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03 Feb Dowitchers; Harwich Marshes, Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Thurs., 2 February 2012. [Richard Heil ] 3 Feb Redpolls....Not ["Peter Trull" ] 03 Feb Plum Island -2/3/11 ["Eric" ] 3 Feb Wrentham addaendum: @ T.V.'s [] 3 Feb Wrentham birding, Feb. 3 [] 3 Feb RE: Coopers Hawk [Jonathan Giacomini ] 3 Feb pelagic tomorrow [] 3 Feb pelagic tomorrow, you will see DOVEKIE [] 3 Feb Spotted Towhee, Rockport [Bird Watchers Supply & Gift ] 3 Feb tower rules [Anthony Hill ] 3 Feb Fwd: Fish Crows In Watertown and Surrounding Towns [Cliff Cook ] 03 Feb New FCC rules to protect birds [Bill Principe ] 3 Feb California Gull - Jodrey Fish Pier [] 3 Feb Fish Crows In Watertown and Surrounding Towns [Cliff Cook ] 03 Feb Essex County Ornithological Club - February 10, 2012 Meeting - Birding Columbia with Jan Smith [ECOC Mail ] 3 Feb Everyone else found Fish Crows! [] 02 Feb CT Report 02/02/2012 Harris's Sp, YT Warb [Roy Harvey ] 02 Feb Looking For A Fun Way To Spend Friday Evening...? [Eddie ] 02 Feb Fish Crows [Al Curtis ] 2 Feb Voting is now open for the Superbowl of Birding Best Team-In-Action Photo Contest [don crockett ] 2 Feb Re: Seen any Fish Crows? ["Stuart Walker" ] 02 Feb Pete Dunne | BirdCallsRadio next guest [Mardi Dickinson ] 02 Feb Voting is ON! Super Bowl Team Photos [Beth Milke ] 02 Feb Voting is ON! Super Bowl Team Photos [] 02 Feb Re: MORE ON ALDEN SCAM ["Eric" ] 02 Feb Wrentham featured in Dec. Bird Observer ["Jim Berry" ] 2 Feb Fw: eBird Report - Forest Hills Cemetery, Feb 2, 2012 [Paul Peterson ] 02 Feb Willowdale S. F. (east), Ipswich, Feb 2, 2012 ["Jim Berry" ] 2 Feb Fish Crows in Hingham [Charles Nims ] 2 Feb Bald Eagle - Mashpee/Wakeby Pond [Mary Keleher ] 2 Feb 1/31 Millennium Park quiet day w/ beavers and muskrats [David Bernstein ] 2 Feb more images to check out [Sandy Selesky ] 2 Feb Pine Warbler, Wrentham plus notes [Eric LoPresti ] 2 Feb Re: Blue Jays in SE Massachusetts [Marshall Iliff ] 2 Feb Re: Seen Any Fish Crows? [] 2 Feb Snowy on plum island [Zach Schwartz-Weinstein ] 02 Feb Re: Seen any Fish Crows? [Andrew Joslin ] 2 Feb Re: Seen any Fish Crows? [Donald Wilkinson ] 2 Feb Re: Seen any Fish Crows? [David ] 2 Feb Re: Seen any Fish Crows? [Gael Hurley ] 02 Feb Seen any Fish Crows? [Gene ] 02 Feb Re: Seen any Fish Crows? [Eddie ] 2 Feb fish crows [alice morgan ] 2 Feb RE: Seen any Fish Crows? ["John Galluzzo" ] 2 Feb Seen any Fish Crows? [] 2 Feb Gang of Blue Jays in Amesbury [Felicia Sienkiewicz ] 02 Feb moderator - hacking and spam [Barbara Volkle and Steve Moore ] 2 Feb Royalston Siskins [chris buelow ] 02 Feb turkeys displaying, normal yard birds [Alan Bostick ] 02 Feb CT Report 02/01/2012 [Roy Harvey ] 02 Feb Cape Ann 2/1/2012 [Barbara Volkle and Steve Moore ] 2 Feb Re: Blacked Headed Gulls [Mary Keleher ] 1 Feb Fw: eBird Report - Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit, Feb 1, 2012 [Baggy Katt ] 01 Feb Chestnut Hill Res Waterfowl [Peter De Gennaro ] 1 Feb Snowy Owl Help @ Plum Island Tomorrow [Justin Lawson ] 1 Feb Ashburnham 2/1 [Caronenv ] 1 Feb Re: MORE ON ALDEN SCAM [Dan ] 1 Feb Bird-related Apps [Dougie Peebles ] 1 Feb minor addendum to the 'hack' thread [] 01 Feb Feb 1, Plum Is, 3 Unexpected Passerines at Stage [Thomas Wetmore ] 1 Feb Peter Alden SCAM ["a.e. strauss" ] 1 Feb Blacked Headed Gulls [Richard Sisal ] 1 Feb Blue Jays in Boston, but not in Concord [Mary Small ] 1 Feb MORE ON ALDEN SCAM ["a.e. strauss" ] 01 Feb Bluejays & acorns, Hubbardston ["Wendy Howes" ] 1 Feb South Natick & Wellesley Owls [] 1 Feb Redheads, Rough-leg, Plum Island [] 01 Feb Haverhill waterbirds (Canvasback, Coot) [Steve Mirick ] 1 Feb American Woodcock IRWS ["Scott Santino" ] 01 Feb Newburyport, Hampton Beach, Salisbury - 02-01-12 ["David K. Weaver" ] 1 Feb Possible Orange Crowned Warbler [Donna Marchant ] 1 Feb Fw: eBird Report - BHI--Deer Island, Feb 1, 2012 [Paul Peterson ] 01 Feb 2/1 Duxbury Beach - Merlins on the move? [Rick Bowes ] 1 Feb Blue jay ["Malcolm T. Hill, Jr." ] 1 Feb Re: Awful Trip - Peter Alden [Joshua Rose ] 01 Feb Re: Awful Trip - Peter Alden [Bill Principe ] Subject: Dowitchers; Harwich Marshes, Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Thurs., 2 February 2012. From: Richard Heil <rsheil AT comcast.net> Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:02:10 -0500 THURSDAY, 2 FEBRUARY 2012: HARWICH MARSHES, CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS (1015-1210 hrs.) Weather: Overcast, NE winds 5-12 mph, 41 F.; all water open; no snow cover. Richard S. Heil Canada Goose (17) Mute Swan (2) Gadwall (11) American Black Duck (110) Mallard (13) Lesser Scaup (2) Bufflehead (41) Common Goldeneye (1) Hooded Merganser (3f.) Great Blue Heron (5) Red-tailed Hawk (1 ad.) Virginia Rail (2) American Coot (1) GREATER YELLOWLEGS (5) SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (1) : Originally discovered by Blair Nikula back in December and present since. This is the first record of over wintering in Massachusetts for either species. Although Long-billed Dowitcher lingers with some regularity into December, most Short-billed's are gone by early October, making this record particularly noteworthy. Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsheil/6813739811/in/photostream , http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsheil/6813248845/in/photostream ... and video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsheil/6813775357/in/photostream . See more photos, and identification notes in the captions, at my flicker site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsheil/sets/72157629160135999/detail/ LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER (1) : Originally discovered by Blair Nikula back in December and present since. This is the first record of over wintering in Massachusetts for either species. Although Long-billed Dowitcher lingers with some regularity into December. Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsheil/6813205411/in/photostream , http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsheil/6813205571/in/photostream , http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsheil/6813638199/in/photostream . Ring-billed Gull (4) Herring Gull (12) Great Black-backed Gull (2) Belted Kingfisher (2) Downy Woodpecker (1) Northern Flicker (1) American Crow (57) Black-capped Chickadee (22) Tufted Titmouse (4) Red-breasted Nuthatch (1) White-breasted Nuthatch (4) Brown Creeper (2) Carolina Wren (2) Swamp Sparrow (4) American Goldfinch (5) Richard S. Heil S. Peabody, MA rsheil AT comcast.net http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsheil/?saved=1 Subject: Redpolls....Not From: "Peter Trull" <petrull AT comcast.net> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 17:29:45 -0500 Massbirders, Ed Hoopes asked me today if my Redpolls are still at my feeders......I said "WHAT"? I guess I hit the wrong "Goldfinch" button on e-bird...No Redpolls here, sorry. Peter trull Brewster, MA petrull AT comcast.net Subject: Plum Island -2/3/11 From: "Eric" <elabato AT verizon.net> Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:25:09 -0500 I went out to Parker River Refuge on Plum Island today. Highlights were 2 Snowy Owls and a Northern Shrike. The complete species list is below. Horned Grebe Mute Swan Canada Goose Black Duck Gadwall Mallard Northern Pintail White-winged Scoter Long-tailed Duck Common Eider Lesser Scaup Common Goldeneye Bufflehead Red-breasted Merganser Hooded Merganser - 1 female AT Stage Island Herring Gull Sanderling Northern Harrier - 3 Rough-legged Hawk - 1 AT Cross Hill and 1 AT Stage - may have been same bird SNOWY OWL - 2 - 1 far out in marsh just south of Lot 5, the other in the dunes next to the Lot 3 boardwalk American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Northern Mockingbird American Robin NORTHERN SHRIKE - 1 in field between Hellcat Lot and Bill Forward Blind Tree Sparrow Song Sparrow For no particular reason I've pasted my email exchange with the fake Peter Alden scammer below. I haven't heard from him since I sent him a second bogus Money Transfer Control number. Maybe he finally caught on. Enjoy. I really appreciate your effort in ensuring that I get out of this mess.However I just returned from the western union cash point and I Was told that the MTCN number you sent to me is invalid.Please I want you to check the number again and get back to me with the valid confirmation number.I hope to hear from you soon. -----Original Message----- From: Eric l To: Peter Alden Sent: Fri, Feb 3, 2012 12:27 am Subject: Re: Awful Trip Don't worry about it Pete, I know you're good for the money. I just went out to the Western Union Office and wired you the $1280.00 I believe you will need this Money Transfer Control Number to claim it. 0009643875 If you have any more trouble let me know. I'll see you when you get home. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Peter Alden To: "eric6464642000 AT yahoo.com" Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2012 1:14 AM Subject: Re: Awful Trip Glad you replied back, I still need help, I have nothing left on me right now and I am lucky to have my life and passports with me it would have been worst if they had made away with me passports. Well all I need now is just 1,280 or anything you can afford you can have it wired to my name via Western Union i'll have to show my passport as ID to pick it up here and i promise to pay you back as soon as I get back home. Here's my info below Name: Peter Alden State: London W4 5RY Country: United Kingdom As soon as it has been done, kindly get back to me with the confirmation number. Let me know if you are heading to the WU outlet now ??? Peter Alden -----Original Message----- From: Eric l To: Peter Alden Sent: Thu, Feb 2, 2012 1:37 am Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] Awful Trip Peter: I just got home from work and read your email. That is terrible. What can I do to help? Subject: Wrentham addaendum: @ T.V.'s From: maurice.gilmore AT comcast.net Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 21:12:25 +0000 (UTC) Hi Folks, Fortgot the two Turkey Vultures flying treetop height down the field behind the stump dump in Wrentham, at about 11 AM. Pete Gilmore Newton, MA maurice.gilmore AT comcast.net Subject: Wrentham birding, Feb. 3 From: maurice.gilmore AT comcast.net Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 20:18:25 +0000 (UTC) Hi Folks, Paul Sullivan, Bobby Greene and I walked around Eric LoPresti's area. Not a lot of birds in most locations. A nice adult Bald Eagle over Lake Pearl. A resident told us a pair has been around for several weeks. Mallards and Canada Geese here. A flock of 8 or 10 Bluebirds around the front of the Composting area. A pair of Red-tailed Hawks soaring there. At the Model Airplane Field, where someone throws seed and maintains a suet feeder were: 2 Downy Woodpeckers 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker Chickadees Tufted Titmice 2 White-breastd Nuthatches 1 Carolina wren 4 Song Sparrows 1 Tree sparrow Dark-eyed juncos Pete Gilmore Newton, MA maurice.gilmore AT comcast.net Subject: RE: Coopers Hawk From: Jonathan Giacomini <rg9403 AT verizon.net> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 14:48:14 -0500 Found and removed a recently deceased Coopers Hawk from the highway near 90 and 95 today. He's better off not becoming a pancake. -Jonathan Giacomini Boston MA Subject: pelagic tomorrow From: DLSaint AT aol.com Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 14:15:32 -0500 (EST) Birders, Carlos Pedro and I and a few others are going on the cod boat tomorrow., It leaves at 5 AM from Galilee, RI _www.francesfleet.com_ (http://www.francesfleet.com) Pay half fishing fare. Return is about 3:30. We will see DOVEKIE, COMMON MURRE, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, plus hoped for NORTHERN FULMAR or others. Jan St.Jean Chepachet, RI Subject: pelagic tomorrow, you will see DOVEKIE From: DLSaint AT aol.com Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 14:15:32 -0500 (EST) Birders, Carlos Pedro and I and a few others are going on the cod boat tomorrow., It leaves at 5 AM from Galilee, RI _www.francesfleet.com_ (http://www.francesfleet.com/) Pay half fishing fare. Return is about 3:30. We will see DOVEKIE, COMMON MURRE, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, plus hoped for NORTHERN FULMAR or others. Jan St.Jean Chepachet, RI Subject: Spotted Towhee, Rockport From: Bird Watchers Supply & Gift <birdwsg AT comcast.net> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 17:25:49 +0000 (UTC) Oakes Spaulding called the store at 12:10 to report that Herman d'Entremont spotted the Spotted Towhee on Eden Road in Rockport. Barrett Bacall for SG Steve Grinley Bird Watcher's Supply & Gift and Nature Shop at Joppa Flats Newburyport, MA USA REPLY TO: BirdWSG AT verizon.net 978-462-0775 www.birdwatcherssupplyandgift.com Subject: tower rules From: Anthony Hill <anhinga13 AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 12:33:05 -0500 I expect the word should be 'siting', not 'sitting'. Much as feel strongly about these issues, I'm way too much of an acrophobic to climb a tower to wave the birds away . . . Anthony Hill S. Hadley, MA Subject: Fwd: Fish Crows In Watertown and Surrounding Towns From: Cliff Cook <ccook13 AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:41:22 -0500 I forgot to properly sign my message! Cliff Cook Watertown ccook13 AT gmail.com ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Cliff Cook Date: Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 8:37 AM Subject: Fish Crows In Watertown and Surrounding Towns To: Massbird I've been reading the Fish Crow emails with interest.  