December 2000 Central Mass Bird Sightings

Sightings are listed in reverse chronological order. The email address of birders submitting reports, as well as other Central Massachusetts birding info can be found via the Central Mass Bird Update homepage.

12/30/00 -- Quabbin CBC

It was decided to try to run the Quabbin CBC today even though the forecast was dire. Teams were instructed to "head for the gates" at the first sign of serious snow by Scott Surner and Jim Lafley of the MDC (count leaders), which in our section was about 10:30 AM. Scott Surner will undoubtably post the totals, but I thought I would give you a preview from the Dana section which includes Gates 40 &41 and sections of Barre and Hardwick. We had nine observers in our sector (Sheila Carroll, Simon Hennin, Gordon Anderson, Kathy Mills, Bill Rasku, Nancy Cormier, Bill Cormier and Dr. Tom Cley) who bravely chanced the predicted blizzard conditions. Usually we have more, but several were justifiably scared off by the forecast. Surprisingly, it ended up to be a pretty good day, especially owling, which was spectacular. Everybody had good birds, which is always a good day.
Highlights: Mallard (34); A. Black Duck (2); Hooded Merganser (2); Common Goldenye (1f) Note: almost all still water was frozen in our section); Bald Eagle (1ad+1imm); Red-tailed Hawk (2); Ring-necked Phaesant (2); Ruffed Grouse (4); Wild Turkey (52); E. Screech Owl (1: uncommon in this part of Worc. County); Barred Owl (4); Great Horned Owl (8); N. SAW-WHET OWL (17: Remember, this is only ONE section of the Quabbin CBC circle. We had 15 of these in the interior of Quabbin. It was an amazing display. One bird nearly took my head off and I felt the wind from its wings as it passed my head. I have to admit I let out a yell and ducked behind the car. Twice we had three birds calling in one place. The variety of calls was outstanding and even featured a few I had not heard before. There were the typical toots, yelps, screams, wails, caterwauling, bill clacking as well as other noises I can't describe. This was one of the best displays of this species I have had on this count.); N. Flicker (3); Plieated Woodpecker (5); C. Raven (2); Red-breasted Nuthatch (26: pretty typical); CAROLINA WREN (1 deep in the interior of the Dana section of Quabbin with a flock of juncos. Hopefully it will survive this storm); Golden-crowned Kinglet (19 : typical, and even a bit a bit low); E. Bluebird (4); A. Robin (360); Northern Shrike (1 imm); EASTERN TOWHEE (1m in Barre, rare in the county in winter); A. Tree Sparrow (27); Song Sparrow (4); FOX SPARROW (1); White-throated Sparrow (84); Dark-eyed Junco (459); RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (52: including a bizarre flock of 12 imm. feeding on cones of white pine like crossbills, hanging upside down and everything); Brown-headed Cowbird (20); A. Goldfinch (143); And (not a single winter finch IN OUR SECTION, hopefully other teams will turn some up.)
Also seen : (4) Porcupines; (2) White-tailed Deer (including one very unfortunate doe that had fallen on the ice and either broken a leg or fell through); Long-tailed Weasel; (2) shrew sp. and the usual plethora of Red Squirrels. Hope everyone is tucked in their houses with lots of food out for the birds, (report from Mark Lynch).

Here is the complete report

12/27/00 -- Gardner

This morning I spent a few hours birding the Gardner area. First in Westminster at High Ridge WMA an E. Meadowlark , found by John Williams on the Westminster CBC , was seen. Also a small flock of Pine Siskins (5) flew past over head but did not land. Three different groups had Pine Siskin on Westminster CBC (12-23) and a report from Vermont(upper/central I think) listed ~150 seen , so perhaps more will filter down from the north. A little later off Kelton street , in north gardner , I saw and heard at least 1 White-winged Crossbill fly past and saw 2 distant birds the were probably the same. The Spruce cone crop looks great , these birds move around a lot could end up any where. I did see 2 near Watatic Mtn back in mid-August and another 15+ in early Nov. on the mtn. Also seen were numerous Snow-shoe Hare tracks and 1 "road kill" Snowshoe Hare. (report from Tom Pirro).

