Author Archives: Jude G.

Wednesday Morning Birding Report, September 11, 2019

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Jude G.

David Larson and I led today’s edition of Wednesday Morning Birding out of Joppa Flats Education Center. With a 10:51 high tide on the river, we headed down to Sandy Point in hopes of roosting shorebirds. We were not disappointed! Skies were cloudy to partly cloudy; temps, upper70s to low 80s; and winds, SW/10-15 mph. We had quite the crowd tag along with us . . . .

With cloudy conditions and school in session, we did not have any trouble finding parking space at Sandy Point for our lengthy caravan. Some distance down the beach, we found a roosting lot of shorebirds. Predominantly, they were made up of Semipalmated Plovers and Sandpipers, most with their bills tucked and at least one leg withdrawn conserving heat. In the middle of all these migrating shorebirds, about 45 Sanderlings were assuming the roosting pose with bodies pointed into the strong southwesterly breeze. These birds were particularly noticeable, because they were all juvenile with bright black-and-white, crisp, uniform plumage — really handsome! Looking carefully through the mass of roosting birds, at one point, I thought I had a Baird’s Sandpiper, but before I could tease out the needed field marks for the proper ID, it shifted position and vanished. In our search, we did locate three Western Sandpipers, juveniles with rufous scapulars. This is another “peep,” one which we don’t see all that often. During this migration, however, there have been a number regularly seen.

One of Lisa’s volunteers along for the Wednesday Morning Birding experience, shouted out, “Tern!” When we got on it as it flew overhead and then landed some distance further down the beach, we could see that it was as large as a Ring-billed Gull, had a bright orangish bill, and that its black cap was molting into a frosty-looking forehead. At first we ID’d this tern as a Caspian Tern, an uncommon sighting. Upon further review and with the aid of photos taken by several of our party, in fact, this tern is (was) a Royal Tern, even less common than the Caspian Tern. The tern’s bill being more orange than red and, as David Larson described the head, its “monk’s tonsure,” good field marks for Royal Tern. Take a look at Bob Minton’s photo below. Nobody was able to get a head-on shot, but you can see the white of the forehead and crown and the narrow black band, the remnants of the bird’s all-black cap when in breeding plumage. Another sighting was rather unusual, and one that I am sure is a first for Wednesday Morning Birding — behind us in Ipswich Bay, someone spotted an Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) with its dorsal fin poking above the water’s surface. Hmmm, it took a while before we got back to our feathered friends!

Roosting Shorebirds – Tom Schreffler
(Note juvenile Sanderlings in their black-and-white, crisp, uniform plumage.)

On the wing – Stan Deutsch
(Flock comprised of at least three species of shorebirds [Semipalmated Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, & Sanderlings]. You may find others!)

Juvenile Semipalmated Plover – John Linn
(Note semipalmated toes [webbing between toes] and light edging of a juvenile’s scapulars & crown feathers.)

When we got off the beach and headed north, the northeast corner of Stage Island Pool yielded a number of “good” shorebirds. There were six Stilt Sandpipers, eight juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers, another uncommon “peep,” a Baird’s Sandpiper, and a couple of Short-billed Dowitchers. There were also some Greater Yellowlegs, six or more Lesser Yellowlegs, four Least Sandpipers, our smallest “peep,” and a number of Semipalmated Sandpipers. Some of the yellowlegs were in company with nine Snowy Egrets near the water control structure. Toward the southern end of the pool, two White-rumped Sandpipers were found.

Juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers – Bob Minton

Shorebirds in flight – Mike Densmore
(Can you ID these birds? 2nd bird from left: Pectoral Sandpiper; lower right bird: Stilt Sandpiper; all remaining: Semipalmated Sandpipers.)

From Stage Island Pool, we continued north to Hellcat to see what Bill Forward Pool and North Pool held for us in the way of migrating birds. Of particular interest was two
American Golden-Plovers that had been seen. When all said and done, we struck out on the golden-plovers, but had fun sorting through other shorebirds, including the usual Black-bellied Plovers, Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plovers and Sandpipers, and a couple of White-rumps. What was really interesting were two species that can be difficult to differentiate from the Short-billed Dowitcher — Long-billed Dowitcher and Stilt Sandpiper. We were able to tease out two Long-billed Dowitchers and five Stilt Sandpipers from among the 10 or so Short-bills in front of us. Study up for next week’s Wednesday Morning Birding!! During our shorebird vigil, three Blue-winged Teal, birds of the year, flew into Bill Forward Pool. Toward the end of our stay at Hellcat, an Osprey put on a nice show over and in the North Pool. We finally had to break it off — we were getting heavily into “overtime!”