We usually have them around Watertown this time of year.  We live near the Charles and often hear them overhead.  They also nested in our neighborhood in the past.  This year I have not or heard a single one anywhere in Cambridge, Watertown, Waltham, Belmont or Lexington.  Notably, they are absent from their usual haunt behind the River Street Star Market, where a White Fronted Goose hung around in years past. Now, I have not been out actively birding that much lately, but this is a species I expect to encounter as I carry out my errands and go for walks. Are others finding them so scarce hereabouts?  Are there any at Mt Auburn? There have been very few American Crows in the area as well, but at least there have been some.  The regional Crow roost was near us, along the Charles, a couple years ago, but I don't think this is a matter of the roost site shifting.  The birds are just gone.  I've seen more Coopers Hawks (4 sightings of 3 individuals) than I have Fish Crows this winter. Cliff -- Cliff >> ccook13 AT gmail.com Subject: New FCC rules to protect birds From: Bill Principe <birding AT charter.net> Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:33:06 -0500 Birders should be interested in these new FCC rules designed to protect birds. Bill Principe Ayer MA <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> RADIO LAW: NEW TOWER RULES FOR THE BIRDS The FCC's new rules affecting tower sitting for certain tall towers, meant to protect migratory birds, have been published in the Federal Register. However, they have not yet become effective. Some aspects of the new rules adopted in December need approval by the Office of Management and Budget. The FCC will publish a subsequent notice in the Federal Register announcing the effective date. To recap, towers above 450 feet tall will face more analysis. Owners will need to do an environmental assessment and allow the public time to comment on where a new tower would be placed before construction accomplishing this through methods such as a newspaper notice or local zoning public notice process. An environmental notice will also be required if an applicant changes the lighting of an existing tower to a less preferred style. You can see these new bird safety tower rules at tinyurl.com/tower-birds-two. (FCC) Subject: California Gull - Jodrey Fish Pier From: anhinga AT verizon.net Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 16:06:33 +0000 Hi MassBirders - Eddie Giles, Mark Burns, and I have the great fortune to be birding with Greg Miller today, before his BBC lecture tonight at the Bedford Middle School. While birding the Jodrey Fish Pier in Gloucester, Eddie picked out a gull with a dark eye and red orbital ring and Greg noted its red and black spot on the lower mandible. The adult California Gull was seen at the pier behind the fish processing building at 10:50am. Laura de la Flor Salem, MA Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Subject: Fish Crows In Watertown and Surrounding Towns From: Cliff Cook <ccook13 AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 08:37:40 -0500 I've been reading the Fish Crow emails with interest. We usually have them around Watertown this time of year. We live near the Charles and often hear and them overhead. They also nested in our neighborhood in the past. This year I have not or heard a single one anywhere in Cambridge, Watertown, Waltham, Belmont or Lexington. Notably, they are absent from their usual haunt behind the River Street Star Market, where a White Fronted Goose hung around in years past. Now, I have not been out actively birding that much lately, but this is a species I expect to encounter as I carry out my errands and go for walks. Are others finding them so scarce hereabouts? Are there any at Mt Auburn? There have been very few American Crows in the area as well, but at least there have been some. The regional Crow roost was near us, along the Charles, a couple years ago, but I don't think this is a matter of the roost site shifting. The birds are just gone. I've seen more Coopers Hawks (4 sightings of 3 individuals) than I have Fish Crows this winter. Cliff Subject: Essex County Ornithological Club - February 10, 2012 Meeting - Birding Columbia with Jan Smith From: ECOC Mail <ecocmail AT comcast.net> Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:21:44 -0500 *Friday, Feb. 10, 7:45 pm* /Birding Columbia/ /Plus ECOC meeting, 7:30-7:45 pm/// Expert birder, Jan Smith, recounts his 2010 birding trip to Columbia where he saw many endemic species during a nearly 4-week-long tour.Long regarded as a mecca for birders because it has the longest species list in the world and many endemics, Columbia has been largely off-limits to birders for decades due to violence.Over the past 5 years, however, conditions have steadily improved and the countryside is now considered as safe as anywhere in South American for birding, and Columbia has made a commitment to preserving its incredible natural resources./Co-sponsored by PEM./Free and open to the public. /Morse Auditorium//,////Peabody Essex Museum, Salem.// / The Peabody Essex Museum is located at the corner of Essex St. and Liberty St., in downtown Salem, MA.Both Morse Auditorium and Bartlett Gallery are in the main museum building.*Note: if severe weather is forecast, please call 978-745-1876 to confirm that the ECOC event is still on.