Wednesday morning was a great change of pace from the gloomy weather earlier in the week. Dave Weaver and I met a group of over 20 for a special day of birding and fundraising. Proceeds of WMB for this week will go to the Belize Scholarship Fund. with those fees and other contributions that day, we’re happy to say we raised over $2,000 to help ensure education for young people in poor Belizean communities that surround Mass Audubon-supported conservation areas.
Snowy Owl – Mike Densmore
MaryMargaret Halsey tipped us off to owls and hawks as we departed. With her intel, we zoomed right to the area of salt marsh between parking lot one and the salt pannes. Sure enough, we found three Snowy Owls sitting far out on the marsh. None of them was close enough to give us the golden-eyed stare we hope for, but seeing so many at once was a treat. A beautiful male Northern Harrier dashed by at one point, and we were close enough to see that he had only recently achieved adult status.
Rough-legged Hawk light morph – Patti Wood
As we worked our way through the S-curves, hoping in vain for interesting passerines, a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk appeared, kiting and hovering above the marsh north of The Warden’s. This bird was so intent on its perfect vantage point above the marsh that we could put a spotting scope on it, and a long string of folks could see it without so much as an adjustment. Few raptors have such an ability to stay in place in thin air. As we traveled further south, another a very light-morph Rough-legged Hawk appeared, also hovering above Cross Farm Hill. The wind was perfect for kiting, a form of hovering in which the bird merely adjusts the wings and tail to ride an updraft in one spot. The rising northwest wind struck the trees at the edge of the marsh or a small hill, and made perfect pillows of buoyancy for the hawks, giving them almost a “perch” to hunt from. We were enthralled with the agility of these birds to be stationary in the swirling eddies of air.
Buffleheads land at Emerson Rocks – Susan Balser
At parking lot #7, Emerson Rocks was a big exposed pile. At the base of the dunes, a lovely pocket of still air was filled with sunshine. The cove that forms against the rocks was dotted with birds diving to the easily accessible bottom. First we found some lovely drake White-winged and Black Scoters, along with a few hens of both species. A Common Loon dove at the line of breakers off the rocks among Common Eiders, two pairs of Common Goldeneyes, and some Long-tailed Ducks. After a good while observing, a Horned Grebe appeared as if from nowhere, and fed actively close to shore. Near the end of our time there, a burst of Horned Larks flashed by, and a flock of Buffleheads arrived in the cove.
WMB at Parking Lot #7 Platform – David Moon
Returning north along the road, we found the Rough-legged Hawk at Cross Farm Hill in the same spot above the crest of the hill, and then found another light morph bird over the pines at the Bill Forward blind. That bird stayed for us while we walked up onto Hellcat dike. Then, when we were all good and ready, it moved north past us for beautiful views up close. We figured that MaryMargaret was having fun pulling our strings as we sped off to try for another of her Snowy Owl sightings. Sure enough, we found a bird sitting much closer to the road near the nano-tag tracking antenna in the area of the North Marsh known as “The Middens” because of old mounds of oyster shells found there. This bird had a bright white face and dark back, making such a contrast that some of us thought we had found a fourth bird. This one was close enough to see those golden eyes.
Rough-legged Hawk – Mike Densmore
At parking lot #1, we huddled again at the base of the dunes, hoping to find some more birds on the ocean. The sea there can be filled with interesting things, but has been rather quiet this year. One Red-throated Loon made a brief appearance noticed by only one observer. The same species of scoters we had seen before were scattered about, and the sun kept shining. But thoughts of the chili, soup, and cornbread waiting for us at Joppa was too much, and we hurried back for warm food, our sock contest, and to gather with worldwide conservation in mind.
One last thing to celebrate at Joppa Flats today was the restored access to our sewer system after 25 days of having to use outdoor port-a-potties! The details don’t matter, the main thing is that sometimes we tend to take everyday wonders for granted, and now we want you to come and enjoy the splendor of indoor plumbing on the banks of the Merrimack River!
Regards,
David
Our list:
Canada Goose – common.
American Black Duck – common.
Mallard – a few.
Greater Scaup (7) – PI River, between parking lots #1 & 2.
Common Eider – common; parking lots #1 & #7 ocean.
White-winged Scoter (~ 35) – mostly parking lot #7 ocean; a few parking lot #1 ocean.
Black Scoter (7) – 3, parking lot #7 ocean; 4, parking lot #1 ocean.
Long-tailed Duck (4) – parking lot #7 ocean.
Bufflehead (~ 8) – parking lot #7 ocean.
Common Goldeneye (4) – parking lot #7 ocean.
Red-breasted Merganser (5) – 1, Plum Island River; 4, parking lot #7 ocean.
Red-throated Loon (1) – parking lot #1 ocean.
Common Loon (2) – parking lot #7 oceann.
Horned Grebe (1) – parking lot #7 ocean.
[Northern Harrier (2) – 1, marsh opposite PI Airport; 1, dunes, parking lot #2.
Red-tailed Hawk (3) – 2, Plum Bush; 1, S-curves.
Rough-legged Hawk (3) – 1, dark morph, n. The Warden’s; 1 light morph, Cross Farm Hill; 1 light morph, Old Pines.
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull (3)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove (2) – Joppa Flats.
Snowy Owl (3-4) – marsh west of parking lot #2 (2 light, 1 darker while we were en route s. on refuge road; 1 apparently more dark than the earlier darker bird when we headed north at end of morning).
American Crow (2)
Horned Lark (9) – flyby, parking lot #7 beach.
European Starling