Barnstable, Barnstable, Massachusetts, US
Feb 16, 2019 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
145.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Brookline Bird Club walk led by Eddie Giles.  Annual MASS Waterfowl Prowl with the intention of finding as many species of ducks and waterfowl wintering in the state.  We started the morning at the Mass Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay and birded 13 more locations from there to Orleans and back until sunset.
46 species (+1 other taxa)

Brant  25
Canada Goose  X
Mute Swan  12
Blue-winged Teal  2     Previously reported M/F pair at Mill Pond in West Barnstable.
Gadwall  15
American Wigeon  10
Mallard  X
American Black Duck  50
Green-winged Teal  7
Ring-necked Duck  X
Tufted Duck  1     Seymour Pond, Harwich.  Picked out by Linda Ferraresso.  Small Aythya duck with black back, clearly defined ‘white whale’ flanks and its floppy crest blowing in the breeze.  The bird was roosing (with eyes open) by itself about 200 yards from the beach.  Poor digiscope photos taken to document.
Greater Scaup  X     Seymour Pond, Harwich.  Large, scattered flock with no apparent Lesser’s mixed in.
Common Eider  X     Impressive flocks numbering in the 1,000’s at the west end of the canal (Mass Maritime Academy & Cape Cod Canal RR bridge) and in the 100’s at the east end of the canal.
White-winged Scoter  X     East end of the Cape Cod Canal from Sandwich.
Black Scoter  X     East end of the Cape Cod Canal from Sandwich.
Bufflehead  X
Common Goldeneye  X
Barrow’s Goldeneye  1     Hallets Millpond in Yarmouthport.  Two similar but very different female Goldeneye led to some careful observations and discussion by the group.  We noted the oversall size difference between the two birds, very apparent differences in head/bill/profile shape and amount of yellow on the bills.
Hooded Merganser  X
Common Merganser  1     Seymour Pond, Harwich.
Red-breasted Merganser  X
Ruddy Duck  1     Nye Pond, Sandwich.
Wild Turkey  1
Horned Grebe  1     Sandwich Marina, Sandwich.
Mourning Dove  X
Greater Yellowlegs  1     Bell’s Neck Conservation Lands, Harwich.
Ring-billed Gull  X
Herring Gull  X
Lesser Black-backed Gull  1     West Dennis Beach, West Dennis.
Great Black-backed Gull  X
Common Loon  14
Great Cormorant  2     Attaquin Park / Mashpee Pond, Mashpee.
Great Blue Heron  5
Accipiter sp.  1
Bald Eagle  2     One bird over Nye Pond in Sandwich and a second bird at Hallets Millpond in Yarmouthport.
Red-shouldered Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  2     Nye Pond, Sandwich.
Belted Kingfisher  2     One bird at Mill Pond, Marston Mills and a second bird at Attaquin Park / Mashpee Pond in Mashpee.
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
American Crow  X
Fish Crow  X
Black-capped Chickadee  X
Tufted Titmouse  X     In song at Shawme Lake, Sandwich.
Carolina Wren  X
American Robin  X
Gray Catbird  1     Nye Pond, Sandwich.
Song Sparrow  X     In song at Shawme Lake, Sandwich.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53318500

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley Shorebirds are among the most fascinating and diverse groups of birds, but identifying them can sometimes feel overwhelming.  What key [...]

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier Everybody enjoys watching birds during the daytime, but what do they do at night, when they seem to [...]

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley Shorebirds are among the most fascinating and diverse groups of birds, but identifying them can sometimes feel overwhelming.  What key [...]

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier Everybody enjoys watching birds during the daytime, but what do they do at night, when they seem to [...]

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley Shorebirds are among the most fascinating and diverse groups of birds, but identifying them can sometimes feel overwhelming.  What key [...]

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier Everybody enjoys watching birds during the daytime, but what do they do at night, when they seem to [...]

News Categories

Upcoming Field Trips

An Oasis for Birds at Belle Isle Marsh

East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United States

Join DCR park staff for a relaxed, one-mile bird walk through flat, easy terrain at this Massachusetts State Reservation and birding hot spot. At Belle Isle and at additional nearby locations— We’ll search for large groups of herons and egrets, and shorebird rarities. Participants are responsible for their own transportation between locations (by car or [...]

Squantum – Quincy

Quincy - Squantum - Moswetuset Hummock Quincy, MA, United States

We'll check the marshes and the mudflats in Squantum for shorebirds, starting at Moswetuset Hummock and visiting other spots nearby. At high tide (~6:15 am), we'll try checking the high tide roosts for shorebirds as well. Be prepared for the possibility of biting insects. Cosponsored with South Shore Bird Club.

Halibut Point State Park, Rockport

Rockport - Halibut Point State Park Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA, United States

Beginners encouraged. A two-hour walk over easy to moderate trails in search of seasonal specialties. Boots advisable. Co-sponsored by DCR.

Millennium Park

Boston - Millennium Park Canoe Launch 300 Gardner Street, Boston, MA, United States

Join the Brookline Bird Club in collaboration with Boston Nature Center to look for birds in a unique urban habitat that often draws numerous uncommon and rare birds.Target birds include bobolinks, egrets, flycatchers, grosbeaks, herons, owls, rails, ravens, sandpipers, swallows & swifts, vultures, warblers, and woodpeckers. Birders of all levels will enjoy this trip. The [...]

2nd 2025 – Parker River NWR Marsh Cruise, Yankee Clipper

Newburyport - Yankee Clipper Tours Waterfront Promenade Park, 36 Merrimac Street, Newburyport, MA, United States

Our  second Marsh Cruise for this year. Explore Parker River National Wildlife Refuge from a new perspective on a cruise through the Parker River marshes!  Join us on the Yankee Clipper docked in Newburyport Harbor for a leisurely cruise through the Refuge. Evening cruise finishing around sunset searching for late shorebirds, waders, and salt marsh [...]

Go to Top