June 2002 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.

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6/30/02 -- Sutton

In our continuing effort to learn more about the birds of the Blackstone National Corridor, we spent all of this morning just in the town of SUTTON and only in the areas west of Rt. 146. Our efforts were concentrated on the State Forest (including Purgatory Chasm); the almost adjacent farmlands of Waters Farms, Town Farm, Whittier Farm et, the rather small Merrill Pond WMA and counted birds inbetween these areas as well. There is little doubt that Sutton is suffering from rampant development leading to a serious loss of habitat and very serious fragmentation of the forest. It is just depressing to see all the developments and huge "trophy" homes going up on former farmland or forested areas. Though Waters Farm will be protected as an historical site, the clock is definitely ticking for most of the rest of the open space. Though there has been a lot of focus on water quality in the Blackstone, equal attnetion needs to be paid to the land surrounding the Blackstone. As I mentioned in a previous post, most of the hemlocks have the Wooly Adelgid. One new area (for us) that we found was Bug Swamp: a large wooded swamp at the end of a road. It was filled with 12-Spotted Skimmers, and Veerys sang around the periphery. One habitat we did NOT cover, but could certainly use some monitoring was along the power lines. These areas of Sutton could host a good number of species like Indigo Bunting, Prairie and Yellow Warblers as well as other interesting species. The following list is of interest as far as RELATIVE abundance is concerned. Note the large numbers of edge and suburban species like catbird and Chipping Sparrow. This is testament to the rapid "suburbanization" of fomer farmland and forest.

WARBLERS: Blue-winged (2); Yellow (10); Chestnut-sided (5); Black-throated Green (2); Pine (19); Prairie (3); Black and White (10); A. Redstart (1); Ovenbird (30: see comment after Red-eyed Vireo); NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (1 singing away at Bug Swamp); C. Yellowthroat (42);

6/29/02 -- Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary, Worcester

Highlights this morning: Red-tailed Hawk (1) Chimney Swift (2) Eastern Wood-Pewee (8) Willow Flycatcher (1) Eastern Phoebe (1) Great Crested Flycatcher (2) Eastern Kingbird (1) Warbling Vireo (1) Red-eyed Vireo (3) Carolina Wren (1) House Wren (1) Veery (2) Wood Thrush (5) Brown Thrasher (5) Cedar Waxwing (9) Blue-winged Warbler (1) Yellow Warbler (6) Chestnut-sided Warbler (1) Prairie Warbler (1) Ovenbird (1) Common Yellowthroat (21) Scarlet Tanager (5) Eastern Towhee (23) Field Sparrow (2) Song Sparrow (24) Swamp Sparrow (1) Rose-breasted Grosbeak (7) Baltimore Oriole (10) (report from John Liller).

6/29/02 -- Seekonk River, Blackstone National Corridor

We birded the southern end of the Blackstone National Corridor this AM along the very urban Seekonk River between Providence and East Providence. This river is actually just the extension of the Blackstone River before it enters the northern end of the Providence River. Double-crested Cormorant (55); Great Blue Heron (1); Great Egret (16); Black-crowned Night Heron (1ad+2 sub ad); Nota bene: the post breeding dispersal of the herons and egrets up the Blackstone has yet to happen. Mute Swan (18); Mallard (394); Red-breasted Merganser (1adM up towards Pawtucket); Osprey (1 nest w/ 2adults feeding 2 fat young, but the other nest had only 1 adult sitting on it and that bird eventually flew off. This nest appeared to be active earlier in the season and appears to be abandoned); Peregrine Falcon (3: at least 2 young birds. These 3 were zipping and zooming all over downtown Providence); Killdeer (7); Spotted Sandpiper (1); Common Tern (12); FORSTER'S TERN (1 1stS, far up the Seekonk almost in Pawtucket: this seems a very early date for this location for this species. Last year. late summer brought an amazing flock of 350+ Forester's Terns to feed on schooling fish); Belted Kingfisher (2); The only butterflies of interest we had were 2 Banded Hairstreaks. We check a lot of the hemlocks in Swan Point Cemetery and they were ALL heavily infested with Wooly Adelgid and well on their way to being firewood. On the way home, we stopped off at Purgatory Chasm SP in Sutton MA, and most of the hemlocks there were also very heavily infested, and lower branches were looking pretty dead. This infestation is proceeding at a frightening pace indeed. [ed. note: please see Mark's post regarding this on MASSBIRD, 6/29/02] (report from Mark Lynch).

