NH.Birds for Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Time   Fw: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell   Jim Berry   9:13am   Re: Fw: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell   Blake Allison    9:30am   Re: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell   Bruce Boyer    9:35am   juncos and white throats in Nashua   Manda Miles    9:39am   Re: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell   Kim Hoyt    9:58am   Re: Fw: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell   Tom Young    12:53pm   Iceland Gull at EWWTP, plus coastbirding   Jon Woolf    2:02pm   Wednesday Evening Lecture (11-11-09) at Joppa Flats Education Center   David Larson   3:10pm   Spruce Grouse and Boreal Chickadees at Ethan Pond in Bethlehem   David Govatski   6:00pm   FOS Snow Bunting   Scott Spangenberg    6:57pm   NH Coast (More Loons migrating, Razorbills, shearwaters)   Steve Mirick    7:31pm   Rare Bird Alert, New Hampshire, November 11, 2009   Mark Suomala   8:08pm   Coastal Additions (Black-headed Gull)   Lauren Kras    8:21pm   Re: Coastal Additions (Black-headed Gull)   joseagle(AT)aol.com   9:34pm

To use email addresses replace '(AT)' with '@'. This is done to confuse the spam 'bots.

[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Fw: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell
From: "Jim Berry" <jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 9:13am

This exchange seems to go a long way toward explaining why folks are seeing 
so few birds at their feeders this fall, and I agree with it.  It was on 
massbird only, so I think it should also go to the NH list.  Start with 
Mike's comments at the bottom.

Jim Berry
Ipswich, Mass.
jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cherrie Corey" <cherrie.corey(AT)verizon.net>
To: <mresch8702(AT)aol.com>; <massbird(AT)theworld.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 8:16 AM
Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell

>I haven't seen waves of grackles just yet, but have been truly amazed
> by the bumper crop of fruits and seeds this year and all the activity
> in their midst.  I'm a plant watcher as much as birds.  The quantity
> of acorns and pine cones is remarkable.  This rainy summer gave us an
> abundance of wild plant growth, flowers, and now ample seeds.  Both
> winterberry and autumn olive have astonishing quantities of fruit
> this fall (get out, pick and jam the latter!).  The pines and forest
> understory, in my neighborhood, are filled with busy foraging
> chickadees, titmice and juncos and the hedgerows and swamp borders
> are a buzz with hungry birds.  At a time when the birds are often
> tapping on my window to fill up the feeders, it's still very quiet.
>
> Cherrie Corey
> Concord
>
> At 6:39 AM -0500 11/11/09, mresch8702(AT)aol.com wrote:
>>The following are some interesting observations from my yard which I
>>haven't seen in my 16 years living here -
>>
>>I live in a heavily wooded part of Pepperell where mature oaks
>>comprise a major portion of the woods.  Each fall at this time we
>>have a noisy flock of grackles that comes through the woods to dine
>>on acorns - almost always feeding on the ground.  Most years that
>>flock numbers 100-300 birds.  This past week they have returned to
>>the neighborhood, but this year the flock is much bigger numbering
>>at least 5,000 birds!  And the flock is mostly feeding in the trees
>>rather than on the ground.  Yesterday a portion of the flock (about
>>100 birds) perched in an oak right outside my front door.  The sound
>>of falling acorns was amazing!  My dog goes crazy when the flock
>>comes through.
>>
>>And on the feeder front - I still have almost no birds at my feeder.
>>Every other year I would have to refill my sunflower and thistle
>>feeders about every other day.  This fall I've only refilled the
>>feeders twice since I put them up in early September.  I also put
>>mix seeds on the ground for the sparrows and chipmunks.  This year
>>the seed is sprouting rather than being eaten.
>>
>>I've got to believe this year's excellent wild food crop, including
>>the massive acorn crop, are behind these observations.  I know I'm
>>not alone with few feeder birds.  Have others seen large
>>concentrations of grackles in the woods this year?
>>
>>Mike Resch
>>Pepperell, MA


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: Fw: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds,
         Pepperell
From: Blake Allison <blake_allison(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 9:30am

