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Jane and I led our annual Brookline Bird Club field trip along the New Hampshire seacoast.  This is at least the 16th consecutive year that we’ve led this trip.  Past rarities on this trip have included Rufous Hummingbird, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Murre, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Hooded Warbler, Baird’s Sandpiper, King Eider, and many more.   This year, we didn’t get any new rarities, and many of the recent rarities have either departed or we missed them.  We missed the recent rarities of Forster’s Terns, Long-billed Dowitcher, Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow, Orchard Oriole, and Orange-crowned Warbler.  BUT, we came up with an overall list of 74 species, which is an excellent total for the day.

Visiting – Hampton Beach State Park, Bicentennial Park in Hampton, Eel Pond in Rye, Goss Farm in Rye, Ragged Neck in Rye, and Odiorne Point State Park.
Weather – Sunny and cool in morning with moderate NW wind which diminished and then turned into a sea breeze in the afternoon. Overall a nice day.  High temperature of about 50F.
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Total List – 74 species
——————————-
Brant    4 – Spotted by Holly Bauer heading north from Bicentennial Park.
Canada Goose    181 – Migrating flocks
Mute Swan    1 – Continuing juvenile on Eel Pond.
Wood Duck    13 – Jim and Katie only on Eel Pond.
Mallard    3
American Black Duck    5
Ring-necked Duck    8 – Eel Pond.
Greater Scaup    1 – Female on Eel Pond.
Common Eider    52
Surf Scoter    38
White-winged Scoter    5
Black Scoter    77
Long-tailed Duck    5
Bufflehead    27
Red-breasted Merganser    11
Wild Turkey    1 – Odiorne
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)    14
Semipalmated Plover    7 – Ragged Neck
Greater Yellowlegs    1
Dunlin    21
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER    1 – One late bird after trip concluded, but with Sheila Graydon and Melissa Fleming.  Across from Wallis Sand’s State Beach.
Bonaparte’s Gull    61
Ring-billed Gull    10
American Herring Gull    28
Great Black-backed Gull    1
Pied-billed Grebe    1 – Eel Pond
Horned Grebe    3
Red-necked Grebe    2
Red-throated Loon    9
Common Loon    6
Northern Gannet    15
Double-crested Cormorant    223 – Most migrating.
Great Blue Heron    1
Turkey Vulture    2
Bald Eagle    3
Red-tailed Hawk    2
Belted Kingfisher    1
Downy Woodpecker    2
Merlin    1
Peregrine Falcon    1 – Bicentennial Park
Blue Jay    5
American Crow    9
Common Raven    1
Black-capped Chickadee    12
Tufted Titmouse    1
Horned Lark    9
Ruby-crowned Kinglet    1
Golden-crowned Kinglet    10
White-breasted Nuthatch    1
Red-breasted Nuthatch    3
Brown Creeper    1 at Odiorne
Winter Wren    1 picked out by Ethan Ring at Odiorne running on the ground in front of us in the grasses!
Carolina Wren    2
European Starling    12
Northern Mockingbird    2
Eastern Bluebird    6
Hermit Thrush    1
House Sparrow    7
House Finch    5
Purple Finch    1 – One female at Odiorne Point State Park.  For what it’s worth, THIS IS MY FIRST RECORD OF PURPLE FINCH AT ODIORNE IN 4 YEARS!!!!  That’s how rare I’ve found them to be at Odiorne.
Pine Siskin    1 – One flyover at Goss Farm.
American Goldfinch    4
Lapland Longspur    2 – Hampton Beach State Park.
Snow Bunting    150 – Nice flocks at Hampton Beach SP and Odiorne.
Dark-eyed Junco    8
White-throated Sparrow    4
Savannah Sparrow    4
Song Sparrow    15
Swamp Sparrow    4
Red-winged Blackbird    3
BLACKPOLL WARBLER    1 – One lingering bird picked out by Ethan Ring high in Pine at Odiorne.
Pine Warbler    1
Yellow-rumped Warbler    5
Northern Cardinal    2

Insects
———-
Monarch – 1 at Goss Farm
Red Admiral – 2 at Ragged Neck in Rye
American Lady – 1 at Ragged Neck in Rye
Clouded Sulphur – 1 at Odiorne
Clouded/Orange Sulphur – 1 at Goss Farm

Autumn Meadowhawk – 1 at Odiorne

Steve Mirick

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