Short-billed Dowitchers – Tom Schreffler

Short-billed Dowitcher – Stan Deutsch
(Note white wedge on this bird’s lower back — good field mark for both dowitcher species when in flight.)

As migration moves along, noticeably absent during our weekly visit to Plum Island are Willet, Eastern Kingbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Eastern Towhee, and any number of other species. Migrating warblers are starting to appear. A few have already been banded at the Banding Station.

I hope that you will join us next week for the next chapter of this fall’s migration. Who knows what we will see next!

Cheers and warmest regards!
Dave Weaver

Our list:
Canada Goose (~ 120) – ~ 100, backside of Stage Island Pool (SIP); ~ 20, Bill Forward Pool (BFP).
Gadwall (6) – SIP & BFP.
Mallard – common; SIP & BFP.
Blue-winged Teal (3) – BFP.
Double-crested Cormorant – common; various.
Great Blue Heron (3) – 1, marsh n. refuge gate house; 2, North Pool from Hellcat Dike.
Great Egret (~ 15) – various.
Snowy Egret (9) – SIP water control structure.
Turkey Vulture (1) – soaring over lot #1.
Osprey (2) – vicinity of BFP.
Black-bellied Plover (~ 30) – BFP.
Semipalmated Plover – common; mostly Sandy Point.
Greater Yellowlegs – common; SIP & BFP.
Lesser Yellowlegs (6) – SIP.
Sanderling (~ 45) – predominantly juvies; Sandy Point.
Semipalmated Sandpiper – common; Sandy Point, SIP, & BFP.
Western Sandpiper (3) – Sandy Point, roosting with Sanderlings & Semipal Plovers & Sandpipers.
Least Sandpiper (4) – SIP.
White-rumped Sandpiper (4) – 2, SIP; 2, BFP.
Baird’s Sandpiper (2) – 1, SIP; 1, BFP.
Pectoral Sandpiper (10) – 8, SIP; 2, BFP.
Stilt Sandpiper (11) – 6, SIP; 5, BFP.
Short-billed Dowitcher (12) – 2, SIP; 10, BFP.
Long-billed Dowitcher (2) – BFP.
Ring-billed Gull – Sandy Point.
Herring Gull – Sandy Point.
Great Black-backed Gull – Sandy Point.
Royal Tern (1) – Sandy Point.
Rock Pigeon
American Crow (2)
Tree Swallow – common.
American Robin (2) – roadside.
Gray Catbird (3) – roadside.
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (6) – roadside, S-curves.
Non-feathered taxon:
Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) (1) – Ipswich Bay off Sandy Point.

Wednesday Morning Birding Report, August 28, 2019

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Jude G.

Donna Cooper and I had a great day leading Joppa Flats’ Wednesday Morning Birding program on Plum Island. We beat feet down to Sandy Point and then made our way back up the island to Stage Island Pool, Bill Forward Pool blind, and Hellcat. Our high-tide hopes of roosting shorebirds on Sandy Point bore fruit and aside from missing Doug’s and MaryMargaret’s Buff-breasted Sandpiper at the blind, we had some pretty “good” birds. Skies were partly cloudy to cloudy; temps in the low 70s; and winds SE/5-10 mph.

Many schools opening this week and less-than-perfect beach weather combined to provide us with ample parking at Sandy Point. With high tide just shy of 10:00 a.m., a walk up the beach brought us to the hoped-for roosting shorebirds comprised of about 500 Semipalmated Plovers. In the mix were probably 10 Sanderlings and a good 100 Semipalmated Sandpipers. Many of these birds were loafing with bills tucked under their wings. The important thing was that needed, energy-conserving rest was being achieved to help these shorebirds realize their ultimate goal — a successful landing at their wintering home somewhere far south of Sandy Point.