12/23/00 -- Wachusett Meadow Sanctuary, Princeton

Following is the Wachusett Meadow sector of the Westminster CBC 12/23/00: red-tailed hawk-1; ruffed grouse-4; wild turkey-5; mourning dove-43; downey woodpecker-8; blue jay-28; american crow-1; black-capped chickadee-85; tufted titmouse-12; white-breasted nuthatch-32; brown creeper-1; golden-crowned kinglet-4; eastern bluebird-10; american robin-2; northern mockingbird-1; cedar waxwing-31; NORTHERN SHRIKE-2!!!; european starling-3; northern cardinal-2; american tree sparrow-4; WHITE-THROATED SPARROW-1; dark-eyed junco-56; purple finch-3; american goldfinch-9; house sparrow-7.
2 northern shrikes the same day is a first for any day. No chance of a duplicate. 1 adult at the compound and 1 immature at end of property off Thompson Rd. A CBC white-throat is a real rarity here as well. Many thanks to Howard Shainheit, Roger Cutler, Betty Lawson, and Elizabeth Murphy for their participation. 25 species is a high since we began doing this here 5 years ago. (report from Peg & Dick Knowlton ).

12/23/00 -- Westminster CBC

Highlights from the Westminster CBC held on Saturday 12/23: Goshawk 1; Common Snipe 2; Great Horned Owl 2;Barred Owl 1; Saw-whet Owl 1; Belted Kingfisher 2; Red-bellied Woodpecker 4; Flicker 2; Pileated Woodpecker 1; Raven 3; Winter Wren 2; Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1; Hermit Thrush 1; Gray Catbird (1 -- found by Paul Pinnault and Tom Pirro -- only the second record in 30 years for this count!); Northern Shrike 3; Fox Sparrow 3; Snow Bunting 10; Red-winged Blackbird 5; Eastern Meadowlark 1(new to count); White-winged Crossbill 2; and Pine Siskin 4. Total species: 57 (ties the record). (Submitted by John Williams)

12/23/00 -- Gardner portion of Westminster CBC

Today Paul Pinault and I covered the North side of Gardner for the Westminster CBC. Details of the 33 species and 852 individuals we saw follow: Mallard 8; Sharp-shinned hawk 1; Red-tailed Hawk 4; Great Blak-backed Gull 1; Rock Dove 181; Mourning Dove 13; Downy Woodpecker 3; Blue Jay 33; Am. Crow 37; Raven 1; Blk-cp Chickadee 81; T. Titmouse 1; Red-Br. Nuthatch 1; White-Br Nuthatch 1; Brown Creeper 1; Golden-Crn Kinglet 2; Mockingbird 1; Gray Catbird 1 (Raymond Road); Cedar Waxwing 25; Starling 83; N. Cardinal 2; Am. Tree Sparrow 23; Fox Sparrow 2 (w/ juncos in a spruce grove); Song Sparrow 3; White-Thr Sparrow 13; Junco 116; Snow Bunting 5 Mount Wach Comm College; Red-winged Blackbird 3 Mount Wach Comm College; House Finch 33; White-winged Crossbill 2 (1 M , 1 F)off Raymond Road; Pine Siskin 1 off Raymond Road; Am. Goldfinch 64; House Sparrow 107. And a Count week bird was an Am. Kestrel. (report from Tom Pirro).

