Parker River NWR–Hellcat Dike, Essex, Massachusetts, US
07-Oct-2023 06:57 – 16:57
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments:    Brookline Bird Club- Big Sit Hellcat Tower, Plum Island. Leader Nick Paulson. Windy and overcast with occasional showers. Generally dryer than forecast as the post tropical storm and the front to the west kept each other away from this slice of area.
84 species (+5 other taxa)
Canada Goose  15
Blue-winged Teal  4
Northern Shoveler  1
Gadwall  30
American Wigeon  8
Mallard  40
American Black Duck  120
Mallard x American Black Duck (hybrid)  1
Northern Pintail  75
Green-winged Teal (American)  150
Red-breasted Merganser  4
duck sp.  100
Pied-billed Grebe  2
Mourning Dove  1
Virginia Rail (Virginia)  2
Sora  1
Common Gallinule  1    Continuing, present and in view from tower most of the day.
Black-bellied Plover  18
American Golden-Plover  1
Semipalmated Plover  80
Hudsonian Godwit  1
Sanderling  8
Dunlin  140
White-rumped Sandpiper  8
Pectoral Sandpiper  3
Semipalmated Sandpiper  6
Short-billed Dowitcher  3
Long-billed Dowitcher  1
Greater Yellowlegs  150
Willet (Western)  1    Continuing. Was initially close with a group of yellowlegs, but quickly flew off.
Lesser Yellowlegs  40
Bonaparte’s Gull  1
Ring-billed Gull  25
Herring Gull (American)  75
Lesser Black-backed Gull  1
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Red-throated Loon  1
Common Loon  3
Double-crested Cormorant  250
American Bittern  1
Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)  5
Great Egret  30
Snowy Egret  3
Black-crowned Night-Heron  2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  1    Juvenile flew from other side of dike into North Pool. Dark gray outer wings, less bulky than BCNH.
Turkey Vulture  11
Osprey (carolinensis)  1
Northern Harrier  3
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Northern)  1
Red-tailed Hawk  7
Belted Kingfisher  2
Downy Woodpecker (Eastern)  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  3
Peregrine Falcon (North American)  2
Peregrine Falcon (Tundra)  1
Eastern Phoebe  2
Blue Jay  16
American Crow  1
Common Raven  3
Tree Swallow  11
Barn Swallow (American)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
House Wren  1
Marsh Wren  2
Gray Catbird  2
Eastern Bluebird  1
Hermit Thrush (faxoni/crymophilus)  1
American Robin  12
American Pipit  5
House Finch  2
Purple Finch (Eastern)  3
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)  1
White-throated Sparrow  2
Nelson’s/Saltmarsh Sparrow (Sharp-tailed Sparrow)  2
Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)  16
Song Sparrow (melodia/atlantica)  24
Swamp Sparrow  4
Eastern Towhee  3
Bobolink  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  3
Common Grackle (Bronzed)  1
Tennessee Warbler  1
Nashville Warbler  1
Common Yellowthroat  6
Cape May Warbler  1
Palm Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  35
new world warbler sp.  20
Dickcissel  1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S151847096

ANNUAL REPORT 1991

THE 1991 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, StatisticianDuring 1991, the Brookline Bird Club listed 291 species on 154 recorded field trips. A total of 192 trips were scheduled: 76 all day, 94 morning, 17 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1990

THE 1990 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician In 1990, the Brookline Bird Club listed 286 species on 161 recorded field trips. A total of 196 trips were scheduled: 75 all-day, 94 morning, 24 afternoon or evening, and 3 weekend trips. Five trips were cancelled due to bad weather and 30 trips went unreported.          ' The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) checklist were reported by the Club in 1990: Sandhill CraneNewburyportMay 27Clay-colored SparrowPlymouthJune 2Cerulean WarblerQuabbinJune 3Gull-billed TernPlum IslandJune 30Curlew SandpiperPlum IslandJuly 7Spotted RedshankWellfleetAugust 11Purple GallinuleFresh PondSeptember 26American AvocetNewburyportOctober 7MacGillivray's WarblerPeabodyOctober 13Le Conte's SparrowPeabodyOctober 13Lark BuntingPlum IslandOctober 28. The Spotted Redshank found at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on August 11 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1989

THE 1989 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician In 1989, the Brookline Bird Club listed 284 species, two ad­ditional races, and a Black Swan on 163 recorded field trips. A total of 188 trips were scheduled: [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1988

THE 1988 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician In 1988, the Brookline Bird Club scheduled 202 field trips: eighty-three all-day, ninety-one morning, and twenty-five afternoon or evening trips. In addition there were three BBC [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1987

THE 1987 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician During 1987, the Brookline Bird Club listed 290 species and one additional race on 198 recorded field trips. A total of 220 trips were scheduled; eleven [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1986

THE 1986 STATISTICAL REPORT by Mary Lou Barnett, Statistician During 1986 the Brookline Bird Club listed 307 birds including 21 write-ins. These unusual sightings included the following: Yellow-throated Warbler            Brewster           1-5 Hoary Redpoll                           Newburyport    3-15 Jackdaw                                    Nantucket         3-16 Eared Grebe                              North Scituate  3-22 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1991