6/28/02 -- Granger and Gilbert Roads, Barre/Hubbardston

We conducted part two of our breeding bird survey of the WARE RIVER WATERSHED IBA area. Today we birded along two long dirt roads, Granger and Gilbert Roads that run north from Rt. 122 in Barre north to Hubbardston crossing Rt. 62 in the middle. This area is adjacent to the western edge of the Barre Falls Dam/Rutland SP BBS route we run. We also birded along a few of the roads that form the boundry of the IBA, some of which are rural/suburban in character. The habitat along Gilbert and Granger is mostly mixed forest with good stands of white pine and hemlock. There is very little field environment and very little marsh habitat, unlike the Barre Falls Dam parcel. Still, the area is loaded with breeding warblers, thrushes, vireos et. Weather was a bit overcast and murky for most of the morning, making it perfect for the deluge of mosquitoes and deer flies that followed us everywhere. It was not great weather for butterflies, and we managed only a few Little Wood Satyrs and Tiger Swallowtails. But, Ebony Jewelwings were everywhere. Top honors among the wild flowers we saw was a beautiful area of LARGE PURPLE FRINGED ORCHIS in a small bog in the middle of the forest. A stunning orchid lit by a small patch of sun just out from the clouds, amid the deep gloom of the forest. Pretty special. The first number is today's totals, the second number (in parenthesis) is the combined total of today's count AND Wednesday's [6/26/02] count of the Barre Falls Dam area. In other words, the second number represents the BBS of the total Ware River IBA along one route we have developed that runs over two days. This final total does not represent anything near the total of breeding numbers of this IBA as the driveable dirt roads only offer limited access into the forests. Complete list here. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll)

6/26/02 -- Barre Falls Dam-Rutland SP

We conducted our yearly BBS of this parcel that runs between the Barre Falls Dam ACE property and Rutland SP. We were in the field from 5AM to a bit after noon, but the pace was leisurely, and we took some time to count butterflies, eat, enjoy the birds et. All of this area is managed by the MDC. This route, which we have done for years, is a small part of the considerably larger Ware River Watershed IBA area. Weather was hot, but not exceedingly so. There was an abundance of breeding species of birds with a few surprises too. There was also an excellent show of butterflies (we counted 17 species with a nice show of Harris' Checkerspots), odonates (we counted at least 14 species that we could ID) and wildlfowers (including the orchid Rose Pogonia and amazing carpets of Partridgeberry). If you are at all interested in bird behavior, in how a bird lives and breeds, then this is just an amazing time of the year to be afield. We had many species defending territory, carrying food to nests, feeding newly fledged young, et. I will not comment on folks speaking about "birding doldrums". Complete list here. All in all, a great day to be out and about! (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

6/25/02 -- S. Barre Breeding Bird Survey

I recorded the following this morning (6/25/02) while carrying out the Breeding Bird Survey on the S. Barre BBS route (S. Barre - Oakham - Spencer - E. Brookfield - Sturbridge). Please note that this was postponed from an earlier date due to wind conditions. Complete list here (report from John Liller).

6/23/02 -- Maplewood Ter, Fitchburg

I saw two Eastern Screech-Owls on Maplewood Ter at around 9:00pm. Also, I saw a Great-horned Owl just off Jackson Rd in Devens, MA on 6/27/02. (report from Steve Price).

6/22/02 -- Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Worcester

The following were recorded during the 12th annual Breeding Bird Survey at the Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary (Worcester) Saturday morning (6/22/02): click here for detailed list (report from John Liller).

6/20/02 -- Muddy Pond Conservation Area, Westminster

I have completed the third year's inventory of birds at the Muddy Pond Conservation Area in Westminster. The inventory is based on 19 sample points spaced 750' apart. This year the inventory was conducted on June 10 and 20. The results are as located under Bird Census Data. (report from Chuck Caron).

6/20/02 -- Oxbow NWR, Harvard

This evening I literally ran through three miles of Oxbow NWR in Harvard on an auditory birding trip. Swarms of mosquitos and hundreds of deer flies made stopping to look miserable. So, I heard: veery, wood thrush, robin, catbird, b.oriole, warbling vireo, yellow-rumped warbler, yellow warbler, black & white warbler, blue-winged warbler, phoebe, wood pewee, mallard. Insects rule. (report from Andrea Burke).

6/17/02 -- Tower Hill Gardens, Boylston

An Indigo Bunting and flock of 20 + Cedar Waxwings and numerous Goldfinches and House Finches (20+) were noted in the fields surrounding the Apple Orchards at Tower Hill. A Northern Flicker was heard calling from the Pine Grove. (report from Cheryl Boissy)

6/16/02 -- Lake Wompanoag, Gardner/Ashburnham

The "Lake Wompanaog" Common Loons were out cruising with a newly hatched chick this morning. The downy blackish colored chick was observed being fed by one parent while riding on the back of the other. It also swam on "its own" but never any further than a few yards from a parent. The mild winter and early ice-out must allowed this pair to get an early start. (report from Tom Pirro).

