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.
- 3/31/03 -- Milford/Westboro
-
The Black-headed Gull (now in summer plumage) and the Blue Goose that spent
the winter at Lake Louisa in Milford were there today.
In Westboro BOTH Osprey were on their nest and the Great Horned Owl was on
it's nest too.
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/31/03 -- Westboro Wildlife Management area, Westboro
-
The ponds are now completely ice-free. What a difference a few days makes:
in a week they went from 100% iced with some brave souls ice-fishing on
Chauncey, to totally ice-free! The highlights:
Bartlett Pond-Canada Goose 2, Mute swan 2, Mallard 2. Little Chauncey-Wood
Duck 7, Ring-necked Duck 22, Mallard 4, Canada Goose 2. Chauncey Pond-
Bufflehead 4, Common Merganser 167! (report from Laura Lane).
- 3/31/03 -- Institute Park, Worcester
- Highlights at noon included 2 Mute Swans, 8 Ring-necked Ducks,
1 Bufflehead, 10 Hooded Mergansers, and 5 Common Mergansers. The
swans seemed peaceful enough, even when close to each other, although I
couldn't help thinking, as I watched 2 Canada Geese standing on the
shore, that they looked somewhat afraid of entering the water.
(report from Rick Quimby).
- 3/30/03 -- Bolton/Gardner
-
Some hilites:
At Bolton Flats, I slogged through the field on the south side of Rte117 and
flushed a large number of Mallards and Wood Ducks when entering a second
field in back of a tree line. I only covered a small fraction of the flats
area .... many areas are not easily reached due to high water...knee high
boots are needed in the "dry areas:
Canada Goose ~300;
Mallard 200+;
Green-wing Teal 10-15;
Wood Duck 100+;
Ring-neck Duck 4;
Tree Swallow 2;
E. Phoebe 1;
A mixed flock of blackbirds was present numbering over 2000.
At High Ridge WMA in Gardner (Smith Street):
Canada Goose 6;
Mallard ~10;
Green-wing Teal 5;
Wood Duck 14;
Hooded Merganser 12;
Am. Woodcock 2;
Am. Tree Sparrow 5-10.
(report from Tom Pirro).
- 3/30/03 -- Brookfields/New Braintree
-
We birded in the rain at a few areas in central-western Worcester County. It
was surprising to see so much ice on SOME ponds. Some ponds were up to 80%+
still frozen, though looking like they will thaw son if given a day or two
of warm weather. Large flocks of blackbirds were at several locations.
7 MILE RIVER MARSHES, SPENCER:
Great Blue Heron (1);
Wood Duck (2);
Green-winged Teal (8);
Mallard (128);
A. Black Duck (20);
Rusty Blackbird (11);
LAKE QUABOG, BROOKFIELD (40%+ frozen):
Canada Goose (4);
Wood Duck (2);
Mallard (4);
Ring-necked Duck (40);
Bufflehead (4);
Hooded Merganser (6: males in full loud display);
Common Merganser (12);
BALD EAGLE (pair of adults constructing nest+1 imm sitting on ice);
Bonaparte's Gull (1adW);
Red-bellied Woodpecker (2);
Tree Swallow (44 migrating thrugh);
LAKE QUACUMQUASIT (SOUTH POND), BROOKFIELD (75% frozen) and WMA marsh across
the street:
Canada Goose (4);
Wood Duck (4);
Mallard (4);
Ring-necked Duck (2);
Hooded Merganser (2);
Common Merganser (2);
Killdeer (1);
E. Phoebe (1);
Rusty Blackbird (4);
RICE POND, BROOKFIELD:
Great Blue Heron (1);
Canada Goose (7);
Ring-necked Duck (37);
Common Merganser (11);
COYS BROOK, W. BROOKFIELD:
Canada Goose (7);
Wood Duck (2);
Ring-necked Duck (20);
Hooded Merganser (4);
E. Phoebe (1);
FARM: WEST BROOKFIELD:
Wild Turkey (5);
LAKE WICKABOAG, WEST BROOKFIELD:
only north end open: no ducks.
NEW BRAINTREE: A FEW FIELDS:
Canada Goose (106);
Green-winged Teal (2);
Mallard (39);
A. Black Duck (2);
Ring-necked Duck (3);
A. Kestrel (pair+ 1 m);
Killdeer (11);
E. Phoebe (2);
Northern Shrike (1);
Vesper Sparrow (1);
Song Sparrow (56);
Red-winged Blackbird (410+);
C. Grackle (340+);
Rusty Blackbird (10+);
Brown-headed Cowbird (17);
(report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).
- 3/29/03 -- Lake Quaboag and Brookfields
- A Forbush Bird Club Trip was held in the Brookfields on a cloudy
day in the mid 50's with occasional drizzle and fog over the ice on Lake
Quaboag. Rodney Jenkins was the trip leader for 17 members who were rewarded
with some spectacular views of a pair of Bald Eagles. The eagles were first
seen sitting near the nest they've been working on for 2 years. Then they flew
to the edge of the ice and worked on a fairly large fish that a gull had been
pecking at. Two crows showed up and sat close to the eagles affording good size
comparisons. The eagles again provided magnificent views as they flew across
the lake.
Complete trip list here. (report from Joan Zumpfe).
- 3/29/03 -- Worcester
-
I returned from ten days of super birding in Costa Rica to the following:
a singing/calling Phoebe and a flock of eight Cedar Waxwings in my yard on
the Worc./Holden line off of Salisbury St. on 3/25; TV's on 3/25 and 3/29
(yeah, I know: big deal!); and a Carolina Wren at my feeder on 3/29. I
walked around Salisbury Pond on 3/28 and had the same birds Rick Quimby
had, but I also lucked into approximately forty Grackles lifting off the
top of a tree thanks to a Sharpie that then circled the area for three or
four minutes after the Grackles split. (report from Howard Shainheit).
