February 2006 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.

Bird News:


Bird Sightings:

2/28/06 -- Westboro Wildlife Management Area, Westboro
I have had a single Red winged Blackbird feeding on the ground under my feeders (Marlborough) several times in the last few days. Today I took a walk at the Westboro Wildlife Management Area and found a flock of about 60 Redwings singing raucously! I heard them before I saw them! Also seen yesterday at Westboro WMA was a No. Shrike. (report from Laura Lane).

2/26/06 -- Quabog River, Brookfields
Birding around the Quabog River in the Brookfields today we had the following: Mute Swan (1); Canada Goose (56); Mallard (35); Hooded Merganser (15); Red-tailed Hawk (1); FISH CROW (1); American Robin (4); N Mockingbird (1); A Tree Sparrow (6); Dark-eyed Junco (9); Red-winged Blackbird (flock of 26); NB: still water was mostly frozen.
Later, in New Braintree: Common Raven (2);
and later still at the Barre Falls Dam hawkwatch site: Turkey Vulture (1); Ring-billed Gull (62); (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

2/26/06 -- North Worcester County
Hilites from birding in northern Worcester County this afternoon:
  • Templeton: Wild Turkey 4 Elliot Hill; Ring-necked Pheasant 1 Norcross Hill; Northern Raven 1; Northern Shrike 1 "Back Bay" section of the Otter River (Baldwinville); Brown Creeper 1; Red-winged Blackbird 12; Brown-headed Cowbird 1;
  • Royalston: No winter Finches....for me. Northern Raven 8 near the Divell Sugar house; Black-capped Chickadee 32 spished in at one location off River Road;
  • Gardner: Cooper's Hawk 1; Northern Saw-whet Owl 1 High Ridge WMA,
      it answer my imitation just before dusk 5PM, nice look while it called repeatedly from a spruce grove. It "used" two different "volumes" of its tooting call, one fairly loud which could be heard from a few hundred feet and the other softer sounding as if it were much further away. Initially I thought two owls where calling, but after carefully watching I realized the owl alternated back and forth between a louder and softer call.
    Northern Raven 1; American Robin ~25 feeding on sumac;
    (report from Tom Pirro).

  • 2/22/06 -- Hadwen Park, Worcester
    Echoing Mark Lynch's post from yesterday regarding Red-winged Blackbirds, this morning I had 1 Red-winged Blackbird singing in the cat-tails behind the basketball court. Referring back to the Archives on this web site between 3/7/03 and 3/12/03, this was the date when the first Red-winged Blackbirds arrived back in Hadwen Park. So the arrival here by the Red-winged Blackbirds today is also about two weeks early. (report from Brian Mulhearn)

    2/21/06 -- Millbury
    This morning at 9:10 there was a large flock of 31 turkey vultures wheeling around over Millbury at the junction of North Main St and Rt 146. They moved out of sight in a northwesterly direction towards Auburn. A yellow-bellied sapsucker continues to be a fairly regular visitor at the suet. (report from Alan Marble).

    2/21/06 -- off Salisbury St (near Park Ave), Worcester
    An adult male Red-winged Blackbird showed up at the feeder this morning. Though there have been many other Red-wings reported from Central MA earlier this winter, this is the earliest record I have for my feeder by almost 2 weeks: the previous earliest date was March 4. (report from Mark Lynch).

    2/19/06 -- S. Quabbin/Lake Wickabog, West Brookfield
    Returning from the Berkshires, we swung through South Quabbin (Quabbin Park). Birds were very scarce here today, the only highlights being (2) Common Mergansers and (5) Wild Turkeys. We searched hard for eagles and saw NONE. The southern end of Quabbin is still mostly open. Then passing the outflow of Lake Wickabog (West Brookfield) where it empties into the Quabog, we had: Canada Goose (34); Mallard (3); MallardXBlack (1); A Black Duck (5); Hooded Merganser (14). (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

    2/19/06 -- Saw Mill Pond, Fitchburg
    I stopped by Saw Mill Pond again this afternoon between 1:40 and 2:40PM: Ring-billed Gull 1 or 2; Herring Gull ~300; Glaucous Gull 2 first yr types; Great Black-backed Gull ~150; "Nelson's Gull" 1 (the apparent hybrid was present again today -- see previous post).
    One Glaucous Gull was picking on a pork chop bone, while they other worked what looked to be a chicken/turkey bone (femur), like good catholic gulls...these bones were picked clean, thus saving countless underprivleged gulls with no landfills to visit! A Basic 1 Bald Eagle passed by and broke up the gull party! (report from Tom Pirro).

