > https://www.facebook.com/opihi > > Writer/compiler, Bird Observer > https://www.birdobserver.org/ > > Columnist, “Earth Matters” > https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters > https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ > > Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club > https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ > > Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas > https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa > > > > On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote: > > > > Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live > > in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30 > > this morning. A few nice surprises. > > > > American Robin > > Red-winged Blackbird > > White-breated Nuthatch > > Yellow-rumped Warbler > > Savannah Sparrow > > Palm Warbler > > American Goldfinch > > Carolina Wren > > Northern Cardinal > > White-throated Sparrow > > House Finch > > Song Sparrow > > Tufted Titmouse > > Black-capped Chickadee > > Red-bellied Woodpecker > > Blue Jay > > Dark-eyed Junco > > Chipping Sparrow > > Eastern Bluebird > > Morning Dove > > American Crow > > Brown-headed Cowbird > > Eastern Phoebe > > Canada Goose > > Red Crossbill (!) > > Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!) > > Red-breasted Nuthatch > > Fish Crow > > > > Faithfully submitted, > > > > Robert Ross > > <plumisl...> > > Byfield, MA > > > -- > > Liz Pease > > (she, her, hers) >
-- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com
Today (4/23), Merlin told me there was an American Pipit present as a Tree Swallow was chattering away overhead. It thought one little snippet of the swallow song was a pipit.
Jeff Rees
Auburn, MA
From: <massbird-approval...> <massbird-approval...> On Behalf Of Liz Pease
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2025 4:53 PM
To: Josh <opihi...>
Cc: Massbird <Massbird...>
Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Thanks for the reminder about the hummingbird feeders, Josh! Gotta dust them off!
Merlin (and I) are constantly tricked by the local Blue Jay that imitates a Red-Bellied Woodpecker quite adroitly! I also have a device called a Terra (https://www.terralistens.com/) that is basically a receiver that streams my backyard back to me constantly. I bought it as part of a Kickstarter years ago, and just got it about 6 months ago (finally!). I find its ID to be quite ... sus(picious), as my kids would say, but it is interesting.
On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:49 PM Josh <opihi...> <mailto:<opihi...> > wrote:
Hi MassBirders,
I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk. So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not….
On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County) reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the sugar water!
> On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> <mailto:<plumisl...> > wrote:
>
> Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live
> in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30
> this morning. A few nice surprises.
>
> American Robin
> Red-winged Blackbird
> White-breated Nuthatch
> Yellow-rumped Warbler
> Savannah Sparrow
> Palm Warbler
> American Goldfinch
> Carolina Wren
> Northern Cardinal
> White-throated Sparrow
> House Finch
> Song Sparrow
> Tufted Titmouse
> Black-capped Chickadee
> Red-bellied Woodpecker
> Blue Jay
> Dark-eyed Junco
> Chipping Sparrow
> Eastern Bluebird
> Morning Dove
> American Crow
> Brown-headed Cowbird
> Eastern Phoebe
> Canada Goose
> Red Crossbill (!)
> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!)
> Red-breasted Nuthatch
> Fish Crow
>
> Faithfully submitted,
>
> Robert Ross
> <plumisl...> <mailto:<plumisl...> > Byfield, MA
Thanks for the reminder about the hummingbird feeders, Josh! Gotta dust
them off!
Merlin (and I) are constantly tricked by the local Blue Jay that imitates a
Red-Bellied Woodpecker quite adroitly! I also have a device called a Terra (
https://www.terralistens.com/) that is basically a receiver that streams my
backyard back to me constantly. I bought it as part of a Kickstarter years
ago, and just got it about 6 months ago (finally!). I find its ID to be
quite ... sus(picious), as my kids would say, but it is interesting.
Liz
Salisbury, MA
<lizpease...>
On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:49 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote:
> Hi MassBirders,
>
> I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have not
> backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at least
> listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in question.
> I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is right 99% of
> the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous birds before I
> do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me skeptical. In
> particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as I do myself).
> On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European Starling’s
> imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve also caught it
> falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk. So, maybe the
> crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually lurking in your
> neighborhood, but maybe not….
>
> On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County)
> reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the
> sugar water!
>
> Good birding,
>
> Josh
>
>
> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D.
> Amherst, MA
> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman > https://www.facebook.com/opihi >
> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer
> https://www.birdobserver.org/ >
> Columnist, “Earth Matters”
> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters > https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ >
> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club
> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ >
> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas
> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa >
>
> > On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote:
> >
> > Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live
> > in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30
> > this morning. A few nice surprises.
> >
> > American Robin
> > Red-winged Blackbird
> > White-breated Nuthatch
> > Yellow-rumped Warbler
> > Savannah Sparrow
> > Palm Warbler
> > American Goldfinch
> > Carolina Wren
> > Northern Cardinal
> > White-throated Sparrow
> > House Finch
> > Song Sparrow
> > Tufted Titmouse
> > Black-capped Chickadee
> > Red-bellied Woodpecker
> > Blue Jay
> > Dark-eyed Junco
> > Chipping Sparrow
> > Eastern Bluebird
> > Morning Dove
> > American Crow
> > Brown-headed Cowbird
> > Eastern Phoebe
> > Canada Goose
> > Red Crossbill (!)
> > Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!)
> > Red-breasted Nuthatch
> > Fish Crow
> >
> > Faithfully submitted,
> >
> > Robert Ross
> > <plumisl...>
> > Byfield, MA
>
>
>
I would not be too entirely trusting of Merlin’s reports if you have not backed it up with your own observations of the birds it lists, or at least listening to Merlin’s recording that it claims are the species in question. I often run Merlin while I’m out in our yard, and while it is right 99% of the time, and often detects the presence of less conspicuous birds before I do, I also catch it in mistakes often enough to keep me skeptical. In particular, it does get fooled by mimicry (almost as often as I do myself). On multiple occasions I’ve noticed it identifying a European Starling’s imitation of Eastern Meadowlark for the real-deal EAME. I’ve also caught it falling for a Blue Jay’s rendition of a Red-shouldered Hawk. So, maybe the crossbill and swallow that surprised you were actually lurking in your neighborhood, but maybe not….
On another topic, a couple of birders in Granby (Hampshire County) reported hummingbirds at their feeders today; time to start brewing the sugar water!
> On Apr 23, 2025, at 8:40 AM, Robert Ross <plumisl...> wrote: > > Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live > in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30 > this morning. A few nice surprises. > > American Robin > Red-winged Blackbird > White-breated Nuthatch > Yellow-rumped Warbler > Savannah Sparrow > Palm Warbler > American Goldfinch > Carolina Wren > Northern Cardinal > White-throated Sparrow > House Finch > Song Sparrow > Tufted Titmouse > Black-capped Chickadee > Red-bellied Woodpecker > Blue Jay > Dark-eyed Junco > Chipping Sparrow > Eastern Bluebird > Morning Dove > American Crow > Brown-headed Cowbird > Eastern Phoebe > Canada Goose > Red Crossbill (!) > Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!) > Red-breasted Nuthatch > Fish Crow > > Faithfully submitted, > > Robert Ross > <plumisl...> > Byfield, MA
Date: 4/23/25 7:16 am From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Audubon Climate Watch
Dear All:
Again this year, I am the Northern Massachusetts/Plum Island Coordinator for Audubon's Climate Watch program. This program is designed to monitor the health of individual species in our area to determine whether populations are flourishing, holding steady, or declining. Species have been selected based on several factors, including current populations, and are being positioned as climate change markers.
The next Climate Watch period (there are two a year) is from May 15-June 15. This is a self-reporting program. Information is here: https://www.audubon.org/community-science/climate-watch.If you email me directly, I can send a PDF with more specific instructions. However, you will find what you need to get started and get involved at this link.
The basic idea is that you can sign up for a particular area. Some areas will already be selected, so you do not need to duplicate others' efforts. In your selected area, you will then look for targeted species, record these, and send a report. All instructions are at the above link.
Date: 4/23/25 5:52 am From: Robert Ross <plumisl...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Backyard Bird List (Merlin) Newbury
Here is as list of the birds recorded in my backyard this AM. I live in the Byfield section of Newbury. I left Merlin on from 6:30-8:30 this morning. A few nice surprises.
American Robin Red-winged Blackbird White-breated Nuthatch Yellow-rumped Warbler Savannah Sparrow Palm Warbler American Goldfinch Carolina Wren Northern Cardinal White-throated Sparrow House Finch Song Sparrow Tufted Titmouse Black-capped Chickadee Red-bellied Woodpecker Blue Jay Dark-eyed Junco Chipping Sparrow Eastern Bluebird Morning Dove American Crow Brown-headed Cowbird Eastern Phoebe Canada Goose Red Crossbill (!) Northern Rough-winged Swallow (!) Red-breasted Nuthatch Fish Crow
Date: 4/23/25 4:40 am From: Madeleine Linck <madeleine.linck...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Fwd: [mou-net] Proposed change to the Endangered Species Act and Whooping Cranes
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Gordon Andersson <gpandersson...>
Date: Tue, Apr 22, 2025, 10:28 PM
Subject: [mou-net] Proposed change to the Endangered Species Act and
Whooping Cranes
To: <MOU-NET...>
From the International Crane Foundation
Stand up for the Endangered Species Act
Submit Public Comments Opposing Rule by May 19
Dear Supporters:
Last week, the Trump Administration proposed a rule change that would
profoundly weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the most important law
for protecting and conserving threatened plants and animals in our country.
We believe this change would be catastrophic for Endangered Whooping
Cranes, as well as countless other species, and their habitats.
Signed into law in 1973—the same year as the International Crane Foundation
was established—the ESA is a keystone of conservation success. It is
credited with saving 99 percent of the species it protects, like the
Endangered Whooping Crane, which was part of the first cohort of species
protected by the law.
Despite its overwhelming success and public support, the ESA has been
sharply criticized by those who want to increase mining, drilling, and
other land and water resources development that could negatively impact the
habitat requirements for endangered species.
In a rule proposed last week by the U.S. Departments of the Interior and
Commerce, the administration seeks to redefine a single word in the
ESA—“harm”—to mean direct mortality only and not include loss of habitat.
This would rescind the regulatory definition of harm and completely alter
what it means to harm imperiled plants and animals.
The proposed new definition of “harm” states that species are protected
only from intentional killing or injury, such as through hunting or
trapping, and not from the degradation or loss of habitat that plants and
animals need to survive. By emphasizing that harm must be intentional, the
change also allows for killing or injury to endangered plants and animals
by those who did not purposely seek to cause harm. Further, this change
could result in the loss of our ability to effectively site energy
resources, such as large transmission lines, to accommodate endangered
species' migratory pathways.