12/23/00 -- Lower Blackstone River Corridor, RI

We checked two areas at the southern end of the Blackstone River Corridor in preparation for our planned Blackstone River Corridor Big Year in 2001.
JAMES V. TURNER RESERVOIR (E. Providence/Seekonk border, flows into Seekonk River and is signed as part of the corridor): Canada Goose (83); Mallard (256); A. Black Duck (8); N. SHOVELER (1m: flew overhead in large flock of Mallards, but we never refound it or the Mallards on the water); Canvasback (157); Lesser Scaup (42); Hooded Merganser (5); Common Merganser (43); Ruddy Duck (31); A. Coot (36) .
SEEKONK RIVER (actually extension of Blackstone River, Providence/E. Providence): Great Cormorant (6); Canada Goose (254); Mallard (19); A. Black Duck (69); Bufflehead (124); Common Goldeneye (21); Common Merganser (8); Ruddy Duck (55); Red-tailed Hawk (1); N. Flicker (2); Hermit Thrush (1); A. Robin (40). (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

12/23/00 -- downtown Worcester

Mid-afternoon today we witnessed the adult Peregrine Falcon in downtown Worcester fiercely chase a Red-tailed Hawk out of the area and then perch for incredible views high atop the Mechanics Bank Building (best visible this time from bewteen the Centrum and the Fashion Outlet). Stunning light on this magnificent bird at this time of day. The nest box has been taken down and hopefully State Fish and Wildlife can get the co-operation of the buiding owners early and erect a new nest box in a better location. Later on tiny Salisbury Pond across from WPI, a Red-tailed Hawk was seen sitting on the ice with some kind of prey nearby as a very late and living-on-the-edge Great Blue Heron flew by. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

12/21/00 -- Rowley Hill, Sterling

I saw 4 meadowlarks (late) in the big pasture on South Nelson Rd. ; 1/4 mile north of Beaman; also seen were 25 robins, 7 golden crowned kinglets, 2 brown creepers, 60 juncos, 1 red-breasted nuthatch, 25 goldfinch and the usual winter birds. Tracks of deer, coyote, and snowshoe hare were noted. The snowshoe hare seem to be expanding their normal area of habitation. I found hare tracks in places I'd never found them before; perhaps it's the high number point of their cycle. In 20 years of walking Rowley Hill, almost daily, I've only actually seen these hares in their white winter coats on 2 occasions; a testimony to their protective coloration. (report from Richard Spedding).

12/21/00 -- Downtown Worcester

Today at about 10:15 a.m. as I was driving into the Worcester Common Outlet Garage (on the Union Station side), I spotted an American Kestrel (M) teed up on a light post. (report from Jo-Ann Ferrie).

12/19/00 -- Sterling Peat, Sterling

There is a NORTHERN SHRIKE at Sterling Peat (on Muddy Pond Rd), located near the intersection of I-190 and Rt. 140 in Sterling. (report from John Liller).

12/18/00 -- Spencer

Today I saw a bald eagle flying overhead as I was leaving the supermarket in the center of Spencer. It was flying quite low, perhaps at 100-125 feet , and heading northwest (toward the Quabbin?). It was around noon. I was very surprised as I have never seen an eagle in Mass. although I know there are breeding pairs in the Quabbin. I have seen eagles many times in Alaska and there was no mistaking that this was an adult bald eagle. The white head and tail were very visible. It was EXCITING! (report from Donna Sullivan).

