{"id":6745,"date":"2015-12-16T11:47:21","date_gmt":"2015-12-16T16:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=6745"},"modified":"2015-12-16T11:47:21","modified_gmt":"2015-12-16T16:47:21","slug":"last-month-in-birding-november-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-november-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Month in Birding: November 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every month we feature some the past month’s bird sightings as suggested by our experts.\u00a0Here are five remarkable\u00a0observations\u00a0from November.<\/p>\n

MacGillivray’s Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei<\/em>)<\/h3>\n

If you’re a fan of warblers, you probably know the mourning warbler, an uncommon bird of the eastern US that looks like it’s wearing a gray and black veil of mourning. There’s a closely related species in the western US: the MacGillivray’s warbler. It has a similar appearance but has bold white crescents above and below its eyes. The ranges of these two species don’t typically overlap; nonetheless, a wandering MacGillivray’s warbler was seen last month in Lexington.<\/p>\n

\"MacGillivray's

MacGillivray’s warbler in Lexington \u00a9 James P. Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos<\/em>)<\/h3>\n

With a wingspan of nine feet, the American white pelican is one of North America’s largest birds. It breeds in central and western parts of North America and winters in the southern US and Mexico. If you’ve visited to the southern coastal US you’ve probably seen the brown pelican, a species known for making spectacular aerial dives to catch fish. The American white pelican doesn’t take such plunges; instead, it feeds by floating on the surface of the water and scooping up fish into its enormous bill. Last month, at least one white pelican was observed on a pond in Gloucester and later at Plum Island.<\/p>\n

\"American

American white pelican in Michigan (CC BY 2.0<\/a>) Andrew C<\/p><\/div>\n

Common Ground-dove\u00a0(Columbina passerina<\/em>)<\/h3>\n

This is a tiny dove\u2014it’s just 1\/4 the weight of a mourning dove. Native to southern North America and northern South America, the common ground-dove does not typically migrate, so it’s not clear why a bird made its way to Lexington last month. This species feeds and typically nests in dense vegetation close to the ground, which tends to make it vulnerable to many predators. Fortunately its feather pattern keeps it well-camouflaged against the dusty ground. When startled into flight, it flashes bright chestnut wing patches and its wings make a soft whirring sound.<\/p>\n

\"Common

Common ground-dove in Lexington \u00a9 Ryan Schain<\/p><\/div>\n

Pink-footed Goose\u00a0(Anser brachyrhynchus<\/span><\/em>)<\/h3>\n

A true northern bird and a rarity in North America, the pink-footed goose breeds in chilly places: Greenland, Iceland, and Svalbard. It overwinters in northwestern Europe. Pink-footed goose populations are increasing, partly because of greater protection from hunting in areas where they breed. Accordingly, it seems, individuals are showing up on the eastern coast of North America with increased frequency. The species is gregarious, and in Massachusetts it\u2019s usually seen in the company of Canada geese. A single pink-footed goose was observed last month in a flock of Canada geese at Turner’s Falls along the Connecticut River.<\/p>\n

\"Pink-footed

Pink-footed goose (left) at Turner’s Falls \u00a9 James Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

Townsend’s Solitaire\u00a0(Myadestes townsendi<\/em>)<\/h3>\n

This uncommonly seen species nests in western mountain forests and usually winters at lower elevations. In winter, this bird eats berries, especially juniper berries, and fiercely defends food-rich territories. The Townsend\u2019s solitaire looks a little like a miniature mockingbird, though it has a striking white eye ring and it’s actually a member of the thrush family. A Townsend\u2019s solitaire seen last month at Halibut Point State park in Rockport was actually one of several reported this fall.<\/p>\n

\"Townsend's

Townsend’s solitaire at Halibut Point State Park \u00a9 Ted Bardford<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every month we feature some the past month’s bird sightings as suggested by our experts.\u00a0Here are five remarkable\u00a0observations\u00a0from November. MacGillivray’s Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei) If you’re a fan of warblers, you probably know the mourning warbler, an uncommon bird of the eastern US that looks like it’s wearing a gray and black veil of mourning. There’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature-notes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-1KN","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5790,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-june-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":6745,"position":0},"title":"Last Month in Birding: June 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"July 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It was another interesting month in Massachusetts birding. Let's\u00a0take a look at a few of the most exciting bird sightings as suggested by our experts. \"Brewster\u2019s warbler\" (Vermivora pinus x chrysoptera) This beautiful animal\u00a0is the fertile hybrid of two closely-related birds, the blue-winged warbler (Vermivora pinus) and the golden-winged warbler\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/ycnh1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/ycnh1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/ycnh1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15733,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-a-wealth-of-warblers\/","url_meta":{"origin":6745,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: A Wealth of Warblers","author":"Ryan D.","date":"May 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Bird-a-thon is a wrap! How did you and your team fair? Spot any cool warblers? For those new to the tradition, Bird-a-thon is Mass Audubon's big annual fundraiser and birding competition, in which teams compete head-to-head by\u00a0earning points\u00a0from birding and nature activities and by\u00a0birding in strategic sub-groups\u00a0in an effort to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birds & Birding"","block_context":{"text":"Birds & Birding","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/birds-birding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Magnolia Warbler \u00a9 Joe Howell","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/05\/4124Joe_Howell22124-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/05\/4124Joe_Howell22124-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/05\/4124Joe_Howell22124-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/05\/4124Joe_Howell22124-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14060,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-yellow-rumped-warblers\/","url_meta":{"origin":6745,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Yellow-rumped Warblers","author":"Ryan D.","date":"May 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the earliest migrant warblers to arrive in Massachusetts (beginning around mid-April), the Yellow-rumped Warbler is also typically the most abundant warbler species seen during migration. It will occasionally overwinter in Massachusetts, but primarily in Barnstable County and the Islands. There are two subspecies of the Yellow-rumped Warbler, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow-rumped Warbler \u00a9 Patrick Randall","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/05\/3361Patrick_Randall15885.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/05\/3361Patrick_Randall15885.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/05\/3361Patrick_Randall15885.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/05\/3361Patrick_Randall15885.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5552,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-may-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":6745,"position":3},"title":"Last Month in Birding: May 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"June 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Each month we take a look at a few of the previous month\u2019s bird sightings as suggested by our experts. 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