July 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:

7/30/06 -- WICN radio interviews
8/17/06 -- MAS Program: Birding Massachusetts' Important Bird Areas
9/5/06 -- Mass Audubon BMB programs in September

Bird Sightings:

7/30/06 -- Seekonk River, RI

We did a standard "point count" of the SEEKONK RIVER between Providence and East Providence. This is the southern-most end of the Blackstone National Corridor. Double-crested Cormorant (60); Great Blue Heron (5); Snowy Egret (1); Nota bene: typically there are numbers of Great Egrets around at this time, so thier absence is unusual. Black-crowned Night Heron (4adults+3immatures); Mute Swan (78 adults+5 cygnets); Mallard (217); Osprey (4adults+2immatures); Killdeer (2); Spotted Sandpiper (2); Least Sandpiper (6); Nota bene: we were NOT there at low tide, at which time I am sure shorebird numbers would have been higher Ring-billed Gull (28); Herring Gull (22); Great Black-backed Gull (51);

Nota bene: Note the absence of Common Terns. They did not successfully nest off Bold Point this year for the first time since we have been monitoring and have been very scarce this summer along the Seekonk. That and the relatively low numbers of gulls (and NO Laughing Gulls yet) means that the schools of small bait fish, like Menhaden, have not moved up the Providence River. Belted Kingfisher (1); N Flicker (2); Great Crested Flycatcher (1); Eastern Kingbird (8); Warbling Vireo (2); Red-eyed Vireo (1); Barn Swallow (2); Carolina Wren (1); A Robin (96); Gray Catbird (5); Cedar Waxwing (4); Yellow Warbler (6); Chipping Sparrow (23); Song Sparrow (21); N Cardinal (7); A Goldfinch (11); Plus: Raccoon (1);

EARLIER at the WOONSOCKET RESERVOIR in Smithfield, also part of the Corridor: Great Blue Heron (1); Green Heron (1); Canada Goose (19); Killdeer (2); Spotted Sandpiper (3); COMMON RAVEN (4immatures seen and heard); (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

7/30/06 -- River Bend Farm, Uxbridge

An osprey appears at River Bend Farm in Uxbridge numerous times each season and is seen perching in trees and fishing in the canal pond. Sometimes the osprey flies south along the canal; sometimes it flies north toward Rice City Pond. The osprey was seen yesterday (7/29) between 8 and 9AM at the Farm and later that day was among the audience for "Love's Labor's Lost," a local production performed outside at 5PM. It appeared this morning around 9AM also. This weekend, a great egret joined one of the resident mute swans in Rice City Pond, and three great blue herons flew over the marsh together.
At Windle Marsh off Westboro Road in Grafton, the young osprey has fledged. Three ospreys were seen perching in snags and flying over the marsh, calling frequently. A great egret and great blue heron were on the marsh, along with several mallards. (report from Beth Milke and Nancy Demers)

7/30/06 -- South St., Paxton

We were having owl-wars in our back yard this past week. Great horned owl territorial "announcements" started at about 2.30am and it sounded like the big old bastard was parked right on my garage. He proclaimed, loudly and frequently, his command of our property to an interloper off to the north. The calls are low, and carry over long distances. I thought I heard him scratching around on the garage, which would have put him about 25 feet away from us as we tried to sleep.... :-P
I didn't want to roll over and tell him "Shut up, will you?" since we have so many rodents around, but *damn*, I wish he'd chosen some other place to sound off for 20 minutes. Our owl was parked at the north end of South Street, Paxton. This is the Rt. 31 end of South Street, about 200m south of the rt 31 intersection. The interloper was way off to the north. Tough to say how far, of course. I assume the Holy Grail for a large owl would be command of the large field at Moore State Park, which is about 600m due north.

In other news, if anyone likes to watch (alleged) Red Tailed Hawks taking red squirrels, Century Drive in northern Worcester (in the area immediately south of the Worcesgter County Jail) is pretty good. The RTH's camp out frequently on the lammposts of Century drive. (report from Mike Voorhis).

