Perkins Park, Newburyport, Essex County, Massachusetts, U, Essex, Massachusetts, US
Aug 22, 2016 4:50 PM – 5:15 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     BBC walk.  After meeting at the train station we went to Perkins Park as the tide was too high in the Harbor.  Good choice!  Quite the Night-heron show.
14 species

Mallard  3
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  3
Snowy Egret  5
Green Heron  1
Black-crowned Night-Heron  9     Minimum count.  Probably more out of sight.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron  7     Continuing birds at this location.  Amazing number of these birds.  We had 5 together in a snag over the water, all immature.  Probably undercounted
Osprey  1
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Ring-billed Gull  1
Mourning Dove  1
Belted Kingfisher  1
Tree Swallow  3

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31209874

Parker River NWR–Stage Island Pool, Essex, Massachusetts, US
Aug 22, 2016 5:45 PM – 6:05 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     BBC trip.  Under the gun a little time-wise as the Rufge was closing at 7:30 from Hellcat north for a Bat trapping project.  Very windy, steady 20+ mph winds out of the NNW.  Not a lot of shorebirds around.  The Forster’s terns were the highlight as they were actively feeding right in front of us.  They would fly slowly into the wind feeding and then zoom south with the wind, and repeat.
16 species (+2 other taxa)

Canada Goose  11
Mallard  7
Double-crested Cormorant  6
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  6
Snowy Egret  18
Semipalmated Plover  17
Killdeer  2
White-rumped Sandpiper  2
Semipalmated Sandpiper  45
peep sp.  4
Short-billed Dowitcher  7
Greater Yellowlegs  27
Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs  3
Least Tern  1
Forster’s Tern  3
Tree Swallow  200     No big swarms about while we were there.
Northern Mockingbird  2

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31209873

Parker River NWR–Hellcat Dike, Essex, Massachusetts, US
Aug 22, 2016 6:20 AM – 7:15 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     BBC trip. Under the gun a little time-wise as the Rufge was closing at 7:30 from Hellcat north for a Bat trapping project. Very windy, steady 20+ mph winds out of the NNW. The number of shorebirds was down.  We watched the Hudsonian godwit take flight with a group of 15 birds, all headed SSW.
17 species (+2 other taxa)

Mallard  6
Double-crested Cormorant  4
Great Blue Heron  1
Black-crowned Night-Heron  1     Immature in NP.
Osprey  1
Northern Harrier  2     Actively hunting just east of BFP.  Sometimes very close.
Black-bellied Plover  11
Semipalmated Plover  135
Killdeer  2
Hudsonian Godwit  1
Least Sandpiper  1
Semipalmated Sandpiper  65
peep sp.  40
Short-billed Dowitcher  12
Greater Yellowlegs  17
Lesser Yellowlegs  2
shorebird sp.  5
Herring Gull  2
Tree Swallow  X     There were some about, but we saw no big swarms.

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31209875