Up here in Lyme, NH, my feeders went up on November 2nd and the response from
my avian neighbors was immediate. A typical day includes the following:

mourning dove - 5
downy woodpecker - 1
hairy woodpecker - 1
blue jay - 14
american crow - 2
black-capped chickadee - 4
tufted titmouse - 2
red-breasted nuthatch - 2
white-breasted nuthatch - 4
dark-eyed junco - 3
american goldfinch - 3

Also around the yard but not at the feeders per se:

pileated woodpecker - 1
common raven - 2
ruffed grouse - 1
brown creeper - 1

At least one common loon continues to be seen on Post Pond.

Blake

Lyme, NH 03768-3322

--- On Wed, 11/11/09, Jim Berry <jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net> wrote:

From: Jim Berry <jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net>
Subject: Fw: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell
To: "New Hampshire Birds" <NH.Birds(AT)lists.unh.edu>
Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 9:13 AM

This exchange seems to go a long way toward explaining why folks are seeing
so few birds at their feeders this fall, and I agree with it.  It was on
massbird only, so I think it should also go to the NH list.  Start with
Mike's comments at the bottom.

Jim Berry
Ipswich, Mass.
jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Cherrie Corey" <cherrie.corey(AT)verizon.net>
To: <mresch8702(AT)aol.com>; <massbird(AT)theworld.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 8:16 AM
Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell

>I haven't seen waves of grackles just yet, but have been truly amazed
> by the bumper crop of fruits and seeds this year and all the activity
> in their midst.  I'm a plant watcher as much as birds.  The quantity
> of acorns and pine cones is remarkable.  This rainy summer gave us an
> abundance of wild plant growth, flowers, and now ample seeds.  Both
> winterberry and autumn olive have astonishing quantities of fruit
> this fall (get out, pick and jam the latter!).  The pines and forest
> understory, in my neighborhood, are filled with busy foraging
> chickadees, titmice and juncos and the hedgerows and swamp borders
> are a buzz with hungry birds.  At a time when the birds are often
> tapping on my window to fill up the feeders, it's still very quiet.
>
> Cherrie Corey
> Concord
>
> At 6:39 AM -0500 11/11/09, mresch8702(AT)aol.com wrote:
>>The following are some interesting observations from my yard which I
>>haven't seen in my 16 years living here -
>>
>>I live in a heavily wooded part of Pepperell where mature oaks
>>comprise a major portion of the woods.  Each fall at this time we
>>have a noisy flock of grackles that comes through the woods to dine
>>on acorns - almost always feeding on the ground.  Most years that
>>flock numbers 100-300 birds.  This past week they have returned to
>>the neighborhood, but this year the flock is much bigger numbering
>>at least 5,000 birds!  And the flock is mostly feeding in the trees
>>rather than on the ground.  Yesterday a portion of the flock (about
>>100 birds) perched in an oak right outside my front door.  The sound
>>of falling acorns was amazing!  My dog goes crazy when the flock
>>comes through.
>>
>>And on the feeder front - I still have almost no birds at my feeder.
>>Every other year I would have to refill my sunflower and thistle
>>feeders about every other day.  This fall I've only refilled the
>>feeders twice since I put them up in early September.  I also put
>>mix seeds on the ground for the sparrows and chipmunks.  This year
>>the seed is sprouting rather than being eaten.
>>
>>I've got to believe this year's excellent wild food crop, including
>>the massive acorn crop, are behind these observations.  I know I'm
>>not alone with few feeder birds.  Have others seen large
>>concentrations of grackles in the woods this year?
>>
>>Mike Resch
>>Pepperell, MA


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell
From: Bruce Boyer <brumyster(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 9:35am

I posted here a few weeks ago that it looked like a mast year for  
acorns, and I postulated that was what was detouring birds away from  
feeders. Many feeder birds eat acorns. The last mast year I remember  
was 2001. I hadn't really noticed whether other fruits were unusually  
abundant, but the wet summer should have helped the plants produce a  
bigger crop.