6/15/02 -- Seekonk River

Seen on brief trip to the Seekonk River area of the Blackstone National Corridor in wind and rain: Double-crested Cormorant (45); Great Blue Heron (1); Great Egret (4: the post breeding dispersal has NOT started yet for this year); Mute Swan (15); Mallard (71); Osprey (2 adults at India Point plus two occupied nests along the Seekonk); Red-tailed Hawk (1); Common Tern (1); Belted Kingfisher (1 carrying food); N. Rough-winged Swallow (8). (report from Mark Lynch).

6/13/02 -- Durfee Hill WMA, Glocester RI

We counted birds along some of the trails in the Durfee Hill WMA in extreme western Glocester. Glocester is part of the Blackstone National Corridor. For MA birders unfamiliar with this part of RI, extreme NW RI has some beautiful WMAs (Durfe Hill) and parks (George Washington/Pulaski). Though small, these areas have lots of hemlocks (but see below) and mixed forest habitat. Breeding birds in this area of RI are somewhat similar to those found in Quabbin (like Gate 40), with some notable exceptions in density (ex: Blackburnian and Blue-headed Vireo). We hiked the standard trails around the beaver pond off Rt. 94, and into trails on both sides of RT. 94 and some of the trails in the Durfee WMA parcel south of Rt. 44. Overall, it was a pretty gloomy, cool and damp day and (amazingly) mosquitoes were not much of a problem, though ticks were. Be forewarned.
Canada Goose (7ad+5goslings); Mourning Dove (13); Great Horned Owl (1); Downy Woodpecker (4); Hairy Woodpecker (3); N. Flicker (2); Pileated Woodpecker (1: local in RI and local in the entire Corridor); E. Wood Peewee (5); Least Flycatcher (6); Great Crested Flycatcher (3); Eastern Kingbird (2); Blue-headed Vireo (3); Warbling Vireo (3); Red-eyed Vireo (24); Blue Jay (7); A. Crow (6); Tree Swallow (5); Barn Swallow (9); Black-capped Chickadee (36); Tufted Titmouse (12); Brown Creeper (3); Carolina Wren (1); Winter Wren (1); House Wren (1); E. Bluebird (1); Veery (4); Hermit Thrush (6); Wood Thrush (5); A. Robin (11); Gray Catbird (16); Cedar Waxwing (9);

WARBLERS: Blue-winged (1); Yellow (14); Chestnut-sided (2); Black-throated Blue (1); Yellow-rumped (9); Black-throated Green (10); Blackburnian (3); Pine (14); Black and White (3); A. Redstart (8); Ovenbird (17); Northern Waterthrush (1); C. Yellowthroat (7); Scarlet Tanager (4); E. Towhee (2); Chipping Sparrow (26); Song Sparrow (18); N. Cardinal (2); Bobolink (1); Red-winged Blackbird (22); C. Grackle (10); Brown-headed Cowbird (6); Baltimore Oriole (8); Purple Finch (5); House Finch (3); A. Goldfinch (19).
Elsewhere in Glocester: (1) Ruffed Grouse.
WOOLY ADELGID: We found about 70-80% of the hemlocks with at least some infestation. All around the pond the hemlocks were infested as well as deep in the interior west of Rt. 94 and off Rt. 44. Though the infestation has not progressed as far as in Monson MA, I hope something can be done soon.
ATVs/DIRT BIKES: It seems everywhere I hike nowadays, these have become a BIG problem in areas where it is clearly marked that they are banned. In Durfee Hill, they are illegal, but the damage done to trails by these morons was considerable, obvious and widespread in ALL areas. RI seems to have an even bigger problem with these nimrods than MA does. When are Fish and Wildlife Departments going to crack down on these homuculoids that have no regard for property or nature? (report from Mark Lynch).

6/13/02 -- Forbush Bird Club Whip-poor-will walk

The Forbush Bird Club Whip-poor-will Walk postponed from Thursday, June 6 will be held this evening. See Club Calendar for details. (submitted by Bart Kamp).

6/10/02 -- Muddy Pond, Westminster

Highlights of birds observed at the Muddy Pond Conservation Area in Westminster include Great Blue Heron 1, Black Duck 1 female with 7 young, Coopers Hawk 1, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3, Wood Pewee 14, Veery 13, Wood Thrush 2, Hermit Thrush 1, Red-eyed Vireo 9, Black-throated Blue Warbler 22, B lack-thorated Green Warbler 1, Black and White Warbler 3, Canada Warbler 8, Ovenbird 19, Eastern Towhee 7, Swamp Sparrow 1, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3 and Scarlet Tanager 15. (report from Chuck Caron).