In the 1940s, only 21 Whooping Cranes remained in the wild due to
unregulated hunting and massive habitat loss. Today, there are more than
690 wild Whooping Cranes, largely due to these vital legal protections and
reintroduction efforts, such as those we lead today. However, the species
remains endangered and still needs our help and legal protections.
With this proposed order, freshwater diversions, wetland drainage, land
development, powerline collisions, and other disturbances at key nesting,
feeding, and roosting sites are expected to increase with this proposed
order. Additionally, we are concerned about proposals that may create
infinite loopholes and legal escapes for anyone who shoots a crane, by
allowing them to claim they didn’t mean to do it and requiring proof beyond
a reasonable doubt that the shooting was intentional, which can be
challenging to establish.
The International Crane Foundation is dedicated to protecting Whooping
Cranes and the wetlands they depend on. Now, we need your help to secure
their future and the future of many other species.
Library was closed on Sunday and Monday, so sorry for late post A nice Louisiana Waterthrush was feeding along the edge of Willow Pond and also along the brook beyond the pond.
Date: 4/22/25 7:26 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] 4/22 Rails, Rusties, Kestrel at Brook Farm West Roxbury, Etc.
Thanks to Paul Peterson for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:13:18 +0000 (UTC) From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63...> Subject: 4/22 Rails, Rusties, Kestrel at Brook Farm West Roxbury, Etc.
I birded in this corner of West Roxbury from 10:50-5:15, with many highlights:
Green Heron 1high school wetland Great Blue Heron 1 high school wetland Great Egret 1 high school wetland Wood Duck 6 Brook Farm Bald Eagle 1 Millennium Park; soaring for a while Red-tailed Hawk 1 Virginia Rail 2 a bit before third bridge; each one calling from opposite sides of path Killdeer 4 two pair Belted Kingfisher 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Brook Farm Common Raven 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2 Tree Swallow 4+ American Kestrel 1 ad. male perched atop tree Brook Farm Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 high school wetland Yellow-rumped Warbler 4 Brook Farm Pine Warbler 1 Brook Farm Savannah Sparrow 20 Millennium Park Swamp Sparrow 10 Rusty Blackbird 3 bit past third bridge; on right; best spot for them American Toad 2 FOY Green Frog x Painted Turtle 60 Muskrat 3 Eastern Cottontail 1 Eastern Chipmunk 3 Gray Squirrel 2 Cabbage White 2
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 14:45:00 Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Eric Mueller, Ernie Leblanc, Evan Lipton, Joanne Hart, Richard Spedding, Tom Gottschang
Weather: The Watch was delayed 1 hour due to early morning fog. Clouds dissipated into mostly sunny skies with temps ranging from 48'-72'F. Winds were variable to generally West calm to 13mph with gusts to 25mph. After the initial fog, visibility was excellent. Raptor Observations: Raptors started to migrate as soon as we had enough visibility to see them. Another day of single and doubles of Broad Wings and other Raptors. A local Black Vulture was spotted today; they have been absent from the report in recent days. The crew may have located an active BE nest. Local Raptors: BV-1, TV-11, BE-4, SS-2, CH-4, BW-6, RT-7, AK-2
Non-raptor Observations: D.C.Cormorant-3, R.B.Gull, G.B.Heron-1, Rock Dove-10, M.Dove-3, Chimney Swift-2, Pileated Woodpecker-1, R.B.Woodpecker-1, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, N.Flicker-1, E.Phoebe-1, Blue Headed Vireo-1, Raven-5, A.Crow-3, Fish Crow-1, Blue Jay-2, Tree Swallow-7, N.Roughed Winged Swallow-2, Barn Swallow-2, Bank Swallow-1, B.C.Chickadee-2, A.Robin-2, E.Bluebird-2, Starling-50+/-, House Sparrow-9, Pine Warbler-1, E.Towhee-5, Song Sparrow-5, W.T.Sparrow-7, Field Sparrow-1,Chipping Sparrow-1, N.Cardinal-4, A.Goldfinch-1, B.H.Cowbird-5
Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast calls for sunny skies and and North West winds around 8mph and a high temp of 68'F. There should be light to moderate Raptor movement. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Date: 4/22/25 6:56 pm From: GLENN D'ENTREMONT <gdentremont1...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Visiting an old friend
I visited an old friend on Sunday based on a report of a Louisiana Waterthrush in the area. This place has had this species for a long time, but there were years in the 80's/90's which it was not reported.
My old friend hasn't changed much, but looks older. Lots of downed trees, though. I met my old friend from a tip from a south shore birder who gave very good directions and the LOWA was present.
I started to see my old friend more often in those days walking down the driveway which accessed four residences. No one bothered me and I did not bother them. But my old friend always greeted me and showed me a good time, rarely disappointing. Like the immature Goshawk which was guarding its Ruffed Grouse meal. Pileated Woodpecker was regular before they became available across the south shore. There was the spring a Hooded Warbler set up a territory along the thickets at the pond.
I visited my old friend when a needed a lift, when I needed a friend to get lost with and enjoy the sights and sounds.
Unfortunately, the scar left when a street was cut into the area just southwest of the pond changed the make up and some things disappeared. Like to aforementioned LOWA.
Still, I walked with my old friend noting the aging stone bridge which 100 years ago must have been quite majestic being seen from all directions with horse drawn carriages going over the stream, but is now blocked off, surrounded by trees, to keep people from potentially hurting themselves; likely riding horses. The cedar/hemlock grove which was dense is now about 60 feet tall and can see through them.
It is obvious the owners are managing the area as there are piles of wood debris over the place. The Red Pine stand is nude and barren with the once stately trees either on the ground or leaning on each other. The two streams are still flowing, rapidly, and thus the reason I went to see my old friend.
Up to this point I encountered Pine Warblers, Red-bellied Woddpeckers, one BH Vireo, right now the omnipresent Ruby-crowned Kinglets & Hermit Thrushes. Whtie-throated Sparrows singing. No Winter Wren, though. The now likely nesting Cooper's Hawk is new.
But a surprise. It is April 20 and two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were drumming to each other and there was the sound they make when having a territorial squabble. To my knowledge they do not nest in the Blue Hills let alone in my old friend.
So now I am at the spot I expect to encounter the waterthrush. I am walking toward Unquity Road and can see how the road I am on continues across Unquity. No waterthrush, though.
I hear two down slurred whistles. Just barely. But........that's the start of what I am listening for! It is not with my old friend, but across the street. The brook continues that way and as I make my way the sound gets louder and the full LOWA song becomes clear. I get as close as the road lets me and as is normal with the ventriloqual LOWA one can not locate it. Eventually it flies off, unseen, harsh chip noting all the way....across Unquity, back to where it belongs; with my old friend.
Glenn
Glenn d'Entremont: <gdentremont1...> Stoughton, MA
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 14:30:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Eric Mueller, Ernie Leblanc, Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain
Weather: Clear skies to start with increasing clouds ending in overcast. Temps ranged from 37'-59'F. Winds were South 3-14mph. Visibility was good.
Raptor Observations: We had light Raptor movement today as the light South winds were not very appealing to the birds. They passed at a slow and leisurely pace. Broad Wings were the highest number with 44 as they migrated mostly singles and doubles once again. Local Raptors: TV-21, BE-3, SS-1, CH-3, RS-1, BW-6, RT-6, AK-2 Non-raptor Observations: D.C.Cormorant-2, G.B.Heron-1, Ring Billed Gull-24, Mourning Dove-3, Pileated Woodpecker-1, D.Woodpecker-1, R.B.Woodpecker-1, N.Flicker-1, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, Raven-3, A.Crow-4, Blue Jay-7, Tree Swallow- 13, Rough Winged Swallow-2, Swallow Species-100+/-, Starling 100+/-, Y.R.Warbler-1, Pine Warbler-1, House Sparrow- 12, T.Titmouse-1, B.C.Chickadee-2, W.B.Nuthatch-1, A.Robin-10, E.Bluebird-2, E.Towhee-1, Song Sparrow-4, W.T.Sparrow-1, Chipping Sparrow-1, Field Sparrow-1, D.E.Junco-1, H.Finch-2, A.Goldfinch-1, R.W.Blackbird-1, B.H.Cowbird-4
Predictions: Chance of showers before 7am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 68. Light SW wind becoming West 8-13mph in the morning. with these conditions we should have moderate Raptor movement. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Observation start time: 06:00:00 Observation end time: 13:30:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Amy Maurer, Brian Rusnica, David Goodine, Donna Bolasko, Gary Herritz, Harry Wales, Judd Nathan, Julie Roberts, Kathryn Chihowski, Kathryn Chihowski, Mark Timmerman, Paul Roberts, Tom Wetmore, Ursula Goodine
Visitors: Our great observer crew today (roughly in order of arrival): Harry Wales, Brian Rusnica, Gary Herriitz, Kathryn Chihowski, Paul & Julie Roberts, Tom Wetmore, Ursula & Dave Goodine, Marge Watson, Mark Timmerman, Donna Bolasko and Bob Secatore.
Visitors: Bob Groskin, Dan Prima, Will Kirby, Mary Margret Halsey.
Weather: NW wind 15 to 30 mph, temps l0w t0 mid-50's deg F. Mostly sunny.
Raptor Observations: Raptors: We recorded 92 migrants today: 4 NH, 6 SS, 2 CH, 76 AK and 4 ML.
Raptors seen but failed to migrate: Several TV, 1 NH.
Non-raptor Observations: Other birds: Small passerines in fair numbers, 2 Blue Jays, 1 Cowbird. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Observation start time: 06:00:00 Observation end time: 13:15:00 Total observation time: 7.25 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris
Observers: Eric Mueller, Joanne Hart
Visitors: Mike Gebo
Weather: Northwest winds throughout 12-23mph with gusts to 35mph. Generally clear skies with some helpful cumulous clouds and temps ranging between 49'-60'F. The visibility was excellent for both spotting and identifying birds.
Raptor Observations: Having the NW wind in place, I started the Watch at 6am. Very consistent light to moderate migrant flow in the mid 20's for every morning period. BW's moved singles and doubles only. Mid day it was apparent that they struggled against the powerful gusts as the number of migrants dwindled. Local Raptors: TV-12, OS-2, BE-3, SS-2, CH-2, BW-6, RT-6, AK-1
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-8, D.C.Cormorant-1, Ring Billed Gull-2, Raven-3, C.Crow-2, Mourning Dove-2, R.B.Woodpecker-1, Raven-3, Blue Jay-5, Tree Swallow-7, Rough Winged Swallow-2, A.Robin-5, E.Bluebird-1, Song Sparrow-3, Field Sparrow-1, Chipping Sparrow-1, White Throated Sparrow-1, Dark Eyed Junco-2, N.Cardinal-2, A.Golfinch-4, C.Grackle-9
Predictions: The weather forecast for tomorrow calls for increasing clouds with a high of 63'F. Calm wind becoming South 5-8mph in the afternoon. Could be a better scenery for migrating BW's to relax a bit and kettle. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.75 hours
Official Counter: Joanne Hart, Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Eric Mueller, Jeff Johnstone, Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain
Weather: Overcast skies with light winds from the South switching from the WSW 5-13mph.Temps ranged from 55'-82'F. Visibility was hampered by low clouds and haze. Rain between 11am-12:45pm delayed the count.