Apparently it is a mast year down in PA as well. Here are some quotes:

A mast year occurs when the number of nuts that trees produce in a  
given year is exponentially higher than the average...[Mast years]  
occur throughout the range of the species

Mast years occur every four to seven years, but their timing is still  
a mystery, Abrams said. Researchers are unsure if it is caused by  
trees' biological clocks or if it is a response to environmental cues,  
he said.

This massive seed formation generally seems to occur on a year prior  
to favorable growing conditions

Source:
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2005/10/10-25-05tdc/10-25-05dscihealth-03.asp

Bruce Boyer

On Nov 11, 2009, at 9:13 AM, Jim Berry wrote:

> This exchange seems to go a long way toward explaining why folks are  
> seeing so few birds at their feeders this fall, and I agree with  
> it.  It was on massbird only, so I think it should also go to the NH  
> list.  Start with Mike's comments at the bottom.
>
> Jim Berry
> Ipswich, Mass.
> jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cherrie Corey" <cherrie.corey(AT)verizon.net
> >
> To: <mresch8702(AT)aol.com>; <massbird(AT)theworld.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 8:16 AM
> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell
>
>
>> I haven't seen waves of grackles just yet, but have been truly amazed
>> by the bumper crop of fruits and seeds this year and all the activity
>> in their midst.  I'm a plant watcher as much as birds.  The quantity
>> of acorns and pine cones is remarkable.  This rainy summer gave us an
>> abundance of wild plant growth, flowers, and now ample seeds.  Both
>> winterberry and autumn olive have astonishing quantities of fruit
>> this fall (get out, pick and jam the latter!).  The pines and forest
>> understory, in my neighborhood, are filled with busy foraging
>> chickadees, titmice and juncos and the hedgerows and swamp borders
>> are a buzz with hungry birds.  At a time when the birds are often
>> tapping on my window to fill up the feeders, it's still very quiet.
>>
>> Cherrie Corey
>> Concord
>>
>> At 6:39 AM -0500 11/11/09, mresch8702(AT)aol.com wrote:
>>> The following are some interesting observations from my yard which I
>>> haven't seen in my 16 years living here -
>>>
>>> I live in a heavily wooded part of Pepperell where mature oaks
>>> comprise a major portion of the woods.  Each fall at this time we
>>> have a noisy flock of grackles that comes through the woods to dine
>>> on acorns - almost always feeding on the ground.  Most years that
>>> flock numbers 100-300 birds.  This past week they have returned to
>>> the neighborhood, but this year the flock is much bigger numbering
>>> at least 5,000 birds!  And the flock is mostly feeding in the trees
>>> rather than on the ground.  Yesterday a portion of the flock (about
>>> 100 birds) perched in an oak right outside my front door.  The sound
>>> of falling acorns was amazing!  My dog goes crazy when the flock
>>> comes through.
>>>
>>> And on the feeder front - I still have almost no birds at my feeder.
>>> Every other year I would have to refill my sunflower and thistle
>>> feeders about every other day.  This fall I've only refilled the
>>> feeders twice since I put them up in early September.  I also put
>>> mix seeds on the ground for the sparrows and chipmunks.  This year
>>> the seed is sprouting rather than being eaten.
>>>
>>> I've got to believe this year's excellent wild food crop, including
>>> the massive acorn crop, are behind these observations.  I know I'm
>>> not alone with few feeder birds.  Have others seen large
>>> concentrations of grackles in the woods this year?
>>>
>>> Mike Resch
>>> Pepperell, MA


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: juncos and white throats in Nashua
From: Manda Miles <loachie(AT)earthlink.net>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 9:39am

Hello all:

I have 5-10 each of DE juncos and white-throated sparrows kicking 
around in the leaf litter of my backyard this morning.

Manda in Nashua


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell
From: Kim Hoyt <khoyt9(AT)aol.com>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 9:58am

I have two sets of feeders.  One with multiple black-oil and thistle feeders
plus one suet feeder.  Limited activity still at this set.  I put up a feeder
for the large flock of house sparrows in our forsythia hedges and have
attracted all the other birds.  There have been blue jays, cardinals,
titmouse, and a nuthatch hanging around that one feeder.  It's filled with a
mix of white millet, cracked corn, safflower, and black-oil.  Last Sunday we
had a flock of a couple hundred grackles land in the back yard.  It was black
as far as the eye could see.  The noise of them had all the neighbors outside
taking pictures.  What an amazing sight!