Semipalmated Plovers – Barbara Silver. Of course, you can see the Ring-billed Gull, but can you pick out the Semipalmated Sandpipers?? I can see 19, but there could be more.

In addition to the Semipalmated Plovers and Sandpipers, and Sanderlings, there were a couple of juvenile Least Terns and their attending parents. A juvie Least Tern with fresh, crisp contour feathers is really quite handsome. Here, have a look . . . .

Juvenile Least Tern - Tom Schreffler — Juvenile Least Tern – Tom Schreffler

Least Tern - John Linn — Least Tern – John Linn. Note that this adult is already molting its black cap.

While focused on the shorebirds, as a backdrop, staging, congregating Tree Swallows continued to put on a rather spectacular show — not just at Sandy Point, but up and down the island.

Tree Swallows - Barbara Silver — Tree Swallows – Barbara Silver

Next stop was Stage Island Pool, its water level being at the lowest that I can remember. Assembled near the water level control structure, about 30 (mostly immature) Snowy Egrets and a lone Great Egret interacted doing some running and chasing about. Some of the Snowys moved into the water for some foraging in concert with Greater Yellowlegs and a few Double-crested Cormorants. We looked closely for an immature Little Blue Heron, knowing that this species’ plumage is very much like the Snowy Egret’s, but to no avail. In amongst the egrets were some Greater Yellowlegs and Mallards. On the near shore of the pool, just below us, were a number of yellowlegs, both Greaters and Lessers together with more Mallards. At one point, all of the yellowlegs flew up into the air in panic as a large — probably a female — immature Cooper’s Hawk came swooping in from the marsh to the north. The Coop’s did no damage and landed in a tree on the far side. As it flew in, the rounded tail of a Cooper’s Hawk and its head extending in front of its wings were quite evident. A couple of Great Blue Herons were moving on the periphery.

Stage Island Pool activity - John Linn — Stage Island Pool activity – John Linn

Cooper's Hawk - Bob Minton — Cooper’s Hawk – Bob Minton

Great Blue Heron - Tom Schreffler — Great Blue Heron – Tom Schreffler

Parking being available, we made a stop at the Bill Forward Pool blind to see if the Buff-breasted Sandpiper we were told about earlier by MaryMargaret Halsey and Doug Chickering was still there. Not only was it not there, there were only a few Semipalmated Plovers seen. Where was everyone??!!

On to Hellcat . . . . Despite the state of the tide, Bill Forward Pool was somewhat empty of shorebirds. However, in the interest of saving the “bestest” for last, we had a triumvirate of rather special birds! From out of nowhere appeared the American Avocet, which has been entertaining many birders for over a week. In just 5 days’ time (the last time I had seen it), this western shorebird had molted to the point that its amber-colored head, neck, and breast, making up its breeding plumage, were all but gone. Needless to say, WMB folks were thrilled to see this larger shorebird with the recurved bill.

American Avocet - Alison Anholt-White — American Avocet – Alison Anholt-White

American Avocet - Tom Schreffler — American Avocet – Tom Schreffler

Then, just behind us in the North Pool, there were three Long-billed Dowitchers! Many thanks to Bob Murphy for pointing those out to us. To help us distinguish between Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitcher, a lone Short-bill landed right next to the three Long-bills. We could readily see the humped-back appearance (like it swallowed a softball) of the Long-bill as compared to the flatter back of the Short-bill. Also, the Long-bill’s tail appeared darker than the Short-bill, whose tail was more white in appearance. Long-billed Dowitchers nest in the high western Arctic and are uncommon migrating through our wetlands. These birds were a real treat to see . . . .

Long-billed Dowitchers - Tom Schreffler — Long-billed Dowitchers – Tom Schreffler

Just beyond the dowitchers, on the flats was a nice gathering of yellowlegs, both Greater and Lesser, which provided a nice comparison between the two species. Would that we could have similar comparisons every time out.

Yellowlegs - Bob Minton — Yellowlegs – Bob Minton

To cap the morning off, Linda from East Hampton, Mass., spotted movement beyond the yellowlegs at the edge of the Phragmites. At first, she thought it might be a Sora, but, in fact, it was a juvenile Least Bittern, still sporting down here and there. This bird gave us a great show — very accommodating!