6/10/02 -- Delaney WMA, Harvard/Stow

Some of the birds seen during a morning spent counting on some of the trails of Delaney: Double-crested Cormorant (2); GREAT BLUE HERON: minimal: 26 active nests/33 young that could be seen/ and 13 adults in the immediate area; Green Heron (1); Canada Goose (14); MUTE SWAN (5: we had several conversations with folks we met about why this WASN'T a good thing); Wood Duck (3: seemed low); Mallard (2); HOODED MERGANSER (3imm+1adF); Broad-winged Hawk (pair); VIRGINIA RAIL (20); Black-billed Cuckoo (1); Belted Kingfisher (1); E. Wood Peewee (2); E. Phoebe (4); Great Crested Flycatcher (2); E. Kingbird (9); Warbling Vireo (7); Red-eyed Vireo (1: very low); Tree Swallow (11); Red-breasted Nuthatch (6); White-breasted Nuthatch (5+ a "family group" of 8); Brown Creeper (6); Carolina Wren (2); House Wren (9); Winter Wren (1); Marsh Wren (1); E. Bluebird (1); Hermit Thrush (2); Gray Catbird (6: low); Cedar Waxwing (7);

WARBLERS: Blue-winged (1); Yellow (11); Black-throated Green (1m+ a pair. The female of this pair was on the trail not five feet in front of us carefully selecting nest material while the male stayed close by, perching about 5-6 feet above the gound next to the trail. We wathced this pair for about 15 minutes before the female finally got a bill full of enough material and took off, followed quickly by female); Pine (7); Ovenbird (1 with a newly fledged cowbird that still could not fly yet); C. Yellowthroat (14); Scarlet Tanager (6); E. Towhee (1); Savannah Sparrow (3); Swamp Sparrow (5); Indigo Bunting (2); Baltimore Oriole (11); A. Goldfinch (6).
VERTS seen included Green Frogs, E. Painted Turtles, Muskrat, Beaver. LEPS seen included: Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur, Orange Sulphur, Silvery Blue (1 worn), Little Wood Satyr (34); American Lady; C. Ringlet; C. Sootywing (many); Hobomok, Least and Peck's Skippers. We DID find Wooly Adelgid starting here and Purple Loosestrife is definitely taking over the cat tail areas. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

6/9/02 -- Winchendon

This year we have two pairs of Saw-whet Owls nesting in our boxes. Both pairs of saw whet owls still attending young owls in nest boxes. Here is an owl in the box and an owl out of the box. (report from R. Galat).

6/9/02 -- Birch Hill WMA, Winchendon

This evening I did the 2nd of 3 installments of a Whip-poor-will survey in the Birch Hill WMA in Winchendon , ma. (i.e. Lake Dennison Area). The listening conditions were favorable with very light wind, very distant traffic noise and the occassional car (even on this relatively remote dirt road....one of the biggest noise issues is signing frogs and toads near wetlands. Whip-poor-will 4; Hermit Thrush 3; Veery 2; Ovenbird 3. (report from Tom Pirro).

6/9/02 -- Quaboag+Richardson WMAs, W. Brookfield/Brookfield

We censused birds along some of the trails into these two adjacent WMAs in W. Brookfield/Brookfield. This is the area that has been nominated as an IBA, so we were checking to see how breeders were doing. Weather was intermittent showers early on. The mosquitoes were FIERCE and the ticks were even worse: we were covered with them so beware and come prepared. Birds included: LEAST BITTERN (2: Please do not tape this state endangered species); Great Blue Heron (5); Green Heron (1); Wood Duck (4); Mallard (3); Red-tailed Hawk (2); Ring-necked Phaesant (1); Virginia Rail (10); Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1); Great Horned Owl (1); Belted Kingfisher (2); Downy Woodpecker (9); N. Flicker (5); [Nota bene: we saw plenty of Pileated sign in the tract south of the river.] E. Wood Peewee (12); Alder Flycatcher (5); Willow Flycatcher (7); [Nota bene: there are several places in this area where you can stand in one spot and here both "Traill's" Flycatchers call.] Least Flycatcher (3); E. Phoebe (3); Great Crested Flycatcher (5); E. Kingbird (7); Yellow-throated Vireo (2); Blue-headed Vireo (4); Warbling Vireo (6); Red-eyed Vireo (38); Red-breasted Nuthatch (2); Brown Creeper (1); MARSH WREN ( 10 calling birds in various locations); Veery (16); Hermit Thrush (1); Wood thrush (9); Gray Catbird (43); Cedar Waxwing (12);