* -- Phil Brown Essex, MA 01929 ecocmail AT comcast.net Webmaster for The Essex County Ornithological Club Subject: Everyone else found Fish Crows! From: Goshawk3 AT aol.com Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 07:06:38 -0500 (EST) Thanks to everyone for all the replies. It looks like Fish Crows are doing fine everywhere but Mansfield, so my conclusion is that the Mansfield group probably left for a while for better pickins'. They'll probably be back in the spring. Can't live on garbage alone, perhaps? Denise Cabral goshawk3 AT aol.com Subject: CT Report 02/02/2012 Harris's Sp, YT Warb From: Roy Harvey <rmharvey AT snet.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:25:33 -0500 From Arie Gilbert with Mike Perko: 02/02/12 - Madison -- Yellow-throated Warbler continues. Levanon -- Harris's Sparrow continues. Near Norwich -- albino Turkey Vulture. From Donna Caporaso: 02/02/12 - Stratford -- Little Blue Heron sitting on rock in the pond on the corner of Surf Avenue and Lordship Boulevard. From Frank Gallo: 02/02/12 - New Haven, East Rock Park -- Northern Rough-winged Swallow continues. West Haven, boat ramp -- 2 male Redhead, 1 Eurasian Wigeon, 40 Lesser Scaup. The Redheads and Wigeon (at least) were in close to the pilings. From Tina Green: 02/02/12 - Stratford, Long Beach, Corner of Fifth Ave & Shoreline Drive -- Iceland Gull at 2:56pm. ********************************************************************** This CTDailyReport list is sponsored by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA). It is primarily meant to meet the informational needs of the active CT birder. Any other use requires written authorization from the board of directors of the COA. ********************************************************************** Visit the COA web site at http://www.ctbirding.org Reports should be sent to CTBirdReport AT ftml.net. Reports should include sender's name, date, location of sightings and species of note at each location. Reporting Guidelines are available at: http://www.ctbirding.org/ecommittee.htm#reporting To change your subscription options, or unsubscribe, please visit http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctdailyreport_lists.ctbirding.org Archives of these reports may be found at either of these locations: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CTDY.html http://lists.ctbirding.org/pipermail/ctdailyreport_lists.ctbirding.org/ Subject: Looking For A Fun Way To Spend Friday Evening...? From: Eddie <emgiles62 AT comcast.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:40:29 -0500 Join us Friday, February 3, 2012 at 7:30 PM, for our annual winter meeting at the Bedford Middle School Auditorium, McMahon Road, Bedford, Massachusetts. A social hour and light refreshments will begin at 6:30 PM. Our speaker for the evening will be Mr. Greg Miller. In 1998, Greg zigzagged across the continent to try to see as many species of birds in one calendar year as possible. It was an incredible experience passing the 700-species mark—an achievement many birders aspire to in an entire lifetime. But there was competition. Two other birders, Sandy Komito and Al Levantin, also broke the 700-mark that same year. Greg will entertain us with tales from that competitive experience, as well as stories of growing up as a birder, listing and how he came to do a big year. He will also discuss Mark Obmascik's book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession and working on the 2011 20th Century Fox filmThe Big Year and his experience on the set with Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson. Greg will be joining us for the social hour! He's looking forward to meeting Club members, posing for pictures and signing autographs! If you haven't been to a BBC meeting in a few years, you DON'T want to miss THIS meeting!! Members and guests are cordially invited. Admission and parking are free. For directions go to: . Please bring your used binoculars and other biding equipment for the Birders' Exchange. For information about the Birders' Exchange, check out their website at . We invite you to join the BBC or renew your annual membership at our meeting. See you there! Cordially, Eddie ************************************* Edward M. Giles, president Brookline Bird Club, Inc. http://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/ egiles AT brooklinebirdclub.org Subject: Fish Crows From: Al Curtis <killdeer89 AT comcast.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:47:54 -0500 I was at the Dunkin Donuts at the Sagamore Bridge yesterday and when I exited the store, there was a small gang of FICR raiding the trash receptacles. After I got in my car, I could see two of the culprits reflected in the plate glass window ON TOP of my car! Al >We've all been noting the missing Blue Jays so much, but I've >noticed this winter that the colony of Fish Crows that used to hang >out near the Mansfield Post Office all the time is missing in >action. I haven't seen or heard them since last summer. I also note >that I have not seen Fish Crow listed on any Massbird posts in a >long time. I have seen American Crows around here, but no Ravens, >either, though that's not unexpected. >I am also missing the usual Carolina Wrens around my house in West >Bridgewater. Lots of people are seeing Carolina wrens, though, so >ours must have moved or been eaten by something. >Observations, fellow birders? Seen any Fish Crows? >Good birding, and watch out for phish, >Denise Cabral >Walnut St., West Bridgewater >goshawk3 AT aol.com Al Curtis Harwich, MA Subject: Voting is now open for the Superbowl of Birding Best Team-In-Action Photo Contest From: don crockett <doncrockett63 AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 20:49:18 -0500 Voting is now open for the Superbowl of Birding Best Team-In-Action Photo Contest! To vote for your favorite photo visit: http://www.greatblue.com/superbowlofbirdingphotocontest to see a gallery of the 6 team photos that were submitted to the contest. Click any of the images and then use your left and right arrow keys to step through all the photos. Once you have decided on a favorite you can submit a vote for it by: 1) displaying the full-sized photo, 2) clicking on the "Vote As The Best" link that appears just below the photo, and then 3) following the directions on the page that appears. Vote and then encourage your friends to vote! Rules: Only one vote per person. You do not need to have been a Superbowl team member to vote. People that share an email address with someone else can submit votes with the same email address as long as the name is different. Email addresses will be pinged to see that they are valid. Any