- 3/29/03 -- Gardner/Templeton
-
Select species from early afternoon birding up this way:
Black Duck 12;
Green-wing Teal 5;
Wood Duck 19;
Ring-necked Duck 15;
Common Merganser 12;
Hooded Merganser 3;
American Kestrel 2 females;
Wild Turkey 40-50;
Eastern Bluebird 1;
Tree Swallow 8;
Rusty Blackbird 3.
(report from Tom Pirro).
- 3/28/03 -- Barre Falls Dam, Barre
-
> Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 28, 2003
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> ------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 4 80 80
> Osprey 0 0 0
> Bald Eagle 0 3 3
> Northern Harrier 0 2 2
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 14 14
> Cooper's Hawk 0 10 10
> Northern Goshawk 0 3 3
> Red-shouldered Hawk 3 26 26
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
> Red-tailed Hawk 6 86 86
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Golden Eagle 0 0 0
> American Kestrel 5 7 7
> Merlin 0 2 2
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown 2 13 13
>
> Total: 24 246 246
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Observation start time: 09:15:00
> Observation end time: 14:30:00
> Total observation time: 5.25 hours
>
> Site Coordinator: Barton D. Kamp
>
> Observers: Barton D. Kamp, David Grant, Donna Schilling
>
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/28/03 -- Bolton Flats, Bolton
-
Hilite from this evening at Bolton Flats:
Canada Goose 600+;
Green-wing Teal 62;
Wood Duck 50+;
Hooded Merganser 2;
Common merganser 1;
Am. Woodcock 1.
(report from Tom Pirro).
- 2/28/03 -- Sterling Peat, Sterling
-
A quick stop a Sterling Peat on Friday yielded 2 Common Goldeneye, 10
Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Hooded Mergansers, 3 Common Mergansers, 4 Green-winged
Teal, Mallards, Canada Geese and one boat with two Fishermen who didn't
seem to bother the ducks.
There is lots of water at Bolton Flats and dozens of Green-winged Teal,
along with 100's of gulls and Canada Geese. An adult Snow Goose has been
seen with the Canada Geese. The gulls are congregating on the ice under the
power lines at Wachusett Reservoir, but probably not for long.
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/28/03 -- Curtis Pond, Worcester
- A quick check showed 5 DC Cormorants, 22 Common Mergansers,
1 Carolina Wren, 2 Black Ducks, 1 Mute Swan, and 1 Northern Flicker.
(report from Brian Mulhearn)
- 3/28/03 -- Institute Park, Worcester
- The PIED-BILLED GREBE continues in the pond, along with
7 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Bufflehead, 14 Hooded Mergansers, and
6 Common Mergansers. (report from Rick Quimby).
- 3/28/03 -- Flint Pond, Shrewsbury
-
I went back to the Irish Dam, Flint pond area this morning and got a
better count of birds . Diving ducks are kind of hard to count. This is
what I got C. merganser 26, C. Goldeneye 21, Ring -neck Duck 175, Wood
Duck 5, Bufflehead 3 and Hooded Merganser 2.
(report from John Shea).
- 3/27/03 -- Westboro Wildlife Management Area, Westboro
-
I took an afternoon walk through the Westboro Wildlife Management Area in
the area between Chauncey Pond and Little Chauncey. The water has opened
up quite a bit since my last visit on Sunday, 3/23. Little Cauncey is
almost 1/2 open and big Chauncey has an ever widening band of open water on
the western edge. I flushed a Cooper's Hawk on the road in to Little
Chauncey and spotted a pair of Wood Ducks, Canada Geese, a Black Duck and a
Common Merganser on the pond. In the fields I saw 2 Red-tails, a No.
Harrier, a male American Kestral, a Killdeer, and 4 Eastern
Bluebirds. There were 3 more Common Mergansers on Chauncey Pond. I also
noted that the Spring Peepers were singing away in the wetlands and the
Wood Frogs were quacking in the Vernal pools. Between them and the
Grackles and Redwings it was quite noisy!! Ahh! The sounds of spring!
(report from Laura Lane).
- 3/27/03 -- North Grafton
- At 4:00 pm I was fortunate enough to see what appeared to be
an Osprey with a very large fish, 12 - 14 inches long, exiting a small body of
water in North Grafton on the Shrewsbury line. It was tough to identify
as I was traveling North on 140 at 45 mph. I hope my quick glimpse was
correct. Unfortunatelly there was no time to pull over and glass the
bird.
(report from Matthew Pearson).
- 3/27/03 -- Hadwen Park, Worcester
- Hilights were 1 Swamp Sparrow, 2 Mute Swans chasing the
Geese, 4 Red-tail Hawks, 4 Wood Ducks, 1 Common Merganser,and 3 Eastern
Phoebes.
Also, at Curtis Pond behind Bickford's Restaurant there were 2 DC
Cormorants standing on an object in the pond. There were 10 Common
Mergansers, 1 GB Heron, and 1 Ring-Necked Duck.(report from Brian
Mulhearn)
- 3/26/03 -- High Ridge WMA, Gardner
-
Last evening at High Ridge WMA there were 5 Am. Woodcock calling and
displaying but not much else. The upper marsh is beginning to show some
signs of "thawing" out with very limited amounts of open water(a pair of
Canada Goose and a few Mallards).
(report from Tom Pirro).