Raptor Observations: Not a lot of migrating Raptor movement in the morning with 19 BW's, respectively. After a 1:45 minute rain delay from 11am-12:45pm, migrating Raptors seized the opportunity to move ahead of a front with increase in wind speed and a more Westerly direction. There was a mix of species, with an additional 98 Broad Wings. Local Raptors: TV-25, BE-3, CH-1, RS-1, BW-3, RT-5
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-7, Common Merganser-10, D.C.Cormorant-16, G.B.Heron-1, Great Egret-2, Mourning Dove-2, Rock Dove-25, Pileated Woodpecker-1, N.Flicker-1, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, Tree Swallow-30+/-, A.Robin-1, E.Bluebird-2, E.Phoebe-1, Raven-2, Blue Jay-6, B.C.Chickadee-1, T.Titmouse-1, Cedar Waxwing-11, Starling-100+/-, H.Sparrow-2, Y.Rumped Warbler-1, Savannah Sparrow-1, W.T.Sparrow-2, Chipping Sparrow-3, Field Sparrow-1, E.Towhee-1, D.E.Junco-6, A.Goldfinch-1, R.W.Blackbird-10, C.Grackle-2, B.H.Cowbird-1
Predictions: Sunny with a high of 60'F with Moderate NW winds around 15mph with gusts as high as 28mph. Looks promising for Raptors migrating ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Observation start time: 06:15:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 10.75 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Brian Rusnica, Christopher Godfrey, Janet Kovner, John Cannizzo, Kathryn Chihowski, Paul Roberts
Weather:
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Date: 4/19/25 6:49 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
You hit the nail on the head...for me August 1 has the same sort of
feeling. Up until then I can find something, anything making noise and
singing. Go up into the mountains, wherever, you can find bird sounds. I
keep a journal of sorts, and I mention that the frenetic pace of New
England life, both human and avian, goes full-tilt, with people moving full
speed from May through July. Then August hits and everything kind of
dissipates all at once; I wrote something like "who makes memories in
August?" When I was in school my mom always said July was the safe month;
school a fading memory, and the month after that you still were on
vacation. But then August does come...and suddenly it seems like every
single insect is contributing to this bassline during the day, and a
mourning dove plaintively calling is a treasure, and somehow fits in with
the otherwise still air. Evenings you get the blanket of crickets...and
yes, it's hard to believe but you have 6 months until bird song picks up
again. It's not just late August either, it seems like right off the bat
every year, still definitely summer, the Sun yellowing in the afternoon but
not yet fading as it does in September, accompanied by that "loud" silence.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 8:26 PM GLENN D'ENTREMONT <gdentremont1...>
wrote:
> Yes, the absence of sound is deafening! I have two days in a calendar
> year which I dislike: the first will make sense to most-the first Monday
> evening in November after the clocks move back and driving home in the
> dark.
>
> The second one is equally as ominous to me; August 1. That's the day the
> birds go silent. August becomes the month of insects-katydids, crickets,
> cicadas, a constant din, but more subtle than the in your face bird song.
> One has to wait until late February to begin to get a daily dose of bird
> song.
>
> Glenn
>
> Glenn d'Entremont: <gdentremont1...> Stoughton, MA
>
> On 04/18/2025 9:01 AM EDT Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi All,
>
> We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter,
> sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing,
> and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It
> makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I
> noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals
> and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator
> nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no
> juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The
> world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were
> still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've
> been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a
> couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride
> out on the warm air the last few days?
>
> I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds, I
> thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that
> came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID,
> even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in
> the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I
> would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was
> equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall
> them in the kind of numbers we had juncos.
>
> Safe travels friends!
>
> Matt S
> Newton, NH
> <Accipiter22...>
>
>
Date: 4/19/25 6:33 pm From: Carl Westlund <grimishere...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
I still had my usual amount of Juncos in my yard today (Apr 19) in Newton, MA!
Carl W
On Friday, April 18, 2025 at 08:42:48 PM EDT, Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> wrote:
Also foy chipping sp
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 7:31 PM Liz Pease <lizpease...> wrote:
Still here today in Salisbury, though definitely in smaller numbers. Thanks for inspiring me to go take a close look Matt!
Liz <Peaselizpease...> MA
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 6:34 PM Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> wrote:
Mine are still here and for the first time are taking seeds right out of the feeder.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM Aimée Sands <amsproductions...> wrote:
You’re right and I hadn’t noticed! The juncoes are suddenly gone! It seemed they were here for an exceptionally long time. And it does seem they left the day the white throated sparrow arrived here in JP.Aimée Sands
On Apr 18, 2025, at 9:01 AM, Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote:
Hi All,
We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter, sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing, and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride out on the warm air the last few days?
I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds, I thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID, even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall them in the kind of numbers we had juncos.
Safe travels friends!
Matt SNewton, <NHAccipiter22...>
Date: 4/19/25 6:32 am From: Lynette Leka <lynetteleka...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
Newbury, MA, on the coast - after a winter of sparse Junco sightings here and there, a week ago they were suddenly plentiful in my yard, and is still the case...
------------------------------------
(by)..."not noticing birds in one's daily environment, one misses a whole segment of life on earth that can deliver joy every day." Bruce M. Beehler, 2019
Lynette Leka
Newbury, MA 01951
email: <lynette.leka...>
On Friday, April 18, 2025 at 08:42:44 PM EDT, Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> wrote:
Also foy chipping sp
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 7:31 PM Liz Pease <lizpease...> wrote:
Still here today in Salisbury, though definitely in smaller numbers. Thanks for inspiring me to go take a close look Matt!
Liz <Peaselizpease...> MA
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 6:34 PM Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> wrote:
Mine are still here and for the first time are taking seeds right out of the feeder.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM Aimée Sands <amsproductions...> wrote:
You’re right and I hadn’t noticed! The juncoes are suddenly gone! It seemed they were here for an exceptionally long time. And it does seem they left the day the white throated sparrow arrived here in JP.Aimée Sands
On Apr 18, 2025, at 9:01 AM, Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote:
Hi All,
We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter, sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing, and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride out on the warm air the last few days?
I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds, I thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID, even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall them in the kind of numbers we had juncos.
Safe travels friends!
Matt SNewton, <NHAccipiter22...>
Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 8.75 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Bob Mallet, Eric Mueller, Ernie Leblanc, Evan Lipton, Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain, Steve Farrell, Tom Gottschang
Weather: Clear skies to start with some clouds increasing in the afternoon. Winds were from the South 0-20mph with gusts to 28. Temps ranged from 34'-66'F. Visibility was good with distant haze.
Raptor Observations: TV's left their roosts as expected between the 7-8 hour period. Broad Wings ruled the day as we had small kettles of 8-20 come thru at height. This continued well into the afternoon. We had our first migrating Peregrine of the count this season. Local Broad Wings have arrived and are establishing territory. Local Raptors: TV-24, OS-1, BE-4, CH-2, BW-7, RT-6
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-92, D.C.Cormorant-62, G.B.Heron-3, R.B.Gull-7, Mourning Dove-2, D.Woodpecker-1,Y.B.Sapsucker-1, C.Flicker-2, E.Phoebe-1, Raven-3, C.Crow-2, Blue Jay-5, Fish Crow-1, Rough Winged Swallow-2, Tree Swallow-11, Swallow species-9, Purple Martin-1, B.C.Chickadee-1, T.Titmouse-1, W.B.Nuthatch-1, A.Robin-10, E.Bluebird-2, Starling-75+/-, H.Sparrow-10, Song Sparrow-2, W.T.Sparrow-1, Field Sparrow-1, N.Cardinal-2, A.Goldfinch-1, H.Finch-1, D.E.Junco-1,C.Grackle-1, B.H.Cowbird-11 Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies; warm with a high of 79'F. Southwest winds 9-15mph with gusts as high as 28mph. Possible showers. This looks like a good forecast to garner a lot more migrating Broad Wing Hawks. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Date: 4/18/25 5:45 pm From: Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
Also foy chipping sp
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 7:31 PM Liz Pease <lizpease...> wrote:
> Still here today in Salisbury, though definitely in smaller numbers.
> Thanks for inspiring me to go take a close look Matt!
>
> Liz Pease
> <lizpease...>
> Salisbury MA
>
> On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 6:34 PM Dorothy Anderson <
> <andersondorothy72...> wrote:
>
>> Mine are still here and for the first time are taking seeds right out of
>> the feeder.
>> On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM Aimée Sands <amsproductions...>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> You’re right and I hadn’t noticed! The juncoes are suddenly gone! It
>>> seemed they were here for an exceptionally long time. And it does seem
>>> they left the day the white throated sparrow arrived here in JP.
>>> Aimée Sands
>>>
>>> On Apr 18, 2025, at 9:01 AM, Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter,
>>> sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing,
>>> and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It
>>> makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I
>>> noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals
>>> and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator
>>> nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no
>>> juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The
>>> world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were
>>> still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've
>>> been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a
>>> couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride
>>> out on the warm air the last few days?
>>>
>>> I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds,
>>> I thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that
>>> came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID,
>>> even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in
>>> the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I
>>> would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was
>>> equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall
>>> them in the kind of numbers we had juncos.
>>>
>>> Safe travels friends!
>>>
>>> Matt S
>>> Newton, NH
>>> <Accipiter22...>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
> --
> Liz Pease
> (she, her, hers)
>
>
Date: 4/18/25 5:31 pm From: GLENN D'ENTREMONT <gdentremont1...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
Yes, the absence of sound is deafening! I have two days in a calendar year which I dislike: the first will make sense to most-the first Monday evening in November after the clocks move back and driving home in the dark.
The second one is equally as ominous to me; August 1. That's the day the birds go silent. August becomes the month of insects-katydids, crickets, cicadas, a constant din, but more subtle than the in your face bird song. One has to wait until late February to begin to get a daily dose of bird song.