WARBLERS: Blue-winged (3: one of these birds was singing a very aberrant song: exactly like a Worm-eating!); Yellow (24); Chestnut-sided (13); Yellow-rumped (1); Black-throated Green (5); Pine (4); Black and White (12); A. Redstart (28); Ovenbird (23); Louisiana Waterthrush (1); C. Yellowthroat (53); Canada (1); Scarlet Tanager (3); E. Towhee (2); Song Sparrow (16); Swamp Sparrow (20); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (6); Red-winged Blackbird (90+); Baltimore Oriole (11); A. Goldfinch (17). OTHER VERTS included White-tailed Deer (2); E. Coyote; Beaver; Muskrat; E. Painted Turtle; Green Frog; Bull Frog; Pickerel Frog and a huge number of adult Wood Frogs on the wooded traills south of the river. On a happy note, we did a spot check of the hemlock stands that are in the Quaboag WMA south of the river along the main trail and found NO (so far) Wooly Adelgid signs. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

6/8/02 -- Quinapoxet Reservoir, Holden

We conducted a count of the Quinapoxet Reservoir in Holden and surrounding Worcester DPW land this very chilly morning. We hiked in most trails and did a complete hike down the western shore. These numbers give a pretty good idea of the breeding population here. The water is good and high so it will be some time before low water attracts shorebirds for fall migration. REMINDER: all Worcester reservoirs are strictly off limits [without permit]. Double-crested Cormorant (1imm); Wood Duck (3); (Nota bene: amazingly, no Canada Geese!); OSPREY (1: last year we also had an Osprey here in the breeding season. This bird may be checking out a potential nest site); N. BOBWHITE (1 calling away. I have to believe this is most likely a game farm or field trials escapee); Killdeer (3); Mourning Dove (13); Chimney Swift (1); Belted Kingfisher (1); Downy Woodpecker (1: this is obviously a low count. I have noticed at this same time of the year, when we conduct counts areas like the Ware River Watershed, counts of Downys and Hairys are always very low. Are they more quiet and unobtrusive at this time of the year?); N. Flicker (1); Pileated Woodpecker (1); E. Wood Peewee (19); ALDER FLYCATCHER (1: new species for this area for us); Least Flycatcher (6); E. Phoebe (11); Great Crested Flycatcher (1); E. Kingbird (9); VIREOS: Yellow-throated (3); Blue-headed (4); Warbling (7); Red-eyed (47);
Blue Jay (18); A. Crow (11); Tree Swallow (7); Barn Swallow (1); Black-capped Chickadee (37); Tufted Titmouse (20); White-breasted Nuthatch (4: low); Brown Creeper (2); House Wren (2); Veery (6); Hermit Thrush (3); Wood Thrush (13); A. Robin (44); Gray Catbird (55); N. Mockingbird (1); Cedar Waxwing (19);

WARBLERS: Yellow (15); Chestnut-sided (12); Black-throated Blue (3); Yellow-rumped (6); Black-throated Green (7); Pine (12); Black and White (7); A. Redstart (10); Ovenbird (15); LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH (1 singing away. This species breeds along the feeder stream at the north end and we saw a family group last year); C. Yellowthroat (14); Scarlet Tanager (8); E. Towhee (17); Chipping Sparrow (9); Song Sparrow (33); N. Cardinal (3); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (8); Red-winged Blackbird (19); C. Grackle (9); Brown-headed Cowbird (18); Baltimore Oriole (21); Purple Finch (1); A. Goldfinch (13);
VERTS: Red Efts, E. Painted Turtle. LEPS included Common Ringlet, Little Wood Satyr, Pearl Crescent and Indian Skipper. Blooms included: False Solomon Seal (almost passed), Canada Mayflower (almost passed), Wild Sasparilla, Ladys Slipper, Sheep and Mountain Laurel starting to come out, Bunchberry, and Mapleleaf Viburnum. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

