Date: 1/4/21 9:34 am From: Cliff Cook <ccook13...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] Fwd: eBird -- Royalston Town Center -- Jan 3, 2021
We drove out to Royalston yesterday morning hoping for winter finches and were not disappointed. When I opened the car door I could hear Evening Grosbeaks calling from every direction. Within minutes we had a flock of 40+ in one tree and another flock of 25+ visible nearby at the same time. While I estimated 90 birds in all there could well have been many more. The best looks were had at a house with feeders on Northeast Fitzwilliam Road just north of the center of town. The house will be obvious and the inhabitants quite friendly. This is also where we had the flock of 25 Siskins all in view at once on the ground. The Red Crossbills were a flyover heading northwest earlier in the morning. The Pine Grosbeaks were picking grit off the road on North Fitzwilliam Road near the houses there. For reasons I don't understand these birds all disappeared from eBird alerts yesterday so I thought people should find out about them. if you go you can park in a small lot by the public library. Also noteworthy was a group of about 15 Red Crossbills along the entrance road to Birch Hill Dam.
Royalston Town Center Jan 3, 2021 8:30 AM Traveling 2.00 miles 113 Minutes All birds reported? Yes Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 2.3 Build 2.3.7
12 Mourning Dove 1 Red-shouldered Hawk -- Very clear key-urrrr coming from mixed woods twice. Top of N Fitzwilliam hill. 1 Red-tailed Hawk 4 Red-bellied Woodpecker 12 Downy Woodpecker 3 Hairy Woodpecker 65 Blue Jay 35 Black-capped Chickadee 15 Tufted Titmouse 8 Red-breasted Nuthatch 12 White-breasted Nuthatch 4 Brown Creeper 30 European Starling 10 House Sparrow 90 Evening Grosbeak -- Medium sized white yellow and brown birds with large beaks. Everywhere around north end of town. Flocks of 25 and 40 south of library. Group of 15 at intersection of N Fitzwilliam and NE Fitzwilliam. Group of 10 at top of N Fitzwilliam hill. 2 Pine Grosbeak -- Two on road picking grit. Large beaks. Gray with pink markings. 15 Red Crossbill -- Flyover group calling kip kip kip. Crossed bills observed on a couple. 25 Pine Siskin 4 American Tree Sparrow 7 Dark-eyed Junco 1 White-throated Sparrow 3 Northern Cardinal
