Date: 5/18/26 7:20 am From: Pam Hunt <biodiva63...> Subject: [NHBirds] Concord mini-Big Day Saturday
Adding to the weekend big lists...
Kurk, Eric, Steve, and Jane weren't the only ones chasing 100 species in their local patches this weekend. On Saturday, after netting an impressive 77 species in 3.5 hours on my new 5-mile walk around Concord's south end, I decided it was as good a time as any for a century run. Over the next four hours I wandered around areas to the north of me, including my old stomping grounds in Penacook, and then took a 4 hour break in the afternoon. After a quick dinner I went back out to the airport for a bit, then another break before returning to the airport around 8:45 for whip-poor-will and woodcock.
Highlights included 18 species of warblers on the survey, including first of year Bay-breasted, Cape May, and Blackpoll. Total of 20 for the day, but missed Black-throated Blue, Blackburnian, and Canada. Wilson's Warblers have been everywhere this year. After the survey, my target was the Black-bellied Plover that Jacob Rhodes found on West Lock Road, shortly after I got to the spot it took off, flew high, circled wide, and was lost from sight. If I'd been five minutes later I'd have missed a Merrimack County lifer: #267.
After our afternoon puttering in the yard, Unity spotted a sharp-shinned Hawk for both a new yard, year, and day bird. The airport didn't disappoint with Grasshopper Sparrow, towhee, and (barely) Field Sparrow, as well as a bonus flyover female Wood Duck. Another (or the same) Woodie was in the Steeplegate Mall pond with 8 ducklings, as was species #101: Belted Kingfisher. The Virginia Rail at South End Marsh cooperated (after being quiet on the morning survey), and I wrapped up as noted about with nightbirds back at the airport. The last bird of the day, and #105, was a Vesper Sparrow singing in the dusk.
All but one of those 105 species was within the Concord city limits. The exception was a Bald Eagle nest that's maybe 0.2 miles into Bow, and for all I know the adult I saw flying to it was on the Concord side of the river anyway.
Because this was never a maximum effort, there were lots of misses, the most egregious being hummingbird, raven, and Hermit Thrush. I didn't even try for owls.
