Date: 3/31/25 7:09 pm From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Upcoming Drumlin Farm day trips
Thanks to Strickland Wheelock for this post.
Barbara Volkle Northborough, MA <barb620...>
*
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2025 23:38:59 +0000 (UTC) From: Strickland Wheelock <skwheelock...> Subject: Upcoming Drumlin Farm day trips
The month of April we begin to really start seeing the transition of our winter species to our early spring migrants - the Tree & Rough-winged Swallows are back at West Hill Dam claiming their nesting sites, Field Sparrows, Bluebirds, Brown Creepers, Phoebes plus 5 species of Woodpeckers are calling non-stop for most the day - in a few weeks my team will be putting up the mist nets continuing our research - soon our Prairie Warblers, Indigo Buntings, Baltimore & Orchard Orioles will return along with many other species making those early mornings very special. I was asked by several trip participants what are our upcoming trips through DF - so here are the next 3 day trips
Plum Island, 4/12 - this is always an interesting trip because we get a mixture of some late departing winter species along with early shorebirds, waders & passerines - if a vagrant or a rarity is nearby, odds are good will incorporate that into the mix of locations we will visit around the Newburyport area - always fun seeing these winter species transitioning into their breeding plumages
Great Swamp, 4/26 - the Great Swamp WMA is a 4 mile walk around fields, swamps & mixed forest - by now we are hearing seeing a variety of warblers [Blk&Wht, Prairie, C Yellowthroats, etc] and passerines plus marsh birds - for those interesting in learning to bird by ear, you will get lots of practice with a nice variety of passerines
Bird Banding in Uxbridge, 5/ 17 - my joy is always being in spring at West Hill Dam in Uxbridge [Foxfire Farm in the fall] with my team - the woods & fields are filled with a variety of species in full breeding plumages - when they are in the hand, you get to see every detail of each species from bill shape, length of wing, eye color, etc - no hatching year challenges like the fall banding season - many highlights caught at West Hill Dam were Dickcissel, Gray-cheeked Thrush, several Indigo Buntings, Prairie Warblers, Yellow-thr Vireo, Magnolia Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, several E Kingbirds, in 1 short net we had a pair [M&F] of Baltimore Orioles next to a pair of Orchard Orioles [M&F] - what a wonderful comparison.=C2=A0Naturally we will be surrounded by singing tanagers, vireos, flycatchers, sparrows, warblers, woodpeckers - more birding by ear practice!Between spring & fall we netted close to 800 birds [mostly fall]