We've got white-throated sparrows and juncos here.  Mostly the
white-throateds.
Kim
Londonderry

 Kim Hoyt

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Berry <jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net>
To: New Hampshire Birds <NH.Birds(AT)lists.unh.edu>
Sent: Wed, Nov 11, 2009 9:13 am
Subject: Fw: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell

This exchange seems to go a long way toward explaining why folks are seeing so
few birds at their feeders this fall, and I agree with it. It was on massbird
only, so I think it should also go to the NH list. Start with Mike's comments
at the bottom.

Jim Berry
Ipswich, Mass.
jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net

----- Original Message ----- From: "Cherrie Corey" <cherrie.corey(AT)verizon.net>
To: <mresch8702(AT)aol.com>; <massbird(AT)theworld.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 8:16 AM
Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell

>I haven't seen waves of grackles just yet, but have been truly amazed
> by the bumper crop of fruits and seeds this year and all the activity
> in their midst. I'm a plant watcher as much as birds. The quantity
> of acorns and pine cones is remarkable. This rainy summer gave us an
> abundance of wild plant growth, flowers, and now ample seeds. Both
> winterberry and autumn olive have astonishing quantities of fruit
> this fall (get out, pick and jam the latter!). The pines and forest
> understory, in my neighborhood, are filled with busy foraging
> chickadees, titmice and juncos and the hedgerows and swamp borders
> are a buzz with hungry birds. At a time when the birds are often
> tapping on my window to fill up the feeders, it's still very quiet.
>
> Cherrie Corey
> Concord
>
> At 6:39 AM -0500 11/11/09, mresch8702(AT)aol.com wrote:
>>The following are some interesting observations from my yard which I
>>haven't seen in my 16 years living here -
>>
>>I live in a heavily wooded part of Pepperell where mature oaks
>>comprise a major portion of the woods. Each fall at this time we
>>have a noisy flock of grackles that comes through the woods to dine
>>on acorns - almost always feeding on the ground. Most years that
>>flock numbers 100-300 birds. This past week they have returned to
>>the neighborhood, but this year the flock is much bigger numbering
>>at least 5,000 birds! And the flock is mostly feeding in the trees
>>rather than on the ground. Yesterday a portion of the flock (about
>>100 birds) perched in an oak right outside my front door. The sound
>>of falling acorns was amazing! My dog goes crazy when the flock
>>comes through.
>>
>>And on the feeder front - I still have almost no birds at my feeder.
>>Every other year I would have to refill my sunflower and thistle
>>feeders about every other day. This fall I've only refilled the
>>feeders twice since I put them up in early September. I also put
>>mix seeds on the ground for the sparrows and chipmunks. This year
>>the seed is sprouting rather than being eaten.
>>
>>I've got to believe this year's excellent wild food crop, including
>>the massive acorn crop, are behind these observations. I know I'm
>>not alone with few feeder birds. Have others seen large
>>concentrations of grackles in the woods this year?
>>
>>Mike Resch
>>Pepperell, MA


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Re: Fw: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds,
         Pepperell
From: Tom Young <rustysnaketail(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 12:53pm

My experience has been extremely similar to Mike's. I've had very few
songbirds at my feeders, with the exception of cardinals, which are at normal
numbers (i.e. 6 to 8); I am filling my seed feeders a lot less frequently than
I would normall have to in October and November. Woodpeckers, however, are
present in their usual abundance, mowing through suet at a brisk clip.
   Here in my part of the town of Merrimack, there has been a very large and
(of course) noisy flock of grackles that roams around, touching down in a
different place every day. This morning, the noise from this flock woke me up,
so I looked out the window and was greeted with the sight of about 350
grackles, mostly sitting in two large oak trees, although a few dozen were in
a white pine. They did not come to my feeders, though, which I dreaded that
they would do. Hoping to see a Rusty Blackbird, I scanned the flock, but I
concluded that every bird was a grackle--alas. Several of them had acorns in
their bills.
   What IS going on, I wonder? 
 