7/26/06 -- Institute Park, Worcester

The Forbush Bird Club held a trip at dusk at Institute Park (Salisbury Pond) in Worcester. The main focus of the trip led by Bob Aiello with 19 participants, was to observe Black-crowned Night Herons. We were rewarded with a very obliging adult male Black-crowned Night Heron. He was well seen long before darkness set in. A total of 23 bird species were enjoyed, including a Spotted Sandpiper seen near the spillway and on the shore near some mallards. Here is the Complete trip report. (report from Joan Zumpfe).

7/26/06 -- Sterling Peat, Sterling

From 8:00 - 8:30 AM, there were 2 Great Egrets this morning. (report from Peter Morlock).

7/26/06 -- Leesville Pond, Worcester

I went to Leesville Pond before work and saw 2 Great Blue Heron, 3 Green Heron and 1 Black- crowned Night heron. (report from John Shea).

7/23/06 -- Quabbin Park, quabbin Reservoir

This morning we birded Quabbin Park, the southern-most area of Quabbin, accessed via roads off Rt. 9 in Belchertown. Bird song has almost completely disapeared other than the odd individual warbleror sparrow and the "persistant singers" that continue till September, like Peewee or the vireos. Because of this, Passerines were tough to find today and soon will start to appear in "staging for migration" multi-species flocks best seen early in the morning working forest edges near fields. Swallows are also staging for migration and will soon leave many inland locations and head either to favorite locations along the coast (like Plum); or the Connecticut River Valley (like East Meadows); to further stage in even larger flocks before heading south. Common Loon (1 1st yr); Double-crested Cormorant (2imm); Great Blue Heron (1); Turkey Vulture (1); Canada Goose (27); Hooded Merganser (1imm); Bald Eagle (1ad: at the Trout Hatchery); Virginia Rail (3); Killdeer (7: at the Trout Hatchery: This spot is very consistant for this species and we have had numbers of them even in mid-December and February, very unusual at an inland location. We spoke at legnth to the Widlife Technician there in charge of the trout, and she said that some years they are seen "year round". Several pairs nest there. The Bald Eagles are also often around the waste-water pool year-round too.); Greater Yellowlegs (1 overhead); Mourning Dove (1); Belted Kingfisher (1); Downy Woodpecker (1); N Flicker (1); OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER (1: an early migrant or post-breeding wanderer); Eastern Wood Peewee (5); E Phoebe (1); Eastern Kingbird (9); Tree Swallow (148); Bank Swallow (3); Barn Swallow (63); Blue Jay (3); A Crow (5); Common Raven (1); Black-capped Chickadee (21); Tufted Titmouse (11); White-breasted Nuthatch (2); CAROLINA WREN (1ad+2 nelwy fledged yg: Carolina Wrens can be very tough IN Quabbin per se and I have recorded them only very rarely there. These were a surprise); House Wren (1); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2); Hermit Thrush (5: still singing); A Robin (16: many immatures); Gray Catbird (13); Cedar Waxwing (7); European Starling (8: not THAT common deep IN Quabbin per se, but South Quabbin is the most likley spot to expect them); Yellow-throated Vireo (2); Red-eyed Vireo (34); Chestnut-sided Warbler (1ad+1newly fledged yg); Yellow-rumped Warbler (1 still singing); Pine Warbler (2: still singing); Prairie Warbler (1); A Redstart (1f); C Yellowthroat (6); Scarlet Tanager (5); N Cardinal (2); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1); Indigo Bunting (4); Eastern Towhee (26); Chipping Sparrow (24); Field Sparrow (3); Song Sparrow (5); American Goldfinch (13); Red-winged Blackbird (25+); Baltimore Oriole (2imm); Plus: a decent show of common butterflies despite the cloudy skies that included a good flight of Common Wood Nymph. But this was overshadowed by an enormous number (hundreds) of CALICO PENNANTS (a dragonfly) , which seemed to be everywhere where there were fields. ALSO: First thing, we headed to the Silvio Conte Anadramous Fish Canal off the Connecticut River (Miller's Falls) , thinking there might be some shorebirds that put down as the water has been drained since last week. Though conditions looked promising, all we could find were Canada Goose (10); Mallard (94); Killdeer (9); Least Sandpiper (2); and a smattering of the common expected passerines, though swallows were also staging here with: Tree (25+); Bank (60+); Barn (20+). (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

