Belle Isle Marsh–John Joseph Kilmartin Pathway, Suffolk, Massachusetts, US

Oct 25, 2026 8:00 AM – 10:14 AM

Protocol: Traveling

1.202 kilometer(s)

Checklist Comments:    Joint BBC & BNC Walk

Leaders: Mike McCarthy, Neil Calabro & Samuel Harris

38 species (+1 other taxa)

Mallard  12    6 Pairs

American Black Duck  8    4 Pairs

Red-breasted Merganser  7    Raft of f/imm in Creek

Wild Turkey  2    Females

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  40

Mourning Dove  6

Black-bellied Plover  3    Trio heard & seen flying to Winthrop Beach

Lesser Yellowlegs  2    *Late. Juveniles congregating with GRYEs, pin-like bill, smaller brown upperbodies & yellow legs.

Greater Yellowlegs  28    Flock roosted along Creek until tide forced them into Pannes. Mostly Juveniles.

Ring-billed Gull  1    Adult headed NE to Short Beach

American Herring Gull  12    7 Ad, 1SC & 4 Juv

Double-crested Cormorant  330    Estimated. Skeins up to 140 passing overhead towards the Harbor.

Great Egret  1

Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)  5    4 along Creek, 1 hiding within reeds

Cooper’s Hawk  3    2 Juveniles chasing each other to Saratoga St Path & 1 Ad flew overhead of the bench

Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern)  1    Juvenile

Downy Woodpecker (Eastern)  4

falcon sp.  1    Overall shape & demeanor are better for MERL than AMKE or PEFA. However, long distance makes verification difficult.

Blue Jay  3

American Crow  4

Black-capped Chickadee  3

Tree Swallow  1    Flew SE showing blue upperbody & immaculate white underbody

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  3

Carolina Wren  1    Singing & Scolding

European Starling  35    Estimated. Mumuration of 30 flew across Belle Isle Pannes.

Northern Mockingbird  3

American Robin  15

House Sparrow  1    Heard

American Pipit  1    Flyover, “Pip-pit” calls above us

House Finch  4

Purple Finch (Eastern)  1    *Male heard giving unique flight calls,  “tip-tip”, wherein they were located atop a nearby tree. They promptly flew off & landed onto another tree at (42.388542,-70.981988) showing their raspberry-red head, upperbody, underbody & tail before taking off SE.

American Goldfinch  8

Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)  5

White-throated Sparrow  2

Song Sparrow (Eastern)  10

Swamp Sparrow  2    Calling from thickets

Red-winged Blackbird (Common)  2    Males

Nashville Warbler  1

Northern Cardinal  4    2m & 2f

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S405820043

Short Beach, Winthrop, Suffolk, Massachusetts, US

Oct 25, 2026 10:14 AM – 11:03 AM

Protocol: Traveling

0.243 kilometer(s)

Checklist Comments:    Joint BBC & BNC Walk

Leaders: Mike McCarthy, Neil Calabro & Samuel Harris

17 species

Brant (Pale-bellied)  20    2 Rafts of 10

American Black Duck  6    Flock circled above Short Creek before flying back to Belle Isle Marsh

Common Eider (Dresser’s)  70    Estimated. Rafts of 5 to 30.

Surf Scoter  35    Rafts of 10 & 25

White-winged Scoter  20    2 Rafts of 10

Black Scoter  12    Raft along Wavebreaker

Red-breasted Merganser  65    Estimated. Rafts between 10 & 20 around the Bay.

Laughing Gull  1    First Preformative (FPF) feasting on seaweed flies with RBGU flock

Ring-billed Gull  62    Flock foraging along N side of Beach. 57 Adults & 5 Juveniles.

American Herring Gull  20    10 congregating with RBGUs & 10 on Wavebreaker

Great Black-backed Gull  5    Adults, 4 atop Wavebreaker

Horned Grebe  3

Red-throated Loon  2

Common Loon  15

Double-crested Cormorant  350    Estimated. Skeins up to 120, many traveling SW above Beach.

Blue Jay  1    Heard

European Starling  1    Heard

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S405820037

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