6/8/02 -- Sterling Peat, Sterling

Only a few birds at Sterling Peat late this morning: Double-crested Comorant (3); Great Blue Heron (1); Mallard (1); A. Black Duck (1f w/1 almost fledged young); Sharp-shinned Hawk (1); Red-tailed Hawk (1); Killdeer (3+); Spotted Sandpiper (2); Willow Flycatcher (7); E. Kingbird (4); Tree Swallow (4); Bank Swallow (45+ birds seen, at least 15 active holes); Warbling Vireo (4); Yellow Warbler (9); Prairie Warbler (1); Indigo Bunting (2); Baltimore Oriole (2); Plus: Muskrat, Beaver. We watched, fascinated, as a huge, dense school of fry, perhaps four thousand OR MORE, swam in a small circle round and round and round just off one of the shores. I have no idea what species of fish this was, but we also saw some good sized Smallmouth Bass. Plus: many teneral odonates. A quick view of a damselfly that looked very brightly colored may have been an Orange Bluet. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

6/6/02 -- Whip-poor-will Walk postponed

The Forbush Bird Club Whip-poor-will Walk scheduled for this evening has been postponed until Thursday, June 13th. See Club calendar for details. (submitted by Bart Kamp).

6/5/02 -- Woonsocket Reservoir/Seekonk River

We birded a few areas in the Rhode Island section of the Blackstone National Corridor.
WOONSOCKET RESERVOIR, SMITHFIELD: Double-crested Cormorant (1imm); GREAT BLUE HERON (the foliage has now obscured some of the nests, but of what we could see there were 4 active nests with minimally 11 young birds near fledging and at least 4 adults. Unlike in MA, Great Blue nests in interior RI are rare occurences. This one is also unusual in that the trees are on the shore, not in the middle of the water. The only other inland nesting are in RI is at Buck Hill WMA, Burrillville); Canada Goose (5ad+6 goslings); Mallard (3); Killdeer (6); Spotted Sandpiper (1);
SEEKONK RIVER, PROVIDENCE: Double-crested Cormorant (49, with some adults); Great Egret (10); Mute Swan (21); Brant (1 with an injured wing, India Point); Mallard (62); A. Black Duck (2); Peregrine Falcon (1 adult out hunting); Osprey (2 active nests); Common Tern (3); The Great Black-backed Gull nest on the pilings has now been abandoned.;
Just south of the Corridor at Watchemoket Cove were: Double-crested Cormorant (3); Great Egret (9); Snowy Egret (3. It's interesting, but so far, we have had only Great Egrets actually "in" the Corridor before mid-July. Snowies just really do not seem to wander as far or as frequently as Great Egrets do); Mute Swan (an obscene 42 in a very small area); Canada Goose (9); Laughing Gull (1 1stS); Common Tern (2).;
We then traveled 25 miles south of the southern end of the Corridor (India Point, Providence) to the island of Jamestown in the middle of southern Narragansett Bay. This interesting inhabited island has lots of preserved habitat and is connected to the mainland by a toll bridge on both sides. On three small islands just offshore or at least visible from Jamestown are Rhode Island's colonies of Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron and Glossy Ibis as well as many nesting cormorants and Great Black-backed Gulls. This is the source for some of the birds that in mid-summer, travel up the Bay, then up the Providence River, up the Seekonk up the Blackstone and eventually ending up in Worcester City or county, a trip of more than 65 miles. It was great to put all the pieces together. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila carroll).

6/5/02 -- Hadwen Park, Worcester

Worcester The pair of Mute Swans which evicted the pair of Canadian Geese from their nest and turned it into a Mute Swan nest were contentedly floating on Curtis Pond today with their "count em" SEVEN young ones in tow. (report from Brian Mulhearn)

6/5/02 -- Wooddruff's Farm, Lunenburg

I briefly checked out the Cliff Swallow Colony at Wooddruff's Farm in Lunenburg today (private property) and found 34 nests; many appeared to complete or nearly complete. Last year there were 32 and the previous year 43. There seem to be many fewer nests outside under the eves of one of the buildings (only one this year) than two years ago. Unless the "outside" nesters get a later start?? There are some clay "starters" (Silva "94") under the eves outside but they do not appear to be utilized. Nearly all the nests are located inside a barn, w/ no doors, up at the peak. I'll check'm again in a few weeks. (report from Tom Pirro).

6/3/02 -- Birch Hill WMA, Winchendon

The following were seen and or (mostly) heard during a Whip-poor-will census in the Birch hill WMA primarily in Winchendon and a little bit of Royalston. 10 stops were made , 1/2 mile apart, no recordings or other means of enticing the "Whips" to call. Listening conditions were nice...little to no wind and only distant auto traffic and occasional aircraft noise to deal with, though more Whips would have been nice. Whip-poor-will 2; Hermit Thrush 4; Veery 3; Am. Robin 4; Ovenbird 5; Yellow-rumped Warbler 4; White-throated Sparrow 3; Swamp Sparrow 1; Am . Crow 2; Blue Jay 1; Am Woodcock 1. Also Bull Frogs, Spring Peepers and Beaver. (report from Tom Pirro).