    2/18/06 -- Blackstone National Corridor, RI
    This morning we checked some of the larger bodies of water in the Rhode Island section of the Blackstone National Corridor. Common and Hooded Mergs, and to a lesser extent: Bufflehead, goldeneye and Ring-necked Ducks are just starting to filter northwards as water opens up or perhaps they never left during this overall mild winter.
  • WOONSOCKET RESERVOIR, SMITHFIELD/LINCOLN: Bufflehead (2); Common Goldeneye (2); Hooded Merganser (4); Common Merganser (28);
  • SNEETCH POND, CUMBERLAND: Ring-necked Duck (2); Hooded Merganser (6); Red-bellied Woodpecker (1);
  • DIAMOND HILL/ARNOLD'S MILLS RESERVOIRS, CUMBERLAND: Canada Goose (2); Ring-necked Duck (4); Bufflehead (1); Common Goldeneye (5); Hooded Merganser (4); Common Merganser (24); Eastern Bluebird (4);
  • SLATER MEMORIAL PARK, PAWTUCKET: Mute Swan (2); Canada Goose (46); Mallard (95); Gadwall (2);
  • CENTRAL POND-JAMES TURNER RESERVOIR, EAST PROVIDENCE: Mute Swan (36); Canada Goose (69); Mallard (100); Ring-necked Duck (8); Lesser Scaup (98: most up in Central Pond); Bufflehead (2); Hooded Merganser (10); Common Merganser (28); Ruddy Duck (12); BALD EAGLE (1ad: soaring slowly over Turner, talons down); A Coot (4); Belted Kingfisher (1); Fish Crow (14: all over near Hasbro: near the entrance to the bike path overlooking Central); American Robin (79); Yelow-rumped Warbler (1);
  • SEEKONK RIVER, BETWEEN PROVIDENCE AND EAST PROVIDENCE: from the Pawtucket border to Bold Point: Red-throated Loon (6: off Bold Pt); Great Cormorant (42); Mute Swan (9); Mallard (44); American Black Duck (31: extremely low numbers of this normally common species here this winter); Greater Scaup (4f); Bufflehead (112); Common Goldeneye (20); Red-breasted Merganser (31); Common Merganser (7); Red-tailed Hawk (1); Iceland Gull (1adW: we counted gulls carefully all day, and this was the only one that was not one of the "common" three species.); Great Horned Owl (1: Swan Point Cemetery. We had this bird perched fairly conspicuously in a pine near the entrance being mobbed by c.25 crows. We watched it for about 10 minutes and eventually it flew further into the cemetery, closer to the river, also to a pine, and still mobbed by the gang of crows); Red-bellied Woodpecker (1); N. Flicker (4); Fish Crow (11: all near Cape Cod Ice, East Providence); A. Robin (112); Song Sparrow (13); Dark-eyed Junco (32);
    (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

  • 2/18/06 -- downtown Worcester
    Driving through downtown at about 1PM, we had an adult PEREGRINE FALCON perched on the lower banner of the flag logo for Flagship Bank, on the side facing the church. This is very close to where they have nested before. (report from Mark Lynch).

    2/18/06 -- Gate 35 and Vicinity, Quabbin Reservoir
    The East Quabbin Bird Club spent the morning here, with highlights of Bald Eagle (five adults, one juvenile); and Golden-crowned Kinglet 5. Read the extended trip narrative. (report from Chris Ellison).

