Friday, February 2, 2024

The most interesting reports this week were a continuing Say’s Phoebe in Hampshire County, an Eared Grebe and a Tufted Duck at Nantucket, a continuing Western Grebe in Winthrop, a “Kamchatka” Common Gull in Lynn, and a Townsend’s Warbler in Cambridge.

Cape Cod highlights this week featured the continued presence of a Western Kingbird and a Lark Sparrow at the Cape Cod Seashore Visitor’s Center in Eastham, a Greater White-fronted Goose at the Headwaters Preserve on Muddy Creek in Chatham, a Pacific Loon, a Sooty Shearwater, and 3 Tree Swallows at Race Point in Provincetown, a continuing Thick-billed Murre at MacMillan Wharf in P-town, a Lincoln’s Sparrow at Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary in S. Wellfleet, a Clay-colored Sparrow at the Eastham stump dump, a Glaucous Gull at Great Island in Wellfleet, a Yellow-breasted Chat in the marsh at the Orleans rotary, and a Short-eared Owl at North Beach in Orleans.

Bristol County luminaries included a Barrow’s Goldeneye at the Wading River Reservoir in Mansfield and another one at Gooseberry Neck in Westport, an Osprey observed from the Veteran’s Bridge in Somerset, a Eurasian Wigeon and 6 Black Vultures at Buttonwood Park in New Bedford, a Yellow-breasted Chat at Ocean View Farm in Dartmouth, 2 Snow Geese on Smith Neck Road in South Dartmouth, a Black-headed Gull at The Let in South Dartmouth, and a Cackling Goose on the river near the Berkley Bridge.

Plymouth County hosted a Greater White-fronted Goose on the cranberry bogs on Laurel Street in Halifax, a Black-crowned Night-Heron at Jenny’s Pond in Plymouth, a flock of 350 Common Grackles near Triphammer Pond in Hingham, a Vesper Sparrow at Leland Farm in East Bridgewater, and a Snow Goose at the Old Rochester Junior High School in Mattapoisett.

Norfolk County by single Iceland Gulls at Lake Massapoag in Sharon and Little Harbor Cohasset, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls visited the vicinity of the Medway Commons Shopping Center in Medway, 4 American Pipits and 3 Eastern Meadowlarks were found at the Norfolk Airport, and 2 more meadowlarks were spotted at the Shea Naval Air Station in Weymouth, and 2 Rusty Blackbirds showed up at the Pequitside Farm in Canton.

Suffolk County birders were pleased with the continued presence of a Western Grebe at Winthrop Beach, a Lark Sparrow at Forest Hills Cemetery, a Barrow’s Goldeneye at Castle Island in Boston Harbor, 3 Semipalmated Plovers at the Belle Isle Reservation, and a Winter Wren at Millennium Park in West Roxbury.

Middlesex County highlights were the continued presence of a Townsend’s Warbler on the Alewife Linear Park Bike Path in Cambridge, 2 Sandhill Cranes in the fields on School Street in Acton, 15 Rusty Blackbirds at the Jerico Town Forest in Weston, 19 Northern Pintails at Idylwilde Farms in Acton, a Barrow’s Goldeneye at Broadmoor Sanctuary in Natick, an Iceland Gull at the Amelia Earhart Dam in Everett, 9 Rusty Blackbirds at Dunback Meadow in Lexington, and 2 continuing Orange-crowned Warblers at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.

Essex County birders were very pleased with the continued presence of a Common Gull of the eastern Asian race called a Kamchatka Gull in the vicinity of Lynn Harbor and King’s Beach where it consorts with Ring-billed Gulls.  Other highlights were 25 Eastern Meadowlarks in the fields near Argilla Road in Ipswich, a Thick-billed Murre off the Jodrey Fish Pier in Gloucester, 2 Common Murres at Andrew’s Point in Rockport, 9 Marsh Wrens in the marshes along Pine Island Road in Newbury, and a Clapper Rail and a Seaside Sparrow in the marsh along the Newburyport Harbor front.

Berkshire County was visited by a flock of 150 Red-winged Blackbirds in Pittsfield, where a Northern Pintail, 9 Green-winged Teal, and a Gadwall were tallied on Lake Pontoosuc.  A Dickcissel continued to be seen on Jug End Road in South Egremont, and a Hermit Thrush was found at the Mountain Meadow Preserve in Williamstown.

Franklin County luminaries were a Long-tailed Duck and 2 Buffleheads that visited the Turner’s Falls Power Canal in Montague, an Iceland Gull at Barton’s Cove in Gill, 6 White-crowned Sparrows on Hadley Road in Sunderland, and 6 Red Crossbills at the Montague Sandplains WMA in Montague.

Worcester County found single Iceland Gulls visiting the Pine Tree Power Lookout in Westminster and Quaboag Pond in Brookfield, 6 Rusty Blackbirds at the Richardson WMA in West Brookfield, a Lapland Longspur at the Fitchburg Airport, and 4 Northern Pintails at Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary in Worcester.

Martha’s Vineyard hosted a Eurasian Wigeon at Crystal Lake in Oak Bluffs, a Snow Goose and a Canvasback at Town Cove in West Tisbury, a Redhead at Lucy Vincent Beach in Chilmark, an Orange-crowned Warbler at Brush Pond in Oak Bluffs, 3 Tree Swallows in Vineyard Haven, and 2 Common Murres from the Aquinnah Overlook.

Nantucket was blessed by the continued presence of a Tufted Duck and an Eared Grebe on Hummock Pond, a Short-eared Owl in the vicinity of Bartlett’s Farm, a Great Egret near the UMass Field Station, and 2 Snow Geese at Moors End Farm.