I live in Exeter, NH wooded area near Exeter River. I have had an extreme drop in yard bird activity at feeder over the past 2 weeks. Never had anything like this before. Hummers are still coming but local year round birds have all but stopped. Down to 2 bird visits/day. I do still hear birds ihigh up n the woods but not the usual cacophony.
> On Sep 9, 2026, at 9:14 AM, massbird-digest <owner-massbird-digest...> wrote: > > > massbird-digest Wednesday, September 9 2026 Volume 18 : Number 894 > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2026 11:42:02 +0000 (UTC) > From: Lynette Leka <lynetteleka...> > Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] September 7, 2026 Northern Essex County: Anyone else had a large drop in yardbird activity past few days? > > - <------...> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > I live in Newbury, MA, forest surrounded by salt marsh, so my yard usually= > hosts an abundance of birds. In late June I take all my feeders down, exce= > pt for hummingbird; but I keep 3 baths going (clean/refill at least daily),= > and still log in 10-15 species each day. A couple of weeks ago that began = > to drop off, and now down to nearly zero - the forest has also gone silent. > > - ------------------------------------ > (by)..."not noticing birds in one's daily environment, one misses a whole s= > egment of life on earth that can deliver joy every day." Bruce M. Beehler, = > 2019 > > > > Lynette Leka > Newbury, MA 01951 > email: <lynette.leka...> > > > > > On Monday, September 7, 2026 at 08:58:32 PM EDT, Liz Pease <lizpease@g= > mail.com> wrote: =20 > =20 > Things have been pretty steady here in Salisbury, Matt. The only noticeabl= > y oddity is that I have not seen a blue jays in weeks. They usually stalk m= > e when I'm out in the yard (even when I'm walking the dog in the neighborho= > od), asking where the peanuts are, but they have been absent for a bit now.= > Sure hoping they return soon. > Anyone in your area put up new feeders, perhaps? That's all I can think of! > Liz <Peaselizpease...>, MA > On Mon, Sep 7, 2026 at 9:11=E2=80=AFAM Matt S. <accipiter22...> wrot= > e: > > Hi All, > I live in New Hampshire, but my yard abuts Merrimac, and, nearly, Haverhill= > .=C2=A0 I've noticed that starting on Saturday the 5th there appears to hav= > e been a huge drop in bird activity in my yard, and squirrel numbers as wel= > l.=C2=A0 Typically I need to refill my feeders daily, but the food I put ou= > t in the early evening of the 5th is still untouched, and my feeders remain= > full.=C2=A0 As long as I've lived here I have never had my tube feeder las= > t more than a day, and now we're almost at 2, and the feeder is basically u= > ntouched. I saw one chickadee one time yesterday.=C2=A0=C2=A0 > I also have a Birdweather PUC that records the bird sounds in my yard, and = > lists them out by species with the number of times each species=C2=A0was he= > ard.=C2=A0 Around this time of year I would expect to have at least 15 spec= > ies picked up, and probably closer to 20, and most of those picked up a cou= > ple dozen times.=C2=A0 Yesterday it picked up 6 species, and most of those = > once or twice, aside from a Bluejay which was picked up maybe=C2=A012 times= > .=C2=A0=C2=A0 > I thought maybe there was a raptor roosting nearby, but I did not see anyth= > ing in the woods around the feeder when I looked, and other than the usual = > red-tailed hawks and barred owls which are always around, I have not seen a= > nything unusual.=C2=A0 > Anyone else in the area noticing this?=C2=A0 Perhaps in northern Essex Coun= > ty?=C2=A0 It's not from migration, since a good chunk of these birds would = > be residents, and I have data from previous year showing roughly what to ex= > pect.=C2=A0 I put my feeder on a new shepherd's hook since the previous one= > broke, and thought maybe they did not like it, but again squirrels wouldn'= > t probably care about this.=C2=A0 Plus, it's not just lower feeder visits, = > it's my whole yard, since the listening device isn't picking up anything ei= > ther.=C2=A0=C2=A0 > That's all for now, > Matt S.Newton, <NHAccipiter22...> > > > - --=20 > Liz Pease > (she, her, hers) > =20 > - <------...> > Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > <div> I live in Newbury, MA, forest surrounded by salt marsh= > , so my yard usually hosts an abundance of birds. In late June I take all = > my feeders down, except for hummingbird; but I keep 3 baths going (clean/r= > efill at least daily), and still log in 10-15 species each day. A couple o= > f weeks ago that began to drop off, and now down to nearly zero - the fores= > t has also gone silent.<br><br>------------------------------------<br>(by)= > ..."not noticing birds in one's daily environment, one misses a wh= > ole segment of life on earth that can deliver joy every day." Bruce M.= > Beehler, 2019<br><br><br><br>Lynette Leka<br>Newbury, MA 01951<br>email: l= > <ynette.leka...><br><br><br><br><br> </div> <div= > class=3D"yahoo_quoted" style=3D"margin:10px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px = > solid #ccc;padding-left:1ex;"> <div style=3D"font-fa= > mily:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;color:#2= > 6282a;"> <div> On Mon= > day, September 7, 2026 at 08:58:32 PM EDT, Liz Pease <<lizpease...