Parker River NWR, Essex, Massachusetts, US
Aug 13, 2016 8:00 AM – 1:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Brookline Bird Club trip led by Sabrina Hepburn, 9 participants
59 species
Cool overcast weather, modest crowds and some unusual birds combined for a great morning at Plum Island for the Brookline Bird Club trip.  Highlights included the continuing AMERICAN AVOCET, seen from the Stage Island tower, along with Hudsonian Godwit, Black Tern, and Forster’s Tern at Stage Island and a Red Knot from the Bill Forward Blind.  Roseate Terns from Sandy Point Beach.  Complete ebird list below.
Canada Goose  20
American Black Duck  15
Mallard  80
Double-crested Cormorant  80
Great Blue Heron  3
Great Egret  8
Snowy Egret  100
Green Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  2
American Avocet  1     Continuing bird, seen from Stage Island tower
Black-bellied Plover  40
Semipalmated Plover  300
Piping Plover  20
Killdeer  5
Hudsonian Godwit  1     Stage Is
Ruddy Turnstone  1     Sandy pt
Red Knot  1     Bill Forward blind
Sanderling  3
Least Sandpiper  10
White-rumped Sandpiper  5
Pectoral Sandpiper  1
Semipalmated Sandpiper  250
Short-billed Dowitcher  30
Spotted Sandpiper  2
Greater Yellowlegs  50
Willet  3
Lesser Yellowlegs  25
Ring-billed Gull  10
Herring Gull  15
Great Black-backed Gull  4
Least Tern  12
Black Tern  1     Stage Is.
Roseate Tern  5     Sandy Pt.
Common Tern  30
Forster’s Tern  1
Mourning Dove  1
Northern Flicker  1
Peregrine Falcon  1
Eastern Phoebe  1
Eastern Kingbird  15
American Crow  2
Tree Swallow  5000
Bank Swallow  1
Barn Swallow  2
Black-capped Chickadee  2
American Robin  3
Gray Catbird  8
Brown Thrasher  2
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  40
Cedar Waxwing  6
Common Yellowthroat  1
Yellow Warbler  2
Song Sparrow  2
Eastern Towhee  5
Common Grackle  2
Baltimore Oriole  1
American Goldfinch  4

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31105249

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley Shorebirds are among the most fascinating and diverse groups of birds, but identifying them can sometimes feel overwhelming.  What key [...]

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier Everybody enjoys watching birds during the daytime, but what do they do at night, when they seem to [...]

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley Shorebirds are among the most fascinating and diverse groups of birds, but identifying them can sometimes feel overwhelming.  What key [...]

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier Everybody enjoys watching birds during the daytime, but what do they do at night, when they seem to [...]

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley

Member Webinar and Field Trip: The Art and Craft of Shorebird Identification with Lisa Schibley Shorebirds are among the most fascinating and diverse groups of birds, but identifying them can sometimes feel overwhelming.  What key [...]

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier

Member Webinar September 16: Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep with Roger Pasquier Everybody enjoys watching birds during the daytime, but what do they do at night, when they seem to [...]

News Categories

Upcoming Field Trips

An Oasis for Birds at Belle Isle Marsh

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

Join DCR park staff for a relaxed, one-mile bird walk through flat, easy terrain at this Massachusetts State Reservation and birding hot spot. At Belle Isle and at additional nearby locations— We’ll search for large groups of herons and egrets, and shorebird rarities. Participants are responsible for their own transportation between locations (by car or [...]

Squantum – Quincy

Quincy - Squantum - Moswetuset Hummock Quincy, MA, United States

We'll check the marshes and the mudflats in Squantum for shorebirds, starting at Moswetuset Hummock and visiting other spots nearby. At high tide (~6:15 am), we'll try checking the high tide roosts for shorebirds as well. Be prepared for the possibility of biting insects. Cosponsored with South Shore Bird Club.

Halibut Point State Park, Rockport

Rockport - Halibut Point State Park Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA, United States

Beginners encouraged. A two-hour walk over easy to moderate trails in search of seasonal specialties. Boots advisable. Co-sponsored by DCR.

Millennium Park

Boston - Millennium Park Canoe Launch 300 Gardner Street, Boston, MA, United States

Join the Brookline Bird Club in collaboration with Boston Nature Center to look for birds in a unique urban habitat that often draws numerous uncommon and rare birds.Target birds include bobolinks, egrets, flycatchers, grosbeaks, herons, owls, rails, ravens, sandpipers, swallows & swifts, vultures, warblers, and woodpeckers. Birders of all levels will enjoy this trip. The [...]

2nd 2025 – Parker River NWR Marsh Cruise, Yankee Clipper

Newburyport - Yankee Clipper Tours Waterfront Promenade Park, 36 Merrimac Street, Newburyport, MA, United States

Our  second Marsh Cruise for this year. Explore Parker River National Wildlife Refuge from a new perspective on a cruise through the Parker River marshes!  Join us on the Yankee Clipper docked in Newburyport Harbor for a leisurely cruise through the Refuge. Evening cruise finishing around sunset searching for late shorebirds, waders, and salt marsh [...]

Go to Top