7/20/06 -- Lovett Rd., Oxford

Around 7 p.m., while visiting friends in Oxford on Lovett Road, 19 Turkey Vultures flew over and around their property. There's a lot of woods in the area. Also, on the 19th, I heard a Broad-winged Hawk as it flew over my house in Dudley, and When I looked up I saw a second Broad-winged following the first one. (report from Joan Zumpfe)

7/19/06 -- Sterling Peat

I stopped before work from 6:30 - 7:00AM and saw the following: Greater Yellowlegs; Killdeer; Least Sandpiper 2; Spotted Sandpiper; Solitary Sandpiper; Great Blue Heron; Bank Swallows 10+. (report from Peter Morlock).

7/19/06 -- Paradise Pond, Princeton

I had a nice look at the Loon family on Paradise Pond yesterday afternoon, the chick appears doing well and was staying close to the female (color banded Red over Green on the left leg), while the male was a few hundred yards away (the blue striped band was seen on the right leg). (report from Tom Pirro).

7/18/06 -- Millbury Bike Path/West Millbury

An early morning walk along the Blackstone on the Millbury Bikepath yielded the following highlights: 20 wood ducks (3 drakes in eclipse plumage, 2 hens, 15 young), 1 great blue heron, 1 female wild turkey with 8 young, 1 spotted sandpiper, 1 belted kingfisher, 1 great crested flycatcher, 3 kingbirds, 1 red-eyed vireo and 4 cedar waxwings. Also of interest at home in West Millbury: I became aware of a pair of winter wrens behind my house on April 15th, they were seen and mostly heard on a regular basis until the beginning of July. Their singing became sporadic after that but yesterday and today, in the oppressive heat, one was singing very close to the house almost as loud as the house wrens. (report from Alan Marble).

7/18/06 -- Gardner Airport, Templeton

I took a brief stop by the Gardner airport this morning and had the follwing hilights: Killdeer 2; American Kestrel 1 female; Horned Lark 3 all adults; Eastern Towhee 1; Field Sparrow 1. (report from Tom Pirro).

7/17/06 -- River Bend Farm, Uxbridge/Northbridge

Birding highlights included:

West Hill Park and Dam: 2 house wrens, 4 eastern bluebirds, 2 adult killdeers, great blue heron, several cedar waxwings, indigo bunting, an Eastern kingbird and a red-winged blackbird dive-bombing a great horned owl perched on a snag in the marsh around 6:30PM, belted kingfisher, numerous tree and rough-winged swallows.

River Bend Farm: warbling vireo, indigo bunting, a female common yellowthroat put in a nice appearance and several males were singing, female mallard with 6 ducklings, 3 song sparrows, 3 Baltimore orioles, osprey perched on the oak snag in the middle of the field.

Rice City Pond, Goat Hill Trail and King Phillip's Trail: 2 great blue herons, mute swan, green heron, female rose-breasted grosbeak, 5 Baltimore orioles, warbling vireo, ruby-throated hummingbird, great-crested flycatcher, a dozen common yellowthroats and song sparrows, 4 yellow warblers, 4 red-eyed vireos, E. wood pewee. Hermit thrush and veery were heard singing in the woods.

Lookout Rock: 3 turkey vultures, red-eyed vireos, 2 eastern towhees calling, 2 hermit thrushes, 2 Baltimore orioles.