Glenn
Glenn d'Entremont: <gdentremont1...> Stoughton, MA
> On 04/18/2025 9:01 AM EDT Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote: > > > Hi All, > > We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter, sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing, and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride out on the warm air the last few days? > > I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds, I thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID, even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall them in the kind of numbers we had juncos. > > Safe travels friends! > > Matt S > Newton, NH > <Accipiter22...> mailto:<Accipiter22...> >
Date: 4/18/25 4:25 pm From: Liz Pease <lizpease...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
Still here today in Salisbury, though definitely in smaller numbers.
Thanks for inspiring me to go take a close look Matt!
Liz Pease
<lizpease...>
Salisbury MA
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 6:34 PM Dorothy Anderson <
<andersondorothy72...> wrote:
> Mine are still here and for the first time are taking seeds right out of
> the feeder.
> On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM Aimée Sands <amsproductions...>
> wrote:
>
>> You’re right and I hadn’t noticed! The juncoes are suddenly gone! It
>> seemed they were here for an exceptionally long time. And it does seem
>> they left the day the white throated sparrow arrived here in JP.
>> Aimée Sands
>>
>> On Apr 18, 2025, at 9:01 AM, Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter,
>> sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing,
>> and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It
>> makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I
>> noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals
>> and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator
>> nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no
>> juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The
>> world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were
>> still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've
>> been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a
>> couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride
>> out on the warm air the last few days?
>>
>> I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds, I
>> thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that
>> came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID,
>> even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in
>> the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I
>> would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was
>> equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall
>> them in the kind of numbers we had juncos.
>>
>> Safe travels friends!
>>
>> Matt S
>> Newton, NH
>> <Accipiter22...>
>>
>>
>>
Date: 4/18/25 3:15 pm From: <blafley...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
Date: 4/18/25 2:45 pm From: Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
Mine are still here and for the first time are taking seeds right out of
the feeder.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 5:05 PM Aimée Sands <amsproductions...>
wrote:
> You’re right and I hadn’t noticed! The juncoes are suddenly gone! It
> seemed they were here for an exceptionally long time. And it does seem
> they left the day the white throated sparrow arrived here in JP.
> Aimée Sands
>
> On Apr 18, 2025, at 9:01 AM, Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter,
> sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing,
> and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It
> makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I
> noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals
> and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator
> nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no
> juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The
> world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were
> still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've
> been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a
> couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride
> out on the warm air the last few days?
>
> I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds, I
> thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that
> came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID,
> even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in
> the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I
> would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was
> equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall
> them in the kind of numbers we had juncos.
>
> Safe travels friends!
>
> Matt S
> Newton, NH
> <Accipiter22...>
>
>
>
Date: 4/18/25 1:57 pm From: Aimée Sands <amsproductions...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
You’re right and I hadn’t noticed! The juncoes are suddenly gone! It seemed they were here for an exceptionally long time. And it does seem they left the day the white throated sparrow arrived here in JP.
Aimée Sands
> On Apr 18, 2025, at 9:01 AM, Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter, sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing, and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride out on the warm air the last few days?
>
> I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds, I thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID, even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall them in the kind of numbers we had juncos.
>
> Safe travels friends!
>
> Matt S
> Newton, NH
> <Accipiter22...> <mailto:<Accipiter22...>
Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 10:00:00 Total observation time: 2.25 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Dick Hughes, Harry Wales
Visitors: Marge Watson, Tom Graham and Gary Herritz. Gary was an experienced hawk watcher in southern Arizona and has now relocated here on the North Shore. Gary plans to join our hawk watch team, and he'll be a welcome addition.
Weather: A very weak west wind was overcome by a strong onshore breeze just before 10:00 AM EST.
Raptor Observations: We recorded 6 migrants today: 2 NH (one of them an adult male), 2 Sharp-shins, 1 TV and 1 UR. The Sharp-shins were at least 1 thousand feet up and spiraling upward before peeling off to the north.
Raptors that were seen but failed to migrate: 6 TV, Several local OS and 2 NH.
Non-raptor Observations: Other birds: First Willet of the season arrived. Blue Jays, Flickers, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Killdeer.
Predictions: Southwest winds turning to WSW in afternoon and of sufficient velocity to push migrants up against the coast. Many of our best Sharp-shin days at Plum Island have been when the wind is out of the southwest. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Date: 4/18/25 11:29 am From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] whisper-outs to Strickland and Matt
Thanks Fred! It's always so nice to hear from you...hope you are well!
On Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 8:37 AM Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...>
wrote:
> Dear Strickland and Matt
> Thanks for your eloquent appreciations for our Birding Obsession.
> I got bit much later in life, but share our mutual joy and enthusiasm.
> Fred Bouchard
> psst! no shouting! there's birds nearby.
> --
> <frederickbouchard...>
>
Date: 4/18/25 10:19 am From: Toshia McCabe <toshia...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Public comment period for phase 1 report on SGARs in MA
The Massachusetts State Pesticide Subcommittee recently hired an independent party to review data on the impact of second generation rodenticides (SGARs) on non-target species. The issue at hand is that SGARs have become a popular rat poison, and they are getting into the ecosystem -- killing eagles, owls, hawks, foxes, and other animals at an alarming rate. The phase 1 report is out, and they are taking public comments until 5pm on April 30.
Phase 1 is the first of two which will outline the approach to be taken and identifies all resources that will be considered for the scientific review. This includes listing out stakeholder groups, literature/research and other information that will be reviewed.
Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Brian Rusnica, Chris Floyd, Chris Godrey, Dick Hughes, Jerry Bertrand, John Cannizzo, Josh Bock, Judd Nathan, Kathryn Chihowski, Tom Wetmore
Visitors: Visitors: Andrea Cannizzo, Cindy Gimbert, Bob Groskin, Jodie Krisiak, Jerry Chen.
Our observers crew today: Chris Godfrey, Brian Rusnica, Tom Wetmore, Kathryn Chihowski, Josh Bock, Jerry Bertrand, John Cannizzo, Dick Hughes, Judd Nathan and Bob Secatore.
Weather: Strong NW and WNW winds all day with temps 42 to 54 deg F. Almost zero cloud cover all day.
Raptor Observations: We recorded 84 migrants today including 2 TV, 11 NH, 16 SS, 2 CH, 46 AK, 5 ML, 1 UF and 1 UR. As expected with these high wind speeds, most migrants were flying at low altitudes. A total of 9 adult male NH passed through.
Raptors seen but failed to migrate: 2 adult BE, several NH, several TV and one Red-tail.
Non-raptor Observations: Other birds: 1 Glossy Ibis, many Tree Swallows and 1 Barn Swallow, 1 Rough-winged Swallow, 100+ DC Cormorants, 2 Purple Martins that passed through, 26 Fish Crows, 1 Raven, Flickers.
Predictions: SW, south and SSW winds, weak early on but increasing in the afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Date: 4/18/25 6:07 am From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] April 18, 205, Newton (NH): Did folks notice that a lot of juncos had departed, yesterday?
Hi All,
We've had at least 10 juncos, give or take, in our yard all winter, sometimes much more. For the past six weeks or so they've been singing, and the past few weeks it's been a constant high-pitched trilling roar. It makes the yard more exciting, I think. Yesterday when I stepped outside I noticed a complete silence, accented by the fact that even the cardinals and various finches weren't singing either. I figured there was a predator nearby, as I went about my yard, some things called here or there, but no juncos. The absence of their song was loud, if that makes sense. The world seemed a little stiller without their song. I noticed a couple were still here, pursuing each other aggressively around the yard as they've been doing, but through the several hours I was outside I only noticed a couple bars of song from them. Anyone else have their yard juncos ride out on the warm air the last few days?
I always enjoy juncos, when I was young and still learning about birds, I thought it was interesting that southward migration included birds that came south to New England for the winter. Juncos were a pretty easy ID, even for a kid, and a book I read said that Native American populations in the area called them snowbirds, since they usually portended winter. I would track how many weeks they arrived before first snow hit. I was equally excited by white-throated sparrows coming in, but I don't recall them in the kind of numbers we had juncos.
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Bob Mallet, Dave Small, Donna Blasko, Ernie Leblanc, Jack Miano, Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain, Tom Gottschang
Weather: Clear skies with spring like temps between 41'-60'F. Winds were WNW 8-18mph with gusts as high as 30. Visibility was excellent.
Raptor Observations: The West winds and warming sunshine had migrating Raptors on the move early once again. BW's in singles and doubles filed thru today in modest numbers. It took a little while, but we had a handful of Osprey make their way North as well. TV's left their roosts early with the sun and breeze. Local Raptors: TV-28, OS-1, BE-6, SS-2, CH-4, BW-4, RT-8
Non-raptor Observations: D.C.Cormorant-7, G.B.Heron-1, Raven-4, C.Crow-2, Fish Crow-2, Blue Jay-3, Tree Swallow-5, Starling- 50+/-, House Sparrow-12+/-, W.B.Nuthatch-1, Song Sparrow-2, N.Cardinal-2, D.E.Junco-2, C.Grackle-23, B.H.Cowbird-3
Predictions: Increasing clouds with a high near 65'F. Light South wind increasing to 8-13mph in the morning. Should be another good opportunity to count migrating Raptors. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Date: 4/17/25 4:54 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] The Gateway to Conservation Action Scott & Amy Weidensaul, Newburyport, 4/27
Thanks to Lance Hidy and the Eastern Mass Hawkwatch for this announcement.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
+
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:00:56 -0400 (EDT) From: EasternMass HawkWatch <e.masshawkwatch...> Subject: Birds, The Gateway to Conservation Action Scott & Amy Weidensaul, Newburyport, 4/27
Hello,
You are cordially invited to an Earth Month event to meet Scott Weidensaul, author of nearly 30 books on natural history, including Pulitzer Prize finalist Living on the Wind, and his latest, the NYTimes bestseller A World on the Wing, and Dr. Amy Weidensaul, ecologist and educator, and MassAudubon's Senior Director of Sanctuaries. Dr. Weidensaul's work on the North Shore has included the Joppa Flats Education Center and Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary.
Their topic will be:
Birds: the Gateway to Conservation Action. Scott will explore what makes birds among the most fascinating and compelling of all creatures, while Amy will discuss using birds as a springboard for engaging new communities with nature conservation and environmental activism.
Free, open to the public 1:00 p.m., Sunday, April 27, 2025 First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist 26 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, Massachusetts
It will be followed at 2:00 by a reception with the Weidensauls -an opportunity for local environmentalists to meet each other and network.
Jabberwocky Bookstore will have a table with a selection of Scott's books for signing and purchase.
Please join us, and share this information with others whom you think might be interested to attend.