 
Tom Young
Merrimack, NH
rustysnaketail(AT)yahoo.com

--- On Wed, 11/11/09, Jim Berry <jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net> wrote:

From: Jim Berry <jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net>
Subject: Fw: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell
To: "New Hampshire Birds" <NH.Birds(AT)lists.unh.edu>
Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 9:13 AM

This exchange seems to go a long way toward explaining why folks are seeing
so few birds at their feeders this fall, and I agree with it.  It was on
massbird only, so I think it should also go to the NH list.  Start with
Mike's comments at the bottom.

Jim Berry
Ipswich, Mass.
jim.berry3(AT)verizon.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Cherrie Corey" <cherrie.corey(AT)verizon.net>
To: <mresch8702(AT)aol.com>; <massbird(AT)theworld.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 8:16 AM
Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Grackle Bonanza, No Feeder Birds, Pepperell

>I haven't seen waves of grackles just yet, but have been truly amazed
> by the bumper crop of fruits and seeds this year and all the activity
> in their midst.  I'm a plant watcher as much as birds.  The quantity
> of acorns and pine cones is remarkable.  This rainy summer gave us an
> abundance of wild plant growth, flowers, and now ample seeds.  Both
> winterberry and autumn olive have astonishing quantities of fruit
> this fall (get out, pick and jam the latter!).  The pines and forest
> understory, in my neighborhood, are filled with busy foraging
> chickadees, titmice and juncos and the hedgerows and swamp borders
> are a buzz with hungry birds.  At a time when the birds are often
> tapping on my window to fill up the feeders, it's still very quiet.
>
> Cherrie Corey
> Concord
>
> At 6:39 AM -0500 11/11/09, mresch8702(AT)aol.com wrote:
>>The following are some interesting observations from my yard which I
>>haven't seen in my 16 years living here -
>>
>>I live in a heavily wooded part of Pepperell where mature oaks
>>comprise a major portion of the woods.  Each fall at this time we
>>have a noisy flock of grackles that comes through the woods to dine
>>on acorns - almost always feeding on the ground.  Most years that
>>flock numbers 100-300 birds.  This past week they have returned to
>>the neighborhood, but this year the flock is much bigger numbering
>>at least 5,000 birds!  And the flock is mostly feeding in the trees
>>rather than on the ground.  Yesterday a portion of the flock (about
>>100 birds) perched in an oak right outside my front door.  The sound
>>of falling acorns was amazing!  My dog goes crazy when the flock
>>comes through.
>>
>>And on the feeder front - I still have almost no birds at my feeder.
>>Every other year I would have to refill my sunflower and thistle
>>feeders about every other day.  This fall I've only refilled the
>>feeders twice since I put them up in early September.  I also put
>>mix seeds on the ground for the sparrows and chipmunks.  This year
>>the seed is sprouting rather than being eaten.
>>
>>I've got to believe this year's excellent wild food crop, including
>>the massive acorn crop, are behind these observations.  I know I'm
>>not alone with few feeder birds.  Have others seen large
>>concentrations of grackles in the woods this year?
>>
>>Mike Resch
>>Pepperell, MA


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Iceland Gull at EWWTP, plus coastbirding
From: Jon Woolf <jsw(AT)jwoolfden.com>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 2:02pm

I spent a goodly amount of time this morning out birding, including 
stops at Exeter Wastewater Treatment Plant and several spots along 
the coast.  Mostly I got the usual stuff, for a total of about 20 
species.  The winter mix of birds appears to be settling in on the 
ocean: Horned and Red-necked Grebes, Common and Red-throated Loons, 
all 3 species of scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Red-breasted 
Mergansers.  Hampton Harbor yielded a few lingering Dunlin and 3 
larger plovers, which all looked like Black-bellied Plovers to my 
eye.  Hampton Beach State Park produced a handful of Snow Buntings 
and a single lonely Sanderling near the jetty.