Blackstone Valley Nature Watch is a new, free e-mail forum for residents and visitors of the Blackstone Valley to share nature-related sightings and information about park events. Birdwatchers, gardeners, hikers, bikers, boaters, and star gazers are invited to touch base with others who enjoy astronomy, geology, plants, wildlife, and nature photography as the seasons change. (report from Nancy Demers, Olivia Herbert, Beth Milke)

7/15/06 -- Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary, Worcester

Kim Kastler, Kevin Bourinot, Rebecca Ciborowski, and I recorded the following highlights on a class trip to Broad Meadow Brook this morning: Great Blue Heron (1); Spotted Sandpiper (1); Least Sandpiper (4); Chimney Swift (3); Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1); Northern Flicker (8, including adults feeding young birds); Eastern Wood-Pewee (2); Willow Flycatcher (2); Eastern Phoebe (2); Great Crested Flycatcher (3); Warbling Vireo (1); Red-eyed Vireo (7); Tree Swallow (1); House Wren (3, including adult carrying food); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2); Eastern Bluebird (2); Wood Thrush (2); Gray Catbird (11, including an immature); Cedar Waxwing (4); Yellow Warbler (2); Common Yellowthroat (13); Eastern Towhee (6); Chipping Sparrow (1); Field Sparrow (2); Song Sparrow (30, including an adult feeding a young sparrow); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (5); Red-winged Blackbird (16); Brown-headed Cowbird (1); Baltimore Oriole (5); (report from John Liller).

7/13/06 -- Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary, Worcester

I stopped down to Broad Meadow Brook this morning before work to look for the Black crowned Night Heron, found him, along with 2 Great Blues and a Green Heron. Also 2 Least Sandpipers, 1 Solitary Sandpiper and 2 Killdeer. At work, a Kestrel was diving at a Red Tail on the gym roof of Worcester Academy. (report from John Shea)

7/12/06 -- off Salisbury (near Park Ave), Worcester

Early this morning, from 4AM till c.4:35AM (when the dawn chorus of robins and wrens really got going) there was a GREAT HORNED OWL calling continuously from the pines across the street. This is the second record for our fairly urban house since we moved here, the only other record being for 2/27/00: a bird gotten in the scope at noon being harassed by crows in the same pine across the street. To the best of my knowledge, Great Horneds don't breed within about a radius of a mile of my house, though they certainly do breed in several locations in the city, like Biotech Park. My guess is that this was a "bird of the year" looking for a territory. (report from Mark Lynch).

7/11/06 -- NoTown Reservoir, Leominster

This morning there were 4 adult Common Loons, 3 together and a lone bird several hundred meters away. (report from Tom Pirro).

7/10/06 -- Ashby/Ashburnham

I checked two bodies of water for nesting Common Loons on the way home from work this evening.

Fitchburg Reservior (Ashby): 0 adults and 0 young, there is typically a pair on this reservior, 3 were here on the 6/19.

Upper Naukeg Lake (Ashburnham): 3 adults and 1 chick. The pair with the chick were were at the opposite end of the lake to the other adult loon.
(report from Tom Pirro).

7/9/06 -- Quabog IBA, Brookfields

This morning we covered just a few stops in the Quabog IBA in the Brookfields. Mosquitoes, ticks and Deer Flies, especially in forested locations, were abyssmal. But the post-breeding birding was good. American Bittern (at least 2); Least Bittern (1); Great Blue Heron (8); Canada Goose (17); Wood Duck (2 + 1f w/3 fledged young); Mallard (40); Osprey (pair vocally and aerially displaying right around where the Bald Eagles bred this year); Red-tailed Hawk (1);

