March 2007 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.
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 31, 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 8 8 Osprey 6 11 11 Bald Eagle 3 23 23 Northern Harrier 0 6 6 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 33 33 Cooper's Hawk 0 7 7 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 14 14 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 9 101 101 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 11 11 Merlin 0 3 3 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown 3 10 10 Total: 22 228 228 ----------------------------------------------------------------------Non-raptor Observations: 1 Eastern Meadowlark (report from Kamp Kamp)
Here are photos of the bird taken by Dan Berard, Jr. and Richard Johnson
Highlights: Common Loon (1); Great Blue Heron (2); Turkey Vulture (5); Canada Goose (9); Wood Duck (3); American Black Duck (10); Long-tailed Duck (1); Bufflehead (14); Common Merganser (40);
Numerical highlights: Mute Swan - 2; Wood Duck - 1m; Gadwall - 1f; American Black Duck - 14; Am Black Duck x Mallard hybrid - 1; Ring-necked Duck - 2 m/f; Hooded Merganser - 7 (4m 3f); Common Merganser - 3 (1m 2f); Ruffed Grouse - 1 (Sutton); Great Blue Heron - 2; Turkey Vulture - 1; Cooper's Hawk - 1; Red-tailed Hawk - 9; Iceland Gull - 1 (2yr at Millbury Waste Water Treatment Plant); Great Black-backed Gull - 13; Eastern Screech-Owl - 7 (5 Millbury 2 Sutton); Great Horned Owl - 3 (2 Millbury 1 Sutton); Barred Owl - 1 (Millbury); Long-eared Owl - 1 (hunting over a field in Millbury); Northern Saw-whet Owl - 1 (Sutton); Red-bellied Woodpecker - 6; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 2 m/f (Sutton); Hairy Woodpecker - 3; Northern Flicker - 3 (1 in the yard hoppin' around in the plowed path to the; feeders); Pileated Woodpekcer - 2 (Sutton); Eastern Phoebe - 1 (Sutton); Fish Crow - 2; Horned Lark - 17; Brown Creeper - 1; Carolina Wren - 2; Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1; Eastern Bluebird - 3; American Tree Sparrow - 2; Field Sparrow - 2 (Sutton); Savannah Sparrow - 3 (1 Millbury 2 Sutton); Fox Sparrow - 6 (2 Millbury 4 Sutton); Song Sparrow - 38; Swamp Sparrow - 1 (Sutton); Lapland Longspur - 1 (Sutton); Rusty Blackbird - 3 (Sutton); Brown-headed Cowbird - 23; (report from Dan Berard).
While standing in the middle of the frozen marsh the Wood Duck flew in low and landed within 100 yards in an alder thicket. Almost instantly the adult Bald Eagle made a line in low, flushing the Wood Duck and pursuing it across the marsh. Just at the point when the eagle would have closed the gap the duck dropped into a small patch of open water in Winimusset Brook, causing the eagle to wheel up and circle for about a minute before taking to a nearby snag. Surprisingly the eagle eventually flew of and out of sight to the south, leaving the Wood Duck alone in its small pool. (report from Chris Buelow)
Numerical highlights:; Wood Duck - 9 (4m4f at MB and 1m at CP); American Black Duck ~ 100; Am Black Duck x Mallard hybrid - 5; Northern Pintail - 1f (CP); Green-winged Teal - 1m (CP); Ring-necked Duck - 1f; Hooded Merganser - 14; Common Merganser - 3; Turkey Vulture - 16; Cooper's Hawk - 2; Red-tailed Hawk - 26; Rough-legged Hawk - 1 (MB); Killdeer - 11 (Sutton); Belted Kingfisher - 1 (MB); Red-bellied Woodpecker - 10 (2 yard; 7 TF; 1 MB); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1m (feeder in Sutton); Hairy Woodpecker - 1; Northern Flicker - 3 (Sutton); Pileated Woodpecker - 1 (Sutton); Eastern Phoebe - 1 (MB); Horned Lark - 23 (TF); Brown Creeper - 1 (singing); Carolina Wren - 5; Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2; Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 (MB); Eastern Bluebird - 5; American Robin - 200+ (every snow free lawn came equipped w/ atleast 15 - 20; robins); Pine Warbler - 1 (Millbury); American Tree Sparrow - 1; Savannah Sparrow - 1; Song Sparrow ~ 30; White-throated Sparrow - 2; Dark-eyed Junco ~ 15; Red-winged Blackbird - 800+; Common Grackle - 1000+; Brown-headed Cowbird ~ 200; Purple Finch - 1m (Sutton);
A quick note on the blackbird numbers. It was hard to estimate/count due to the fact that mixed flocks passed over at every location and many feeders had close to 100. My yard had more than 70 grackles, 30 red-wings and 20 or so cowbirds. A feeder in Sutton had a flock of about 500 containing all three plus starlings. A field in Sutton contained another flock of more than 500 with all three and starlings. Other sightings: Eastern Gray Squirrel ~ 10; Red Squirrel - 3; Eastern Chipmunk - 6; Groundhog - 1; Muskrat - 1; Wood Frog - 1; (report from Dan Berard).