- 3/26/03 -- Flint Pond, Shrewsbury
-
After work I went birding at the Irish Dam. This is where Flint Pond
Empties into the Quinsigamond River .To get there you take Sunderland
Road to RT. 20 go straight across through the light its about 2 miles
down just after the ball park. There were at least 200 birds. The light
was bad and two M. swans were chasing each other scaring the birds up. A
rough count: 52 Ring-neck ducks, 24 C. Goldeneye, 53 C. Merganser, 3 M.
Swans and 4 C. Geese. I could not get a positive I.D. on the rest, because the sun
was in my face.
(report from John Shea).
- 3/26/03 -- Barre Falls Dam, Barre
-
> Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 26, 2003
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> ------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 18 76 76
> Osprey 0 0 0
> Bald Eagle 0 3 3
> Northern Harrier 0 2 2
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 8 8
> Cooper's Hawk 0 10 10
> Northern Goshawk 0 3 3
> Red-shouldered Hawk 1 22 22
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
> Red-tailed Hawk 7 79 79
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Golden Eagle 0 0 0
> American Kestrel 2 2 2
> Merlin 0 2 2
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown 0 11 11
>
> Total: 28 218 218
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Observation start time: 10:00:00
> Observation end time: 14:00:00
> Total observation time: 4 hours
>
> Site Coordinator: Barton D. Kamp
>
> Observers: Barton D. Kamp, David Grant
> Observations:
> The first 2 Kestrels of the season were seen today.
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/26/03 -- Institute Park, Worcester
- Highlights among 21 species recorded at noon:
1 PIED-BILLED GREBE, 12 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Bufflehead,
14 Hooded Mergansers, and 6 Common Mergansers. (report from
Rick Quimby).
- 3/25/03 -- Barre Falls Dam, Barre
-
> Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 25, 2003
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> ------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 11 58 58
> Osprey 0 0 0
> Bald Eagle 0 3 3
> Northern Harrier 2 2 2
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 8 8
> Cooper's Hawk 1 10 10
> Northern Goshawk 0 3 3
> Red-shouldered Hawk 2 21 21
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
> Red-tailed Hawk 15 72 72
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Golden Eagle 0 0 0
> American Kestrel 0 0 0
> Merlin 0 2 2
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown 0 11 11
>
> Total: 35 190 190
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Observation start time: 09:15:00
> Observation end time: 15:00:00
> Total observation time: 5.75 hours
>
> Site Coordinator: Barton D. Kamp
>
> Observers: Barton D. Kamp, David Grant, Donna Schilling
> Observations:
> The first two Northern Harriers of the season were males.
>
> A pair of Great Blue Herons circled the area looking for some hard to find
open water.
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/25/03 -- behind Worcester Airport, Worcester
- A quick tour of some of the roads behind Worcester Airport had (14) American
Woodcock and (2) Great Horned Owls.
(report from Mark Lynch).
- 3/25/03 -- Swedish Cemetery, Auburn/Worcester
-
I had the following at Swedish cemetery: 2 [Mute] swans chasing 2 C. geese off
the pond , 2 A. widgeon , 7 Wood duck, 1 G.B. Heron, 18 C. Merganser, 1
Hooded Merganser.
At Notre Dame Cemetery, there were 1 [Mute] Swan, 4 Wood Ducks,
4 Black Ducks and 2 Mallards.
Also on Monday (3/24/03) The Peregrine Falcon was flying around City Hall at
6:15 a.m. (report from John Shea).
- 3/25/03 -- Sterling Peat, Sterling
- During a late afternoon walk at Sterling Peat I
saw the following birds: G.B. Heron, TV, Canada Goose (24), Mallards,
Hooded Merganser (6), Killdeer (2), Common Snipe (5)
Phoebe, Bluebirds ( 5), Tree Sparrow (2), Song Sparrow (several), and
many Red Winged Blackbirds, Grackles and American Goldfinch.
(report from Bob Ricci).
- 3/25/03 -- Swift River Reservation, Petersham
-
A morning stop at the route 122 entrance had a Raven
and 3 Fox Sparrows. (report from Chris Buelow)
- 3/25/03 -- Lake Maspenock, Hopkinton
- At 4:30 p.m.two Turkey Vultures flew over .
(report from Tony Allen).
- 3/25/03 -- Institute Park, Worcester
- Highlights (and lowlights) at noon included 1 MUTE SWAN, 2 Wood
Ducks, 5 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Bufflehead, 8 Hooded Mergansers,
and 12 Common Mergansers. (report from Rick Quimby).
- 3/24/03 -- Barre Falls Dam, Barre
-
> Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 24, 2003
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> ------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 9 47 47
> Osprey 0 0 0
> Bald Eagle 3 3 3
> Northern Harrier 0 0 0
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 4 4
> Cooper's Hawk 1 9 9
> Northern Goshawk 0 3 3
> Red-shouldered Hawk 3 19 19
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
> Red-tailed Hawk 16 57 57
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Golden Eagle 0 0 0
> American Kestrel 0 0 0
> Merlin 1 2 2
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown 1 11 11
>
> Total: 34 155 155
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Observation start time: 09:15:00
> Observation end time: 15:00:00
> Total observation time: 5.75 hours
>
> Site Coordinator: Barton D. Kamp
>
> Observers: Barton D. Kamp, David Grant, Donna Schilling
> Observations:
> 3 resident Northern Goshawks, 1 male and 2 females put on an aerial show
during most of the morning. The 3 Bald Eagles 2 sub-adult and 1 immature
were together.
>
> The first Tree Swallows up to 5 were examining the nesting boxes. The
first
Cowbird and Phoebe arrived. There was 1 Mourning Cloak Butterfly.