Virginia Rail (2+ 1adult w/4 downy yng. Walking next to the railroad tracks, we heard one of the calls of a Virginia Rail, the sharp stuttering/grating metallic sounds often given when near young. Ahead about 30 feet we were surprised to see an adult Virginia walking out of the bushes on the river side, call several times, walk to the RXR tracks, perch atop one of the rails(iron); , call several times, and then proceed down the grade to the separate marsh on the other side of the tracks. Four downy young then began, one at a time, to come out from the same bushes the adult had come from. First one then another, approached the rail (iron) and with a combination of hopping, hoisting and just plain struggling, went over each rail(iron) and calling all the time, went down the slope to the marsh. That is all except one, which approached the rail (iron) gingerly, calling all the time, tried, freaked, and then ran BACK to the bushes. In the meantime the third rail (bird) that had gone over the rails (iron) hearing it's sibling calling then went BACK across both the rails (iron); to join it's tardy sibling. All the while, from down in the marsh, the adult continued to call. For the next 15 minutes we watched as one then the other young rail (bird) chick approached the rails (iron) only to dart back to the bushes. They were sitting ducks (euphemism) for the numerous coyotes, hawks and crows that inhabit the area. We were transfixed and more than a little caught up in the whole situation because to make matters worse, a train was due soon. Out from the bushes the rails (birds) would come and again and again approach the first rail (iron) only to run back to the bushes again. We knew if we were to approach any closer to help them out, we would only make matters worse by scaring them even further away, so we just stood there getting very, VERY tense. I began to swear audibly when the chicks kept returning to the bushes. Finally, the third rail (bird) made a mad dash, up and over the rails (iron) and headed down to it's siblings and parents. This left that last rail (bird) . Finally, when it seemed like it would never happen, that last rail (bird) jumped up over the first rail (iron) ran around a bit on the tracks (more tension from us) and then at last: up and over and down into the marsh. We uttered an audible sigh of relief even though we realized this kind of "drama" is just another day in the life of many birds. We peered into the marsh and could hear the adult rounding up the young. BTW: the train came by ten minutes later. Sora (1); Spotted Sandpiper (1); Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1); Chimney Swift (2); Belted Kingfisher (2); Downy Woodpecker (10); Hairy Woodpecker (1); N Flicker (3); E Wood Peewee (5); Willow Flycatcher (3); Eastern Phoebe (3); Eastern Kingbird (11); Yellow-throated Vireo (5); Blue-headed Vireo (3); Warbling Vireo (6: low); Red-eyed Vireo (37); Blue Jay (9); Tree Swallow (12: low); Barn Swallow (10); Black-capped Chickadee (52); Tufted Titmouse (11); White-breasted Nuthatch (6); Carolina Wren (2); House Wren (3); MARSH WREN ( we heard 6 calling birds at the usual colony); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (5); Veery (39); Hermit Thrush (2); Wood Thrush (13); A Robin (80); Cedar Waxwing (4);

WARBLERS: Yellow (12); Chestnut-sided (6); Black-throated Green (3+ 1m feeding two fledged COWBIRDS. This is the first time I have sen a warbler feeding TWO cowbirds); Pine (14); American Redstart (1f feeding an almost fledged cowbird); Ovenbird (11); C Yellowthroat (63); Scarlet Tanager (7); Chipping Sparrow (39); Song Sparrow (41); Swamp Sparrow (23); N Cardinal (10); Indigo Bunting (4); Red-winged Blackbird (117+); C Grackle (60+); Baltimore Oriole (8); House Finch (1); A Goldfinch (19);
PLUS: the usual mammals: Eastern Cottontail, Muskrats, Beavers. The usual herps: E Painted Turtle, American Toad, Green, Bull and Pickerel Frog, several crayfish species, and our best lep was a Northern Pearly-eye. But we also went to pay our yearly homage to the BLACK RAT SNAKES. This disjunct population of this state-listed snake was discovered only a short time ago. In the last two years, two of the few reamaining have been killed by being run over! We went to their favorite tree and found THREE, including two rather large specimens. Best "bird of the day." (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

7/8/06 -- North Central Mass.

