A combined BBC/SSBC trip to Plymouth Beach occurred yesterday. The weather, although hot, was not as humid as the past days or past trips. The lack of birds is deafening. Only 2 Common Terns and a total of only 117 (!!!) individual shorebirds of which 29 are nesting there (true-the young birders group saw a flock of 300 Semipalmated Sandpipers which we did not see). This trip should have 2-3 THOUSAND terns and several hundred to few thousand shorebirds. The terns were scared off early, in May, due to a raccoon and fox in the colony.
That said we enjoyed the day and seeing recently fledged Piping Plover and Least Tern is encouraging. We saw a few Least Terns courting at this late date; must have been failed breeders/lost young. I doubt such a late nesting would be successful as the safety in numbers issue would make them rather easy targets. If they do manage to get young to fledging the late date would make the young so inexperienced at a time when they need to migrate while learning to feed on their own would be problematic.
A southbound Whimbrel flying by on the long trip back was enjoyable.
Glenn
Plymouth Beach, Plymouth, Massachusetts, US
Jul 23, 2016 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Comments: BBC/SSBC trip
41 species
Canada Goose 8
Mallard (Northern) 1
Double-crested Cormorant 7
Great Blue Heron (Blue form) 11
Great Egret 3
Osprey (carolinensis) 5
Red-tailed Hawk 1 1S
Semipalmated Plover 25
Piping Plover 23
Greater Yellowlegs 3
Willet (Eastern) 6
Whimbrel 1
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Sanderling 2
Least Sandpiper 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 50
Short-billed Dowitcher (griseus) 5
Laughing Gull 150
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull (American) X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Least Tern 75
Common Tern 2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) X
Mourning Dove 8
Downy Woodpecker 1
American Crow 2
Horned Lark 1
Tree Swallow 3
Bank Swallow 10
Barn Swallow (American) 1
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Carolina Wren 1
Northern Mockingbird 7
Common Yellowthroat 1
Yellow Warbler (Northern) 2
Song Sparrow 16
Common Grackle 4
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 3
House Sparrow X
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30826208
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WONDERING HOW TO SUPPORT NEW BIRDERS?–BBC BOOK FUND
Brookline Bird Club Book Fund Wondering how to help support new birders? The BBC Book Fund was established to donate books and other educational materials to promote bird and nature education for K-12 students throughout
TIME TO RENEW YOUR BBC MEMBERSHIP!
If you haven't done so yet, now is the time renew your BBC membership. If you are presently a member and want to renew your membership, login first, and then you can either renew online using
SNOWY OWLS!
Could we be in for another Snowy Owl irruption? There have been numerous sightings of Snowy Owls throughout the Northeast including many in Massachusetts. The BBC Conservation/Education committee has made a donation to MA Audubon's Snowy
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About once a week, from November into March, the BBC offers field trips to Gloucester and/or Rockport on Cape Ann, one of the Northeast’s prime destinations for winter birding. The main attractions are seabirds: waterfowl,
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUNG BIRDERS
The BBC is pleased to announce that we will again offer two Young Birder Scholarships to nurture interest in bird study and conservation among young birders. The 2018 scholarships will cover the full cost
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The most recent BBC school book fund donation went to Triton Regional High School, where environmental science teacher Tom Horsley uses donated books and wall posters to teach bird identification in his classes and to
WONDERING HOW TO SUPPORT NEW BIRDERS?–BBC BOOK FUND
Brookline Bird Club Book Fund Wondering how to help support new birders? The BBC Book Fund was established to donate books and other educational materials to promote bird and nature education for K-12 students throughout
TIME TO RENEW YOUR BBC MEMBERSHIP!
If you haven't done so yet, now is the time renew your BBC membership. If you are presently a member and want to renew your membership, login first, and then you can either renew online using
SNOWY OWLS!
Could we be in for another Snowy Owl irruption? There have been numerous sightings of Snowy Owls throughout the Northeast including many in Massachusetts. The BBC Conservation/Education committee has made a donation to MA Audubon's Snowy
Winter Birding on Cape Ann
About once a week, from November into March, the BBC offers field trips to Gloucester and/or Rockport on Cape Ann, one of the Northeast’s prime destinations for winter birding. The main attractions are seabirds: waterfowl,
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUNG BIRDERS
The BBC is pleased to announce that we will again offer two Young Birder Scholarships to nurture interest in bird study and conservation among young birders. The 2018 scholarships will cover the full cost
BBC SCHOOL BOOK FUND DONATION!
The most recent BBC school book fund donation went to Triton Regional High School, where environmental science teacher Tom Horsley uses donated books and wall posters to teach bird identification in his classes and to
News Categories
Upcoming Field Trips
Field Trips / Events
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