6/3/02 -- Warren/Monson

We birded around Warren this morning, mostly to get a better looks at the Great Blue Heron rookery that is visible from the Mass Pike. Birds seen included: Double-crested Cormorant (1imm); GREAT BLUE HERON (1 rookery with 16 adults present when we were there, at least 26 young in various stages of development (we could not see all of them) and a total of 13 active nests); Canada Goose (pair w/6 goslings); Wood Duck (13); Mallard (1); Turkey Vulture (1); Cooper's Hawk (1imm); Wild Turkey (1: almost a road kill); Spotted Sandpiper (1); Belted Kingfisher (1); Hairy Woodpecker: pair at nest hole with at least 1young at hole entrance; E. Wood Peewee (4); Least Flycatcher (5); E. Phoebe (4); E. Kingbird (6); Tree Swallow (25); Bank Swallow (1); N. Rough-winged Swallow (1); Veery (5); Wood thrush (3); Gray Catbird (24); Cedar Waxwing (8); Warbling Vireo (4); Red-eyed Vireo (26);

WARBLERS: Blue-winged (4); Yellow (5); Chestnut-sided (12); Pine (1); Black and White (4); A. Redstart (12); Ovenbird (6); Louisiana Waterthrush (1 on territory); C. Yellowthroat (23); Scarlet Tanager (2); Swamp Sparrow (4); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2); Indigo Bunting (2); Baltimore Oriole (6).

We then headed to SOUTH MONSON, birding mostly around the Trustees of Reservations property near the Connecticut border: Turkey Vulture (1); Red-shouldered Hawk (1 in heavy moult soaring and calling continuously); E. Phoebe (6); E. Kingbird (3); Tree Swallow (4); Barn Swallow (10+); FISH CROW (1: pretty unusual in my experience of this area, but may have followed the Quabog River up to Monson/Palmer); Veery (6); Hermit Thrush (4); Wood Thrush (3); Gray Catbird (17); Cedar Waxwing (6); Blue-headed Vireo (2); Red-eyed Vireo (23);

WARBLERS: Yellow (2); Chestnut-sided (1); Black-throated Green (4); Yellow-rumped (1); Blackburnian (1); Prairie (2); Pine (4); A. Redstart (10); Ovenbird (9); C. Yellowthroat (3); Scarlet Tanager (2); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1); Indigo Bunting (2); Baltimore Oriole (7). Most distressing was the extent of the infestation of WOOLY ADELGID here. This area has numerous good sized stands of hemlocks that attract a wide variety of breeding birds more common to the north. An unofficial "along the trail and road" check of trees in South Monson showed about 60-70%+ of the hemlocks affected to some degree, with a number of trees extremely afflicted and branches dying. It was truly sad to see such a beautiful part of the state, and such a nice T.O.R. property so badly affected by this plague. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

6/3/02 -- Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary, Worcester

Highlights this morning: RUFFED GROUSE (hen and 2+ young; mama definitely wanted me to follow her); Virginia Rail (1, maybe 2); Eastern Wood-Pewee (4); Willow Flycatcher (5, and the hormones had kicked in); Eastern Phoebe (1); Eastern Kingbird (2); Warbling Vireo (2); Red-eyed Vireo (3); House Wren (1); Veery (1); Wood Thrush (5); Gray Catbird (16); Brown Thrasher (2); Cedar Waxwing (17); Blue-winged Warbler (1); Yellow Warbler (11); Chestnut-sided Warbler (1); Prairie Warbler (1); American Redstart (1); MOURNING WARBLER (1 - great looks); Common Yellowthroat (11); Scarlet Tanager (2); Eastern Towhee (9); Field Sparrow (4); Song Sparrow (13); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (3); Brown-headed Cowbird (14); Baltimore Oriole (6). (report from John Liller).

6/2/02 -- Worcester Airport

We did a "just before dawn" count of the fields behind Worcester Airport up to Rt. 62. We would have done more, but the wind suddenly really kicked up, ragged looking clouds scudded across the sky and rain fell as the front passed. ALDER FLYCATCHER (5: this is one of the most reliable spots in the entire Blackstone National Corridor for this species); Least Flycatcher (2); E. Phoebe (2); E. Kingbird (5); Gray Catbird (12); Veery (5); Wood Thrush (10); Red-eyed Vireo (2);

WARBLERS: Blue-winged (9: all singing the alternate song only); Yellow (13); Chestnut-sided (2); A. Redstart (11); Ovenbird (8); MOURNING (1); C. Yellowthroat (23); E. Towhee (2); Savannah Sparrow (18); Bobolink (17); E. Meadowlark (6). (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