I checked on 5 bodies of water this afternoon that have previous records of breeding Common Loons:

Bickford Pond** (Hubbardston): 2 adults/2 chicks observed
Paradise Pond (Princeton) : 2 adults/1 Chick observed
Hycrest Pond** (Princeton): 2 adults/0 young observed
Hayes Reservior** (Leominster: 2 adult/0 young observed
NoTown Reservior** (Leominster): 1 adult/0 young observed ...  there is a
fair amount of obstructed sight lines from any one vantage point and another
bird(s) could easily be overlooked.

**Note each of these bodies of water, except Paradise Pond, are town
reserviors and are posted (No Tresspassing).

(report from Tom Pirro).

7/8/06 -- Broad Meadow Brook Santuary, Worcester

I walked the Stretch yesterday and today for my monthly Saturday morning bird walk for casual birders. There are still a fair number of birds about, including lots of Song Sparrows, Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Phoebes, Pewees, a Great Crested Flycatcher, Grosbeaks, Catbirds, Cedar Waxwings (just 2), Tree Swallows, a Scarlet Tanager, a Great Blue, the odd TV and Red-tail, and at least 9 Yellowthroats. The highlight, however, was a southbound (?) LEAST SANDPIPER working the mud flats (the brook is low) and a Sanctuary first, an adult BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. Both gave good looks and both seem settled in, at least for the day. (report from Howard Shainheit).

7/4/06 -- Seekonk River, RI

This morning we conducted another point count of birds along the Seekonk, the terminus of the Blackstone National Corridor. Birds tallied included: Double-crested Cormorant (32); Great Egret (3); Great Blue Heron (1); Green Heron (1); Black-crowned Night Heron (3ad, 1 of which was in what is called "atavistic" plumage); Mute Swan (61ad+12 cygnets); Canada Goose (1); Mallard (273 ad+6ducklings); American Black Duck (3); Greater Scaup (1f: this time it was resting out of the water opp. the nother end of Swan Pt Cem. It is possible this si the same bird we saw over a month ago off Bold Point); Common Merganser (2m present for some time); Osprey (2ad+1 about to leave the nest young); Peregrine Falcon (2ad); Killdeer (6ad+1ad w/2yg in Cape Cod Ice parking area, East Providence); Greater Yellowlegs (1); Spotted Sandpiper (2); Least Sandpiper (9); Ring-billed Gull (6); Herring Gull (25); Great Black-backed Gull (18 plus at least one young still on the "cormorant platform opposite the Ten Mile River outflow); Common Tern (2ad: it does not look like nesting succesfully occured on the structures off Bold Point. While we were there, there were gulls on that wooden structure and the terns were NOT bombing them); Belted Kingfisher (1); Red-bellied Woodpecker (3); Downy Woodpecker (3); N Flicker (4); Willow Flycatcher (1); E Phoebe (1); Great Crested Flycatcher (1); Eastern Kingbird (6); Warbling Vireo (6); Red-eyed Vireo (1); Tree Swallow (30+); N Rough-winged Swallow (2); Carolina Wren (2); House Wren (4); Gray Catbird (29); N Mockingbird (18 singing birds); Cedar Waxwing (3); Yellow Warbler (8); A Redstart (1); Common Yellowthroat (2); Eastern Towhee (1); Field Sparrow (1); Chipping Sparrow (33); Song Sparrow (31);
At nearby Turner (east Providence) Reservoir, there w ere mostly BOATS and fishermen on it, but also Double-crested Cormorant (5); Great Blue Heron (1); Mute Swan (6); Canada Goose (3). (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

7/4/06 -- Lake Wompanoag, Ashburnham

Highlights seen and or heard from the dam on Lake Wompanoag on the Ashburnham side: Common Loon 4 (2 adults with 2 chicks); Broad-winged Hawk 1; Eastern Wood-Pewee 1; Eastern Phoebe 1; Eastern Kingbird 2; Blue-headed Vireo 1; Red-eyed Vireo 3; Hermit Thrush 2; Wood Thrush 1; Cedar Waxwing 2; Black-throated Green Warbler 2; Pine Warbler 1; Black-and-white Warbler 2; Ovenbird 3; Common Yellowthroat 3; Scarlet Tanager 2; Song Sparrow 1; Purple Finch 1; (report from Tom Pirro).

