Usually, this trip is held the first Sunday in November, but the last couple of years has gotten it somehow pushed back into October. Next year we’ll move it back to November since parking regulations are enforced through October. In addition, campers are still at Hampton Beach State Park through October.
Weather was spectacular with warm temperatures and lots of sunshine. We covered Hampton Beach State Park, Bicentennial Park in Hampton, Eel Pond in Rye, Goss Farm in Rye, and Odiorne Point State Park in Rye. Some folks hung around for a trip extension to Ragged Neck at Rye Harbor State Park.
Birds were nice, but nothing terribly rare. A couple of recent rarities (YB Cuckoo and Lark Sparrow) couldn’t be relocated at Odiorne and the female King Eider (present all summer) appears to have moved on, but we managed to find an Orange-crowned Warbler and a first-of-fall Lapland Longspur as nice birds. Full list below.
Total Bird List – 61 Species
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Brant – Flock of 12 migrating.
Mallard
Green-winged Teal – Jim Sparrell only at Eel Pond.
Ring-necked Duck – Group on Eel Pond.
Greater Scaup – Group on Eel Pond.
Common Eider
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck – Two males at Ragged Neck.
Bufflehead – Pair on Eel Pond.
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck – Three on Eel Pond.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
American Coot – A few on Eel Pond.
Killdeer – One lingering south of Odiorne.
Semipalmated Plover – Just one. Very few lingering shorebirds this fall.
Black Guillemot – One distant flyby at Odiorne.
Bonaparte’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Red-throated Loon – Excellent close views in Hampton harbor inlet:
https://flic.kr/p/2nWc4f6
Common Loon
Northern Gannet – Many distant birds offshore.
Great Cormorant – Two migrating with small flock of Double-crested Cormorants.
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture – Jane only.
Northern Harrier – Female hunting over Hampton Beach dunes.
Cooper’s Hawk – One immature flew by at eye level at Eel Pond.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon – Brief views of bird dive-bombing harrier.
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet – Nice views of Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned at eye-level foraging together.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
House Sparrow
American Pipit – Group of 11 at Ragged Neck in Rye.
House Finch
American Goldfinch
LAPLAND LONGSPUR – Thanks to Scott Heron for the tip. We found this bird on the “trip extension” with American Pipits at Ragged Neck in Rye:
https://flic.kr/p/2nWf2NG
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Savannah Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich) – Nice views of 2 individuals at Hampton Beach State Park.
Song Sparrow
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER – One at Bicentennial Park in Hampton. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t cooperate much for the group.
Common Yellowthroat – One seen by a couple of birders at Goss Farm.
BLACKPOLL WARBLER – One or two late individuals at Odiorne. Very cool to see one foraging on flies along the seaweed “wrack” line in the cove north of the Science Center at Odiorne.
https://flic.kr/p/2nWg7JV
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Other Sightings of Note
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White-tailed Deer – One young male SWIMMING OFFSHORE in among rocks at Odiorne. This was a disturbing sight and clearly a distressed individual, perhaps inadvertently “flushed” out into the ocean.
PAINTED LADY – One late, heavily worn individual at Goss Farm in Rye. Noteworthy for the late date, but also considering the complete lack of Painted Ladies seen by myself this fall along the seacoast:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/140569582
Other butterflies for the day included small numbers of Monarch, Cabbage White, and Clouded and Orange Sulphur. Also a late sighting of an apparently angle wing (Question Mark?) at Goss Farm.
Groundsel Tree (Baccharis halimifolia) – Several of us were wondering about the ID of a rather conspicuous looking shrub at Goss Farm exploding with white seed tufts. I’ve figured it out to be a Groundsel Tree (also known as Saltbush, etc.)
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/84813-Baccharis-halimifolia
It’s a native plant in the United States and found most commonly along the edge of salt marshes or estuaries and is salt tolerant. It’s related to the asters, but grows in a shrub form. There are male and female plants and only the female plant explodes in fruit/seeds like this in the late fall. Apparently found from Nova Scotia south along the coast, but perhaps not as common in New Hampshire. As far as I can tell, this may be the first report of it in iNaturalist for New Hampshire:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/140644095
Steve & Jane Mirick
Bradford, MA
News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
Field Trips / Events
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Plum Island
Parker River NWR - Lot #1 Refuge Rd., Newbury, MA, MA, United StatesWe will be walking the North Pool dike as well as visiting other spots. Note that an entrance fee or pass is required. Restrooms available.
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Barretts Mill Farmland
Concord - Barretts Mill Farmland Barrett's Mill Road, Concord, MA, United StatesThis is often a great place for fall sparrows including Savannah, Field, and White-crowned, as well as Pipit and occasional Dickcissel. Loaner binoculars available; please email trip leader to reserve a pair! If the weather doens't look good, contact the leader to check status.
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Hellcat at Parker River NWR
Parker River NWR - Lot #4 Newbury, MA, United StatesDuring the past few years the refuge has opened the dike to hiking during National Wildlife Refuge Week. We will plan to do that hike if the dike is again open this year. Otherwise we hike the boardwalk and normal dike area.
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Arlington Reservoir
Lexington - Arlington Reservoir 210 Lowell Street, Arlington, MA, United StatesIn the fall water levels are lowered creating good conditions for ducks and shorebirds. We will also visit the adjacent Lexington community farm. Birds are found feasting on the remains of the crops planted there. We will walk about a mile on wide paths and some uneven ground (possibly muddy). Note that the reservoir area [...]
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Fruitlands Museum, Harvard
Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United StatesCosponsored with Boxborough Birders. We will look for fall migrants and resident birds. Expect to walk about 2 miles on trails through meadow and woods, with some steep sections. Heavy rain cancels the trip.