    2/18/06 -- Saw Mill Pond, Fitchburg
    I looked through a few gulls on Saw Mill Pond this afternoon for a few hours: Black Duck 2 Common Goldeneye 2 (pair); Hooded Merganser 1 Ring-billed Gull 1 Herring Gull ~75 Glaucous Gull 1st yr type Great Black-backed Gull ~100 Saw Mill Pond, near the Westminster landfill (perhaps landfills should now be classified as IBA's), has been an excellent location to view good numbers gulls at relatively close range this winter.

    A breezy and cold walk into High Ridge WMA (Gardner) in the morning was rather "slow" but I did manage to get a nice , but brief, look at a Northern Shrike...a grayish Immature. (report from Tom Pirro).

    2/16/06 -- Wachusett Reservoir, Sterling
    A two and half hour walk along the Dike provided a great array of birds. The resident Red-Tailed Hawk was present. Two other Red-Tailed Hawks landed in the pines along Rt. 110 and proceeded to court each other until they reached the Sterling end of the pines. Then it was aloft for the two birds and they soared for around a half hour. Out of nowhere a third Red-Tailed appear which turned out to be the resident and the two soaring hawks made a beeline for the woods on the other side of Rt.110. Walking back, a Merlin flew out of the meadow area below the Dike and headed into the pines. By this time, the DCR were on gull patrol. While talking with the ranger, a single loon appeared close to the shoreline. Then, from the Clinton end of the DIke, one of the mature Bald Eagles floated along the length of the DIke and finally landed in some pines near Gate 32. Then the two courting Red-Taileds made a reappearence and floated along the stand of pines and gradually disappeared northward. Eastern Bluebirds showed up and were feeding on the sumac in the field below. Closing in on sunset, a muted swan flew in and landed in the basin area close to the road. (report from Steve Olson)

    2/16/06 -- Shrewsbury/Marlborough
    Today I saw 2 Turkey Vultures circling near the intersection of Rte. 20 and Rte. 9 in Shrewsbury. On Monday, 2/13, I had 2 male Eastern Bluebirds in my back yard in Marlborough! They were a lovely sight against all of the snow we got on Sunday. (report from Laura Lane).

    2/14/06 -- Institute Park, Worcester
    Today at noon there were 1 DC CORMORANT (adult), 3 Hooded Mergansers, a Great Blue Heron, and 2 Red-tailed Hawks. (report from Rick Quimby).

    2/11/06 -- Gilboa Pond, Douglas
  • At Gilboa Pond there were 2 Hooded Merganser, 3 Common Merganser, 3 Mallard
  • Linwood Pond, Whitinsville: 32 Canada Goose, 5 Am. Black Ducks, 13 Mallard
  • Whitin Pond, Uxbridge: 33 Canada Goose, 16 Mallard, 2 Mute Swan, 5 Hooded Merganser
  • Rice City Pond, Uxbridge: 7 Common Merganser, 2 Mute swan, 2 Mallard, 2 Greater Black Backed Gulls.
    (report from Dan Wheeler).

    2/11/06 -- Westboro WMA, Westboro
    At 7:00 AM Saturday morning there was a male Eastern Towhee and about 100 Red-wing Blackbirds to the north of Lake Chauncy. (report from Peter Morlock).

    2/11/06 -- West Millbury
    This morning, there was a yellow-bellied sapsucker on the suet. A Carolina wren and red-bellied woodpecker have been regular visitors to the feeders. (report from Alan Marble).

    2/8/06 -- Saw Mill Pond, Fitchburg
    I was at Saw Mill Pond in Fitchburg this afternoon with Tom Pirro. Among the gulls there were 1 first winter Glaucous Gull, 4 first winter Iceland Gulls, 1 adult winter Lesser Black-backed Gull and 1 second winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. The gulls took off and returned several times. (report from Bart Kamp).

    2/8/06 -- Asnebumskit Hill, Paxton
    The pair of Ravens were flying all around, landing on the towers, including the tower Ravens have nested on for several years. At the Heron Rookery, there were 25 nests still there. Also 1 Hairy Woodpecker, and 1 Pileated Woodpecker. (report from Brian Mulhearn)

    2/7/06 -- Worcester
    There is a crow roost on the intersection of Ballard Street and Providence Street in Worcester. I noticed that several thousand "meet" behind the International Envelope on Greenwood Street before heading out. (report from Dan Berard).

