Date: 9/15/25 9:27 am From: 'Steve Mirick' via NHBirds <nhbirds...> Subject: [NHBirds] Odiorne Point SP Bioblitz - 2025 (Lark Sparrow, Common Goldeneye, Caspian Terns)
Jane and I helped out with the Odiorne Point State Park Bioblitz
yesterday. This was the 23rd year for this annual event and we've made
it every year except one. The event is run by the Seacoast Science
Center and the goal is to try to record as many species of living
organisms in the park in one day. The purpose is to educate the public
and to expose people to the different organisms that can be found in
such a small area. There were experts in the field all day and short
field trips every hour during the day.
Jane and I focused on birds, but we have now expanded and spend a large
part of the day searching for insects. The last few years have had
dismal weather for insects, but thankfully, for the first time in about
4 years, we had SUN!!! (for better or worse considering the existing
drought!) The bird list was pretty low at 70 species and way below the
high count of about 100 species from 2021 but the insect lists were very
good! Thanks to help from other birders/insect fanatics including Jason
Lambert, Jacqui Shuster, Robyn Prieto, Ben Griffith, David Blezard,
Cameron Johnson, Holly Bauer, and others.
Birds - 70 species (including a few not seen by Jane and I)
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Canada Goose
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Common Eider
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
COMMON GOLDENEYE - Probably the first Bioblitz record and rarest bird of
the day. This is a continuing bird and a very rare sighting. Although
they breed in northern NH, they generally don't appear on the seacoast
until NOVEMBER!
Wild Turkey
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Bonaparte's Gull
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - "Woody"!! The returning individual. Sitting
on wood staddles in saltmarsh. This bird has been seen every year since
at least 2010 when it was seen as an adult on the wooden staddles! That
would make this bird at least 18 years old! One can only wonder where
it spends the summer! See checklist below:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S6905735 CASPIAN TERN - Beautiful group of 4 migrating south in late afternoon.
Common Tern
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
swallow sp.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
LARK SPARROW - 1 juvenile around the grasses at (and on the roof of!)
the Seacoast Science Center. This appears TO BE A DIFFERENT juvenile
from the bird found on 9/6.
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Palm Warbler (Western)
Palm Warbler (Yellow)
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Butterflies - 16 species
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This has been a relatively poor summer and fall for butterflies, so the
total of 16 species was certainly a wonderful surprise and exceeded my
expectations.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2025-09-14&taxon_id=47224&user_id=stevemirick&verifiable=any Least Skipper - 2
ZABULON SKIPPER - Perhaps 4 or 5. Given that we had poor weather the
last 3 years for this event, this represents a first (I think) for the
Bioblitz. Getting late. Amazing how fast this species has gone from
"Holy Cow a Zabulon" to "Ho hum, another Zabulon"! :-)
American Copper - 1
HARVESTER - Beautiful caterpillar in the alder swamp with wooly alder
aphids. Only my 2nd caterpillar of this species. Thanks (once again)
to Jason's excellent eyes.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/313990522 Summer Azure - 2
WHITE M HAIRSTREAK - Southern vagrants have been scarce this fall, so
this was definitely the butterfly highlight of the day and a lifer for
Robyn!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/313990525 Gray Hairstreak - 1 (not seen by our group, but nicely photographed)
Monarch - Common, but not migrating. Not counted, but I'd say about 12.
Great Spangled Fritillary - 1
Pearl Crescent - 4
Mourning Cloak - 2
Red Admiral - 1
American Lady - 1
Black Swallowtail - 1
Clouded Sulphur - 2
Cabbage White - Common
Moths
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Banded Tussock Moth
Hickory Tussock Moth
Pale Beauty
Wavy-lined Emerald - CATERPILLAR. Thanks to Jacqui's incredible eyes!
RUBBED DART - 2nd State record in iNaturalist. Appears to be strictly a
coastal species in New England.
Arcigera Flower Moth
CHENOPODIUM SCYTHRIS MOTH - Apparently a non-native moth. Widespread in
northeast, but appears to be a first iNaturalist record for New Hampshire.
Isabella Tiger Moth ("Wooly Bear") - ZERO!!! Incredible not to see one
this year. Apparently not reported by any groups. What does that
predict about the upcoming winter weather!? :-)
Damselflies & Dragonflies (9 species)
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Fairly ordinary list of odonates for the day, but nice to photograph a
perched Green-striped Darner:
Spotted Spreadwing
Slender Spreadwing
Familiar Bluet
Eastern Forktail
Green-striped Darner
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/313990538 Common Green Darner
Wandering Glider
Cherry-faced Meadowhawk
Autumn Meadowhawk
Flower Flies (syprhids) (6 species)
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Not all that many syrphids despite some nice fields of goldenrod.
Common Drone Fly
Black-shouldered Drone Fly
Common Lagoon Fly
Eastern Calligrapher Fly
Margined Calligrapher Fly
MAIZE CALLIGRAPHER FLY - Fairly common generally, but I've not seen many
as it seems to be rare along the NH seacoast. This is a first
iNaturalist record for Odiorne and a beauty!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/313990591
Robber Flies (3 species)
-------------------------------
Some of you know that Mike Thomas has gotten me interested in Robber
Flies. He is one of the United States authorities on this family. I was
very happy to get 3 species for the day as they tend to wind down by
September.
Efferia aestuans (Northeastern Hammertail) - 1 female that landed on
David Blezard and tried to lay eggs on him! This is the most commonly
reported species in the U.S. but it's getting late and this is my latest
record.
Machimus sadyates (Shiny-sided Bladetail) - At least 3 and possibly 3
others. Including one that landed on Jacqui! This is the most likely
Robber Fly at this date and location.
NEOMOCHTHERUS PICEUS - This is a rarely reported species in the eastern
US and considered uncommon. Jane and I have had exceptional luck with
it, however, in southeastern NH and especially near Frost Point at
Odiorne. We hadn't seen it in the last couple of weeks and thought it
was done for the year. We were wrong! This individual was a female and
appeared to be trying to lay eggs in the broken off branch of staghorn
sumac.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/313990533