Sincerely, Lance Hidy Green Team, First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist
Of related interest, a recent review of Scott's childrens book, A Warbler's Journey, with painter Nancy Lane
Date: 4/17/25 3:53 pm From: <environment...> <environment...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Hermit Thrushes descend on Boston
Dave Peterson, Rockport - This morning walking along the Rose Kennedy Greenway I had a count of 50 hermit thrushes (pls 5 at Columbus Park and 5 at Post Office Square). They were everywhere. On one section of lawn there were at least a dozen visible at the same time. Also had 6 sapsuckers, a fox sparrow (right next to a hermit thrush for comparison), a towhee, and a good number of white throated and song sparrows.
I had a thrush this morning that was pale olive-brown with no differentiation between back and rump/tail; no tail pumping; indistinct spotting at throat and upper breast only, and light facial patterning (no ‘spectacles’, so not seeming to be a Swainson’s.) It looked mostly like a pale Hermit thrush with no warm tail color, or a washed-out brownish Veery. Any thoughts? It crossed my yard and kept going, so I didn’t get an extended look.
Date: 4/17/25 1:08 pm From: Edward Crowley <3edwardcrowley...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Video journal from Arlington Reservoir, spring 2020
Thank you !!
On Thu, Apr 17, 2025, 10:00 AM Childs, Jackson <jchilds...>
wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I went to the reservoir in Arlington a lot in the spring of 2020. I have
> finally put together a video compilation if you are interested:
>
> https://youtu.be/S8KNiyaTSZo >
> Thank you,
> Jackson Childs
> Arlington, MA
>
Date: 4/17/25 11:32 am From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] 4/17 Broad-winged Hawk at McLaughlin Woods, Etc.
Thanks to Paul Peterson for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2025 18:00:25 +0000 (UTC) From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63...> Subject: 4/17 Broad-winged Hawk at McLaughlin Woods, Etc.
I birded here and at Iroquois St. Woods from 9:15-12:00. The Broad-winged Hawk came through at 10:00, and was immediately harassed by a few unrelenting crows. Poor hawk:
Double-crested Cormorant 1 Broad-winged Hawk 1 See Above FOY Cooper's Hawk 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 5 those wacky woodpeckers! comical Northern Flicker 3+ those wacky woodpeckers comical Eastern Phoebe 3 Brown Creeper 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 Winter Wren 1 Hermit Thrush 10 Swamp Sparrow 2 one singing Fox Sparrow 3+ one singing Song Sparrow 14 White-throated Sparrow 7 Dark-eyed Junco 12 Eastern Towhee 1
Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Chris Godrey, David Goodine, John Cannizzo, Judd Nathan, Julie Roberts, Kathryn Chihowski, Paul Roberts, Peter Duffy, Ursula Goodine
Visitors: Visitors: Andrea Cannizzo, Andy Sandberg, Ken Mirman, John Raleigh, David Kemp and Jodie Krisiak
Our observers today: Chris Godfrey, Paul and Julie Roberts, Kathryn Chihowski, Dave and Ursula Goodine, Judd Nathan, John Cannizzo and Bob Secatore
Weather: Fairly stiff west winds throughout the watch period with temps in the low to mid 40's and considerable cloud cover all day.
Raptor Observations: We recorded 102 migrants today: 9 NH, 11 SS, 3 CH, 75 AK and 4 ML. Actually, given the strong west winds, we had anticipated better migrant numbers today, especially a higher Kestrel count. This shortcoming was somewhat offset by the 11 Sharp-shins that showed up and some nice views of them and the several adult male Harriers that passed through. Give these wind speeds, most of the migrants understandably went through at low elevations.
Raptors that were seen but failed to migrate: An adult BE, 6 OS, several NH, a kiting Red-tail and several TVs.
Non-raptor Observations: Other birds: 5 Northern Gannets, at least 100 Flickers, several flocks of Double-crested Cormorants , one numbering 35 or more birds.
Predictions: WNW winds between 10 to 20 mph with temps in the low 40's to mid-50's deg Fahrenheit under sunny skies. So, prospects are very favorable. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Eric Mueller, Ernie Leblanc, Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain, Mark Morris, Tom Gottschang
Visitors: David Small
Weather: Overcast skies throughout duration with a consistent moderate West wind 10-18mph with gusts to 35mph. Temps were chilly and ranged from 39'-46'F. Visibility was excellent. Raptor Observations: Migrating Raptors were on the move early with the West wind in place at dawn. Broad Wings came bounding thru our site tacking and peeling at low to medium height. We had a smattering of other species come thru in much smaller numbers. Local Raptors: TV-13, OS-1, BE-4, SS-2, CH-3, BW-1, RT-8, Non-raptor Observations: Canada Goose-4, D.C.Cormorant-2, G.B.Heron-2, Mourning Dove-3, Raven-5, C.Crow-2, Fish Crow-2, Blue Jay-5, Tree Swallow-2, A.Robin-28, E.Bluebird-1, Starling-130+/-, House Sparrow-15+/-, Song Sparrow-3, W.T.Sparrow-1, B.H.Cowbird-7
Predictions: The weather forecast calls for sunny skies and a bit milder temps with a high of 55'F. Winds will be from the NW 8-11mph with gusts as high 23mph. There should be good Raptor movement migrating by our site again tomorrow. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Date: 4/16/25 5:24 am From: Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] whisper-outs to Strickland and Matt
Dear Strickland and Matt Thanks for your eloquent appreciations for our Birding Obsession. I got bit much later in life, but share our mutual joy and enthusiasm. Fred Bouchard psst! no shouting! there's birds nearby. -- <frederickbouchard...>
Date: 4/15/25 7:33 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] from Strickland Wheelock
I loved Strickland's post, it got me thinking...
1. We have the same spark bird. My most vivid early memory of birds was
the Evening Grosbeaks that would visit a feeder we had attached to a window
of our apartment, around the time I was 4 (mid-1980s). I'd get up early in
the morning and the sun shining would cast the shadows of the Grosbeaks against
the shade that was still closed. I would always peer around it, and they
were so tame. Even with the shade up you could sit on the couch right in
front of the window just inches away from these big boisterous yellow
birds. I didn't know they were an irruptive species at the time, they were
so frequent in the first few winters of my life. I used to sit there
watching them feed on the plank of wood we had attached to the outside
windowsill. I still remember the feeling of the window's old pane of glass
pressed up against my nose as I tried to get as close as I could to the
birds. I only saw them again in the mid-1990s one time at our house after
we moved, a horde of them visited one day. I've never seen them since. I
miss them quite a bit, I wish I could see them again.
2. I'm obsessed with the passage of time and watching the woods or just
nature change around us season to season year to year. I remember Mass
Audubon used to have these nature calendars on the back cover of their
magazine they sent out. I remember pouring over that as a child whenever
they would come in the mail. I would wonder what of those animals or plants
I would be able to observe; I can still remember sitting on the back porch
of our apartment in Westfield and thinking about it excitedly. Birding is
a great marker of that time; who is coming, who is calling, who is going,
first visits of year, then looking back and figuring out which sighting was
last of the year or spring or whatever. Hearing a Wood Pewee call and
realizing that spring migration is winding down or pretty much over, but
somehow hearing that bird call makes it feel ok, because everything is
complete and the birds are off starting their families, the Pewee the
sentinel of that season. Hearing a mourning dove call in the dog days of
summer and feeling just as languorous. Late summer, and after the jays
have gone cryptically quiet for breeding, you hear the first band of them
start raising a ruckus and realize that summer is almost at an end.
Really, birding is like taking care of a garden; in every season and every
month and even every week something is going on. I'm grateful to birds for
being my little chronospheres.
3. I think Strickland is spot-on, birding keeps you spry. You get out, you
get exercise, you become familiar with some spots, and after a couple years
you start to notice the patterns in them...what trees blossom first, or
show buds before others, what animals behave or plants grow differently in
your little corner of the world than they do in others, etc. all while
experiencing the natural world around you. I could think of worse ways to
spend a life.
4. I actually remember when I started becoming more "adult", as an
11-year-old, and again it was birds that showed me I was growing. I had
already been recording bird sightings for several years, but suddenly I
realized my ID skills were improving massively, I started picking out
details more, and reading everything I could about their behavior (the
Stokes' Guide to Bird Behavior is still my favorite series of books of any
kind, it immeasurably increased the depth of my observations). Around this
time, one of my strongest childhood memories is going to Mass Audubon's
Arcadia (or maybe Laughing Brook) and getting a copy of Birds of
Massachusetts that was autographed by Wayne Peterson and Barry Van Dusen.
I just found the book, it was October 24, 1993. Lots of water over the dam
since then...I remember the ride in the car up to the sanctuary as well,
and after, holding that book in my hands, with this collective knowledge of
the birds around me, I still can't describe what I felt. Here are the
autographs:
5. Leading walks and meeting people on them has been such a fun time; up
until maybe 10 years ago I largely birded by myself. I would bump into
people and knew a few of them, but nothing like now. I enjoyed bumping
into people out in the field and putting them on some bird, and groups take
that to the next level. As Tom Wetmore says: Birds are best when shared.
Seeing my daughter take to gardening (she can rake like nobody's business
now, and really do everything I can do, just in tinier form) and the woods
and all animals with unconditional fascination has been another great
reward. Yesterday, as we dug holes to plant raspberries, and I uncovered
some grubs. She was not grossed out, she wanted to know what they were:
"What's that grub-grub doin??" She loves all nature. My parents shared it
with me, now i get to share nature and birds especially with her. I love
seeing her light up, and if she asks to go outside to see something I never
say no, ever.
6. I was the youngest person on most of my birding activities / trips for a
good chunk of my life. Now I'm middle of the pack. I miss folks. I miss
emailing with David Brown, I miss bumping into Doug Chickering. After we
moved out of our apartment when I was a kid, we moved to Southwick out in
the country, there was this guy, Seth Kellogg in the town, right near us.
He was a big birder, I never went to his house though, I regret that.
Also, one day driving through Connecticut, where my mom is from, she asked
if I wanted to visit Roger Tory Peterson's house to see if he was there and
would say hi. I was WAY too intimidated and said no. I definitely regret
that too.
We put out feeders, or make habitats for them in our yard, or fight for
them and their preservation, but I don't feel like I am ever going to be
able to repay them for all the joy they bring to me and my family and
friends.
Matt Sabourin
<Accipiter22...>
Newton, NH
On Tue, Apr 15, 2025 at 8:23 PM Barbara Volkle <barb620...> wrote:
> Thanks to Strickland Wheelock for this post.