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/24/03 -- Hardwick Area
-
Various stops around Hardwick today turned up a male
Northern Harrier, an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk, a
Killdeer, a Wilson's Snipe, 15 Turkey Vultures, a
Northern Flicker, 2 Eastern Phoebes, 10 Tree Swallows
and a Carolina Wren. (report from Chris Buelow)
- 3/24/03 -- Institute Park, Worcester
- Highlights at noon were 5 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Bufflehead,
12 Hooded Mergansers, and 45 Common Mergansers. (report from
Rick Quimby).
- 3/23/03 -- Moose Brook Valley, Hardwick
-
Highlights from around Moose Brook included 3 Hooded
Mergansers (2m, 1f), 5 displaying American Woodcock, 3
calling Barred Owls, 3 Turkey Vultures, 3 Eastern
Bluebirds, 6 Brown-headed Cowbirds (4m, 2f) and a male
Purple Finch. (report from Chris Buelow)
- 3/23/03 -- Barre Falls Dam, Barre
-
> Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 23, 2003
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> ------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 0 38 38
> Osprey 0 0 0
> Bald Eagle 0 0 0
> Northern Harrier 0 0 0
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 4 4
> Cooper's Hawk 0 8 8
> Northern Goshawk 0 3 3
> Red-shouldered Hawk 1 16 16
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
> Red-tailed Hawk 10 41 41
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Golden Eagle 0 0 0
> American Kestrel 0 0 0
> Merlin 0 1 1
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown 2 10 10
>
> Total: 14 121 121
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Observation start time: 09:00:00
> Observation end time: 15:00:00
> Total observation time: 6 hours
>
> Site Coordinator: Barton D. Kamp
>
> Observers: Barton D. Kamp, David Grant, Donna Schilling
>
> Observations:
> There were up to 5 non-migrating Red-tailed hawks.
>
> There were 30-40 Robins and 2 Killdeer feeding in the field.
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/23/03 -- Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary, Worcester
-
I recorded the following highlights while doing a brief survey this morning
at the Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary (Worcester):
Canada Goose (10 - all flyovers)
WOOD DUCK (2 - the pair was located in the brook, or what is slowly
becoming our beaver "pond")
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1)
Eastern Bluebird (3)
American Robin (6)
American Tree Sparrow (2)
Song Sparrow (16)
Dark-eyed Junco (6)
Red-winged Blackbird (14)
Common Grackle (11)
Brown-headed Cowbird (2)
(report from John Liller).
- 3/23/03 -- Templeton/Gardner
-
Hilites from this morning in Templeton:
Great-blue Heron 1;
Canada Goose 50-75;
Mallard ~25;
Black Duck 4;
Wood Duck 4;
Ring-necked Duck 1;
Hooded Merganser 7;
Turkey Vulture 1;
Red-tailed Hawk 7;
Cooper's Hawk 1;
Great-horned Owl 1;
Tree Swallow 1;
Horned Lark 1;
American Pipit 13;
Eastern Bluebird 3;
American Robin wide spread;
Common Grackle wide spread;
Red-winged Blackbird wide spread;
Brown-headed Cowbird 1 female;
Fox Sparrow 1 in Gardner.
Also, Mink, Beaver and Muskrat.
(report from Tom Pirro).
- 3/23/03 -- Rutland State Park/Rutland Prison Camp fields
- There was a Northern Shrike on top of a bush at the old
prison camp. When we returned on the way back several hours later we saw
it again. Also, 1pr. Eastern Bluebirds, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk, 1 Northern
Goshawk, 4 Turkey Vultures, 3 Ravens, 1 Osprey, 3 Green-winged Teal, and
a pair of Red-tailed Hawks flying close together. (report from Brian
Mulhearn)
- 3/22/03 -- Blackstone National Corridor
-
We started counting common landbirds in SW SUTTON in the area around Waters
Farms, Town Farm Road, Whittier Farm and Lake Manchaug. Lake Manchaug is
still 85% frozen. Though the now very manicured Waters Farm is saved, the
other two farms are very much endangered in being sold. This would cause the
loss of some of few remaining tracts of substantial farmland in this MA
section of the Corridor.
Wood Duck (2);
Mallard (1);
Hooded Merganser (2);
Common Merganser (7);
Killdeer (2);
Belted Kingfisher (1);
Red-bellied Woodpecker (5);
N. Flicker (4);
E. Phoebe (3);
Carolina Wren (only 1);
A. Robin (128);
Fox Sparrow (3);
Song Sparrow (92);
White-throated Sparrow (6);
Dark-eyed Junco (99);
N. Cardinal (31);
Red-winged Blackbird (132);
Rusty Blackbird (1);
C. Grackle (99);
Brown-headed Cowbird (3).
WHITIN RESERVOIR, DOUGLAS (still 85-90% frozen):
Common Merganser (4);
RT. 146, UXBRIDGE (near Ironstone Reservoir):
In one short stretch we found the following roadkills: River Otter (1), Mink
(1), Striped Skunk (2)
WOONSOCKET RESERVOIR, N. SMITHFIELD RI:(still mostly frozen):
Killdeer (3);
E. Phoebe (1);
A. Robin (80+);
Red-winged Blackbird (20+);
SEEKONK RIVER (from India -Bold Points-Pawtucket):
Red-throated Loon (4);
Pied-billed Grebe (3);
Red-necked Grebe (5);
Great Cormorant (11);
Mute Swan (45);
Canada Goose (5);
Wood Duck (pair);
Green-winged Teal (6);
Gadwall (11);
A. Wigeon (76);
Mallard (50);
A. Black Duck (99);
Greater Scaup (35);
Lesser Scaup (71);
Bufflehead (170);
C. Goldeneye (25);
Hooded Merganser (2);
Common Merganser (13);
Nota bene: numbers of Hooded and Common Mergs have dramatically decreased in
the last two weeks as small araes of water have opened up north of here);
Red-breasted Merganser (22);
Peregrine Falcon (1 ad sitting in the nest box on the Fleet Building);
Killdeer (8);
JAMES TURNER RESERVOIR, E. PROVIDENCE: (60-70% open):
Great Cormorant (14);
Great Blue Heron (1);
Mute Swan (11);
Canada Goose (35);
Mallard (31);
Greater Scaup (5);
Lesser Scaup (31);
Ring-necked Duck (71);
Hooded Merganser (10);
Common Merganser (141);
Ruddy Duck (120);
A. Coot (18);
Killdeer (1 overhead);
Fish Crow (6);
(report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).