Juvenile Least Bittern - Tom Schreffler — Juvenile Least Bittern – Tom Schreffler

All in all, it was a pretty good morning of birding — the weather cooperated, the birds cooperated! Come next Wednesday, 4 September, we’ll do it all over again. C’mon down! David Moon will be back to regale us with his tales of Ecuador. By the way, he will be rather jealous of our list in this report.

We hope to see you next week!
Cheers! Dave Weaver

Our list:

Canada Goose (~ 40) – various.
Gadwall (4) – hen & 3 young; Bill Forward Pool (BFP).
Mallard (~ 30) – Stage Island Pool (SIP) & BFP.
Common Eider (1) – Sandy Point.
Double-crested Cormorant – common.
Least Bittern (1) – North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Great Blue Heron (2) – SIP.
Great Egret (~ 5) – various.
Snowy Egret (~ 30) – most all immature; SIP.
Osprey (2) – 1, Pines platform; 1, flyover n. lot #2.
Cooper’s Hawk (1) – SIP.
Red-tailed Hawk (1) – n. end refuge.
American Avocet (1) – BFP.
Semipalmated Plover (~ 500) – roosting on Sandy Point.
Greater Yellowlegs (~ 50) – major share, SIP; balance, BFP/North Pool
from Hellcat dike.
Lesser Yellowlegs (~ 15) – some, SIP; most, North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Sanderling (~ 10) – roosting on Sandy Point among Semipal Plovers.
Semipalmated Sandpiper (~ 300) – ~ 100 roosting on Sandy Point among
Semipal Plovers; ~ 200, algae mat, main panne (unfortunately ran out of
time to search for Least & Western Sandpipers).
Short-billed Dowitcher (4) – North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Long-billed Dowitcher (3) – North Pool from Hellcat dike (thanks, Bob
Murphy!).
Ring-billed Gull – Sandy Point.
Herring Gull – Sandy Point.
Great Black-backed Gull (1) – Sandy Point.
Least Tern (4) – 2 juvs, 2 ads; Sandy Point.
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eastern Kingbird (2) – juvs; lot #7.
Tree Swallow (5,000+) – spectacular scene!
American Robin (1)
Gray Catbird (3)
European Starling – common.
Eastern Towhee (1) – Sandy Point parking lot vicinity.
Song Sparrow (1) – Sandy Point.

Wednesday Morning Birding Report, August 21, 2019

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Jude G.

Dave Williams and I led today’s Wednesday Morning Birding program out of Joppa Flats Education Center first to Perkins Park in Newburyport, then to the boat ramp at Joppa Park, and finally on to Plum Island. Skies were overcast with occasional breaks of sun; temps in upper 70s to 80 with significant humidity; the air was calm.

Our primary focus in Perkins Park was Black-crowned Night-Herons with the possibility of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. Sharp eyes located a couple of Black-crowns with one or two blowing their cover and flying to exposed perches. Our final count in this roosting spot was one adult and three immature Black-crowned Night-Herons. No Yellow-crowns were seen. We enjoyed seeing a male Belted Kingfisher in this marshy setting.

Adult Black-crowned Night-Heron - Tom Schreffler — Adult Black-crowned Night-Heron – Tom Schreffler

Immature Black-crowned Night-Heron - Tom Schreffler — Immature Black-crowned Night-Heron – Tom Schreffler

Immature Black-crowned Night-Heron - Patti Wood — Immature Black-crowned Night-Heron – Patti Wood

From Perkins Park, we made the short drive to the boat ramp at Joppa Park on Water Street. The tide was low with exposed mudflats. Partaking of the food source therein were 75 or so Black-bellied Plovers, somewhat fewer Semipalmated Plovers, many Semipalmated Sandpipers, 40-some-odd Greater Yellowlegs, and about 20 Short-billed Dowitchers, the latter probing the mud for invertebrates in their sewing-machine fashion. At one point, a soaring Osprey above the flats put most of the shorebirds up.