6/2/02 -- Home Farm/Kettlebrook Reservoir

While it was still showering, we did a quick survey of the HOME FARM WORCESTER DPW property on the Worcester/Shrewsbury line. This is the very small, scrubby parcel directly adjacent (west) to the very north (and marshy end ) of Lake Quinsigamond. Surveying maps seem to show that the land right in front of the gravel pit, from which many birders check this end of the lake, is also part of the DPW holdings here. REMINDER: THE MAIN AREA OF THE PARCEL IS STRICTLY OFF LIMITS WITHOUT A PERMIT. That said, it is obvious that the area is illegally frequented by cursed ATVs. The habitat is open, scrubby forest with lots of oaks, invasives etc. It looks like it will be great in migration, especially in fall. Complete list in the rain: Canada Goose (2ad+4yng: marsh); Rock Dove (1); Mourning Dove (6); Downy Woodpecker (1); N. Flicker (1); E. Kingbird (1); Tree Swallow (8); Bank Swallow (12); Barn Swallow (10+) [Nota bene: the swallows spent most of their time low over the water in the rain, but also ranged over the Home Farm property.]; Cedar Waxwing (2); House Wren (2); Gray Catbird (9); BROWN THRASHER (3: this habitat is perfect for this species which seems to be decresing state-wide); A. Robin (2); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1); Black-capped Chickadee (2); Tufted Titmouse (10); Blue Jay (2); E. Starling (6); Warbling Vireo (10); A. Goldfinch (2); Blue-winged Warbler (4); Yellow Warbler (2); E. Towhee (4); Field Sparrow (5); Song Sparrow (5); Red-winged Blackbird (21: mostly in the marshes); Brown-headed Cowbird (2); Baltimore Oriole (3). It will be interesting to see what a complete survey will reveal.
Then, as the rain cleared, we headed to KETTLEBROOK RESERVOIR #4 and did a complete survey of that property. Again, this area is STRICTLY OFF LIMITS WITHOUT A PERMIT. After 9/11, there is deep concern about public water supplies, and these reservoirs are now often patrolled. Double-crested Cormorant (1imm); Canada Goose (for this small reservoir, an astounding 24 adults with 37 goslings, mostly hanging about and on the dam); Broad-winged Hawk (1: possible breeder on the property); Killdeer (5); Spotted Sandpiper (7: several of these were in high pre-nuptual and territorial display, which if you haven't ever seen it, is really something. Birds charge each other standing extremely erect, chests thrust out and wings drooped and fluttering, calling intensely. They also have a display flight in which they hover, almost vertically as they land, calling all the time); Mourning Dove (1); OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER (1): area of evergreens; E. Wood Peewee (2); E. Phoebe (1 seen, but obviously nesting under the spillway bridge); Great Crested Flycatcher (1); E. Kingbird (1); Tree Swallow (6); Cedar Waxwing (5); House Wren (1); Gray Catbird (10); Veery (5); Wood Thrush (2); A. Robin (2); Black-capped Chickadee (6); Red-breasted Nuthatch (4); White-breasted Nuthatch (2); Brown Creeper (2); Blue Jay (6); A. Crow (5); COMMON RAVEN: looking towards Asnebumpskit Hill, which is very close, we had 5 ravens, most likley the adults with the fledged young that bred here this year, doing all sorts of aerial acrobatics. With ravens so close to the city of Worcester, watch for them to appear over the city); Red-eyed Vireo (4);

WARBLERS: Blue-winged (2); Yellow (4); Chestnut-sided (12); Yellow-rumped (2); Black-throated Green (1); Pine (4); Black and White (2); A. Redstart (3); Ovenbird (4); MOURNING (1 bird that sang constantly, and, with patience, offered us simply amazing views of this gorgeous Oporonis. Bird of the day. The extensive rasberry thickets along the road are classic habitat for this species to be seen in either while migrating or (elsewhere of course) breeding); C. Yellowthroat (17); Canada (1); Scarlet Tanager (3); E. Towhee (4); Chipping Sparrow (1); Song Sparrow (14); N. Cardinal (2); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1); Indigo Bunting (3); Red-winged Blackbird (6); C. Grackle (5); Brown-headed Cowbird (6); Baltimore Oriole (3). BUTTERFLIES seen were only 13 Pearl Crescents. Wildflowers included Starflower, Toad Flax, False Solomon Seal and the weird parasitic One-flowered Cancer Root. We also checked the hemlocks for Wooly Adelgid and (thankfully) so far found none. (report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).

For previous sightings, see May 2002 Archives or Archive Index