Date: 10/28/24 6:42 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Big Three bird trip results
Thanks toStrickland Wheelock for this report.
Barbara Volkle Northborough,MA <barb620...>
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Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2024 15:04:19 +0000 (UTC) From: Strickland Wheelock <skwheelock...> Subject: Big Three bird trip results
Our traditional "Birding the Big Three" trip used to include Bolton Flats & Lancaster Grasslands but due to hunting season for pheasants, time to revi se to a safer agenda. The one survivor of the Big Three was Great Meadows Concord which was our 1st stop on this cool morning and before the strong winds took over the day. As we walked the dike to the Concord River and took the right-hand loop around the marsh, we were greeted by many Swamp & Song & a few Wht-thr Sparrows - a few Marsh Wrens were calling and a surprise Spotted Sandpiper was seen. A few flocks of Green-winged Teal plus Wood Ducks & Mallards joined the many Canada Geese flying about - several Gt-blue Herons were feeding about the marsh [quite dry for the most part] - along the wood line by the river were various woodpeckers [Hairy, Downy, Red-bellied and a N Flicker] plus a Palm Warbler plus a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, Carolina Wrens.One highlight was a male N Harrier swooping over the marsh.Next stop was a quick visit to the Kavasaki Farm Conservation Land property - now the winds were blowing helping to keep the passerines down low - however we had a few highlights at this location being an adult Snow Goose mixed amount a flock of Canda Geese feeding in one of the fields and a flock of Am. Pipits in a plowed field and later flying about, plus a mixture of Red-tailed Hawks and a Cooper's Hawk soaring in the winds.After lunch, on to Horn Pond area which had a nice mixture of species - on the water were 2 Pied-billed Grebes, 1 Gt Cormorants plus several D-C Cormorants, flock of Coots and Ruddy Ducks, 1 female Gadwall, 1 Lesser Scaup, many Mallards and a few Black Ducks, 1 Belted Kingfisher, several Ringed-b Gulls plus a few Herring Gulls, some Gt-blue Herons actively snapping up small fish - again the wind was blowing!Once into the woods and checking out the community gardens, we came across some Ruby-cr Kinglets, Yellow-r Warblers, Savannah & Song & Wht-thr & Swamp Sparrow, Am Goldfinches, Robins & House Finches feeding in the berries, C Grackles & Red-wings in the marshes - also fun at one of the bridges, participants held their hands out with seeds and the Wht-b Nuthatches, T Titmouse and Chickadees would land in their hands to gather up the a free meal.In the end, we did a quick walk to the back fields at Drumlin Farm where there had been a nice mixture of sparrows [Clay-colored & Vesper] plus an Orange-cr Warbler, Cedar Waxwings and more, but the winds whipping made a short trip of this walk. Trip total was 57 species under challenging conditions with the wind.Thanks to Dan Fournier and Lindsay Neubeck for the co-leading and a hardy group of participants this windy day.