12/16/00 -- Broadmeadow Brook Sanctuary, Worcester

Here is a summary of the Sanctuary and the Lanfill totals for the Worcester Xmas Count (BMB + Perimeter of Sanctuary + Landfill):
Mallard (8 + 0 + 0); Cooper's Hawk (2 + 1 + 0 - one bird was seen near the nest site in the morning, and then a pair was seen flying off the Sanctuary from the Visitor's Center early in the afternoon. This is most likely the same pair that bred this past summer.); Red-tailed Hawk (2 + 0 + 4); Wild Turkey (7 + 8 + 0 - seen in the trees at 6:45, then walking the grounds later on; another group was checking out the neighborhood off of Granite Street); Common Snipe (1 + 0 + 0 - along the Stretch); Ring-billed Gull (34 + 0 + 18); Rock Dove (0 + 46 + 20); Mourning Dove ( 65 + 1 + 0); Eastern Screech Owl (2 + 0 + 0 - both along Granite Street edge); Belted Kingfisher (0 + 0 + 1); Red-bellied Woodpecker (2 + 0 + 0); Downy Woodpecker (16 + 1 + 1); Hairy Woodpecker (7 + 0 + 0 - NEW HIGH for BMB); Northern Flicker (1 + 0 + 1); Blue Jay (25 + 8 + 2); American Crow (96 + 11 + 45); Black-capped Chickadee (50 + 6 + 3); Tufted Titmouse (16 + 2 + 0); White-breasted Nuthatch (14 + 0 + 0); Brown Creeper (3 + 0 + 0); Carolina Wren (3 + 0 + 0); Golden-crowned Kinglet (1 + 0 + 0); RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (1 + 0 + 0 - NEW SPECIES for BMB; found by Bill Rasku in Catholic Charities); Eastern Bluebird (4 + 0 + 0); American Robin (115 + 3 + 1); Northern Mockingbird (6 + 0 + 1); European Starling (95 + 207 + 152); Cedar Waxwing (18 + 0 + 0); American Tree Sparrow (17 + 0 + 5); Song Sparrow (4 + 0 + 4); White-throated Sparrow (1 + 0 + 0); Dark-eyed Junco (38 + 5 + 6); Northern Cardinal (10 + 1 + 0); Red-winged Blackbird (60 + 0 + 0 - all leaving phragmites at dawn; NEW HIGH for BMB); House Finch (5 + 8 + 0); American Goldfinch (39 + 5 + 15); House Sparrow (45 + 95 + 0). (report from John Liller).

12/16/00 -- Worcester Christmas Count 2000

The Worcester Christmas Count was held on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2000, with Fran McMenemy as compiler. Weather was overcast, with light easterly winds and temperatures around 30 deg. F. Ponds were mostly iced over, with just a few areas of open water remaining. The total of 76 species was the 2nd highest in the 48 year history of the count, tying the 76 species recorded in 1997, but lower than the 82 species recorded in 1999. Highlights included 1 Red-necked Grebe, 2 Northern Pintail, 1 Tufted Duck, 2 Bald Eagle, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Common Snipe, 2 Great Horned Owl, 1 Barred Owl, 1 Northern Saw-whet Owl, a record high 23 Red-bellied Woodpeckers), 3 Pileated Woodpeckers, 1 Northern Shrike, 4 Common Raven, 29 Eastern Bluebird, 2 Eastern Towhee, 1 Chipping Sparrow, a record number of 27 Fox Sparrow, 70 Red-winged Blackbird, 1 Eastern Meadowlark, 13 Purple Finch, and 1 Pine Siskin. (report from Rick Quimby).

For a detailed list of species observed, click here

12/16/00 -- Baldwinville/Winchedon

Today I covered the village of Baldwinville and the Birch Hill WMA area of Winchendon for the Athol CBC and totaled 35 species and 792 individuals. The list:

Black Duck............2
Mallard...............2
RT Hawk...............1
Ruffed Grouse.........1
Herring Gull..........6
Rock Dove.............45
Mourning Dove..........4
Gr Horned Owl..........1
Belted Kingfisher......1
Downy Woodpecker.......7
Hairy Woodpecker.......2
Blue Jay...............46
Am. Crow...............24
Raven..................2
BC Chickadee..........122
T. Titmouse.............4
Red-breasted Nuthatch...22
White Br Nuthatch.......9
Br. Creeper.............1
Winter Wren.............1
GC Kinglet..............10
Ruby Crn Kinglet.........1
Am. Robin................3
Mockingbird..............2
Cedar Waxwing............1  don't ever recall seeing ONE before
Starling................ 25
N. Cardinal..............4
Tree Sparrow.............101
Song Sparrow.............15
Wht-thr. Sparrow.........22
DE Junco.................233
Purple Finch...............2
House Finch................8
Am. goldfinch..............28
House Sparrow..............43

One Junco had white crescent markings below each of the eyes , not "half eye rings" but below the eye (~1/8 inch)on the cheeks , a spiffy looking bird. A lot of the juncos (sparrows in general) I saw were in 4' high brush and conifers making the counting difficult at best , the sparrow counts above are consevative. When Dave posts the count totals you'll see there was a HEAP-a-Sparrows out there! Once I got into the Birch Hill WMA Area there was 2 or 3 Red Br. Nuthatches in every flock of Chichadees. (report from Tom Pirro).

