{"id":7035,"date":"2016-02-11T09:18:13","date_gmt":"2016-02-11T14:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=7035"},"modified":"2016-02-11T09:18:13","modified_gmt":"2016-02-11T14:18:13","slug":"last-month-in-birding-january-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-january-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Month in Birding: January 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every month we share five amazing bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Here are a few interesting observations from January.<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s Longspur\u00a0(Calcarius pictus<\/em>)<\/h1>\n

Like other longspurs, Smith\u2019s longspur has a long claw (\u201cspur\u201d) on its hind toe. This bird breeds across parts of the western subarctic tundra. Its romantic life is complex. It\u2019s polygynandrous: each male and female pairs\u00a0with several others during the breeding season. Typically, all Smith\u2019s longspurs spend the winter in a relatively confined region of the central US, so an individual spotted last month in Saugus was a special find\u2014and only the second record ever for the state!<\/p>\n

\"Smith's

Smith’s longspur in Saugus \u00a9 Oliver Burton<\/p><\/div>\n

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris<\/em>)<\/h1>\n

The male Painted Bunting is one of our country\u2019s most colorful birds. This finch is primarily a southern species, breeding in the southern and central US and Mexico, and generally overwintering farther south. This range, combined with its splash of bright colors, makes the painted bunting a birders\u2019 favorite whenever it appears in the north. It\u2019s usually a shy bird; however, it becomes conspicuous when it visits a feeder. Last month, a male was sighted at a bird feeder in Nantucket.<\/p>\n

\"PaintedBunting\"

Painted bunting in Houston (CC BY 2.0<\/a>) Ralph Arvesen<\/p><\/div>\n

Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius<\/em>)<\/h1>\n

This is another bird with striking colors. The varied thrush has a complex pattern of rusty orange, black, and stormy grey-blue. It\u2019s about the same size and shape as the American robin, and the two species are related. It lives in parts of the western US and Canada, preferring dense old-growth coniferous forests. It eats insects in the warm months and seeds and berries in the winter. A varied thrush appeared last month in Rutland.<\/p>\n

\"VariedThrush\"

Varied thrush (CC BY-NC 2.0<\/a>) Sylvia Wright<\/p><\/div>\n

Hammond\u2019s Flycatcher (Empidonax hammondii<\/em>)<\/h1>\n

This little flycatcher breeds in the western US and Canada and overwinters in Mexico and Central America. Flycatchers of the genus Empidonax<\/em> are notoriously difficult to tell apart, but voice is a useful clue. A Hammond\u2019s flycatcher was observed last month in Fairhaven, and luckily observers were able to gather both pictures and audio recordings to confirm its identity. It was only the second-ever record for Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\"Hammond's

Hammond’s flycatcher in Fairhaven \u00a9 Jeremiah Trimble<\/p><\/div>\n

Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus<\/em>)<\/h1>\n

This bird is slightly\u00a0smaller than our familiar Canada goose, and true to its name, it has bubblegum-pink feet and legs. It breeds in Iceland, Greenland, and Svalbard, and winters in parts of Europe. Rarely, a few individuals head in the wrong direction and wind up in Canada and the US. A pink-footed goose was observed last month on the Connecticut River at Agawam in the company of Canada geese.<\/p>\n

\"Pink

Pink-footed goose in Sweden\u00a0(CC BY-NC-ND 2.0<\/a>) Magnus Larsson<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every month we share five amazing bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Here are a few interesting observations from January. Smith\u2019s Longspur\u00a0(Calcarius pictus) Like other longspurs, Smith\u2019s longspur has a long claw (\u201cspur\u201d) on its hind toe. This bird breeds across parts of the western subarctic tundra. Its romantic life is complex. It\u2019s polygynandrous: […]<\/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":[160,162],"class_list":["post-7035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature-notes","tag-bird-sightings","tag-last-month-in-birding"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-1Pt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6858,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-december-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":7035,"position":0},"title":"Last Month in Birding: December 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"January 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"December brought another month of amazing bird sightings to Massachusetts. Here are a few interesting observations as suggested by our experts. Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) This is a bird\u00a0of wide open spaces in the west, where it breeds at higher elevations but overwinters on the grasslands and plains. It often\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\/2016\/01\/blackchinned.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/01\/blackchinned.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/01\/blackchinned.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7184,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-february-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":7035,"position":1},"title":"Last Month in Birding: February 2016","author":"Rosemary","date":"March 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are five\u00a0incredible bird sightings from last month as suggested by Mass Audubon's experts. Yellow-billed Loon\u00a0(Gavia\u00a0adamsii) The largest loon species\u00a0in the world, this bird\u00a0breeds on the high Arctic tundra, farther north than our familiar common loon. Scientists still have much to learn about its\u00a0habits. Outside of certain Arctic and west\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\/2016\/03\/mystery-gull.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/mystery-gull.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/mystery-gull.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1154,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/birding-after-migration\/","url_meta":{"origin":7035,"position":2},"title":"Birding After Migration","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"November 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"We have turned the seasonal corner. The swallows are gone, the egrets have fled, and \u00a0shorebirds and warblers have pushed their way south. You may well ask, \u201cWhat do we do we look for now?\u201d In many ways, Massachusetts is perfectly suited for winter birding, thanks in part to our\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\/2012\/11\/purple-sandpiper_Richard-Johnson-and-Mass-Audubon.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5135,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-march-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":7035,"position":3},"title":"Last Month in Birding: March 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"April 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We take a\u00a0look back at five\u00a0of March's\u00a0most interesting bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) This fast and powerful bird is the largest falcon in the world. It breeds\u00a0in the arctic and irregularly winters farther south, but is rarely seen as far south as Massachusetts. The gyrfalcon\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\/04\/GWFG_640x424.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\/04\/GWFG_640x424.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/04\/GWFG_640x424.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6481,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-october-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":7035,"position":4},"title":"Last Month in Birding: October 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"November 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Every month we feature a few the past month's bird sightings as suggested by our experts.\u00a0Here are five notable observations\u00a0from October. Purple Gallinule\u00a0(Porphyrio martinicus) A living rainbow, this bird\u00a0has enormous feet that enable it to walk across floating wetland plants such as lily pads. It can also swim. The purple\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\/11\/easthamsays.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\/11\/easthamsays.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/11\/easthamsays.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4889,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-february-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":7035,"position":5},"title":"Last Month in Birding: February 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"March 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re excited to announce a new blog feature that highlights some of the previous\u00a0month\u2019s most interesting bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Here are five discoveries from February. Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) x Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) Hybrid A hybrid of these two species appeared\u00a0in the Annisquam River in\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\/03\/bohemian.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\/03\/bohemian.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/bohemian.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7035"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7051,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7035\/revisions\/7051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}