votes that seem suspicious will be eliminated. Voting is open until 5:00pm Friday, February 3rd. The winning team photo will be announced at the Brookline Bird Club (BBC) Winter Meeting that starts at 7:00pm on Friday, February 3rd at the Bedford High School. Check the BBC web site for details (http://www.brooklinebirdclub.org). Results will be made available at http://www.greatblue.com/superbowlofbirdingphotocontest after the BBC Winter Meeting announcement. - - - - - Don Crockett Great Blue Virtual Tours - Coming Soon! Road Trip 2012 - We're in New Britain, CT Subject: Re: Seen any Fish Crows? From: "Stuart Walker" <stuarttwalker AT comcast.net> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 21:22:17 -0500 As Marshall noted, Fish Crows are common in the Mattapan section of Boston (Franklin Field, parts of Franklin Park, the Boston Nature Center, and some of the shopping complexes along American Legion Highway.) They might be outriders of the W Roxbury roost Andrew Joslin mentioned. I have a pair of Carolina Wrens regularly visiting my feeders, but have only seen one Blue Jay - and that was only for a few minutes. The House Sparrows continue to be flummoxed by my homemade "halo" contraption (third year in a row) - as usual, one bird out of about 40 manages to figure it out, but they are so skittish that it flies off within moments. The Cackling Goose disappeared with the snowfall a week or two ago, has anyone noticed if it has returned? Stuart Walker JP stuarttwalker AT comcast.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Goshawk3 AT aol.com To: massbird AT TheWorld.com Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2012 9:38 AM Subject: [MASSBIRD] Seen any Fish Crows? We've all been noting the missing Blue Jays so much, but I've noticed this winter that the colony of Fish Crows that used to hang out near the Mansfield Post Office all the time is missing in action. I haven't seen or heard them since last summer. I also note that I have not seen Fish Crow listed on any Massbird posts in a long time. I have seen American Crows around here, but no Ravens, either, though that's not unexpected. I am also missing the usual Carolina Wrens around my house in West Bridgewater. Lots of people are seeing Carolina wrens, though, so ours must have moved or been eaten by something. Observations, fellow birders? Seen any Fish Crows? Good birding, and watch out for phish, Denise Cabral Walnut St., West Bridgewater goshawk3 AT aol.com Subject: Pete Dunne | BirdCallsRadio next guest From: Mardi Dickinson <mardi1 AT optonline.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:18:36 -0500 Birders et al, BirdCallsRadio next guest is Pete Dunne, Chief Communications Officer of New Jersey Audubon and Director of the Cape May Bird Observatory, Pete Dunne uses his talents and energy to make the natural world real for others. Coming up this Sunday from 1 to 2 p.m. on 1490 WGCHAM http://birdcallsradio.com/2012/02/02/pete-dunne-is-next-guest-on-bird-calls-radio/ and WORLDWIDE INTERNET STREAMING on Listen Live on BirdCallsRadio.com BirdCallsRadio Show Blog: http://birdcallsradio.com/ Follow us on Twitter:http://twitter.com/#!/BirdCallsRadio Like us on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/BirdCallsRadio Subject: Voting is ON! Super Bowl Team Photos From: Beth Milke <saw-whet AT charter.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:11:07 -0500 The photos are up on the website now. You can vote until 5pm tomorrow (Friday). http://www.greatblue.com/superbowlofbirdingphotocontest/ Beth Milke Uxbridge MA Subject: Voting is ON! Super Bowl Team Photos From: veery AT charter.net Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:24:50 -0500 The photos are up on the website now. You can vote until 5pm tomorrow (Friday). http://www.greatblue.com/superbowlofbirdingphotocontest/ Beth Milke Uxbridge MA Subject: Re: MORE ON ALDEN SCAM From: "Eric" <elabato AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:37:49 -0500 I just sent our good friend in the United Kingdom an email telling him I'd wired the $1280.00 along with a fake Money Transfer Control Number. I hope he has a fun time trying to claim it at the Western Union Office. I'll try to do a post that's actually about birds tomorrow. Eric Labato Malden, MA elabato AT verizon.net Subject: Wrentham featured in Dec. Bird Observer From: "Jim Berry" <jim.berry3 AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:06:17 -0500 Those of you who subscribe to Bird Observer know that Eric wrote up Wrentham in winter for our latest "where to go birding" article in the recent December issue. You should also check out Eric's blog, which has photos of his bird-banding activities in Chile. Jim Berry Ipswich, Mass. jim.berry3 AT verizon.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric LoPresti" To: Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2012 1:41 PM Subject: [MASSBIRD] Pine Warbler, Wrentham plus notes > Poked around Wrentham for about an hour today, with the only bird of real > note being a nice Pine Warbler foraging on the ground with Bluebirds near > the corner of the compost facility. No rusties were in evidence at the > model airplane field, though two male red-wings were feeding on suet > there. > > Area notes: > 1) The stump dump area parking lot is "no trespassing". This pertains to > the football field area (though there is access from a hundred other > directions, and people were walking their dogs there). The stump dump area > is still ok to bird (nothing there today), it can be accessed by a road > from the parking area on Finch Road (another 50 yards down North Street). > 2) They ripped up a little bit of nicer habitat at the Bill Rice complex > to > build something (I am yet sure what it is), but there was not much > around - > though a Red-tail was keeping watch, so smaller birds may have been laying > low. > 3) The usual Pine Warbler spot in the State School (near the dog park) had > nothing and the birdfeeder that had been there for the past few winters > was > absent. I did not have time to check all the thickets, but there is some > good habitat - including a new garden area on Finch road, which would > probably be worth checking for sparrows in the fall. > > Overall abnormally low bird numbers for winter, though perhaps they are > just better spread out than normal. > > A pic of the warbler here: > http://naturalmusing.