>= > > wrote: </div> <div><br></div> = > <div><br></div> = > <div><div id=3D"yiv2269173674"><div><div dir=3D"ltr">Things have been = > pretty steady here in Salisbury, Matt. The only noticeably oddity is that I= > have not seen a blue jays in weeks. They usually stalk me when I'm out in = > the yard (even when I'm walking the dog in the neighborhood), asking where = > the peanuts are, but they have been absent for a bit now. Sure hoping they = > return soon.<div><br clear=3D"none"></div><div>Anyone in your area put up n= > ew feeders, perhaps? That's all I can think of!</div><div><br clear=3D"none= > "></div><div>Liz Pease</div><div><a rel=3D"nofollow noopener noreferrer" sh= > ape=3D"rect" ymailto=3D"mailto:<lizpease...>" target=3D"_blank" href= > =3D"mailto:<lizpease...>"><lizpease...></a></div><div>Salisbury, = > MA</div></div><br clear=3D"none"><div id=3D"yiv2269173674yqt71256" class=3D= > "yiv2269173674yqt6064142143"><div class=3D"yiv2269173674gmail_quote yiv2269= > 173674gmail_quote_container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"yiv2269173674gmail_a= > ttr">On Mon, Sep 7, 2026 at 9:11=E2=80=AFAM Matt S. <<a rel=3D"nofollow = > noopener noreferrer" shape=3D"rect" ymailto=3D"mailto:<accipiter22...>= > " target=3D"_blank" href=3D"mailto:<accipiter22...>">accipiter22@gmail= > .com</a>> wrote:<br clear=3D"none"></div><blockquote style=3D"margin:0px= > 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex;" cl= > ass=3D"yiv2269173674gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr">Hi All,<div><br clear=3D"= > none"></div><div>I live in New Hampshire, but my yard abuts Merrimac, and, = > nearly, Haverhill. I've noticed that starting on Saturday the 5th the= > re appears to have been a huge drop in bird activity in my yard, and squirr= > el numbers as well. Typically I need to refill my feeders daily, but = > the food I put out in the early evening of the 5th is still untouched, and = > my feeders remain full. As long as I've lived here I have never had m= > y tube feeder last more than a day, and now we're almost at 2, and the feed= > er is basically untouched. I saw one chickadee one time yesterday. &nb= > sp;</div><div><br clear=3D"none"></div><div>I also have a Birdweather PUC t= > hat records the bird sounds in my yard, and lists them out by species with = > the number of times each species was heard. Around this time of = > year I would expect to have at least 15 species picked up, and probably clo= > ser to 20, and most of those picked up a couple dozen times. Yesterda= > y it picked up 6 species, and most of those once or twice, aside from a Blu= > ejay which was picked up maybe 12 times. </div><div><br cle= > ar=3D"none"></div><div>I thought maybe there was a raptor roosting nearby, = > but I did not see anything in the woods around the feeder when I looked, an= > d other than the usual red-tailed hawks and barred owls which are always ar= > ound, I have not seen anything unusual. </div><div><br clear=3D"none">= > </div><div>Anyone else in the area noticing this? Perhaps in northern= > Essex County? It's not from migration, since a good chunk of these b= > irds would be residents, and I have data from previous year showing roughly= > what to expect. I put my feeder on a new shepherd's hook since the p= > revious one broke, and thought maybe they did not like it, but again squirr= > els wouldn't probably care about this. Plus, it's not just lower feed= > er visits, it's my whole yard, since the listening device isn't picking up = > anything either. </div><div><br clear=3D"none"></div><div>That's= > all for now,</div><div><br clear=3D"none"></div><div>Matt S.</div><div>New= > ton, NH</div><div><a rel=3D"nofollow noopener noreferrer" shape=3D"rect" ym= > ailto=3D"mailto:<Accipiter22...>" target=3D"_blank" href=3D"mailto:Acc= > <ipiter22...>"><Accipiter22...></a></div></div></blockquote></div= >> </div><div><br clear=3D"all"></div><div><br clear=3D"none"></div><span cla= > ss=3D"yiv2269173674gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br clear=3D"none"><di= > v dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"yiv2269173674gmail_signature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div = > dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"= > ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><div><span style=3D"font-size:12.8px= > ;">Liz Pease</span><br clear=3D"none"></div><div><span style=3D"font-size:1= > 2.8px;">(she, her, hers)</span></div><div><br clear=3D"none"></div></div></= > div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> = > </div> </div> > - <------...> > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2026 19:52:46 -0400 > From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> > Subject: [MASSBIRD] West Hill Dam banding 9/8 > > Thanks to Strickland Wheelock for this report. > > Barbara Volkle > Northborough, MA > <barb620...> > > * > Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2026 21:43:20 +0000 (UTC) > From: Strickland Wheelock <skwheelock...