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
> >
>