- 3/22/03 -- New Swedish (All-Faiths) Cemetary, Worcester/Auburn
-
Took a quick ride in to New Swedish Cemetary. Notables:
Many Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds.
Approx. 50 Common Merganser, 1 Hooded Merganser, American Wigeon pair, 1
Green-winged Teal, 2 Mute Swan, 1 Great Blue Heron and 4 Wood Duck.
(report from Paul Meleski).
- 3/19/03 -- Moose Hill, Spencer
- Despite the fields near the summit being half covered with
snow American Woodcock were displaying in the early evening. Flying by
were: 2 Mute Swans, 4 GBB Gulls, 12 Grackles, and 100+ Crows. There were
7 White-tail Deer. (report from Brian Mulhearn)
- 3/19/03 -- Leesville Pond (Swedish Cemetary), Worcester/Auburn
- A surprisingly productive lunch hour today at Leesville Pond.
Lots of birds, including
hooded mergansers (7), common mergansers (48); great blue heron (2); mute swans
(2): red-wing blackbirds (2):
red-tailed hawk (2, soaring low): tree sparrow (3): (report from Jim Hogan).
- 3/19/03 -- Institute Park, Worcester
- Highlights at noon included 1 Ring-necked Duck (f), 1 Bufflehead (f),
13 Hooded Mergansers, and 14 Common Mergansers. (report from Rick Quimby).
- 3/18/03 -- Barre Falls Dam, Barre
-
> Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 18, 2003
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> ------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 8 37 37
> Osprey 0 0 0
> Bald Eagle 0 0 0
> Northern Harrier 0 0 0
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 2 2
> Cooper's Hawk 2 5 5
> Northern Goshawk 0 2 2
> Red-shouldered Hawk 0 13 13
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
> Red-tailed Hawk 1 15 15
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Golden Eagle 0 0 0
> American Kestrel 0 0 0
> Merlin 0 1 1
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown 0 5 5
>
> Total: 12 80 80
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Observation start time: 10:00:00
> Observation end time: 14:00:00
> Total observation time: 4 hours
>
> Site Coordinator: Barton D. Kamp
>
> Observers: Barton D. Kamp, David Grant, Donna Schilling
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/18/03 -- Leesville Pond, Auburn
- The left side of Leesville Pond is 80% open. I saw 10 Wood Duck, 1
Ring-neck Duck, 45 Common Merganser, 14 Hooded Merganser , 15 Canada
Geese, 1 Great blue Heron , 11 Mallards, 1 Red Tail .
(report from John Shea).
- 3/18/03 -- Leesville Pond, Auburn/Worcester
- There were 43 Common Mergansers, 16 Hooded Mergansers, 5
Wood Ducks, 1 Ring-necked Duck(male), 1 GB Heron, 2 Black Ducks, 6
Mallards, 12 Canadian Geese, 2 Herring Gulls, 10 Ring-billed Gulls, RW
Blackbirds, Grackles, and Robins.(report from Brian Mulhearn)
- 3/17/03 -- WMA, Westboro
- At the WMA off Rte. 135 in Westboro, a number of Woodcocks were
practicing their magnificent mating rituals. Twelve different birds were
heard and seen from 6:00-6:45 p.m. under the light of an almost full
Worm Moon. At one time, two birds went up together, side by side, into
the night sky. Only one bird came back down to land and started peenting
again. (report from Ann Boover).
- 3/17/03 -- Barre Falls Dam, Barre
-
> Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 17, 2003
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> ------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 11 29 29
> Osprey 0 0 0
> Bald Eagle 0 0 0
> Northern Harrier 0 0 0
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 1 1
> Cooper's Hawk 3 3 3
> Northern Goshawk 0 2 2
> Red-shouldered Hawk 9 13 13
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
> Red-tailed Hawk 7 14 14
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Golden Eagle 0 0 0
> American Kestrel 0 0 0
> Merlin 0 1 1
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown 2 5 5
>
> Total: 33 68 68
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Observation start time: 10:00:00
> Observation end time: 15:30:00
> Total observation time: 5.5 hours
>
> Site Coordinator: Barton D. Kamp
>
> Observers: Barton D. Kamp, David Grant, Donna Schilling, Tom
Carrolan
> Observations:
> The birds seemed to soar forever. Birds seen but considered NOT to be
migrating were 5 Turkey Vultures, 5 Redtailed Hawks, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk
and 3 Northern Goshawks soaring together.
>
> The two resident Ravens were seen and heard most of the day.
> Predictions:
> Tomorrow's migration will depend upon the location of the expected
> back-door cold front.