Note: Chuck Caron relates that both the Sturbridge and Athol Counts topped the all-time high counts for the United States (and Canada) for Dark-eyed Juncos. The old record was 5073 from Manhattan, Kansas in 1978.

12/15/99 -- Sturbridge Christmas Count 2000

We held the 5th Sturbridge CC on Friday 12/15. This count includes sections of the Brookfields, Sturbridge, Brimfield, Charlton, Spencer, Southbridge and Holland, towns rarely visited by coastal birders and even most interior birders. We WERE scheduled to do this on Thursday, but our area was hit with a serious ice storm. This meant we had fewer people in the field. Also, much of the vegetation was coated in ice, roads were icy, and there was a nice layer of ice covered snow on the ground....and there was still deer hunting. Then, I fell into some very funky marsh muck...up to my knees. So for the rest of the count day I was oozing mud. OTHER THAN THAT...it was a great count, and all participants should be congratulated. Inland counts are always a real challenge, and some of the results this year were pretty interesting. (report from Mark Lynch).

For a detailed list of species observed, click here

12/14/00 -- Tatnuck Square, Worcester

At about 11:30 this morning I had a Merlin perched atop a Spruce tree at the Tatnuck Square area for about 10 minutes. (report from Howard Shainheit).

12/13/00 -- Gate 43, Quabbin Reservoir

An hour at Gate 43 turned up Common Loon(1), Hooded Merganser(185), and Common Merganser(70). The sex ratio for both mergansers were near equal. (report from Chris Buelow)

12/11/00 -- Gate 40, Quabbin Reservoir

A near dawn to dusk day spent at the Gate 40/Grave's Landing area turned up the following highlights: Hooded Merganser(3), Common Merganser(180), Bald Eagle(2 adults), Ruffed Grouse(10), Belted Kingfisher(1), Pileated Woodpecker(2), Downy Woodpecker(8), Black-capped Chickadee(65), Red-breasted Nuthatch(2), White-breasted Nuthatch(21), Brown Creeper(8), Winter Wren(1), Golden-crowned Kinglet(30), American Robin(8), Northern Shrike(2 ad&juv), Cedar Waxwing(20), Song Sparrow(1), Fox Sparrow(1), White-throated Sparrow(30), and Dark-eyed Junco(150). (Report from Chris Buelow)

12/11/00 -- Gate 36, Wachusett Reservoir

Along the Sterling/Clinton Dike (gate 36) at Wachusett Reservoir, I had 1 adult Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 female Northern Harrier, 1 immature Bald Eagle and 1 adult Bald Eagle. The immature Bald Eagle dove at the Adult Bald Eagle which was perched in a tree on the south end of Cemetery Island. The gulls roosted today on the ice in South Bay, no more than 200 feet from the road. There were at least 3,000 of them. I couldn't find any white-winged gulls. (report from Bart Kamp).

12/11/00 -- Institute Park, Worcester

Notable birds at noon included 7 female Hooded Mergansers, an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk (in an extended aerial dogfight with a single crow), and 2 Song Sparrows. (report from Rick Quimby).

12/11/00 -- Rowley Hill, Sterling

Bird numbers remain a little above normal from my perspective here on Rowley Hill. Birds seen were ruffed grouse 4; ring-necked pheasant 3; mourning dove 35; downy woodpecker 8; hairy woodpecker 6; barred owl 2 ; Crow 45; chickadee 45; titmouse 9; white breasted nuthatch 8; brown creeper 2 ; winter wren 1; golden crowned kinglet 18; bluebird 1; robin 36; starling 220; cardinal 6; tree sparrow 2; white throated sparrow 4; junco 60; goldfinch 28. tracks seen: coyote; deer; snowshoe hare; mice; vole; grey and red squirrel. (report from Richard Spedding).

