Parker River NWR, Essex, Massachusetts, US

Oct 15, 2019 7:22 AM – 12:08 PM

Checklist Comments:    Sunny and 48-58 degrees with winds NW 7-8 mph.  With Brookline Bird Club walk led by Dave Williams.  It’s National Wildlife Refuge week so dikes were open to walk.  We stopped at main pans, walked dike from Wardens to North Pool Overlook and back along the road. Then stopped at Hellcat dike, Bill Forward Blind, Pines Trail and Lot 7 Emerson Rocks. On return trip, we stopped at Hellcat to check Dunes Loop and ended with good looks at shorebirds in the main pans.  Incoming tide with high tide today around 1:00.

45 species (+3 other taxa)

Canada Goose  15

Blue-winged Teal  2    1 at North Pool Overlook and 1 at Hellcat dike

Gadwall  2

Mallard  33

American Black Duck  121

Northern Pintail  50    Bill Forward Blind

Green-winged Teal  180    2 large flocks of about 75 each flew overhead as we stood on Hellcat dike and at least 30 more in Bill Forward Pool already

Common Eider  20    Lot 7

Surf Scoter  1    Lot 7

White-winged Scoter  50    Lot 7

Black Scoter  14    Lot 7

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  18

Black-bellied Plover  15    On mud flats with clammers

Semipalmated Plover  38    Main pans

Sanderling  11    Flock at Emerson Rocks and at least one more seen in main pans before Falcon stirred up the shorebirds

Dunlin  22    Pans

Semipalmated Sandpiper  12

peep sp.  200    Too far to ID on mud flats with clammers

Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher  19    All together at North Pool Overlook. Based on how late in season, expected them to be Long Billed Dowitchers

Greater Yellowlegs  66

Ring-billed Gull  2

Herring Gull  16

Great Black-backed Gull  1

Common Loon  2    Lot 7

Northern Gannet  12    Great diving show seen from Lot 7 ocean platform

Double-crested Cormorant  14

Great Egret  15

Snowy Egret  2    One at North Pool Overlook and a second in main pans

Turkey Vulture  4

Northern Harrier  3

falcon sp.  1    Not sure if Peregrine or Merlin. At main pans as we watched shorebirds

Blue Jay  7

American Crow  10

Common Raven  1    Seen and heard distinctive croaking

Gray Catbird  2

Northern Mockingbird  3

American Robin  11

Cedar Waxwing  20    Several seen at Goodno Crossing and remaining flock at Lot 1

American Goldfinch  1

Field Sparrow  1    Wardens

Savannah Sparrow  1    Wardens

Song Sparrow  9

Eastern Towhee  5

Red-winged Blackbird  1

Common Grackle  5    Flew over us at Lot 1 as walk was starting

Palm Warbler  4    2 at Wardens and 2 more in thicket along dike

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  10    Several seen at the Wardens and others seen flycatching from thicket at end of dike at North Pool Overlook

Northern Cardinal  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S60933613