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/17/03 -- Moose Brook Valley, Hardwick
-
A few highlights from The Valley include 2 Turkey
Vultures, a male American Kestrel, a calling Barred
Owl, a calling Eastern Bluebird, 40 Red-winged
Blackbirds, 10 Common Grackles, 2 male Brown-headed
Cowbirds and a bat. (report from Chris Buelow)
- 3/17/03 -- Sterling Peat, Sterling
-
Late afternoon on a truly gorgeous day, a dozen+ Red-Winged Blackbirds,
and one Red-tailed Hawk. Fly-overs included six Mallards and 4 Canadian
Geese. Meanwhile, in Holden, two male Downy Woodpeckers were sparing over
who had the rights to my backyard. (Report from Steve Olson).
- 3/17/03 -- Northboro
-
On Sunday (3/16) and today (3/17) the grackle flock at our place swelled to
over 80 birds. They decimated our feeders!! Also today we had our first phoebes
(2) of the spring.
(report from Jim Hogan).
- 3/17/03 -- Institute Park, Worcester
- Highlights on a very warm and pleasant day included 2 GB Herons,
1 Bufflehead (f), 4 Hooded Mergansers, 6 Common Mergansers, 1
Red-tailed Hawk, 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS, 2 Song Sparrows, 2 Red-winged
Blackbirds, and 11 Common Grackles.
The first Peregrine was observed soaring over and just north of the pond,
after I noticed the gulls were scattering. After soaring for a while, it
dove for some pigeons below, coming up empty-taloned. After some more
soaring, it started on a direct and determined course for downtown, and
I assumed it was returning there. However, right over the pond a second
falcon came into view, and they soared together for a while. I couldn't
judge the relative sizes very well, so don't know if it was a m/f pair.
After a few minutes the original Peregrine headed back north from the pond.
It was nice to (finally) get the Peregrine on my Institute Park list.
(report from Rick Quimby).
- 3/16/03 -- Barre Falls Dam, Barre
-
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 16, 2003:
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
> ------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
> Black Vulture 0 0 0
> Turkey Vulture 18 18 18
> Osprey 0 0 0
> Bald Eagle 0 0 0
> Northern Harrier 0 0 0
> Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0
> Cooper's Hawk 0 0 0
> Northern Goshawk 2 2 2
> Red-shouldered Hawk 4 4 4
> Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
> Red-tailed Hawk 7 7 7
> Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
> Golden Eagle 0 0 0
> American Kestrel 0 0 0
> Merlin 1 1 1
> Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
> Unknown 3 3 3
>
> Total: 35 35 35
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Observation start time: 10:30:00
> Observation end time: 16:00:00
> Total observation time: 5.5 hours
>
> Site Coordinator: Donna Schilling
>
> Observers: Barton D. Kamp, David Grant
> Observations:
> One or two of the Northern Goshawks were not migrating. The birds were
hard
to see against the bright blue sky.
>
> Two Common Mergansers and 100's of crows were migrating. The resident
nesting pair of Ravens was heard but not seen.
>
> Predictions:
Today was opening day at the hawk watch site. The site, an unpaved parking
lot, was plowed throughout the winter. There is from two to three feet of
snow in the woods. The total number of birds was unexpected. If the winds
remain favorable, I expect a continued movement of birds.
(report from Bart Kamp).
- 3/16/03 -- High Ridge WMA, Gardner
-
Birds seen this evening:
Turkey Vulture 1;
Great Horned Owl 1;
Down Woodpecker 1;
Red-winged Blackbirds 50+;
Common Grackle ~25;
Brown-headed Cowbird 15.
Still heavy snow cover some Red-wings signing but most were fly-overs at
dusk heading to roost.
(report from Tom Pirro).
- 3/16/03 -- Seekonk River, Providence RI (Blackstone National Corridor)
-
We surveyed this southern terminus of the Corridor and the Blackstone River
this morning from India/Bold Point Parks to the Pawtucket (c. 2 miles).
Scullers were out and about so some ducks flushed out of the area.
RED-THROATED LOON (5: this species is rare anywhere in the Corridor);
HORNED GREBE (1: this species is very uncommon in the Corridor);
RED-NECKED GREBE (4: this species is also rare anywhere in the Corridor);
Great Cormorant (46);
Double-crested Cormorant (1);
Mute Swan (29: waiting for the ponds to open);
Canada Goose (4);
A. Black Duck (293);
Mallard (83);
Gadwall (6);
American Wigeon (108);
Ring-necked Duck (4);
Greater Scaup (189);
Lesser Scaup (48);
NOTA BENE: we did not find the Tufted Duck today, nor did others while we
were at India and Bold Point Parks, but the bird could still be around.
Worcester County birders should check this bird's now traditional haunts at
Wachuset Reservoir, the Waushacums etc.
Common Goldeneye (33);
Bufflehead (148);
Hooded Merganser (21);
Common Merganser (139);
Red-breasted Merganser (57);
Ruddy Duck (18);
Red-tailed Hawk (1);
Peregrine Falcon (pair near nest box downtown Providence);
Killdeer (2, we had another 3 at Sunset Stables, Lincoln and another 1 in
Resurrection Cemetery, Cumberland);
Iceland Gull (1);
TREE SWALLOW (1: by Buckland Pt facility);
Fish Crow (6);
Carolina Wren (7);
Yellow-rumped Warbler (2);
PLUS: Harbor Seal (1);
At the still frozen WOONSOCKET RESERVOIR in N. Smithfield we had great looks
at a huge coyote sitting on the ice and an EASTERN PHOEBE and (2) Eastern
Bluebirds. From Worcester to Providence there were good numbers of
Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and American Robins.
(report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).
- 3/15/03 -- Leesville Pond, Auburn
- The pond is finally starting to open up and there were 5
Wood Ducks, 20 Common Mergansers, and 6 Hooded Mergansers. At Hadwen
Park, there were 2 Wood Ducks, 5 Common Mergansers, and 6 Hooded
Mergansers. (report from Brian Mulhearn)
- 3/15/03 -- Asnebumpskit Hill,Paxton/Blackstone Corridor
-
This morning we checked on two of the Common Raven's nests in south County.