7/3/06 -- Buck Hill WMA, Burrillville RI

We birded at dawn for a bit in Buck Hill WMA in the extreme NW corner of RI, on the border of Connecticut and Massachusetts. This is part of the BLACKSTONE NATIONAL CORRIDOR. We were quite disappointed that the pond had been drained quite low, almost empty. Does anyone know why this is being done? We only birded around the pond and somewhat the surrounding areas. Great Blue Heron (1: obviously, the rookery here did not occur this year); N GOSHAWK (1 ad); Red-tailed Hawk (1); Mourning Dove (4); Black-billed Cuckoo (1); E Wood Peewee (4); Least Flycatcher (2); Great Crested Flycatcher (3); Eastern Kingbird (3); Yellow-throated Vireo (4); Warbling Vireo (3); Red-eyed Vireo (26); Tree Swallow (4); Black-capped Chickadee (14); Tufted Titmouse (6); Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (7); Veery (6); Hermit Thrush (3); Wood Thrush (9); A Robin (22); Gray Catbird (23); Cedar Waxwing (2); Blue-winged Warbler (1); Yellow Warbler (3); Chestnut-sided Warbler (1); Black and White Warbler (2); A Redstart (13); Ovenbird (6); Scarlet Tanager (8); Eastern Towhee (10); Chipping Sparrow (16: areas around WMA); Song Sparrow (4); WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (1 calling: they do NOT breed here and this bird may just be a wandering non-breeder. For the past week, I have had a singing White-throated in my yard and I KNOW they don't breed here); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (6); Red-winged Blackbird (10+); Common Grackle (9); Brown-headed Cowbird (3); Baltimore Oriole (3); A Goldfinch (9); PLUS: RIBBON SNAKE (1: photo'ed); ; American Toad, Great Spangled Fritillary; and 1 CHICKEN. We had parked our car, and I was sitting on the open trunk, donning boots, when there was this explosive deep, gargling rooster-type crowing RIGHT BEISDE US. It was more than a bit freaky. I first thought it was some wise-asses trying to scare "the birders", but instead it was a HUGE PLYMOUTH ROCK COCK, poking out of the weeds at the edge of the parking area less than 5 feet away. It was there. crowing still, in virtually the same spot, when we came out. We fed it some crushed pretzels (Nota bene: we don't carry "feed"); . It was such a handsome bird we actually became concerned for it's saftey. We stupidly tried to catch it, which was just a prolonged lesson in futility. We did drive all around the area looking for chicken coops and actually asking folks if they had lost a chicken. I am surprised the cops weren't called. I called Tom Gagnon, our only close friend who raises chickens and he told us how tough it is to catch chickens, especially roosters, that it is illegal to transport then across state lines without a permit (we were going to catch it and bring it to Tufts Vet School in Grafton MA); , and that people sometimes KIDNAP neighbors roosters if they are too noisy and abandon them. When we asked why not just eat the evidence instead, Tom noted that it is too much work to pluck a chicken. Deeper meanings. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

7/2/06 -- Wachusett Reservoir

The Forbush Bird Club held a trip at Wachusett Reservoir on July 2, 2006. Trip leader Francis X. McMenemy guided 10 members to Tahonto Point, by way of Gate 35 in Sterling, to observe a mated pair of Common Loons and their chick near their Wood Island nesting site. The adults were seen feeding the one offspring. An additional adult Common Loon was seen by Crescent Island in Sterling. Here is the complete trip list of the 46 bird species noted. (report from Joan Zumpfe).