>
> Barbara Volkle
> Northborough, MA
> <barb620...>
>
> *
>
>
> Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2025 21:18:32 +0000 (UTC)
> From: Strickland Wheelock <skwheelock...>
> Subject: MIME-Version: 1.0
>
>
> Early this morning as I laid in bed, I began reflecting on all the
> positives in my life that birding has brought me and others -
> fortunately I really couldn't find any negatives outside of maybe
> explaining to your partner that I am heading out to bird & will be back
> later to do the yard work or whatever.Here are the reflections in no
> particular order:
>
> 1 - Lifetime Passion -For me at 7 years old [73 yrs back] watching
> Evening Grosbeaks swarming at the feeders, I was hooked and hooked to
> this day. I find such enjoyment still with our expected birds at the
> feeders or in the field in NE - naturally I love traveling to various
> habitats around the country and CR to see/enjoy all their species, learn
> all their songs & habitat locations - climbing mountains to see the
> Himalayan Snowcocks, taking pelagic trips to see all the specialized
> species living out there, hiking the tundra in Alaska, traveling to
> countries like CR to find another hundred+ species totally new to me -
> there is no end to this passion, the excitement & discovery for me that
> I can find each day.For many this passion comes at different ages -
> example folks retiring and looking for something to do & discovering
> birding as an exciting hobby. One of my joys is meeting so many folks on
> our birding trips from Drumlin Farm - college, working folks, retirees -
> all ages from total beginners to experienced birders seeking to
> learn/enjoy all that birding can offer. The fun part for me & my
> coleaders is showing them many species on each trip but teaching them
> all the ID skills on why that species is that species.
> 2 - Friendships - I feel blessed that over the years having met hundreds
> of wonderful folks on these birding trips - that is the beauty of
> birding, everyone is excited to be out in the field even on crappy
> weather days - ideally nice weather birding days are better. So many
> friendships have developed from these birding trips where folks develop
> connections with other birders that last for a lifetime like my birding
> roommate from college.
> 3 - Health - Birding gets us outside year around - lots of walking esp.
> when banding, early morning fresh air, working the brain as learn all
> the birdsongs & call notes [no Merlin], how to separate confusing
> species in the field [especially those fall HY migrants].
> 4 - Research - one highlight for me is being a Master Bander & the
> research that goes with it. Each spring and fall, my special team of
> volunteers band at West Hill Dam and later in the fall we band at a
> special private property managed for birds, butterflies, etc. The
> knowledge in extracting these many species from the mist nets from
> hummingbirds to occasionally raptors take lots of practice as the
> volunteers have learned, then IDing the species in the hand can be a
> challenge like flycatchers, fall HY warblers, follow that with knowing
> how to age knowing molt limits & other keys, then band & release. Each
> year, we recapture x number of returns from previous years [6+ yrs]
> which is exciting. Between the 2 locations, we capture around 700 to 800
> birds - wide range of species plus always surprises like the Dickcissel
> this past spring and the Chat the previous fall. Each net run is so
> exciting not knowing if you have orioles, warblers, vireos, woodpeckers,
> sparrows, flycatchers, chickadees or titmouse awaiting you. Always a
> highlight is when school groups [3rd & 4th graders] join us when
> banding, watching their excitement, hearing all their questions -
> opening up a new world for them.
> Summary - Look forward to each season with all the special species they
> bring - love the competition aspect like Birdathon & Superbowl of
> Birding - appreciate how birders at a site will gladly point out a
> rarity to a new group - love all the friendships created by birding -
> for all those blessed with the passion for birding, how fortunate we are!!
>
> Strickland Wheelock
> Uxbridge MA
>
Date: 4/15/25 5:29 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] little gray guys
Thanks to Richard George for this post.
Massbird can't forward the image Richard provided, so contact him directly if you wish to see a copy.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
From: Richard George <richard...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] little gray guys Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2025 07:47:10 -0400
While audio detection devices always needs treating with caution (mine insists I already have Hummingbirds), I=E2=80=99ve now had a Haikubox detector running in my backyard for over 18 months, and it produces some interesting data on Junco detections. Glenn's date of May First looks to match last year's data, and if that pattern follows, we might really be trading Juncos for Hummingbirds in the next week or two.
(Image description: a three-year graph of song detections of Dark-eyed Junco. The data starts mid-2023 and the first rise each year is in October. Spring 2024 shows a distinct peak in early April, dropping to near-zero by the last week of the month. However, the data from late 2024 to early 2025 shows noticeably higher levels, and no significant drop yet).
Early this morning as I laid in bed, I began reflecting on all the positives in my life that birding has brought me and others - fortunately I really couldn't find any negatives outside of maybe explaining to your partner that I am heading out to bird & will be back later to do the yard work or whatever.Here are the reflections in no particular order:
1 - Lifetime Passion -For me at 7 years old [73 yrs back] watching Evening Grosbeaks swarming at the feeders, I was hooked and hooked to this day. I find such enjoyment still with our expected birds at the feeders or in the field in NE - naturally I love traveling to various habitats around the country and CR to see/enjoy all their species, learn all their songs & habitat locations - climbing mountains to see the Himalayan Snowcocks, taking pelagic trips to see all the specialized species living out there, hiking the tundra in Alaska, traveling to countries like CR to find another hundred+ species totally new to me - there is no end to this passion, the excitement & discovery for me that I can find each day.For many this passion comes at different ages - example folks retiring and looking for something to do & discovering birding as an exciting hobby. One of my joys is meeting so many folks on our birding trips from Drumlin Farm - college, working folks, retirees - all ages from total beginners to experienced birders seeking to learn/enjoy all that birding can offer. The fun part for me & my coleaders is showing them many species on each trip but teaching them all the ID skills on why that species is that species. 2 - Friendships - I feel blessed that over the years having met hundreds of wonderful folks on these birding trips - that is the beauty of birding, everyone is excited to be out in the field even on crappy weather days - ideally nice weather birding days are better. So many friendships have developed from these birding trips where folks develop connections with other birders that last for a lifetime like my birding roommate from college. 3 - Health - Birding gets us outside year around - lots of walking esp. when banding, early morning fresh air, working the brain as learn all the birdsongs & call notes [no Merlin], how to separate confusing species in the field [especially those fall HY migrants]. 4 - Research - one highlight for me is being a Master Bander & the research that goes with it. Each spring and fall, my special team of volunteers band at West Hill Dam and later in the fall we band at a special private property managed for birds, butterflies, etc. The knowledge in extracting these many species from the mist nets from hummingbirds to occasionally raptors take lots of practice as the volunteers have learned, then IDing the species in the hand can be a challenge like flycatchers, fall HY warblers, follow that with knowing how to age knowing molt limits & other keys, then band & release. Each year, we recapture x number of returns from previous years [6+ yrs] which is exciting. Between the 2 locations, we capture around 700 to 800 birds - wide range of species plus always surprises like the Dickcissel this past spring and the Chat the previous fall. Each net run is so exciting not knowing if you have orioles, warblers, vireos, woodpeckers, sparrows, flycatchers, chickadees or titmouse awaiting you. Always a highlight is when school groups [3rd & 4th graders] join us when banding, watching their excitement, hearing all their questions - opening up a new world for them. Summary - Look forward to each season with all the special species they bring - love the competition aspect like Birdathon & Superbowl of Birding - appreciate how birders at a site will gladly point out a rarity to a new group - love all the friendships created by birding - for all those blessed with the passion for birding, how fortunate we are!!
Date: 4/15/25 4:58 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Special Day at McLaughlin and Iroquois St. Woods Today
Thanks to Paul Peterson for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:38:51 +0000 (UTC) From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63...> Subject: Special Day at McLaughlin and Iroquois St. Woods Today.
There obviously was a bottleneck, with all the birds being kept back due to all the inclement weather. That certainly changed overnight. I birded from 8:00-12:06:
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Wild Turkey 4 American Woodcock 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 10 Northern Flicker 6?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??impossible to count -restless Eastern Phoebe 3 Common Raven 1 Fish Crow 1 Brown Creeper 1 Winter Wren 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1+ Golden-crowned Kinglet 2 Hermit Thrush 18everywhere Palm Warbler 1 F.O.Y. PINE WARBLER 2 personal record for here Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 Fox Sparrow 10 everywhere SWAMP SPARROW 5 personal record for here Savannah Sparrow 2 Song Sparrow 50 Eastern Towhee 2 Dark-eyed Junco 8
Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 14:30:00 Total observation time: 7.75 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris, Ted Purcell
Observers: Eric Mueller, Ernie Leblanc, Joanne Hart, Joe Fountain, Tom Gottschang
Weather: Clear skies to start with increasing clouds, then showers in the afternoon. Winds were calm to 13mph from the WSW and temps ranged from 48'-67'F. Visibility was good to fair as haze increased through out duration.
Raptor Observations: Osprey continue to move North thru our site in good numbers. We had another solid day with a mixed bag of 9 different species migrating. Broad Wings are starting to increase as we expect higher totals this week. Had some Falcon movement in the afternoon as we counted 4 Merlin and 1 Kestrel. Local Raptors: TV-42-, BE-6, CH-1, BW-1, RT-7, AK-2
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-1, Duck Species-4, G.B.Heron-1, Mourning Dove-3, Pileated Woodpecker-2, D.Woodpecker-1, N.Flicker-4, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, E.Phoebe-1, Raven-4, C.Crow-1, Fish Crow-1, Tree Swallow-5, Carolina Wren-1, B.C.Chickadee-2, A.Robin-7, E.Bluebird-2, Cedar Waxwing-1, Starling-75+/-, House Sparrow-15+/-, N.Cardinal-2, Song Sparrow-4, W.T. Sparrow-2, Field Sparrow-1, D.E.Junco-1, House Finch-1, A.Goldfinch-1, R.W.Blackbird-5, B.H.Cowbird-2
Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast calls for partly sunny skies and winds from the West 13-17mph with gusts to 32mph. Cool with a high of 47'F. There should be birds moving North again. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Date: 4/15/25 3:30 pm From: Paul Guidetti <guidettipaul...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] T 4/15/25 Backyard Raptor Migration (Townsend, MA)
Similar sighting (but far fewer) of raptors moving just as the front arrived. About 30 birds with about 80/20 split of red tailed and broad wing.