On Asnebumpskit Hill, Paxton, a new nest has been constructed on the same
microwave tower as last year. Though we saw no ravens at the nest (they get
somewhat secretive until the young hatch), we did hear a raven in the area.
At the microwave tower across from Daniel's Farm, Blackstone, there is a
raven's nest in a new part of the tower from last year. We also had one
adult perched next to the nest.
We then cruised a few areas in Douglas (MA), and Burrillville and Glocester
(RI) all part of the Blackstone National Corridor. Most large bodies of
water like ponds and lakes are still pretty much frozen, some with ice
fishermen still on them. Most rivers and streams are open. Gilboa Pond in
Douglas, part of the Mumford River, was partly open and we had Hooded
Merganser (2), Common Merganser (5) as well as Grackles and Red-wings. A
real surprise was an Eastern Phoebe.
(report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).
- 3/14/03 -- East Princeton
- One very cold great blue heron was standing on the ice in East Princeton
across from the fire station this morning.
(report from Matthew Pearson).
- 3/12/03 -- Moose Brook Valley, Hardwick
-
A few new signs of spring include a Killdeer, a Turkey
Vulture, 8 Red-winged Blackbirds, 2 Brown-headed
Cowbirds and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks in courtship
flight. (report from Chris Buelow)
- 3/12/03 -- Hadwen Park, Worcester
- I couldn't make it to the park yesterday, but today at first
light there were dozens of Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds around the
pond and river. (report from Brian Mulhearn)
- 3/11/03 -- Institute Park, Worcester
- At noon birds of note included 1 Bufflehead (f), 3 Hooded Mergansers,
7 Common Mergansers, and 3 Common Grackles. (report from Rick Quimby).
- 3/10/03 -- Hadwen Park, Worcester
- The highlights were a pair of Wood Ducks, 3 Common
Mergansers, and an Otter swimming in the river. At Leesville Pond, in the
open channel were 19 Common Mergansers, and 8 Hooded Mergansers. (report
from Brian Mulhearn)
- 3/9/03 WTAG Towers, Holden
- Early afternoon birding, there were two Red-tailed Hawks
soaring in the gusty winds above the towers and going higher. A few
minutes later, a Turkey Vulture glided very low over the Shrewsbury
Street side of the towers. Later on at Mountview School, a flock of
twenty robins flew into the trees that are behind the school. A sure sign
that spring is on the way. (report from Steve Olson).
- 3/9/03 -- Northboro
- Today we had our first sightings of r.w. blackbirds of the season.
We thought we heard them on Saturday, but never saw them. By late Sunday AM, I
had a small flock of 9. They moved about all day and gradually increased in
numbers throughout the PM. By 4 PM I was counting a flock of 48. I also had 2
black ducks in the small stream behind our house. (report from Jim Hogan)
- 3/9/03 -- Gate 43, Quabbin Reservoir
-
On an otherwise quiet afternoon, there were 4 Hooded
Mergansers (3m, 1f) in the small patch of open water
below the Horseshoe Dam, and 3 Bald Eagles (1ad, 2Y3)
soaring together high overhead. A later walk into
Gate 40 had only a few Chickadees, but did show that
the entirety of Potapaug Pond is still frozen, even at
the interface with the Swift River. (report from Chris Buelow)
- 3/9/03 -- Rutland Prison Camp, Rutland
- We saw a Turkey Vulture soar by.
(report from Brian Mulhearn)
- 3/8/03 -- Blackstone River, Millbury
-
A nice selection of birds at the path along the Blackstone:
Great Blue Heron (2);
Great Black Backed Gull (1);
Herring Gull (1);
GADWALL (1m);
Hooded Merganser (3);
Common Merganser (6);
NORTHER SHOVELER (1f);
Song Sparrow (2);
Mallards and Black Ducks.
We had the Shoveler in with a few Mallards far up the path looking off the
blue bridge where the river forks. The gadwall was also with some
mallards about halfway before the blue bridge.
(report from Lisa and Simon Hennin).
- 3/8/03 -- Gardner area
-
"Hilites" from some afternoon birding today:
Mallard 30 Gardner;
Black Duck 2 Gardner;
Red-tailed Hawk 1 Templeton;
Accip. Sp. 1 Gardner;
Wild Turkey 50-60 Templeton;
Horned Lark 2 Templeton.
Also a Starling doing a fairly good Killdeer impression. 9 Wild Turkeys
(all Toms) were in a group slugging it out for supremacy of Elliot Hill.
(report from Tom Pirro).
- 3/8/03 -- Leesville Pond,Auburn
- Early this morning I checked the channel between the
cemetery and expressway again, the Common Mergansers now number 14 there,
13m, 1f. (report from Brian Mulhearn)
- 3/8/03 -- Blackstone National Corridor
-
We hit just a few spots in the Corridor, concentrating on counting waterfowl
along the Seekonk River.
SEEKONK RIVER (from Bold/India Points up to Pawtucket. Nota bene: many
sculls out on the river so the ducks were disturbed):
Great Cormorant (22);
Mute Swan (15: a pair seen mating);
Canada Goose (223);
Gadwall (22);
A. Wigeon (43);
Mallard (171);
A. Black Duck (73);
Greater Scaup (57);
Lesser Scaup (116);
Ring-necked Duck (1f);
TUFTED DUCK (1m continues between Bold Pt and India Pt. Parks with the best
lighting from the Bold Point parks area. Great to see several others birders
there. It will be interesting to note when this bird disappears and when the
now traditional spring/fall drake Tufted appears at Wachusett Reservoir/
Waushacum Pond in Worcester County. This is very possibly the same bird);
Bufflehead (105);
C. Goldeneye (31);
Hooded Merganser (30: numbers now lower than several weeks ago as water is
begining to open up north of here);
Common Merganser (50);
Red-breasted Merganser (116);
Ruddy Duck (92);
Turkey Vulture (1);
Red-tailed Hawk (2);
Cooper's Hawk (1ad);
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1);
Red-bellied Woodpecker (2);
Fish Crow (5).