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-birds-rima.html . I > don't know if this is a good winter for pines in MA or not, as I have been > gone, but I think any in February are worthy of note. > > Best, > Eric LoPresti > Wrentham, MA > Subject: Fw: eBird Report - Forest Hills Cemetery, Feb 2, 2012 From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63 AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 14:47:56 -0800 (PST) ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "do-not-reply AT ebird.org" To: petersonpaul63 AT yahoo.com Cc: Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2012 5:43 PM Subject: eBird Report - Forest Hills Cemetery, Feb 2, 2012 Forest Hills Cemetery, Suffolk, US-MA Feb 2, 2012 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM Protocol: Traveling 2.0 mile(s) Comments:    A Merlin whizzing by, four Red-tailed Hawks, 20 Fish Crows, a Common Grackle, 47 American Goldfinch, and 3 Northern Flickers were the highlights today at this beautiful cemetery. There were two men with the Asian Longhorn Beetle Project scanning the majestic oaks and white pines with binoculars for signs of the pestiferous pests.(One-and-one-half years ago, six trees on the grounds of the nearby Faulkner Hospital had to be removed due to infestation. Since then, no sign of these pests has been found within a mile and a half radius. So far so good) 27 species Canada Goose  36 Red-tailed Hawk  4    Three adults seen at one time, and also there was an imm. Later, two adults were seen together on the same branch. One was mantling its Gray Squirrel kill(wings and tail spread open, back to its presumed mate) so its mate couldn't get any. All the while, Mr. or Ms. Stingy was making constant, high, squeaky calls. When stingy accidentally dropped its prey onto the ground, its mate flew down and was able to eat the remainder without any intrusion. These were beautiful hawks. I noticed that at least one had a pronounced area of white on the "bridge" of its bill. What this means is a mystery to me. Merlin  1    small falcon with uniformly dark underside whizzed by near Ryan Schain's place of work. Herring Gull  4 Mourning Dove  8 Red-bellied Woodpecker  1 Downy Woodpecker  3 Hairy Woodpecker  2 Northern Flicker  3 Blue Jay  1 American Crow  12 Fish Crow  20 Black-capped Chickadee  21 Tufted Titmouse  2 White-breasted Nuthatch  9 Carolina Wren  1 American Robin  22 Northern Mockingbird  1 European Starling  80 Song Sparrow  1 White-throated Sparrow  5 Dark-eyed Junco  35 Northern Cardinal  2 Common Grackle  1    flyover, with long tail-calling House Finch  6 American Goldfinch  47    minimum-feeding in tree-impressive numbers House Sparrow  X This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org) Subject: Willowdale S. F. (east), Ipswich, Feb 2, 2012 From: "Jim Berry" <jim.berry3 AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:29:08 -0500 > Willowdale S. F. (east), Ipswich > Feb 2, 2012 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM > Protocol: Traveling > 3.0 mile(s) > Comments: I birded the eastern section of Willowdale on a raw day and > found almost nothing in 2 1/2 hours--no chickadees, no titmice, no > woodpeckers, no robins, no jays, no goldfinches. Only 4 songbird species! > A pair of ravens was my only compensation. > 7 species > > Canada Goose 1 > Herring Gull 1 flyover > Great Black-backed Gull 2 Apparent pair in the large open beaver pond > off East St. At one point they took off flying around, one carrying nest > material! It's way too early for them to be thinking about nesting, and > this is entirely the wrong habitat. Perhaps this bird was merely > practicing--I don't know what else to think. > American Crow 8 > Common Raven 2 apparent pair; one heard, both seen > White-breasted Nuthatch 1 > Song Sparrow 1 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org) Jim Berry Ipswich, Mass. jim.berry3 AT verizon.net Subject: Fish Crows in Hingham From: Charles Nims <charlie.nims AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 15:45:55 -0500 Re Fish Crows, there were plenty vocalizing at the Hingham dump this morning. Charlie Nims Norwell, MA charlie.nims AT gmail.com Subject: Bald Eagle - Mashpee/Wakeby Pond From: Mary Keleher <maryeak AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 11:56:50 -0800 (PST) This afternoon I spotted an adult Bald Eagle from the Attaquin Beach parking lot at Mashpee/Wakeby Pond. First one I've seen at this location since early December. The flock of 200 or so American Coots continues along with a few Common Goldeneye. No sign of the large flock of Ring-necked Ducks & Lesser Scaup. Mary Keleher, Mashpee, MA Subject: 1/31 Millennium Park quiet day w/ beavers and muskrats From: David Bernstein <davidbbernstein AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:41:44 -0500 Hi Guys! First, I want to thank many of you for your kind words in regards to my photos from my recent trip to Mexico. I am glad so many people enjoyed them, and I am glad no one was too upset about the post being non-MA Bird related. Now, back to MA birding! I took my dog Sophie for a walk for a few hours at Millennium Park on Tuesday. It was a gorgeous day, with mild temperatures, no wind and the Charles River was as still as could be. Surprisingly, the birds were just as quiet as the weather. I literally had to "hunt" for birds. There wasn't even a single bird that was seen flying above the park except for the Fish crow I mention later. There weren't even pigeons at the NStar plant! The first birds I managed to find were a bunch of Mallards in the swampy area in the most Northern part of the park that separates the park from the Gethsemane Cemetery. I also did manage to see and barely photograph 1 beaver in there. I then walked the "hidden trail" that goes to the old beaver dam. In there is where I found almost all the birds for the whole trip: 1 Goldfinch, some Song Sparrows and multiple White-throated sparrows and about 7 Downy Woodpeckers. 