12/10/00 -- Mechanics Building, downtown Worcester

Today at 4:15 p.m., Fran McMenemy and I saw a Peregrine Falcon on the NW corner of the Mechanics Building in downtown Worcester. This is most likely the same male Peregrine seen the last several winters and the one we had expected to nest in the city after we saw it so frequently with a female Peregrine from January to April.

On Saturday (12/9/00) afternoon, we saw over 500 ducks at Wachusett Reservoir's South Bay on rte. 140 in Boylston. There were 380 Common and 80 Hooded Mergansers, 15 Ring-necked Ducks, 40 Common Goldeneye and 1 Long-tailed Duck. (report from Joan Zumpfe).

12/10/00 -- Winimusett WMA, New Braintree

A morning spent at Winimusett turned up highlights of Hooded Merganser(1f), Cooper's Hawk(1 ad, 1 juv), Northern Flicker(5), Winter Wren(5), Eastern Bluebird(10), American Robin(150), Cedar Waxwing(12), Swamp Sparrow(1), and Red-winged Blackbird(65). (report from Chris Buelow)

12/10/00 -- Barre Falls Dam/Rutland SP

We conducted a survey of the Barre Falls Dam/Rutland SP parcel (managed by the MDC and ACE) in Worcester County today. We hit almost all the traditional stops we make when conducting breeding bird surveys. Starting temp was 5 and the high was 35 (briefly), with half the AM spent in the single digits. All standing water was frozen and much of the streams were frozen too. BTW:Soon, many of the gates will be closed for the winter, so this is one of the last complete surveys we will do until next May. Now, some gates that are normally closed to vehicle traffic are open for the deer season.
Notable by their absence were ANY winter finches. We didn't even get a Purple Finch. Remember that Evening Grosbeaks breed here. Typical wintering Frugivores (robins/waxwings) were also almost a no-show and the fruit crop (other than cones) was middlin' to poor. RB Nut and GC Kinglet numbers were only modest. Jay and junco numbers were high. Total list: Great Blue Heron (1 at a pond outflow that had a bit of open water); Ring-necked Phaesant (1m: stock leftover); Mourning Dove (2); Barred Owl (1); Downy Woodpecker (9); Hairy Woodpecker (11); Blue Jay (86); A. Crow (1); Common Raven (3); Black-capped Chiackadee (191); Tufted Titmouse (7); Red-breasted Nuthatch (31); White-breasted Nuthatch (30); Brown Creeper (7); Winter Wren (1); Golden-crowned Kinglet (43); E. Bluebird (4); Hermit Thrush (4: seemed like a good count for so late in the year for this location); A. Robin (2); Northern Shrike (2); E. Starling (3: uncommon in this area normally); N. Cardinal (5); A. Tree Sparrow (6: low); Song Sparrow (1); Fox Sparrow (2); White-throated Sparrow (31); Dark-eyed Junco (393: everywhere!); A. Goldfinch (98: includes a flock of 60). (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

12/9/00 -- Charlton

Howard Shainheit and I did some scouting in our sector for the Sturbridge Christmas Count today. While most of the work was done from the car, searching for new feeder spots, we did get out of the car to check out Orlando's lower pond in Charlton, the site of the Redhead last year. Most of the pond was frozen, but the area closest to the road was open, as is normally the case. We recorded the following (counts are approximate as I decided to wait until Thursday to count Mallards): Canada Goose (30-40); WOOD DUCK (1 male); American Black Duck (30-40); Mallard (roughly 250); Ring-billed Gull (50-60); Herring Gull (6); Rock Dove (2); American Crow (3).
PLEASE: If you ever do go to this pond, do NOT venture in from the side of the road. This is posted private property. Normally, the ducks stay near the road end of the pond, so viewing them is fine from the side of the road. (report from John Liller).