> > Subject: West Hill Dam banding 9/8 > > After a few relatively quiet banding days, today [9/8] was active with > 21 captures in the first 3 net runs - hopefully the start of many busy > mornings this fall migration at West Hill Dam in Uxbridge. What really > jump started the morning on the 2nd run when the birds were getting > active was 1 of the marsh nets had 10 captures hanging there - 2 male Am > Redstarts, 1 Blk&Wht Warbler, 2 Tufted Titmouse and 5 Blk-c Chickadees. > The bushes around the net had more warblers moving about. The other nets > had 2 Warbling Vireos, an adult male Am Redstart [stunning], 3 E > Towhees, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 3 more Tufted Titmouse - shockingly no > Catbirds capture although you could hear them calling.There were plenty > of other species from Yellow-thr Vireos, E Bluebirds, various warblers & > sparrows, etc near the nets - soon the larger numbers of warblers, > thrushes & other surprises will be visiting us as we progress into > Sept.There is a banding & birding trip this coming Sat [9/12] from > Drumlin Farm as we band Sat morning and visit 2 nearby birding locations > in the afternoon. Great chance to see up-close details of aging, molt, > ID as we process each bird. > https://www.massaudubon.org/programs/drumlin-farm/104321= > - -bird-banding-at-west-hill > > Strickland Wheelock > Uxbridge MA > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2026 20:07:31 -0400 > From: Barbara Volkle <barb620...> > Subject: [MASSBIRD] Blueberry Hill (08 Sep 2026) 37 Raptors > > Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2026 23:59:54 +0000 > From: <reports...> > Subject: Blueberry Hill (08 Sep 2026) 37 Raptors > > > Blueberry Hill > Granville, Massachusetts, USA > Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 08, 2026 > - ------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total > - ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- > Black Vulture 0 0 0 > Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 > Osprey 3 3 3 > Bald Eagle 0 0 0 > Northern Harrier 0 0 0 > Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 10 10 > Cooper's Hawk 1 3 3 > American Goshawk 0 0 0 > Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 > Broad-winged Hawk 29 78 78 > Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 0 > Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 > Golden Eagle 0 0 0 > American Kestrel 1 3 3 > Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 > Merlin 0 0 0 > Unknown Accipitrine 0 1 1 > Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 > Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 > Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 > Unknown Vulture 0 0 0 > Unknown Raptor 0 2 2 > > Total: 37 100 100 > - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total > observation time: 7.75 hours > > Official Counter: John Weeks > > Observers: Gary Adamson, John Weeks > > Weather: > Blue sky again, with fleeting clouds and much more haze than yesterday. > Wind NW shifting to WNW, then W at the end; 2-8 mph, dropping slightly in > the afternoon. Temperature 70-75 F. > > Raptor Observations: > A modest flight today; the birds were hard to see in the hazy glare to the > east, where many of them flew. Three Ospreys, our first of the season, > were welcome sights. No coverage between 3:30 and 4:00 EDT. Not counted as > migrants: Black Vulture, 2 Turkey Vultures, 2 Bald Eagles (adult and > immature), Cooper's Hawk, adult Red-tailed Hawk. > > Non-raptor Observations: > One lone warbler today: a female Common Yellowthroat; this dearth of > warblers is unprecedented. Others: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Downy > Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, > Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadees (2), Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted > Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebirds (flock of 12), American Goldfinches (flock of > 4). Monarchs: 2. > ======================================================================== > Report submitted by John Weeks (<aerie.john...>) > > > More site information at hawkcount.org: > https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=107 > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2026 06:09:49 -0700 > From: "Al Curtis" <killdeer89...> > Subject: [MASSBIRD] Al Curtis > > This is a multi-part message in MIME format > > - --FQ3sjRFJNhnl6xjkFr6JbugiidsLn=_eS9 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > > Hi=20 > > Let me know if you receive this=20 > > Thanks > > Al Curtis > > - --FQ3sjRFJNhnl6xjkFr6JbugiidsLn=_eS9 > Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > > <html><head> > <meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-= > 8859-1"> > <META name=3D"viewport" content=3D"width=3Ddevice-width, initial-sca= > le=3D1"> <META name=3D"format-detection" content=3D"telephone=3Dno"> <= > title>Al Curtis</title> > </head> > <body style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" bgColor=3D#ffffff> <P align= > =3Dleft><FONT size=3D3 face=3DArial>Hi </FONT></p><p align=3Dleft><FON= > T face=3DArial>Let me know if you receive this </FONT></p><p align=3Dl= > eft><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman">Thanks</FO= > NT></p><p align=3Dleft>Al Curtis</P></body> > </html> > > - --FQ3sjRFJNhnl6xjkFr6JbugiidsLn=_eS9-- > > ------------------------------ > > End of massbird-digest V18 #894 > ******************************* >