The interesting stuff was all at Exeter WWTP.  There were two other 
birders there, who I should know because they knew me, but I have 
such a rotten memory for names that I've forgotten theirs.  (Sorry 
about that.)  They were scanning all three treatment ponds, and had 
already turned up a flock of 12-15 ducks.  I believe these were all 
scaup, although don't ask me which species.  We also picked one 
unusual gull out of the swarms of Ring-billed and Herring gulls: 
noticeably larger than Ring-billed but smaller than Herring, all 
black bill, pale wings with brown speckles, no black at all on the 
body or tail, and pink legs.  We all three examined it carefully and 
concluded it was most likely a first-winter Iceland Gull.  After 
getting home I looked at Len Medlock's ICGU photo gallery, and 
decided this is the darker of the two juvenile ICGU's that are in his 
pictures.  My best photo of it is here:

http://www.jwoolfden.com/bird_photos/Iceland_gull_EWWTP.jpg

-- Jon Woolf
Manchester, NH


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Wednesday Evening Lecture (11-11-09) at Joppa Flats
         Education Center
From: "David Larson" <dlarson(AT)massaudubon.org>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 3:10pm

This evening Dr. Jerry Bertrand (Birdlife International and President
Emeritus of Mass Audubon) will present a PowerPoint lecture at the Joppa
Flats Education Center entitled "Critically Endangered: Protecting the
Rarest One Hundred." Jerry will discuss these very rare 100 bird species
and what is being done to save them. This should be a great
presentation.

Date:  Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Time:  7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Members:  Free
Nonmembers: $4

Joppa Flats Education Center
1 Plum Island Turnpike
Newburyport, MA  01950

-- 
David M. Larson, Ph.D. 
Education Coordinator 
Joppa Flats Education Center 
Mass Audubon 
Newburyport, MA 
978-462-9998


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: Spruce Grouse and Boreal Chickadees at Ethan Pond in
         Bethlehem
From: "David Govatski" <pondicherry(AT)wildblue.net>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 6:00pm

A hike on the Ethan Pond Trail from Crawford Notch to Ethan and Shoal Ponds
was productive for boreal bird species including:

 

2 Spruce Grouse: 1 female along the trail a half mile west of Ethan Pond and
a male near Ethan Pond Shelter.

1 Black-backed Woodpecker: In a dead fir along trail at height of land near
Ethan Pond. 

14 Boreal Chickadees: Various locations along the trail from the Willey
Range junction to Shoal Pond. 

17 White-winged Crossbills: Near Shoal Pond.

11 Pine Siskins: Near Shoal Pond.

9 Bohemian Waxwings: Near Shoal Pond feeding on top of black spruce trees.

4 American Goldfinches: Flyover along trail. 

2 American Robins: Near Shoal Pond.

8 Brown Creepers: In spruce-fir sections of trail. 

12 Red-breasted Nuthatches: Along trail in mixed flocks with chickadees.

2 Tree Sparrows: Near Shoal Pond.

23 Dark-eyed Juncos: Near Shoal Pond. 

25+ Golden-crowned Kinglets: Along trail.

2 Hairy Woodpeckers: At Ethan Pond Shelter area in white birch trees. 

 

Weather was perfect for a hike with temperatures around 38 degrees, sunny
and almost no wind. Only met two other hikers on this 14 mile walk. After
the first mile of hiking you get away from the sounds of road noises which
is very refreshing and becoming uncommon. I have been doing this particular
hike as a remembrance for most of the last twenty years on
Veterans/Armistice Day because it is so peaceful and quiet.   

 

David Govatski

Jefferson, NH


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: FOS Snow Bunting
From: Scott Spangenberg <sjspangenberg(AT)gmail.com>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 6:57pm

I saw my first local Snow Bunting of the season today (November 11) on  
North Amherst Road in Bedford, near Bedford Center.  Like the Stokes,  
we had our first American Tree Sparrow back on October 30.