Earlier this week, the blackbirds arrived en masse at the feeders and as expected they are about 95% males. Within the grackles there are several "intermediate" and "Purple" forms/subspecies. And the Savannah Sparrow was present under the feeder again today. Numerical highlights: Mute Swan - 2; Wood Duck - 1f (bike path); Gadwall - 3 (2m1f bike path); American Black Duck - 112; Mallard - 1,285 (So if you're missing a Mallard...); Northern Pintail - 7 (3m4f bike path); Green-winged Teal - 3 (2m1f bike path); Ring-necked Duck - 43; Hooded Merganser - 31; Common Merganser - 9; Great Blue Heron - 1 (bike path); Turkey Vulture - 3; Bald Eagle - 1ad; Red-tailed Hawk - 4; Rough-legged Hawk - 1; Iceland Gull - 1 1w (most likely coming from the waste water treatment plant); Great Black-backed Gull - 8; Belted Kingfisher - 1m (bike path); Red-belled Woodpecker - 2 m/f; Downy Woodpecker - 3; Blue Jay - 9; American Crow - 16; Horned Lark - 7; Brown Creeper - 1; Carolina Wren - 1; Winter Wren - 1 (Central Cemetery. Most likely the same bird Alan Marble had recently); Golden-crowned Kinglet - 3; Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 (Central Cemetery); Eastern Bluebird - 7; American Robin - 23; Field Sparrow - 1 (bike path); Savannah Sparrow - 1 (yard); Song Sparrow - 7; Red-winged Blackbird - 37 (yard); Common Grackle - 63 (59 in yard); Brown-headed Cowbird - 3 (yard). (report from Dan Berard).
Nancy Demers, Paul and I started our weekend bird trek at River Bend Farm in Uxbridge, where maple sugaring was getting under way. Two bluebirds were chirrip-chir-chiripping from trees across the wooden bridge. Song sparrows, goldfinches, and a cardinal were singing, also. Rice City Pond on Hartford Avenue was the next stop, where there were several common mergansers, mallards, a pair of hooded mergansers, two great black-backed gulls, and spring's first red-winged blackbird. Two more red-winged blackbirds were at JWhitin Pond in Linwood, along with the usual gulls and mallards and the visiting coot. At the Bike Path in Millbury, the Blackstone River was deeper and flowed much more rapidly than last weekend. This didn't seem to bother the mallards, black ducks (at least one hybrid) and common mergansers; but other duck species had relocated. There were a few hooded mergansers in the water, song sparrows were singing, and at least a few red-tailed hawks were soaring along with the season-first turkey vulture. Heading back toward Grafton, a flock of common grackles and a flicker appeared during lunch break. There was absolutely no sign of the osprey nest at Windle marsh off Westboro Road in Grafton :-( The great horned owl's nest at the Fisherville powerline looked very flimsy, and there was no sign of any occupant. In keeping with Nature's way of evening the score, our trek to the frozen surface of the Pond was rewarded by finding two adult bald eagles perched in trees on the opposite bank near the yellow apartment building. The sound of a kingfisher calling nearby went almost unnoticed. Red-tailed hawks appeared, and two were seen at a power-pole nest in the distance across Rte. 122. The last stop of the day was Lookout Rock in Northbridge to check conditions for a possible owling adventure last night. The trail was still snow-covered. At the Rock, three mute swans flew past, a beautiful sight in the fading afternoon sunlight.
Today's weather turned out better than expected, so we set out about 12:30 PM. White cheek patches at JWhitin Pond in Linwood alerted us to a drake ruddy duck near the train trestle, along with a coot and the regulars--gulls, mallards and swans. We returned to Fisherville Pond in Grafton, this time on the Rte 122 side, to try to locate open water that might attract the bald eagles we saw yesterday. From this vantage point, we could see a curve of the river flowing roughly southward past the areas of reeds, hosting some Canada geese and perhaps a dozen common mergansers. Many pigeons were in the air, on power lines and building roofs. Another stop at Rice City Pond in Uxbridge allowed us to end the day with a great blue heron landing near the ducks in the water. Yesterday's common and hooded mergansers, mallards, and gulls were joined by four ring-necked ducks. Another deep freeze will keep us off the bird trails for several more days, but it was wonderful to get a brief taste of spring.(report from Beth Milke)
For previous sightings, see February 2007 Archives or Archive Index
