Plum Island (please use more refined location), Essex, Massachusetts, US

May 2, 2026 6:41 AM – 7:21 AM

Protocol: Traveling

0.245 mile(s)

Checklist Comments:    My Brookline Bird Club Birding By Bike Trip. 

Weather: 49-55°F, Cloudy, Occasional rain. 

We rode our bikes along the main refuge road between Parking Lot #1 and Hellcat. A splinter group continued to the Pines. We met at 630AM and birded until 1PM, dodging rain drops along the way.

70 species (+1 other taxa)

Snow Goose  1    Flew overhead at Hellcat.

Brant  12

Canada Goose  6

Mute Swan  1

Gadwall  8

Mallard  7

Green-winged Teal  4

Long-tailed Duck  1

Bufflehead  8

Wild Turkey  1

Mourning Dove  9

Clapper Rail  1    Continuing bird.

Killdeer  7

Semipalmated Plover  5

Willet  21    Willets heard and seen from Parking Lot #1 to Hellcat.

Greater Yellowlegs  10

Least Sandpiper  4

American Herring Gull  28

Great Black-backed Gull  3

Common Tern  10

Common Loon  3

Northern Gannet  1

Double-crested Cormorant  7

Glossy Ibis  15

Snowy Egret  2

Great Egret  14

Great Blue Heron  2

Osprey  5

Cooper’s Hawk  5

Accipitrine hawk sp. (former Accipiter sp.)  1

Northern Harrier  2

Belted Kingfisher  1

Downy Woodpecker  2

Hairy Woodpecker  1

Merlin  6

Blue-headed Vireo  1

Blue Jay  2

American Crow  5

Black-capped Chickadee  13

Tree Swallow  26

Purple Martin  5

Barn Swallow  9

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  1

Marsh Wren  3

European Starling  4

Gray Catbird  2

Brown Thrasher  7

Northern Mockingbird  5

Veery  2

American Robin  12

House Sparrow  2

Purple Finch  9

American Goldfinch  12

Chipping Sparrow  4

White-throated Sparrow  7

Savannah Sparrow  3

Song Sparrow  6

Swamp Sparrow  3

Eastern Towhee  18

Orchard Oriole  1

Red-winged Blackbird  11

Brown-headed Cowbird  4

Common Grackle  15

Northern Waterthrush  3

Black-and-white Warbler  4

Northern Parula  1

Northern Yellow Warbler  1

Black-throated Blue Warbler  1

Palm Warbler  2

Yellow-rumped Warbler  16

Northern Cardinal  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S332095013

Black Birders’ Week 2021

May 30-June 5 Organized by The BlackAFInSTEM Collective – a collective that “seeks to support, uplift, and amplify Black Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics professionals in natural resources and the environment through professional development, career

Everybody Loves Owls

With reports of too close encounters with owls, it's time to check in and think about birding ethics. It is NEVER okay to approach roosting owls closely. The Brookline Bird Club’s code of Ethics

Black Birders’ Week 2021

May 30-June 5 Organized by The BlackAFInSTEM Collective – a collective that “seeks to support, uplift, and amplify Black Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics professionals in natural resources and the environment through professional development, career

Everybody Loves Owls

With reports of too close encounters with owls, it's time to check in and think about birding ethics. It is NEVER okay to approach roosting owls closely. The Brookline Bird Club’s code of Ethics

Black Birders’ Week 2021

May 30-June 5 Organized by The BlackAFInSTEM Collective – a collective that “seeks to support, uplift, and amplify Black Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics professionals in natural resources and the environment through professional development, career

Everybody Loves Owls

With reports of too close encounters with owls, it's time to check in and think about birding ethics. It is NEVER okay to approach roosting owls closely. The Brookline Bird Club’s code of Ethics

News Categories

Upcoming Field Trips

  • Shorebirds, Herons, Swallows, & More at Parker River NWR

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

    Shorebirds, Herons, & Swallows. Bring a chair, bug spray, and water. Trip runs until dark. Note that an entrance fee or pass is required. Restroom available.

  • Hydrographer Canyon Overnight Pelagic (Trip #1)

    Hyannis - Pelagic - Helen H 137 Pleasant St, Hyannis, MA, United States

    Join the BBC on the Helen H out of Hyannis, MA to search for pelagic birds on an overnight trip to the Hydrographer Canyon area. For more information, fee, and registration info see: https://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/bbc-news/hydrographer-canyon-overnight-pelagics-registration/

  • Delaney WMA, Stow

    Stow - Delaney WMA Boat Launch 353 Harvard Road, Stow, MA, United States

    We will spend the morning walking 3-4 miles through fields, forests and wetlands looking for post-nesting birds and early migrants. No restrooms are available. Bring sunscreen and insect repellent. Be prepared for poison ivy. Rain cancels.

  • Shore Birding around Boston

    East Boston - Belle Isle Parking Lot 1399 Bennington Street, Boston, MA, United States

    Stops may include Belle Isle Marsh, The Key, Revere Beach, and Winthrop. Please be prepared for mosquitoes at our first two stops.

  • Charles River Esplanade (Early Birders Series)

    Boston – Charles River Esplanade (Edwin Upton Curtis Memorial meeting spot) Boston, MA, United States

    Join fellow birders in their 20s-30s as we visit the Charles River Esplanade for an evening bird walk! Located in the heart of Boston, the Esplanade is a 64-acre park along the south side of the Charles River. While serving as one of Boston’s staple common areas, it is also a good spot to observe

Go to Top