Scott Spangenberg
Amherst, NH


[ << | >> | ^^ ]

Subject: NH Coast (More Loons migrating, Razorbills, shearwaters)
From: Steve Mirick <smirick(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 7:31pm

Location:     NH Coast
Observation date:     11/11/09
Notes:     About 1 1/2 hours of Sea Watching off Seabrook Beach plus 
random birding along coast for most of morning.  Partly cloudy to cloudy 
with moderate NNE winds.

Canada Goose     8     Single migrating flock.
Mallard     10     Single migrating flock.
Common Eider     4     Migrating.
Surf Scoter     1     Migrating.
White-winged Scoter     2     Migrating.
Black Scoter     1     Migrating.
Long-tailed Duck     8     Migrating.
Red-breasted Merganser     29     Several small groups migrating.
Red-throated Loon     190     Migrating by in about 1 1/2 hours.  Birds 
much more distant today as compared to yesterday. Again steady slow pace 
in morning with largest group of 12 birds or so.
Common Loon     84     Migrating.
Red-necked Grebe     5     Migrating.
SHEARWATER SP.     30     All at limit of visibility, but likely many 
more.  Offshore from Seabrook and Hampton and not moving in any specific 
direction.  All consistent with Greater Shearwater which is the 
"default" shearwater at this date.
Northern Gannet     X     Large numbers milling and feeding far offshore 
from Seabrook and Hampton.  Shearwaters seen in association suggesting 
large amounts of food offshore in this area.
Great Cormorant     2     Migrating.
Great Blue Heron     1     Single bird migrating south high and far 
offshore.
American Coot     2     On Eel Pond.
Black-bellied Plover     53     Roosting on Seabrook Beach with Dunlin.  
A good number for date.
Iceland Gull     1     2nd winter plumage in Hampton Harbor from Yankee 
Fisherman's Coop.
Lesser Black-backed Gull     1     Adult in Hampton Harbor from Yankee 
Fisherman's Coop.  Dark smudgy head markings.
Razorbill     3     Off Great Boar's Head.  Two flybys together heading 
north and one flying south with a scoter.
alcid sp.     1     Single distant bird off Seabrook Beach.  Possibly a 
Dovekie.
American Pipit     4     Still in wrack line of Ragged Neck, but no 
shorebirds at all.

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/nh)


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Subject: Rare Bird Alert, New Hampshire, November 11, 2009
From: "Mark Suomala" <mrsuomala(AT)marksbirdtours.com>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 8:08pm

This is New Hampshire Audubon's Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, November 
11th, 2009.

8 TUNDRA SWANS were seen on Lower Kimball Pond in Chatham on November 9th.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was discovered in North Hampton on November 
7th, and was most recently seen in the fields east of Runnymede Farm on 
Route 111 on the 10th.

An adult male EURASIAN WIGEON was seen at the Exeter Wastewater Treatment 
Plant on November 8th, and what was probably the same bird was relocated on 
Great Bay from the Discovery Center in Stratham later that same day.

A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen on Jenness Beack in Rye on November 
10th, and one was seen at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye on the 8th.

A DICKCISSEL was seen along River Road in Walpole on November 9th.

A NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen in Durham on November 10th, and one was reported 
from North Conway on the 4th.

An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen in Rye on November 8th.

A female HARLEQUIN DUCK has been seen several times along the south side of 
Wallis Sands Beach towards Concord Point during the past week and was last 
reported on November 10th.

A NORTHERN SHOVELER, 38 LESSER SCAUP, 6 AMERICAN WIGEONS, a RUDDY DUCK, an 
ICELAND GULL, and 12 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen at the Exeter Wastewater 
Treatment Plant on November 10th.

A SNOW GOOSE was seen on Conway Lake on November 9th, and a BRANT was seen 
on Great Bay on the 10th.

A juvenile RED-NECKED GREBE was seen on Silver Lake in Madison on November 
2nd, and most recently on the 5th.

A LONG-TAILED DUCK was seen near the Wilder Dam on the Connecticut River on 
November11th.

12 AMERICAN COOTS, and a PIED-BILLED GREBE were seen in Powwow Pond in 
Kingston on November 10th.

11 juvenile WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were seen at Ragged Neck in Rye on 
November 6th.

