Brookline Bird Club – America’s most active bird club!

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

Oct 4, 2026 8:00 AM – 9:56 AM

Protocol: Traveling

Checklist Comments:    Joint BBC/BNC Walk

Leaders : Mike McCarthy, Neil Calabro & Samuel Harris 

Falling Mid Tide, Scopes in Full Use

41 species (+2 other taxa)

Canada Goose  10    Gaggle landed in Belle Isle Marsh

Mallard  1    Male in N Panne

American Black Duck  6    Feeding in N Pannes

Green-winged Teal (American)  5    Flock hiding within grasses of S Pannes

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  12

Mourning Dove  5

Semipalmated Plover  22    Flock of 2 & 20 in Short Creek

Lesser Yellowlegs  1    Flying with GRYEs, smaller size & pin-shaped black bill

Greater Yellowlegs  20    Estimated. Flock seen landing into N Pannes of Belle Isle Marsh. Heard routine “tew-tew-tew” calls.

Semipalmated Sandpiper  1    In Creek with SEPLs

Laughing Gull  1    Adult flying to Short Beach

Ring-billed Gull  33    Flock of 13 Juveniles & a mixed-flock of 19 headed SE towards the Saratoga St Bridge. 1 Adult foraging on mudflats.

American Herring Gull  12

Double-crested Cormorant  25

Snowy Egret  4    Juveniles

Great Egret  15    Careful Count. 2 along Lawn Ave Pannes & 13 in North Pannes of Belle Isle.

Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)  5    Adults

Cooper’s Hawk  2    Adult & Juvenile flying above Key

hawk sp.  1

Belted Kingfisher  1    Male

Downy Woodpecker (Eastern)  2

Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  1

Blue Jay  3

American Crow  2    Pair flew to SORA building

Black-capped Chickadee  1

Tree Swallow  30    Estimated. Juvenile flock trekked N towards Revere Beach above Belle Isle Marsh, showing brown upperbodies, white underbodies & fidgety flight patterns.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1    Heard briefly from thickets at (42.388168,-70.984593), but unseen

Golden-crowned Kinglet  2    1 foraging at (42.388168,-70.984593), the other in the Blue Spruces of the Cemetery

European Starling  2

Northern Mockingbird  1

American Robin  5

Cedar Waxwing  1

House Sparrow  1    Brief calls from Morton St

House Finch  1

American Goldfinch  1    Heard calls above RPM Parking Lot

White-throated Sparrow  1    Brief calls from thickets by RPM Parking Lot

Song Sparrow (melodia/atlantica)  3

Swamp Sparrow  2

Blackpoll Warbler  2    Pair foraging within trees west of Cemetery

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  3

Northern Cardinal  2

Dickcissel  1    *At 8:20, while we watched Belle Isle Marsh from the Overlook at (42.385567,-70.984593), a single abrupt & buzzy “FPPTTT” was given clearly overhead. We were caught off-guard and were unable to locate this individual, but they are suspected to have continued South. Luckily, the resident Mockingbird had stopped calling and moving from RPM Fitness, and so we could verify that no mimicry was present in the call. Double-checked on Merlin.

passerine sp.  1    Sounded like a Pipit flying towards Belle Isle Marsh?

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S399992317

Short Beach, Winthrop, Suffolk, Massachusetts, US

Oct 4, 2026 9:56 AM – 11:09 AM

Protocol: Stationary

Checklist Comments:    Joint BBC/BNC Walk

Leaders : Neil Calabro & Samuel Harris

Falling Low Tide

Common Eider (Dresser’s)  25    Raft on Western & Central sides of Sound

Surf Scoter  15    Raft in C of Sound

White-winged Scoter  15    Raft flying to/from Sound

Black Scoter  10    Raft in Center of Sound

Surf/Black Scoter  30    Too fast & dark to ID

Red-breasted Merganser  25    Raft in Center of Sound

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  6    Flying North

Bonaparte’s Gull  1    Undulating above Broad Sound north of Fort Heath showing tern-like broad wings, silvery-gray upperbody & white outer primaries

Laughing Gull  1    Adult

Ring-billed Gull  8    5 Adults & 3 Juveniles

American Herring Gull  45    Mostly Adults

Great Black-backed Gull  3    Adults

Common Loon  2

Double-crested Cormorant  145    Estimated. 110 along Wavebreaker & 35 headed S past Fort Heath.

European Starling  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S399992314

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