1 Fish Crow "cawed" overhead while I was there as well. I truly had to actively search for all these birds. The remainder of the birds were either seen in the same swampy area as the Mallards, but on the West facing side of the path, or around the canoe launch area. Anyway, it has been at least a two months since I had been to Millennium Park and I was shocked to see how much more extensive the beaver damage is now! They are literally felling ALL the trees that line the lower pathway around the park! The damage appears to be much more significant than it was this past summer. I remember being told by someone that the city had gone in and destroyed the beaver dam at some point, and I wonder if this was a big mistake? By doing this, it appears the the beavers have now had to recut all the wood that they need to rebuild the dam, and therefore are destroying more of the land than they would have if the city had just let the dam stay. I could very well be wrong about this, but it was just a theory I thought of. Also of note were at least 3 muskrats in the streams around the lower path. Hopefully the beavers won't destroy too much more of the park because it really is a wonderful place. I love that the beavers are there, and I understand that they are just doing what they do, but the more trees they fell, the less trees there are for birds and other wildlife. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week! Complete checklist attached below. Best, David Bernstein West Roxbury Millennium Park, Suffolk, US-MA Jan 31, 2012 2:45 PM - 4:45 PM Protocol: Traveling 1.0 mile(s) Comments: took Sophie for a walk 12 species Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 17 Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 3 in water in front of high school American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 3 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 15 Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 8 Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) 1 American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 4 American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea) 13 Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 4 White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 7 Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) (Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis) 9 (seen from lowest path about 30 yards deep in west-facing part of "swamp" near Gethsemane Cemetary) American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 1 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 Subject: more images to check out From: Sandy Selesky <sandyselesky AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 14:17:03 -0500 Anyone wishing to see favorite images of mine from the fall and winter (including the Hudsonian Godwit, a snowy owl from Crane Beach and the dark one from Parker River NWR, the Townsend's warbler, the Canvasback from Cherry Hill, and the King Eider), check out the last gallery on my web site (if it doesn't come up automatically) at: www.pbase.com/sandylynn/fall_winter_20112012 (this is the last gallery of many galleries on my web site) Also, does anyone know if the Cape May warbler is still being seen at Odiorne State Park in Rye? I was thinking of going up Saturday. I can be reached at sandyselesky AT gmail.com Thanks, Sandy Selesky Westford, MA Subject: Pine Warbler, Wrentham plus notes From: Eric LoPresti <lopresti.eric AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:41:20 -0500 Poked around Wrentham for about an hour today, with the only bird of real note being a nice Pine Warbler foraging on the ground with Bluebirds near the corner of the compost facility. No rusties were in evidence at the model airplane field, though two male red-wings were feeding on suet there. Area notes: 1) The stump dump area parking lot is "no trespassing". This pertains to the football field area (though there is access from a hundred other directions, and people were walking their dogs there). The stump dump area is still ok to bird (nothing there today), it can be accessed by a road from the parking area on Finch Road (another 50 yards down North Street). 2) They ripped up a little bit of nicer habitat at the Bill Rice complex to build something (I am yet sure what it is), but there was not much around - though a Red-tail was keeping watch, so smaller birds may have been laying low. 3) The usual Pine Warbler spot in the State School (near the dog park) had nothing and the birdfeeder that had been there for the past few winters was absent. I did not have time to check all the thickets, but there is some good habitat - including a new garden area on Finch road, which would probably be worth checking for sparrows in the fall. Overall abnormally low bird numbers for winter, though perhaps they are just better spread out than normal. A pic of the warbler here: http://naturalmusing.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-birds-rima.html . I don't know if this is a good winter for pines in MA or not, as I have been gone, but I think any in February are worthy of note. Best, Eric LoPresti Wrentham, MA Subject: Re: Blue Jays in SE Massachusetts From: Marshall Iliff <miliff AT aol.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 13:24:08 -0500 All, eBird really shines in capturing the large-scale patterns in common birds. I am a bit late to the party on this discussion, but the line graphs in eBird are a great way to compare year-to-year patterns. From this, the January frequency of Blue Jays is much reduced from any of the past 5 years. Based on eBird frequency, Blue Jays are about half as widespread (frequency is a measure of percentage of checklists reporting the species) this year: *http://tinyurl.com/7nopyp3* Click on the other tabs to see how abundance and other metrics show Blue Jay occurrence. The average count is not quite as far off, suggesting that, when found (at food sources, like feeders?), group size for Blue Jay is comparable to past years. We can go even deeper and look regionally. Here is the same information for just the five coastal MA counties, where frequency is less than half, and sometimes closer to 35-40% of the frequency over the last 4 years: *http://tinyurl.com/78fuvsl* And here is the same info for Massachusetts' five westernmost counties, which shows a low year, but not nearly as drastic a difference and not necessarily far off the other four years, with the exception of 2008 which had obviously elevated frequency. *http://tinyurl.com/8xqgb69* You can play with this data however you choose, and it is all drawing off the aggregated submissions by birders like you. Let us know what you find! Fish Crow has been discussed recently too, and for species as rare and local as Fish Crow, the activities of one birder can have a drastic effect on some of the metrics (not frequency as much as average count etc.). In this case, a number of folks were visiting Franklin Field (=Harambee