5 PURPLE SANDPIPERS were reported from Seal Rocks in Rye on November 10th.

A hiker on the Ethan Pond Trail from Crawford Notch to Ethan and Shoal Ponds 
reported 2 SPRUCE GROUSE, a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, 14 BOREAL CHICKADEES, 
17 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, 11 PINE SISKINS, 9 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and 2 
AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS on November 11th, and 2 GRAY JAYS on the 7th.

2 EVENING GROSBEAKS were reported from Pitcher Mountain in Stoddard on 
November 6th, and 6 were reported from Spofford on the 5th.

2 FISH CROWS and a VESPER SPARROW were reported from Concord on November 
8th.

A GREAT EGRET was seen on Great Bay in Greenland on November 10th.

A RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER was seen in Chatham on November 8th, and one was 
reported from Conway on the 9th.

HAWK migration is still being tallied with 6,954 raptors, including 50 BALD 
EAGLES, 6 GOLDEN EAGLES, and 30 PEREGRINE FALCONS reported from the Pack 
Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory in Peterborough since September 1st.

This message is also available by phone recording: call (603) 224-9909 and 
press 2 as directed or ask to be transferred. If you have seen any 
interesting birds recently, you can leave a message at the end of the 
recording or send your sightings to the RBA via e-mail at: 
birdsetc(AT)nhaudubon.org. Please put either "bird sighting" or "Rare Bird 
Alert" in the subject line and be sure to include your mailing address and 
phone number. The RBA is also available on-line at the New Hampshire Audubon 
web site, www.nhaudubon.org

Thanks very much and good birding.


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Subject: Coastal Additions (Black-headed Gull)
From: Lauren Kras <lauren.kras(AT)gmail.com>
Date: 11 Nov 2009 8:21pm

Today I spent some time poking around the coast.  Here are a few highlights:

Little Boars Head:
Common Goldeneye - 5 migrating - first on the seacoast this
winter/fall if I remember correctly

Razorbill - 2 flying north ... perhaps the same Steve and Jane saw
further south?  Would have been about the same time if my calculations
are correct.

Rye Ledge:
HARLEQUIN DUCK - 1 female near the ledge.  Probably the same bird from
the Concord Point area as no one was able to locate it there today to
my knowledge. Only seen here in the afternoon.  Mixed in with the
scoters.

BLACK-HEADED GULL - 1 adult in non-breeding plumage flying in a
general south direction.

Runnymede:
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE - 1 continues with ~125 Canada Geese

Hampton Harbor:
White-rumped Sandpiper - 2 on the north side

Lauren Kras
Dover, NH


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Subject: Re: Coastal Additions (Black-headed Gull)
From: joseagle(AT)aol.com
Date: 11 Nov 2009 9:34pm

Hey you did you go to Maine and get the pink footed?
 Will you be on the coast tomorrow or Friday? I will need to get my GPS from
you before the weekend. Heading to the Cape to see my grandson. Let me know
when you want to meet up or if you need me to come to campus.
JoAnn

-----Original Message-----
From: Lauren Kras <lauren.kras(AT)gmail.com>
To: New Hampshire Birds <NH.Birds(AT)lists.unh.edu>
Sent: Wed, Nov 11, 2009 8:20 pm
Subject: Coastal Additions (Black-headed Gull)

Today I spent some time poking around the coast.  Here are a few highlights:
Little Boars Head:
ommon Goldeneye - 5 migrating - first on the seacoast this
inter/fall if I remember correctly
Razorbill - 2 flying north ... perhaps the same Steve and Jane saw
urther south?  Would have been about the same time if my calculations
re correct.
Rye Ledge:
ARLEQUIN DUCK - 1 female near the ledge.  Probably the same bird from
he Concord Point area as no one was able to locate it there today to
y knowledge. Only seen here in the afternoon.  Mixed in with the
coters.
BLACK-HEADED GULL - 1 adult in non-breeding plumage flying in a
eneral south direction.
Runnymede:
REATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE - 1 continues with ~125 Canada Geese
Hampton Harbor:
hite-rumped Sandpiper - 2 on the north side
Lauren Kras
over, NH