July 2010 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:

7/31/10 -- Oxford
At 3:15 on Sutton road Oxford just past Singletary Rod and Gun Club and before Market Basket in the swampy area, I had an adult Green Heron. (report from Michael Joubert).

7/31/10 -- Lancaster
Today at 7:30 am I was birding on Langen Road  in Lancaster.  I passed Old County Road on the left and shortly after there is a pull off with a white fence that is posted "no trespassing".  I was birding from the side of the road for about 10 minutes when I heard a Northern bobwhite sing.  Then a second one sang and they preceded to counter-sing for about 5 minutes.  They stopped and I waited there a while longer, but they never sang again.  At the pull off there is a big open grassy, shrubby area enclosed with trees and they were pretty far back in the posted area.  (report from Jessica Johnson).

7/29/10 -- Sterling Peat, Sterling
I returned to Sterling Peat this evening hoping to find a night heron; no luck. The Great Egret (see posts below) was there until sunset. Species not seen earlier were 2 Green-winged Teal, 1 Wood Duck, 4 Solitary Sandpipers and the Beaver family searching for the leak that let the water out. (report from Bart Kamp).

7/29/10 -- Sterling Peat, Sterling
The Great Egret (see report below) was still there at 2 PM. Also there were 2 Mallards, 75 Canada Geese, 2 Green Herons, 5 Great Blue Herons, 4 Killdeer, 2 Spotted Sandpipers and 8 Least Sandpipers. I estimate that the water level is down about 2 feet from whenever Kim took the picture that is on her blog. Lots of mud flats showing. An additional 2 inch drop in the water level will divide the pond into 2 parts connected by a stream. Noticeably missing is the purple loosestrife. I believe that the DCR applied something to kill it last year. (report from Bart Kamp).

7/29/10 -- Sterling Peat, Sterling
This morning around 7:00 AM there was a Great Egret. (report from Peter Morlock).

7/25/10 -- Gate 35/22, Quabbin Reservoir
We spent a good part of the day atlasing SHUTESBURY 10, a block that includes Gate 35 as well as the shoreline in Gate 22 and north. Though song has dropped off considerably, there are still a number of newly fledged birds to be found, often in close company with parents. There was also a very interesting mix of migrants. Common Loon (10ad); Double-crested Cormorant (2ad); Great Blue Heron (2); Turkey Vulture (7); MUTE SWAN (pair. Like last year, a pair of adult swans were seen hanging around the phragmite island just north of Mount L. DCR is keeping a close watch on this.); Canada Goose (78); Mallard (5f); Common Merganser (1adM); Osprey (2: 1 flew in and perched on the new Osprey nesting platform, BUT both were flushed by a pair of Bald Eagles, and thereafter not seen for the rest of our time here. It is interesting to speculate if this is the pair of eagles that breed just north of the platform on a small island); Bald Eagle (2ad+2 imm [looked like first year birds]. One immature sat on a gravel bar for over an hour while an adult perched right above it. An adult bathed on the west side of the Phragmite Island and sat there for over an hour); Killdeer (1); Least Sandpiper (4 -- NB: though water isn't really low, in this area of Quabbin, good "shorebirdy" muddy edges and sand and gravel bars are being exposed and this is providing at least some habitat for inland shorebirds for this migration season. But you will need a good scope and lots of patience.); BONAPARTE'S GULL (3adS: all with a black hood. These birds put on a real show, feeding and resting on the phragmite island and feeding/flying north. Seen the entire time we were there. Uncommon migrant inland, yearly on the big reservoirs); Ring-billed Gull (24); Herring Gull (2); COMMON TERN (1adS: flew south pretty early on and was never seen again. Very uncommon migrant this far inland, but likely yearly on the large reservoirs. When they do appear on inland bodies of water, most terns don't stay long. The best times to look for them well inland is after the passage of a hurricane or even just a front, especially with heavy rain.); Mourning Dove (1); Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1); Hairy Woodpecker (1); E Wood Peewee (1); Blue-headed Vireo (2); Red-eyed Vireo (30); Tree Swallow (35+: just a trickle of birds flying around and north of the phragmite island); Barn Swallow (6); Blue Jay (3); A Crow (9); Black-capped Chickadee (31); Tufted Titmouse (2); White-breasted Nuthatch (2 just fledged bird); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1); Wood Thrush (2); A Robin (4); Cedar Waxwing (4); Yellow Warbler (4); Pine Warbler (4); Black and White Warbler (2); Common Yellowthroat (4); Scarlet Tanager (4: 1 pair still carrying food to a nest); Eastern Towhee (10ad+2imm); Field Sparrow (1); Chipping Sparrow (4); Song Sparrow (1); Red-winged Blackbird (6); C Grackle (9); A Goldfinch (3); PLUS: Raccoon (young one); Bobcat; Northern Water Snake; Snapping Turtle (huge one laying eggs); and STINKPOT. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