Conspicuous by thier absence were Carolina Wrens. I am sure some are still
around at feeders etc, BUT they were absent from many stations where we
regularly got them in the past. Also gone were the large numbes of
Canvasbacks that overwinterd on the Seekonk at the wastewater treatment
facility outflow
TURNER RESERVOIR (still only a little open water):
Canada Goose (140);
Mallard (131);
A. Black Duck (2);
Canvasback (6);
Hooded Merganser (6);
Common Merganser (1);
A. Coot (12);
Fish Crow (2);
NE CUMBERLAND:(the reservoirs still mostly frozen):
Canada Goose (10);
Turkey Vulture (3);
Red-tailed Hawk (1);
Ring-necked Phaesant (1m);
A. Robin (18);
WOONSOCKET RESERVOIR (frozen):
E. Bluebird (6 feeding on sumac);
BTW: It looks like we finally found where the Purple Martin colony is here.
This colony has been in existance on a farm for several years and is the
closest martin colony to the Worcester line.
BLACKSTONE RIVER, BLACKSTONE MA:
Mute Swan (2);
Canada Goose (26);
DANIEL'S FARM, BLACKSTONE MA:
The ravens have constructed a new nest on the microwave tower opposite the
farm, but because of the height of the tower and the placement of the huge
nest, we could not see if a bird was sitting on it. We did hear a raven
though.
Also: Red-tailed Hawk (1) and in nearby Mendon (1) Common Grackle.
RICE CITY POND, UXBRIDGE MA:
Canada Goose (150+)
PRATT POND, UXBRIDGE MA (still pretty frozen):
Mallard (12);
Hooded Merganser (2);
Common Merganser (1);
Red-tailed Hawk (1);
LINWOOD POND, NORTHBRIDGE MA: (still mostly frozen):
A. Black Duck (8);
Ring-necked Duck (2);
Hooded Merganser (4);
WORCESTER LANDFILL MA:
Turkey Vulture (1).
(report from Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll).
- 3/7/03 -- Hadwen Park, Worcester
- I've been checking for Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles
every day, still no luck; but I did kick up a pair of Wood Ducks. There
were the usual Mallards, Black Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Red-tailed Hawk,
and Carolina Wren. I saw my 1st Chipmunk of the spring, and I watched a Red
Fox cross Curtis Pond from the cemetery.
At Leesville Pond, the channel between the cemetery and expressway there
were 4 male Common Mergansers and a pair of Hooded Mergansers.(report
from Brian Mulhearn)
- 3/4/03 -- Wachusett Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Princeton
-
It's been a slow winter for exciting birds. But, Monday (3/3) we had a
bobcat
visit our feeders looking for a squirrel tibit. So, we
have been watching for its return when today we spotted a northern
shrike. It is the most exciting bird we've had this winter.
(report and photo from Peg & Dick Knowlton).
- 3/4/03 -- Rte 117 area, Bolton Flats, Bolton
- The best bird was a rough
legged-hawk, and the most numerous bird was bluejay 40. A 5 mile xc ski
trip also produced: 1 red-tailed hawk, 12 Canada Geese, 1 hooded
merganser, 1 ring-necked pheasant, 1 downy woodpecker, 20 American crows,
2 white-breasted nuthatch, 10 black-capped chickadees, 20 American
goldfinch. I saw no blackbirds or sparrows. Temps ranged from 3 deg to
22 deg F. All water areas were frozen except for the Nashua River. The snow
on the ground was hard as a rock, and I could ski through swampy
areas with ease. The GPS location of the rough-legged hawk was 42* 27'
59.7" N and 71* 38' 39.5" W . (report from Richard Spedding).
- 3/4/03 -- Pine Island, Hardwick
-
An adult Northern Shrike put in a brief appearance at
Pine Island this afternoon. (report from Chris Buelow)
- 3/2/03 -- Brimfield
- For the past several years, a pair of goshawks has nested in the
State Forest across the road from our home. We saw them yesterday, for
the first time this season. Also, for the past three days a pair of red
bellied woodpeckers has been visiting the large, dying weeping willow in
our yard in which they have nested 3 out of the last 4 years. The first
lonely redwing showed up this morning. It appears to be the beginning .
. .? (report from John Worrell)
- 3/2/03 -- Flint Pond, Shrewsbury
-
At the Flint pond boat ramp today I saw 1 Red Tail, 1 Carolina Wren, and
11 Gold Finch.
In what little Open water I found on Flint pond I had 11 Hooded
Merganser, 10 Common Merganser and 35 Mallards. An ice fishermen told me
the ice is 18 to 22 inches thick.
Behind Maironis Park I saw 4 Coot, 10 Mallards and 5 Canada Geese.
(report from John Shea).
- 3/1/03 -- Fitchburg
- A solitary Carolina Wren was seen this morning on the suet
feeder in the backyard. First sighting of that bird this year.
(report from Cheryl and Jean-Pierre Boissy).
- 3/1/03 -- Asnebumskit Hill, Paxton
- At the lookout near the summit a female American Kestrel flew by
north to south in a big hurry. (report from Brian Mulhearn)
For previous sightings, see
February 2003 Archives or
Archive Index