Tuesday 20 March 2012

Harvard Law School, Middlesex, MA, USA, 19 Mar 2012

4:45 PM
Protocol: Incidental
Comments: Heading home from work.
Weather: clear & sunny, though a setting sun.
2 species

Purple Finch 2 , a pair, one carrying a twig presumably for nesting material. Identified from flutey call & distinct rosy male colour. A life-tick.
(Changed from house finch after listened to calls & seeing it close-up a few days later).

House Sparrow X - noisy squabbling groups.

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Sunday 18 March 2012

Duxbury Beach, Plymouth, MA, USA, 18-Mar-2012

11:50 AM - 2:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
Comments: A visit to a wonderful location hoping for Kim's first snowy owl. I had my doubts with the amount of traffic on the road but reports were still being posted that they were around. We walked about half mile along the path/road before a motorist asked us what we were looking for, he also said we could drive the road, so he gave us a lift back to the car-park to pick-up our car. As we tried to go on the road a police officer informed us we needed an oversand permit so we had to re-park & walk out again!
Weather: a beautiful day, bright & sunny but cold.
17 species

Brent Goose X - a flock flying at sea.
Common Eider 4
Surf Scoter X
Red-throated Diver X - a few at sea.
Slavonian Grebe 1 on the water of Duxbury Bay near to a red-necked grebe.
Red-necked Grebe 1 on the water of Duxbury Bay near to a horned/Slavonian grebe, showing reddening neck.
Peregrine Falcon 1 whizzed by, brownish so probably a female. It looked slightly small for a peregrine but too big to be anything else.
Piping Plover 1 on the beach amongst the people, dogs & SUVs. I spotted it as we walked & immediately picked out a new species for me. A handsome pale bird with distinctive markings & a scarce species too. An unexpected life-tick.
Sanderling 20 approx. on the beach running from the waves.
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Mourning Dove X
Snowy Owl 1 sitting on the dunes facing Duxbury Bay near to crossover 2. It sat for a good 45 minutes as we took pictures from about 75 yards away & remained there after we moved on to the beach.
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X - about half dozen flitting along the dunes, at one point two were preening on the rope fence along the road - a sign of Spring.
Song Sparrow X - many along the path singing enthusiastically.

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Granite Pier, Rockport, Essex, MA, USA, 18-Mar-2012


3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: Stopped off after a drive around Cape Anne with mum & Kim.
Weather: overcast, cold wind.
4 species

Harlequin Duck 2
Red-breasted Merganser X
Great Cormorant X
Herring Gull X

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Saturday 10 March 2012

Allen's Pond--Quansett Trail, Bristol, MA, USA, 10-Mar-2012

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: Out with my father-in-law around Allens Pond. We walked the Quansett trail hoping to make the beach loop later, but it was a longer walk than expected so we contented ourselves with our walk around the pond & through the woods.
Weather: bright, sunny, cold, breezy (E).
15 species

American Black Duck X
Green-winged Teal 2 , a pair on Allens Pond & then side-marshes of Fresh Pond.
Bufflehead 1 male.
Hooded Merganser 3 females on Allens pond.
Common Merganser 9 approx.
Great Blue Heron X
Northern Harrier 1 ringtail between Allens Pond & the beach.
Killdeer 3 with the teal.
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull 3 individuals over from the sea/beach.
Carolina Wren X - one distant then one close-by on way back to the car.
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 flew close amongst the low bushes at one of the the viewpoints.
American Robin X
Northern Cardinal 1 male.
Red-winged Blackbird X - heard first on distant side of Allens Pond, then 3 around the car-park including close-by on fenceposts.

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Sunday 4 March 2012

Millennium Park, Suffolk, MA, USA, 4-Mar-2012

2:30 AM - 4:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: Out for a walk along the nature trail, marked by blue triangle markers with egret silhouette down to the river then back.
Weather: cold, grey, slight breeze; sunny later on.
18 species

Canada Goose 30 + grazing on an athletic field off the parking lot.
Mallard 2 pairs then more later.
Common Merganser 1 female.
Cooper's Hawk 1 juvenile, perched in a tree out in the open. Streaked breast with brownish uppers & maybe some white-ish in the coverts, it had a long barred tail with the last bar not terminating at the end, to call it as a Cooper's not sharp-shinned. It flew off before I could get a picture unfortunately.
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 seen & calling also.
Downy Woodpecker 4 approx., throughout the woods.
Black-capped Chickadee X - heard a couple of times.
White-breasted Nuthatch 6 or so in the tree along the path, often very vocal - "quank".
Eastern Bluebird 6 approx., just after turning off the tarmac path in a small dell, flitting about quietly.
American Robin 2
European Starling 50 on the same athletic field with the Canada geese.
American Tree Sparrow 40 approx., just after the red-tailed hawk, in a small marshy area I noticed several tree sparrows, which quickly turned into several more then dozens. There were so many that the sound they were making was like the chirruping of crickets. They eventually moved off amongst the reeds & I later heard them again from the path.
Song Sparrow 6 approx., along the tarmac path, flitting about with a few singing.
Northern Cardinal 2 heard singing.
Red-winged Blackbird 30 + along the path, several singing. On the way back a flock of 30+ were high in the trees with one cowbird amongst them.
Brown-headed Cowbird 1 in amongst the flock of blackbirds seen off the tarmac path.
American Goldfinch 1 in the same area as the bluebirds.

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