Some members of the gull family put on a good show for us. There were the usual Herring Gulls, a number of Ring-billed Gulls, including some juvenile birds, and about seven Great Black-backed Gulls. In addition, some adult Bonaparte’s Gulls showed off the black hoods of their breeding plumage, while others were already on their way into nonbreeding or winter plumage with simply a vestige of their black hoods showing. We enjoyed the fishing behavior of 20-or-so Common Terns. We spotted a single Forster’s Tern in the mix. Unbeknownst to us until a photo of Mike Densmore’s revealed its presence, there was another black-hooded gull out there — an adult Laughing Gull. Just goes to show you, we don’t see every species!

On to Plum Island, the usual gathering of Semipalmated Sandpipers on the Main Panne’s algae mat was absent, no doubt because the Merrimack River mudflats were still attracting shorebirds. The small pannes were also devoid of any shorebird activity. Bill Forward Pool held a few shorebirds, including a single White-rumped Sandpiper and a Least Sandpiper, noticeably smaller than the White-rump. About 10 Short-billed Dowitchers foraged in the shallow water along both shorelines. At one point, about 75 Black-bellied Plovers in two flocks flew into Bill Forward Pool, but did not linger, off for parts unknown. Nonetheless, always an impressive sight! It’s possible that these Black-bellies were the very same we saw from the Joppa Park boat ramp being forced off the flats by the incoming tide.

A number of ducks fed and loafed in and around Bill Forward Pool. There was a Gadwall hen and her three youngsters; lots of Mallards; and the first somewhat big increase in the number of Green-winged Teal present, about 20.

Doing an about face on the Hellcat dike, we could see a small flock of yellowlegs, both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, loafing on the flats of North Pool — a great comparison of the two species. Earlier, a Spotted Sandpiper was seen on those same flats.

Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs – Stan Deutsch

While observing the various shorebirds, Tree Swallows were commonly in view. Many were hawking for insects above us; many paraded from the Bill Forward Pool area up over us on the dike, skimming the waters of North Pool for a drink here and there; and many alighted briefly in the Phragmites and cattail before taking off again to fill the sky with their zigging and zagging. It’s quite the spectacle at sundown to see these birds massing over North Pool Marsh readying themselves for a night’s roost in the tall vegetation.

The shorebird migration continues! I hope that you will join us for the next edition of Wednesday Morning Birding — my goodness, the last Wednesday in August . . . . Hard to believe that summer is essentially over. Hope to see you next week.

Cheers and all the best!
Dave Weaver

Our list:
Perkins Park —
Black-crowned Night-Heron (4) – 1 ad, 3 imm.
Belted Kingfisher (1) – male.
Downy Woodpecker (1)
Carolina Wren (1)
American Goldfinch (2)
Joppa Park —
Great Egret (2)
Turkey Vulture (3)
Osprey (1)
Black-bellied Plover (~ 75)
Semipalmated Plover (~ 15)
Greater Yellowlegs (~ 40)
Semipalmated Sandpiper – common.
Short-billed Dowitcher (~ 20)
Bonaparte’s Gull (~ 25)
Ring-billed Gull – many.
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull (7)
Common Tern (~ 20)
Forster’s Tern (1)
Rock Pigeon
Plum Island —
Canada Goose (~ 15) – Bill Forward Pool (BFP).
Gadwall (4) – hen & 3 imm.; BFP.
Mallard (~ 30) – BFP.
Green-winged Teal (~ 20) – BFP.
Double-crested Cormorant (3) – 1, BFP; 2, North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Great Blue Heron (1) – BFP.
Great Egret (5) – various.
Black-bellied Plover (~ 75) – 2 flocks flying into & out of BFP (with tide coming, Black-bellies from river flats??).
Semipalmated Plover (1) – BFP.
Spotted Sandpiper (1) – North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Greater Yellowlegs (~ 10) – North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Lesser Yellowlegs (5) – North Pool from Hellcat dike.
Least Sandpiper (1) – BFP.
White-rumped Sandpiper (1) – BFP.
Short-billed Dowitcher (~ 10) – BFP.
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove (1)
Eastern Kingbird (2)
Tree Swallow – common.
Gray Catbird (4) – various road crossing.
European Starling – many flocks.
Cedar Waxwing (~ 7) – BFP.
Song Sparrow (2)
Red-winged Blackbird (1) – Hellcat dike.
House Sparrow