THE 1991 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, StatisticianDuring 1991, the Brookline Bird Club listed 291 species on 154 recorded field trips. A total of 192 trips were scheduled: 76 all day, 94 morning, 17 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1990

THE 1990 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician In 1990, the Brookline Bird Club listed 286 species on 161 recorded field trips. A total of 196 trips were scheduled: 75 all-day, 94 morning, 24 afternoon or evening, and 3 weekend trips. Five trips were cancelled due to bad weather and 30 trips went unreported.          ' The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) checklist were reported by the Club in 1990: Sandhill CraneNewburyportMay 27Clay-colored SparrowPlymouthJune 2Cerulean WarblerQuabbinJune 3Gull-billed TernPlum IslandJune 30Curlew SandpiperPlum IslandJuly 7Spotted RedshankWellfleetAugust 11Purple GallinuleFresh PondSeptember 26American AvocetNewburyportOctober 7MacGillivray's WarblerPeabodyOctober 13Le Conte's SparrowPeabodyOctober 13Lark BuntingPlum IslandOctober 28. The Spotted Redshank found at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on August 11 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1989

THE 1989 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician In 1989, the Brookline Bird Club listed 284 species, two ad­ditional races, and a Black Swan on 163 recorded field trips. A total of 188 trips were scheduled: [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1988

THE 1988 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician In 1988, the Brookline Bird Club scheduled 202 field trips: eighty-three all-day, ninety-one morning, and twenty-five afternoon or evening trips. In addition there were three BBC [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1987

THE 1987 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician During 1987, the Brookline Bird Club listed 290 species and one additional race on 198 recorded field trips. A total of 220 trips were scheduled; eleven [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1986

THE 1986 STATISTICAL REPORT by Mary Lou Barnett, Statistician During 1986 the Brookline Bird Club listed 307 birds including 21 write-ins. These unusual sightings included the following: Yellow-throated Warbler            Brewster           1-5 Hoary Redpoll                           Newburyport    3-15 Jackdaw                                    Nantucket         3-16 Eared Grebe                              North Scituate  3-22 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1991

THE 1991 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, StatisticianDuring 1991, the Brookline Bird Club listed 291 species on 154 recorded field trips. A total of 192 trips were scheduled: 76 all day, 94 morning, 17 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1990

THE 1990 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician In 1990, the Brookline Bird Club listed 286 species on 161 recorded field trips. A total of 196 trips were scheduled: 75 all-day, 94 morning, 24 afternoon or evening, and 3 weekend trips. Five trips were cancelled due to bad weather and 30 trips went unreported.          ' The following write-ins to the Massachusetts Audubon Society (MAS) checklist were reported by the Club in 1990: Sandhill CraneNewburyportMay 27Clay-colored SparrowPlymouthJune 2Cerulean WarblerQuabbinJune 3Gull-billed TernPlum IslandJune 30Curlew SandpiperPlum IslandJuly 7Spotted RedshankWellfleetAugust 11Purple GallinuleFresh PondSeptember 26American AvocetNewburyportOctober 7MacGillivray's WarblerPeabodyOctober 13Le Conte's SparrowPeabodyOctober 13Lark BuntingPlum IslandOctober 28. The Spotted Redshank found at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on August 11 [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1989

THE 1989 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician In 1989, the Brookline Bird Club listed 284 species, two ad­ditional races, and a Black Swan on 163 recorded field trips. A total of 188 trips were scheduled: [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1988

THE 1988 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician In 1988, the Brookline Bird Club scheduled 202 field trips: eighty-three all-day, ninety-one morning, and twenty-five afternoon or evening trips. In addition there were three BBC [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1987

THE 1987 STATISTICAL REPORT by Robert H. Stymeist, Statistician During 1987, the Brookline Bird Club listed 290 species and one additional race on 198 recorded field trips. A total of 220 trips were scheduled; eleven [...]

ANNUAL REPORT 1986

THE 1986 STATISTICAL REPORT by Mary Lou Barnett, Statistician During 1986 the Brookline Bird Club listed 307 birds including 21 write-ins. These unusual sightings included the following: Yellow-throated Warbler            Brewster           1-5 Hoary Redpoll                           Newburyport    3-15 Jackdaw                                    Nantucket         3-16 Eared Grebe                              North Scituate  3-22 [...]

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Upcoming Field Trips

  • Plum Island

    Parker River NWR - Lot #1 Refuge Rd., Newbury, MA, MA, United States

    We will be walking the North Pool dike as well as visiting other spots. Note that an entrance fee or pass is required. Restrooms available.

  • Barretts Mill Farmland

    Concord - Barretts Mill Farmland Barrett's Mill Road, Concord, MA, United States

    This 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.

  • Hellcat at Parker River NWR

    Parker River NWR - Lot #4 Newbury, MA, United States

    During 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.

  • Arlington Reservoir

    Lexington - Arlington Reservoir 210 Lowell Street, Arlington, MA, United States

    In 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 [...]

  • Fruitlands Museum, Harvard

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

    Cosponsored 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.

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