Fun to watch! Paul Guidetti Westford MA
On Tue, Apr 15, 2025 at 6:05 PM Brian Rusnica <velocicrafter...> wrote:
> I had a very nice push of 200+ Broad-winged Hawks and 11 Osprey just > before the front rolled through at 4:30pm here in Townsend, MA. > > Starting around 3pm, the skies up over my yard clouded up just enough that > I began picking out tiny streaming specks, shooting to the NE, starting > with Osprey and eventually getting my first Broad-wing of the year. Over > the next 90 minutes, the flight slowly built as the front approached, with > skies darkening and the wind picking up, pushing the birds due East with a > vengeance. Singles became doubles, and the flight crescendoed with a > stream of 68 Broad-wings together! > > The flight abruptly ended as the front arrived at 4:30 with some big rain > drops. All together, I had 227 Broad-wings, 11 Osprey, 2 American Kestrels, > 1 Sharpie, 1 Coop, and 1 Gray Ghost (ad M Northern Harrier). Appearances > from the locals included 3 Red-shouldered Hawks, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Bald > Eagle and 2 Turkey Vulture. > > In the yard today, I made it up to 41 species with several FOYs including > Barn Swallow, Palm + Pine Warbler, and Double-crested Cormorant migrant > flyovers. > > https://ebird.org/checklist/S225923300 > > Brian Rusnica > Townsend, MA > President, Eastern Mass Hawk Watch >
Date: 4/15/25 2:55 pm From: Brian Rusnica <velocicrafter...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] T 4/15/25 Backyard Raptor Migration (Townsend, MA)
I had a very nice push of 200+ Broad-winged Hawks and 11 Osprey just before the front rolled through at 4:30pm here in Townsend, MA.
Starting around 3pm, the skies up over my yard clouded up just enough that I began picking out tiny streaming specks, shooting to the NE, starting with Osprey and eventually getting my first Broad-wing of the year. Over the next 90 minutes, the flight slowly built as the front approached, with skies darkening and the wind picking up, pushing the birds due East with a vengeance. Singles became doubles, and the flight crescendoed with a stream of 68 Broad-wings together!
The flight abruptly ended as the front arrived at 4:30 with some big rain drops. All together, I had 227 Broad-wings, 11 Osprey, 2 American Kestrels, 1 Sharpie, 1 Coop, and 1 Gray Ghost (ad M Northern Harrier). Appearances from the locals included 3 Red-shouldered Hawks, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Bald Eagle and 2 Turkey Vulture.
In the yard today, I made it up to 41 species with several FOYs including Barn Swallow, Palm + Pine Warbler, and Double-crested Cormorant migrant flyovers.
Hard to say if it is early for Merlin. I checked my sightings for Franklin County and I had two sightings in December, one in late February and two in late March. They are more likely to be encountered during migration from late March into April. I think Merlins have really increased in numbers over the past 5-10 years and others may have thoughts on this too. 20+ years ago Merlin sightings were somewhat rare (at least for me).
Bill Lafley New Salem <blafley...>
> On Apr 14, 2025, at 3:26 PM, Nikos Kazantzakis <kazantzakis83...> wrote: > > > I watched a merlin hunting over a field at Bennett Meadows Wildlife Management Area (in Northfield? Gill?) on the bank of the Connecticut River for about 5 minutes this afternoon before it flew off toward the north. How early is this for merlin in the spring? > > Thanks! > > Nikos > Sullivan, NH
Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 14:15:00 Total observation time: 7.25 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris
Observers: Bob Mallet, Eric Mueller, Ernie Leblanc, Greg McGuane, Jack Miano, Jean Hampel, Jeff Johnstone, Joanne Hart, Ted Purcell
Visitors: Joe Fountain, Carolee Kiely, James Taylor
Weather: Clear and calm to start with a gradual increase in high thin clouds. Winds were from the North shifting to West, then SW 0-14mph and temps ranged from 35'-66'F. Visibility was very good initially but tainted somewhat by "milky" skies and haze.
Raptor Observations: I was able to record a good number of our local TV's leaving their roosts after the Sun had warmed the air sufficiently. Osprey came early and often with our most productive period between the 11am-12pm hour with 14. Small groups of 2-3 were recorded migrating together. We set another daily site record of OS on this date with 22 birds. We recorded a single migrating Sharpie in every period, and our first 3 BW's of the Season with 3. Local Raptors: TV-40, BE-3, SS-2, CH-4, RS-1, RT-8
Non-raptor Observations: Common Merganser-3, D.C.Cormorant-2, G.B.Heron-1, Mourning Dove-4, Pileated Woodpecker-2, Y.B.Sapsucker-1, R.B.Woodpecker-1, Downey Woodpecker-2, Raven-4, C.Crow-16, Fish Crow-2, Blue Jay-8, Tree Swallow-7, B.C.Chickadee-2, W.B.Nuthatch-2, E.Bluebird-2, A.Robin-15, Starling-100+/-, House Sparrow-20+/-, Song Sparrow-8, W.T.Sparrow-2, D.E.Junco-8, N.Cardinal-4, A.Goldfinch-4, House Finch-1, B.H.Cowbird-7
Predictions: A chance of a shower or thunderstorm tomorrow, mainly in the afternoon with a high temperature of 62'F. Winds will be from the West 5-10mph with gusts up to 20mph. Cold air aloft could make it easy for migrating Raptors to get lift. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Observation start time: 06:15:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: David Goodine, Dick Hughes, Janet Kovner, Jerry Bertrand, John Cannizzo, Nancy Givens, Paul Roberts, Peter Duffy, Ted Mara, Tom Graham, Tom Wetmore, Ursula Goodine
Visitors: Observers on duty today: Ted Mara, Ursula & Dave Goodine, Tom Wetmore, Paul & Julie Roberts, Tom Graham, John Cannizzo, Jerry Bertrand, Dick Hughes, Pete Duffy, Lisa Boisvert, Janet Kovner, Nancy Givens and Bob Secatore. We were all very happy to welcome back our old friends Ursula and Dave Goodine again after a hiatus of a few years when they were unable to join us. Naturally they were immediately in the groove again spotting birds like they had never skipped a beat. Visitors: Andrea, Cannizzo, Lisa Manzi, Jim McCoy, Catherine St Pierre, Mary Margaret Halsey, Sue McGrath, Dan Prima.
Weather: At the start there we had weak northwest winds that strengthened somewhat until approximately 11:40 AM when a sea breeze directly out of the east took over and remained until the close of watch. Sunny all day with little cloud cover and temps 4 to 17 deg C.
Raptor Observations: We counted 20 migrant raptors today: 3 OS, 4 NH, 1 SS (an ad male), 10 AK (3 female and one male) and 2 UA. Raptors seen but failed to migrate: at least 6 local OS and 3, more NH and several TVs. A Swainson's Hawk has once again been recorded on the island by birders further south of our site.
Non-raptor Observations: Other Birds: 29 Tree Swallows, 2 Barn Swallows, 20 Blue Jays, 1 Raven, several Am Crows, 1 Great Egret.
Predictions: Not a very optimistic forecast from our perspective: Periodic rain showers throughout the day with weak south and SSW winds. Temps 9 to 14 deg C. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
I watched a merlin hunting over a field at Bennett Meadows Wildlife Management Area (in Northfield? Gill?) on the bank of the Connecticut River for about 5 minutes this afternoon before it flew off toward the north. How early is this for merlin in the spring?
Date: 4/14/25 9:12 am From: Scott Spangenberg <sjspangenberg...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Swainson’s Hark @ Parker River
The Swainson’s Hawk is soaring back and forth between Stage Island pool and Cross Farm Hill at Parker River NWR. Fantastic views!
Scott Spangenberg Amherst, NH
Odd spellings, unusual grammar, and bizarre word substitutions are all creations of software of random quality, and not the ham-fingered soul who wrote this.
Date: 4/12/25 6:43 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] April 12, 2025 Rock Meadow BBC Trip - Soggy Woodcocks or, Tempest Timberdoodles
I led a Brookline Bird Club walk today to Rock Meadow, for our annual
Woodcock walk there. Conditions were pretty misty/rainy/cold out, but
that’s been a majority of the years really for this trip. It’s a rainy
often bitter time of year; that’s one of the things with Southern New
England, you think of April as being “spring” but it’s really this
transition period, and every year every single person (myself included)
forget that. We walked around a bit while the sky darkened, along the back
edge I’m 80% certain we had a fox sparrow, but it dove into cover before I
could really get a good look at the face, and it was shadowed by the fading
sky. After that we checked on Beaver Brook, which was exceedingly high,
higher than I ever had. Along the way I shared tidbits about Rock Meadow,
still one of my favorite places on Earth.
After that we hit the high-point of the back field, and almost immediately
heard the peenting start, really fantastic timing (completely on accident,
I figured we had another 15-20 minutes). There were at least 5 males
calling, a couple of which were closer to the front fields. We had a pair
starting out doing a dueling flight which was a great crowd-pleaser. After
that we had several going up up up up into the mist. One of the group
participants had a better eye than anyone I’ve ever seen. She was able to
pick them out up in the clouds after everyone else had lost them for
several seconds, and keep tracking them seemingly in the blank sky. Sure
enough, they would come back down and she stayed on them the whole time.
I’ve never seen anything like it really, it made keeping track of landing
spots super easy.
The highlight was towards the end, one of the males that was launching from
the foundation of the old farm house went right overhead, maybe 10 feet
above us before whizzing around for a while, everyone gasped at the sight.
Things settled down pretty early, likely due to the cloud cover bringing
darkness quicker. I was taking a video of the “peenting” and noticed none
had gone up in about a minute, and then even the peenting trailed off.
Great trip, everyone seemed to enjoy it, and the mist and wind were quickly
forgotten once the woodcocks got going. As always, I highly encourage
folks to lead a walk, for the BBC or any club really, or just with friends.
You don’t have to be an expert; I had never led one before my first Woocock
Walk several years ago now; now this trip is one of the highlights of my
year.
That's all for now,
Matt S.
Newton, NH
<Accipiter22...>
-------------------------------------
Rock Meadow Conservation Area, Belmont, Middlesex, Massachusetts, US
Apr 12, 2025 6:30 PM - 8:06 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.99 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: BBC
8 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) X
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 4
American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) 5 Great show despite the weather
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 7
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 3
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 8
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 2
I think of May 1 as the date junco pretty much have left eastern MA. They nest on the higher places in middle MA and many places in western (northwestern?) MA.
This is not absolute. Why people use "almost always". I had a junco singing at Coon Hollow in the Blue Hills around May 15th which stayed through early June (couldn't follow up) one year and have a few others.
I know they nest on Wachusett and likely Watatic also. They nest in the northern part of Worcester county. My go to May spot is the top of Mount Holyoke/Skinner State Park in Hadley. They nest at the top.
Mount Greylock has them in numbers. Historically Whtie-throated Sparrow (WTSP) would be from Jone's Nose and above with juncos higher and nesting spatially together. Since the 80;s WTSP has contracted its nesting upwards and now seem to only be at the very top only. With that happening, juncos have expanded to lower areas and are now encountered a few miles before Jone's Nose (driving up from Lanesborough visitors center).
Glenn
Glenn d'Entremont: <gdentremont1...> Stoughton, MA
> On 04/12/2025 5:23 PM EDT Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> wrote:
>
>
> I've often looked for one on Birdathon day, and had to go very high to find one.
