Nahant–Heritage Trail & Lowlands Park, Essex, Massachusetts, US
22-Apr-2023 07:03 – 08:25
Protocol: Traveling
0.85 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:    A Brookline Bird Club bird walk led by Shilo McDonald. ~40 ºF. Invasive plant species pointed out along the way: 1. Japanese Knotweed 2. Garlic Mustard 3. Oriental Bittersweet 4. Multiflora Rose 5. Common Buckthorn
28 species
Mallard  2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  2
Mourning Dove  7
Killdeer  2    Flying in the air above the parking lot and baseball field. Vocalizing.
Wilson’s Snipe  1    In the Stump Dump. Spotted by Mary Margaret.
Herring Gull  9    Flybys.
Double-crested Cormorant  2    Flying by.
Great Egret  1    Flying by.
Osprey  1    Flying by.
Red-tailed Hawk  2    One was seen carrying a young Common Grackle.
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  2
American Crow  1
Common Raven  1    Seen and heard. Croaking.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  1    Adult male. Spotted by Michelle.
Carolina Wren  4
European Starling  20
Northern Mockingbird  1    Singing.
American Robin  8
American Goldfinch  4
White-throated Sparrow  4
Song Sparrow  3
Swamp Sparrow  1    Possibly two. Heard only. A reedy trill coming from within the reeds.
Red-winged Blackbird  16
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
Common Grackle  12
Northern Cardinal  6
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S134635695
Nahant Thicket Wildlife Sanctuary (Mass Audubon), Essex, Massachusetts, US
Checklist Comments:    A Brookline Bird Walk led by Shilo McDonald. ~40 ºF. Native species pointed out: 1. Serviceberry / Shadbush 2. Black Oak. Non-native species pointed out: 1. English Ivy 2. European Chestnut.
24 species (+1 other taxa)
Mallard  4
Mourning Dove  2
Herring Gull  2    Flying by,
Double-crested Cormorant  1    Flying by.
Accipiter sp.  1    Small accipiter flying just beyond the northern edge of the thicket. Possible Sharp-shinned Hawk. The view was fleeting.
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1    Heard only. Keek series.
American Crow  2
Black-capped Chickadee  2    Singing. “Feed me.”
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2
Carolina Wren  2
Brown Thrasher  1    Found by Mary Margaret. Photos attached.
Northern Mockingbird  1    Providing a performance of a life time. Song bits included Belted Kingfisher, Killdeer, White Breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Phoebe and Greater Yellowlegs.
American Robin  3
House Sparrow  4    Chirping from a nearby yard with feeders.
House Finch  2
American Goldfinch  4
White-throated Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  2
Swamp Sparrow  1    Seen alongside the muddy ravine on the personal property area allowed for birding.
Eastern Towhee  2    Male female pair foraging on the ground alongside the boardwalk.
Red-winged Blackbird  3
Brown-headed Cowbird  6    Males displaying for the females.
Common Grackle  6
Northern Cardinal  2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S134635697
Nahant–East Point Headland, Essex, Massachusetts, US
22-Apr-2023 09:39 – 10:26
Protocol: Traveling
0.883 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:    A Brookline Bird Club bird walk led by Shilo McDonald. ~40 ºF, but extra chilly in the wind. Highlights include Common Raven, Fish Crow, a raft of scoters and Common Loons in breeding plumage!
27 species
Common Eider  25    Estimate.
Surf Scoter  18
White-winged Scoter  5
Black Scoter  100    Estimate.
Long-tailed Duck  8    Flying together.
Red-breasted Merganser  3
Purple Sandpiper  16    Flying all together.
Herring Gull  75    Estimate. Most of these were out on Egg Rock.
Great Black-backed Gull  2
Common Loon  3    In breeding plumage.
Northern Gannet  3    Flying and diving along the horizon.
Double-crested Cormorant  50    Conservative estimate. Most of these were out on Egg Rock.
American Crow  4
Fish Crow  1    Nasally sounding “uh oh.”
Common Raven  1    Gliding over the grass field of Lodge Park.
Tree Swallow  1    Heard only. While standing near one of the nesting boxes. Could not locate the bird.
Carolina Wren  1    Singing.
European Starling  1
American Robin  4
House Sparrow  6    Chirping.
American Goldfinch  2
White-throated Sparrow  2    Singing.
Song Sparrow  2    Singing.
Red-winged Blackbird  4
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Common Grackle  4
Northern Cardinal  1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S135017770

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) recorded 275 species for 2023, based upon 200 trips reported from Massachusetts, and those from out of state.  We recorded 267 species in Massachusetts, three more than 2022, with 8 [...]

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Upcoming Field Trips

Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United States

All the nesting birds will still be around, with good views of young out of the nest being fed by parents: Veery, Indigo Bunting, Catbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Tree Swallow, Bobolink, Wood Thrush, Baltimore Oriole, and Warblers. Expect to walk about 2 miles on trails through meadow and woods with some steep sections. Heavy rain cancels [...]

Birch Hill WMA

Royalston - Birch Hill WMA Royalston, MA, United States

Includes three to five miles of walking relatively flat terrain. Might include some bushwacking. Driving on hard packed dirt roads. Co-sponsored with the Athol Bird & Nature Club.

Southwick WMA

Southwick WMA - Suffield WMA entrance Point Grove Road, Suffield, CT, United States

We will hike the fields focusing on grassland breeders, particularly Eastern Meadowlark and Grasshopper Sparrow.

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 [...]

Pine Hill Road Grassland

Lancaster - Pine Hill Road Grasslands Pine Hill Road, Lancaster, MA, United States

We will hike a sandy/gravelly field area for grassland breeding sparrows and warblers including Grasshopper Sparrow, and wait until sunset for whip-poor-wills.

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