7/21/10 -- East Mountain Street, Worcester
I saw a scarlett tanager today at about 11:15 a.m. on Century Drive, off of East Mountain Street near the Fed Ex Building. First I thought it was a cardinal, but then noticed the distinctive black wings. It sat there in the tree for a good 3 minutes before flying away. (report from Elaine Gardella).

7/18/10 -- Gates 35-39, northeast Quabbin Reservoir
This morning we continued our breeding bird atlasing in northeast QUABBIN from Gates 35-39. Weather was sunny, with fair weather clouds. It became quite breezy by noon and there were whitecaps on the water! This was a plus because the Deer Flies are still formidable. Birds seen; Common Loon (15: all adults: 1 flock of 8; 1 flock of 4; 1 pair; the rest singles); Great Blue Heron (5); Canada Goose (26); Wood Duck (3 juv); Mallard (9f+5m); Hooded Merganser (1juv); Common Merganser (15 juv); Bald Eagle (1ad); Wild Turkey (1adF+4 poults); Virginia Rail (2); Spotted Sandpiper (4: 2 juv); ?calidrid sp.? (3: too distant to be 100% sure and did not hear them call, but from what I could see, they looked like Leasts ); Short-billed Dowitcher (1); Ring-billed Gull (4); Mourning Dove (7); Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1); Belted Kingfisher (2); Downy Woodpecker (1); Hairy Woodpecker (2); N Flicker (1); Pileated Woodpecker (4); Eastern Wood Peewee (5); Alder Flycatcher (1); Eastern Kingbird (1); Blue-headed Vireo (8); Red-eyed Vireo (34); Tree Swallow (700+: roosting on phragmite island and swarming north shortly after dawn both very low over water and high in the air); Barn Swallow (30+); Blue Jay (2); American Crow (16); Black-capped Chickadee (30); Tufted Titmouse (6); Red-breasted Nuthatch (11); White-breasted Nuthatch (13); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (3); Veery (3); Hermit Thrush (2); A Robin (17); Gray Catbird (10); Cedar Waxwing (2); Black-throated Blue Warbler (8); Yellow-rumped Warbler (2); Black-throated Green Warbler (2); Pine Warbler (9); C Yellowthroat (14: sev. just fledged birds still attended by adults); Scarlet Tanager (5: incl. 1 just fledged bird); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1imm); Eastern Towhee (20); Field Sparrow (3 singing birds); Chipping Sparrow (9); Song Sparrow (8); White-throated Sparrow (1 just fledged juv); Red-winged Blackbird (14); Common Grackle (6); House Finch (2); Purple Finch (1); A Goldfinch (2); PLUS: still a nice flight of CALICO PENNANTS. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

7/17/10 -- Leicester
Highlights on the "Birds and Butterflies" Forbush Bird Club trip included Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting and Eastern Meadowlark. Here is a list of the 25 bird and 17 butterfly species observed. (reports from Alan Marble and Dolores Price, fide Joan Gallagher).

7/3/10 -- Wachusett Reservoir Gate 35, South Bay
Highlights of the Forbush Bird club trip were observing 2 Common Loon pairs on nest rafts at Wood Island and South Bay. We also had great looks at a Black-billed Cuckoo at South Bay, a pair of Sharp-shinned Hawks over Sawyer Bluff, good numbers of Spotted Sandpipers, Red-eyed Vireos and Scarlet Tanagers at various locations. A non-avian highlight was watching a protective pair of Brown Bullhead Catfish defending hundreds of their young against Largemouth Bass. Guest Tom Manders took photos on the trip, and they are available at wtmanders.zenfolio.com/p254147938. Here is the complete list of 49 species recorded. (report from Kevin Bourinot)

7/2/10 -- Webster Lake, Webster
I stopped in a small convience store in Thompson Conn. and ran into another birder from Connecticut, who tipped me off to seeing 3 Black Vultures flying over Webster Lake. Since this was about 1 minute away I stopped there around 4:30 and found one of them. I stayed about ten minutes, then left, and proceeded through Webster center where I had another Black Vulture by itself.  This bird was heading north. (report from Michael Joubert).

For previous sightings, see June 2010 Archives or Archive Index