7/2/06 -- Tom Swamp/Harvard Pond, Petersham

Late this morning through mid-afternoon, we birded the Tom Swamp/Harvard Pond area of Petersham. We went there to ostensibly look for the Two-spotted Skipper, and boy did we dip on that: we searched once and did not see it, then we left to bird and Tom Gagnon got great looks at it, we returned to the spot, spent another hour searching and still did not see it. That is one tough butterfly. Despite our birding the area so late in the day, birds were still in decent "song". Great Blue Heron (2); Broad-winged Hawk (1); Killdeer (3); N SAW-WHET OWL (1 calling. We were imitating a Saw-whet to attract some birds and this bird responded in mid-day); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (3); Downy Woodpecker (2); Eastern Wood Peewee (8); Alder Flycatcher (2); Willow Flycatcher (1); Blue-headed Vireo (13); Red-eyed Vireo (29); Blue Jay (3); A Crow (2); Common Raven (1); Tree Swallow (6); Black-capped Chickadee (11); Tufted Titmouse (2); Red-breasted Nuthatch (5); White-breasted Nuthatch (3); House Wren (1); Winter Wren (7); Veery (5); Hermit Thrush (10); Wood Thrush (4); A Robin (9); Gray Catbird (13); Cedar Waxwing (4);

WARBLERS: Nashville (1); Chestnut-sided (2); Magnolia (2); Black-throated Blue (3); Yellow-rumped (8); Black-throated Green (15); Blackburnian (3); Pine (8); Black and White (3); Ovenbird (15); C Yellowthroat (29); Canada (1); Scarlet Tanager (5); Song Sparrow (11); Swamp Sparrow (8); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2); Red-winged Blackbird (30+); Purple Finch (1); A Goldfinch (6); PLUS: We also found two species of carnivorous plants: N Pitcher Plant and Horned Bladderwort. Butterflies were not great (at least for us); and we saw only Tiger Swallowtail, Clouded Sulphur, E. Tailed Blue and Eyed Brown. ODONATES on the other hand were all over in immense numbers. Species we saw included: Unicorn Clubtail, Calico Pennant, Slaty Skimmer (abundant); , Dot-tailed Whiteface, Frosted Whiteface, C. Whitetail, Widow Skimmer, Chalk-fronted Whiteface and the teeny Elfin Skimmer. We also saw/heard: Bullfrog, Green Frog, American Toad, E Painted Turtle, River Otter, Red-backed Vole, and found Moose scat. I also got looks at what may have been a WATER SHREW, a species I have been searching for, for most of my adult life. I was hiking down a little used side trail, came to the edge of water and swamp and stepping into the swamp, flushed a hefty long-tailed shrew very dark above and white below, that dove into the water and took off. Nice way to spend the afternoon not far from home. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

7/1/06 -- Ashburnham

Birds seen and heard on a 3 mile walk along Old Country Road in Ashburham this afternoon. Ruffed Grouse 5 (1 Adult and 4 young~3/4 adult size); Great Blue Heron 1; Broad-winged Hawk 1; Killdeer 2; Mourning Dove 1; Downy Woodpecker 1; Hairy Woodpecker 4; Pileated Woodpecker 1; Blue-headed Vireo 6; Red-eyed Vireo 5; Blue Jay 7; Common Raven 1; Bank Swallow 1; Black-capped Chickadee 6; Red-breasted Nuthatch 2; Winter Wren 2; Veery 4; Hermit Thrush 5; American Robin 4; Gray Catbird 1; Nashville Warbler 2; Magnolia Warbler 2; Black-throated Blue Warbler 8; Yellow-rumped Warbler 2; Black-throated Green Warbler 6; Pine Warbler 5; Ovenbird 10; Common Yellowthroat 9; Canada Warbler 3; Scarlet Tanager 1; Eastern Towhee 2; Chipping Sparrow 1; Song Sparrow 1; Swamp Sparrow 1; White-throated Sparrow 7; Indigo Bunting 1; Common Grackle 1; Purple Finch 1; American Goldfinch 4; Also in gardner were 2 young Ruffed Grouse DOR (dead on road) along Rte 101, these were about the same size as the 4 young I saw on my walk. (report from Tom Pirro).

For previous sightings, see June 2006 Archives or Archive Index