12/9/00 -- South Quabbin park

After doing a pre-count check of our sector of the Sturbridge CC, we quickly checked South Quabbin (Quabbin Park). The gates did not open for most of the park until after 10:30 when the sanding truck had finished the roads. There were VERY few birds, and surprisingly few on the water despite the surface being mostly open. We totaled (2) Common Loons; (7) Mallards and (4) A. Black Ducks with small numbers of landbirds like White-throats and juncos. We even dipped on Bald Eagles, though I am sure one would turn up if we spent enough time. Needless to say we had NO mergansers of any kind, let alone a Smew. We actually had more species in better numbers in the Brookfields. It's looking like a pretty blah winter inland...so far. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

12/9/00 -- Brookfields

We did a pre-Sturbridge CC check of our sector in the Brookfields (mostly West Brookfield, but we very briefly checked some of the other territories too). Almost ALL standing water is frozen and even some of the rivers are partially frozen too.The major lakes already have ice fishermen and ATVs on them. Waterfowl were tough to come by. Most birds were near stream/river outflow areas. That said, there were lots of goldfinches "gritting" on the road as well as good numbers of juncos and jays. Cone crops are exceptional. NOTE BENE: Deer hunting is going on and the Black Powder season will be still on at least during the Sturbridge CC. BE CAREFUL.
Great Blue Herons (2 very hang-dog birds at the confluence of the Quaboag River and the outflow of L. Wickaboag); Canada Goose (359: in 2 large flocks in fields); Mallard (26); Hooded Merganser (4); Red-tailed Hawk (2); Red-bellied Woodpecker (1); Blue Jay (75); A. Robin (20); A. Tree Sparrow (12); Dark-eyed Junco (80); A. Goldfinch (92). (report from Mark Lynch).

12/8/00 -- Scarhill Road, Boylston

Peter Morlock has asked me to post his sighting today (12/8) of an Eastern Towhee at the end of Scarhill Road, on the left, near the water. This could be a good bird for the Worcester Christmas Count. Scarhill Road is in Boylston. To get to where he saw the bird, among a group of Chickadees, you would go straight down the road till you get to the water after you have parked along the road which parallels the cemetery and walk till you get close to the shore. (report from Peter Morlock, fide Joan Zumpfe).

12/3/00 -- Otter River area, Baldwinville

A quick pre-CBC survey of the Otter River area in Baldwinville this morning turned up the following hilites: Mallard 4; Black Duck 2; Green-wing Teal 1 female with injured left wing; Hooded Merganser 1; Am. Goldfinch 25+; Am. tree Sparrow 50+; White-throated Sparrow 12; Song Sparrow 5; Winter Wren 1; Purple Finch 1. (report from Tom Pirro).

12/3/00 -- Wachusett Reservoir

A mid-afternoon visit to a few overlooks off the Rt. 70 side of Wachusett Reservoir today had the following: Common Loon (6); Horned Grebe (15); A. Black Duck (16); Ring-necked Duck (4); Common Goldeneye (75); Common Merganser (43); Hooded Merganser (22); BALD EAGLE ( 1 imm, looked to be first year, put on a real show soaring low and slowly over us at the Scar Hill Rd. cemetery); Ruffed Grouse (1). (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

12/3/00 -- Winimusett WMA, New Braintree

A few interesting birds seen today include Belted Kingfisher, Northern Raven, Winter Wren and a lone Rusty Blackbird. (report from Chris Buelow)

12/3/00 -- Westboro State Hospital, Westboro

In the WMA west of Westboro State Hospital I observed 1 American Kestrel , 1 NORTHERN SHIRIKE (imm) and a Grey Catbird. Numbers of American Tree and White-throated Sparrows are in the fields and thickets.
In Northboro, 11 Mute Swans were on Bartlett Pond. These birds move back and forth from Lake Chauncey to Bartlett depending on time of day. (report from Ann Boover).

12/2/00 -- Wachusett Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Princeton

Seen over the past week or so: 2 fox sparrows (11/23), northern shrike (11/24), 75 robins (daily), 1 coopers hawk (daily), several purple finches, 100's juncos (daily), usual feeder birds, 1 raven (being seen regularly) and 1 HERMIT THRUSH (12/1), a 1st for December on the sanctuary. (report from Dick Knowlton).

For previous sightings, see November 2000 Archives or Archive Index