> I think they leave the day before just to be difficult!
>
> On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 1:24 PM Toby Sackton <tsackton...> mailto:<tsackton...> wrote:
>
> > It has always been my assumption that our local juncos leave early, and keep being replaced by those further south moving north...Cornell shows a winter range all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
> >
> > Toby Sackton
> >
> > On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 8:59 AM Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> mailto:<frederickbouchard...> wrote:
> >
> > > every morning this week, i've announced:
> > > 'well, this is the last of the juncos...'
> > > now there are four below the feeder, looking stark against the snow.
> > > fred
> > > --
> > > <frederickbouchard...> mailto:<frederickbouchard...> > > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Toby Sackton
> >
>
Date: 4/12/25 2:31 pm From: Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] little gray matter: no birdathon?
say, dorothy
speaking of Birdathon... are the Audubon Brass really cancelling it this
year?
unthinkable.
fred
On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 5:23 PM Dorothy Anderson <
<andersondorothy72...> wrote:
> I've often looked for one on Birdathon day, and had to go very high to
> find one.
> I think they leave the day before just to be difficult!
>
> On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 1:24 PM Toby Sackton <tsackton...> wrote:
>
>> It has always been my assumption that our local juncos leave early, and
>> keep being replaced by those further south moving north...Cornell shows a
>> winter range all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
>>
>> Toby Sackton
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 8:59 AM Fred Bouchard <
>> <frederickbouchard...> wrote:
>>
>>> every morning this week, i've announced:
>>> 'well, this is the last of the juncos...'
>>> now there are four below the feeder, looking stark against the snow.
>>> fred
>>> --
>>> <frederickbouchard...>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Toby Sackton
>>
>
--
<frederickbouchard...>
78 farnham st
belmont 02478 ma
617-484-6692
www.fredbouchard.wordpress.com
'One ought, every day, to hear a little song, read a good poem, sip a tasty
wine,
see a fine picture, and if possible, to speak a few reasonable words.'
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(1749-1836)
Instructions for living a life:
*Pay attention.Be astonished.Tell about it.*
--- Mary Oliver (1935-2023)
Date: 4/12/25 2:30 pm From: Dorothy Anderson <andersondorothy72...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] little gray guys
I've often looked for one on Birdathon day, and had to go very high to find
one.
I think they leave the day before just to be difficult!
On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 1:24 PM Toby Sackton <tsackton...> wrote:
> It has always been my assumption that our local juncos leave early, and
> keep being replaced by those further south moving north...Cornell shows a
> winter range all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
>
> Toby Sackton
>
>
> On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 8:59 AM Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...>
> wrote:
>
>> every morning this week, i've announced:
>> 'well, this is the last of the juncos...'
>> now there are four below the feeder, looking stark against the snow.
>> fred
>> --
>> <frederickbouchard...>
>>
>
>
> --
> Toby Sackton
>
Coincidentally, the Hampshire Bird Club’s most recent speaker last week was an ornithologist who has conducted extensive research on junco migration, Dan Shustack of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (in North Adams, not far from Mount Greylock). He’s done color-banding, Motus tracking, all sorts of angles on the questions. It was a great talk that generated lots of discussion with the audience afterwards. I definitely recommend him for other local bird clubs looking for a speaker, as long as juncos are such a hot topic here:
We had lots of juncos singing in our neighborhood today, enthusiastic in spite of (or maybe, being juncos, because of) the ground being covered with snow….
> On Apr 12, 2025, at 1:10 PM, Toby Sackton <tsackton...> wrote: > > It has always been my assumption that our local juncos leave early, and keep being replaced by those further south moving north...Cornell shows a winter range all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. > > Toby Sackton > > > On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 8:59 AM Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> wrote: > every morning this week, i've announced: > 'well, this is the last of the juncos...' > now there are four below the feeder, looking stark against the snow. > fred > -- > <frederickbouchard...> > > > -- > Toby Sackton
Date: 4/12/25 10:17 am From: Toby Sackton <tsackton...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] little gray guys
It has always been my assumption that our local juncos leave early, and
keep being replaced by those further south moving north...Cornell shows a
winter range all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Toby Sackton
On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 8:59 AM Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...>
wrote:
> every morning this week, i've announced:
> 'well, this is the last of the juncos...'
> now there are four below the feeder, looking stark against the snow.
> fred
> --
> <frederickbouchard...>
>
Date: 4/12/25 8:44 am From: Carl Westlund <grimishere...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] little gray guys
Yep! They are still under and on my feeder.
On Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 08:46:44 AM EDT, Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> wrote:
every morning this week, i've announced:'well, this is the last of the juncos...'now there are four below the feeder, looking stark against the snow.fred--
<frederickbouchard...>
Date: 4/12/25 5:49 am From: Fred Bouchard <frederickbouchard...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] little gray guys
every morning this week, i've announced: 'well, this is the last of the juncos...' now there are four below the feeder, looking stark against the snow. fred -- <frederickbouchard...>
Date: 4/11/25 9:09 am From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] volunteer - NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
your sightings are requested!
from facebook - NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary ·
Did you know that April is #CitizenScienceMonth? ,
NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary has some amazing citizen science opportunities for volunteers to get involved with some of the sanctuary's research! The Stellwagen Sanctuary Seabird Stewards (S4) Program works with volunteer bird experts to collect sightings data on seabirds in the sanctuary, allowing us to gain insights into seabird population trends. This amazing program has many opportunities for volunteers to get involved with this impactful research. Volunteers can join us on the R/V Auk for full day research cruises, collect opportunistic data onboard local whale watch vessels, or assist with data entry and analysis.
To learn more about this project, and other similar opportunities, check out these links!
Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 14:15:00 Total observation time: 6 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris
Observers: Ernie Leblanc, Joanne Hart, Tom Gottschang
Visitors: Janlyn Neri
Weather: Clear skies to start transitioning to overcast with temps ranging from 36'-49'F. Winds were SSW calm to 12mph. Visibility was fair with moderate haze.
Raptor Observations: Osprey ruled this session as we set a daily site record with 21 migrating Birds! Twice we had groups of 3 Birds together. The OS liked the conditions as they circled up at leisure, then peeled North. NH's and Sharpies were present as well. The migrating Birds wanted to go high. Local Raptors: TV-15, OS-1, BE-4, CH-3, RT-8, AK-1
Non-raptor Observations: C.Goose-2, Black Duck-10, C.Merganser-1, G.B.Heron-2, Killdeer-1, Herring Gull-1, Mourning Dove-3, Rock Dove-1, R.B.Woodpecker-1, Pileated Woodpecker-1, D.Woodpecker-1, C.Flicker-1, Raven-4, C.Crow-24, Fish Crow-1, Blue Jay-5, Tree Swallow-7, A.Robin-3, E.Bluebird-2, Starling-200+/-, House Sparrow-15+/-, Song Sparrow-4, W.T.Sparrow-2, D.E.Junco-5, N.Cardinal-2, A.Goldfinch-1, Brown Headed Cowbird-11
Predictions: Snow and rain showers in the morning with East winds 5-8 mph and temps in the low 40's. No Hawk Watch is planned for tomorrow. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
Date: 4/10/25 11:46 am From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] 4/10 Migration Clearly Underway at McLaughlin Woods
Thanks to Paul Peterson for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:57:39 +0000 (UTC) From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63...> Subject: 4/10 Migration Clearly Underway at McLaughlin Woods
I was not expecting so many migraters today.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 female Northern Flicker 2 perhaps two or three more Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 1 Common Raven 1 heard in the distance Brown Creeper 2 together Carolina Wren 1 Hermit Thrush 7 Field Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 15 White-throated Sparrow 3+ Dark-eyed Junco 8
Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Chris Godrey, John Cannizzo, Kathryn Chihowski, Mark Timmerman, Maryellen Stone, Peter Duffy, Ted Mara
Visitors: Andrea Cannizzo, Catherine St Pierre, Dave Salt, David Kemp and Steve Mangion.
Weather: Very cold during first half of watch period with very strong (25+ mph) WNW winds during first couple of hours but winds gradually abating and temps rising in the afternoon under cloudless skies.
Raptor Observations: A total of 50 birds migrated at our watch today: 5 OS, 21 AK, 2 SS, 2 TV, 2 ML, 2 UR, 2 UF and 14 NH. With the stiff WNW winds in the first part of the watch, Kestrels were blown against the shoreline and accounted for most of the birds. However, during the 2:00 PM hour the rising temperatures and lower wind velocities evidently created significant thermals over the marsh which would account for most of our raptors migrants (Harriers, Sharp-shins and one Osprey)) during this period employing the spiral upward and then flap/glide northward method of migration. Early on the winds were so strong that many of our beach birds were flying at such low altitudes in order to take advantage of the wind shadow provided by the shore dune that most appeared above the top of the shore dune in their passage for very brief moments which is why we tallied a number of "Unidentified" birds today.
Several NHs, four TVs and an immature BE were seen but failed to migrate.
Non-raptor Observations: Other birds: 7 Golden Eye and 4 Great Egrets. Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds continue moving through in significant numbers. Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast calls for weak winds out of the ENE, ESE, SE and SSE. Not a great prospect for our purposes.
======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
I was surprised to see three or four Hermit Thrushes today at Halls Pond. They were in the garden section, where the buildings on Beacon St. back up to the sanctuary
Belle Isle Reservation East Boston, Massachusetts, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 09, 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Predictions: Winds do not seem to be favorable until next Monday at this point ======================================================================== Report submitted by Craig Jackson (<crleja1949...>)
Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 13:30:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Mark Morris
Observers: Joanne Hart, Tom Gottschang
Weather: Crisp and clear April morning with temps ranging from 27'-41'F. Winds were from the WNW 9-17mph with gusts as high as 26mph. Visibility was excellent.
Raptor Observations: Despite the seemingly good conditions, we had relatively little Raptor migration movement. The local Raptors are noticeably edgy, with dogfights between a Raven and a Red Tail, and a Bald Eagle and an Osprey. A local Sharpie dove spectacularly on a unseen prey item. Local Raptors: TV-10, OS-2, BE-6, SS-1, CH-1, RS-1, RT-6
Non-raptor Observations: Mourning Dove-3, Raven-4, C.Crow-1, Blue Jay-13, E.Phoebe-1, Tree Swallow-4, A.Robin-7, E.Bluebird-4, Song Sparrow-5, White Throated Sparrow-1, Dark Eyed Junco-3, N.Cardinal-2, Brown Headed Cowbird-7
Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast looks like increasing clouds with a high temp of 50'F with calm winds increasing to 5-7 from the South. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Mark Morris (<MDMRemodeling...>) Adams Farm - Athol MA information may be found at: https://massbird.org/emhw/
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