    2/7/06 -- Wachusett Meadows Sanctuary, Princeton
    A small group of Pine siskins showed up here last Wed (Feb 1) and apparently have decided to stay a while. I have not seen more than 4 at any one time but they are present most of the time. They are frequenting the cottage feeders, mostly thistle and sunflower hearts. (report from Dick Knowlton).

    2/5/06 -- Greenwood St., Worcester
    This evening there were at least 20 Turkey Vultures circling low over the Credit Union on Greenwood Street in Worcester. (report from Dan Berard).

    2/5/06 -- Westboro WMA/Northboro/Shrewsbury
  • We hiked the areas between Chauncy and Little Chauncy Ponds (Westboro WMA); this morning just after the rain, but before it got too windy. Both ponds are still 95% ice covered and though the ice looked fairly "rotten" there were some ice fishermen out on Chauncy, though fairly close to shore. Canada Goose (19); Mallard (24); Red-tailed Hawk (2); Ring-billed Gull (24); Herring Gull (22); Great Black-backed Gull (5); Mourning Dove (105); Downy Woodpecker (11: as Mike Walker mentioned a few weeks ago, many were out in the corn stubble); Hairy Woodpecker (2); EASTERN PHOEBE (most likely the same bird that has appeared to have overwintered); Northern Shrike (1); Blue Jay (9); A Crow (6); Black-capped Chickadee (36: we noticed several instances of either aggression or sexual chase among birds); Tufted Titmouse (14); White-breasted Nuthatch (10); Brown Creeper (1); Winter Wren (1); Golden-crowned Kinglet (6); Eastern Bluebird (9); A. Robin (2); N. Mockingbird (2); E. Starling (150+); American Tree Sparrow (45); Fox Sparrow (1); Song Sparrow (27); Swamp Sparrow (5); White-throated Sparrow (53); Dark-eyed Junco (22); N. Cardinal (31); RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (116); A Goldfinch (3);
  • ALSO: TUFTS VET. SCHOOL, GRAFTON: Red-tailed Hawk (2); Wild Turkey (53); E. Bluebird (8);
  • WESTBORO: SuAsCo: still 95% ice covered. Mallard (4); Hooded Merganser (4); Redtailed Hawk (4); Cedar Waxwing (6); Nota bene: we checked for the nesting Great Horned with no luck. There are only three nests still extant and one of those is occupied by the Osprey.
  • NORTHBORO: BARTLETT POND: still 95% ice covered Mute Swan (2); Canada Goose (36 on the ice); Mallard (12);
  • SHREWSBURY: FLINT POND BOAT LAUNCH Canada Goose (4); Mallard (19); Gadwall (7); Hooded Merganser (6); Belted Kingfisher (2); (report from Mark Lynch).

  • 2/4/06 -- Saw Mill Pond, Fitchburg
    This afternoon at Saw Mill Pond in Fitchburg, at the junction of RTE2 and Rte 31, were: Black Duck 8; Hooded Merganser 3; Turkey Vulture 1 headed north; Herring Gull ~400; Iceland "kumlien's" Gull 2 (1 first year type and 1 Adult);; Glaucous Gull 2 ( both 1st year types, one very pale(with 1st winter type bill), the other darker more typical 1st year type); Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 adult; Great Black-backed Gull ~100. a nice gull show! In downtown Fitchburg were 1500-2000 Amercian Crows at dusk near the Reingold School area. (report from Tom Pirro).

    2/1/06 -- Crane Swamp Trail, Westboro
    I walked along the Crane Swamp Trail off Lyman St. in Westboro the end of the afternoon. Highlights were Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Doves, Downy Woodpeckers, N. SHRIKE, Black-capped Chickadees, Brown Creeper, N. Mockingbird, A. Tree Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and N. Cardinals. The Shrike was perched in the top of a bush seen from the long drive-way in to the trail parking. It is a bush where I usually see a Mockingbird. Today there was an adult Shrike and the Mockingbird was in another bush closer to the road. (report from Laura Lane).

    For previous sightings, see January 2006 Archives or Archive Index