Park) this fall to see the Cackling Goose. Since that area is near the center of Fish Crow abundance for Boston, with a regular flock of 200+ in the area, the counts and frequency data may have been skewed somewhat. Fish Crow data are here: *http://tinyurl.com/7ow54aq* These types of biases are why we used advanced modeling (to account for spatial and temporal biases) to work with eBird data at more advanced levels. See: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/home/birding-news-and-features/about/occurrence-maps Best, Marshall Iliff eBird Project Leader On Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 6:10 PM, Christopher Dalton < christopher.m.dalton AT gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Massbirders, > > I am sure the ebird masters could (and maybe will) present a much cooler, > more rigorous and detailed analysis, but curious users can compare Jan 2012 > to Jan 2011 for Blue Jays in the explore data tab map section ( > http://ebird.org/ebird/map/). By typing in Blue Jay, zooming in to > Massachusetts then limiting the date to January to January, current year or > 2011 (toggle back and forth between the two), it looks like the main drop > off in Blue Jay frequency is in SE Massachusetts with no obvious change in > central or western MA. > > Doesn't say much about the cause of the shift but may corroborate that > folks in the central and western part of the state aren't seeing much > change while those in RI and SE MA are... > > Good real birding! > > Chris Dalton > Ithaca, NY formerly Hingham, MA > christophermdalton(AT)gmail.com > > > -- **************************** Marshall J. Iliff miliff AT aol.com West Roxbury, MA **************************** eBird/AKN Project Leader www.ebird.org www.avianknowledge.net Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ithaca, NY **************************** Subject: Re: Seen Any Fish Crows? From: RonC8 AT aol.com Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 12:23:27 -0500 (EST) I have the answer for the new location of the Fish Crows: Framingham! For many years a large flock of American Crows has roosted in the Rt.9 Shopper's World area, with another flock occupying downtown Framingham. The Logan Express bus stop at Shopper's World was always a reliable place to find a few Fish Crows, maybe ten at any one time, but starting about three years ago their numbers started to increase and remarkably this year they outnumber the Americans. On any given morning at 7:00 am in the parking lot of Walmart all of the large black birds there sound like they came from the Bronx! The same thing has happened to the downtown flock. I leave it to the experts to explain why Framingham has become the Cancun for Fish Crows. Ron Crissman RonC8 AT aol.com Framingham, MA Subject: Snowy on plum island From: Zach Schwartz-Weinstein <zachsw AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 12:10:31 -0500 Currently (12:10) seeing a snowy owl on the hellcat dike road south of the tower Zach Schwartz-Weinstein Jamaica Plain zachsw AT gmail.com Subject: Re: Seen any Fish Crows? From: Andrew Joslin <andrew AT natureclimber.com> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:54:07 -0500 There are plus 300 fish crow appearing nightly at the West Roxbury crow roost. Speaking of which last weekend driving through Waterbury, Connecticut on Rt. 84 at sunset there was a MASSIVE crow roost forming on a hardwood covered rise just south of the highway. At a glance the numbers looked reminiscent of the Boston roost in its pre West Nile Virus days of glory 6000+. Definitely worth checking out the spectacle if you happen to find yourself in Waterbury near sunset. Andrew Joslin Jamaica Plain, MA On 2/2/2012 9:38 AM, Goshawk3 AT aol.com wrote: > We've all been noting the missing Blue Jays so much, but I've noticed > this winter that the colony of Fish Crows that used to hang out near > the Mansfield Post Office all the time is missing in action. I > haven't seen or heard them since last summer. I also note that I have > not seen Fish Crow listed on any Massbird posts in a long time. I have > seen American Crows around here, but no Ravens, either, though that's > not unexpected. > I am also missing the usual Carolina Wrens around my house in West > Bridgewater. Lots of people are seeing Carolina wrens, though, so ours > must have moved or been eaten by something. > Observations, fellow birders? Seen any Fish Crows? > Good birding, and watch out for phish, > Denise Cabral > Walnut St., West Bridgewater > goshawk3 AT aol.com Subject: Re: Seen any Fish Crows? From: Donald Wilkinson <singingbirder AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 11:34:11 -0500 I've been hearing a few on Rt. 28 in Reading near the Macdonalds and Walmart . Fairly reliable place. Don Wilkinson Nahant, MA Sent from my iPhone On Feb 2, 2012, at 9:56 AM, "John Galluzzo" wrote: > So funny you should ask - I noted one FISH CROW yesterday as I was walking to my car at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth just after the birth of my son :) > > John Galluzzo > Weymouth, MA > > ________________________________ > > From: massbird-approval AT TheWorld.com on behalf of Goshawk3 AT aol.com > Sent: Thu 2/2/2012 9:38 AM > To: massbird AT TheWorld.com > Subject: [MASSBIRD] Seen any Fish Crows? > > > We've all been noting the missing Blue Jays so much, but I've noticed this winter that the colony of Fish Crows that used to hang out near the Mansfield Post Office all the time is missing in action. I haven't seen or heard them since last summer. I also note that I have not seen Fish Crow listed on any Massbird posts in a long time. I have seen American Crows around here, but no Ravens, either, though that's not unexpected. > > I am also missing the usual Carolina Wrens around my house in West Bridgewater. Lots of people are seeing Carolina wrens, though, so ours must have moved or been eaten by something. > > Observations, fellow birders? Seen any Fish Crows? > > Good birding, and watch out for phish, > > Denise Cabral > Walnut St., West Bridgewater > goshawk3 AT aol.com > Subject: Re: Seen any Fish Crows? From: David <davidbbernstein AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 10:56:51 -0500 Hi Denise and all, I actually had a lone fish crow at Millennium Park in West Roxbury on Tuesday. Thanks to your inquiry I realized I forgot to submit my checklist! Happy Birding, David Bernstein West Roxbury On Feb 2, 2012, at 9:38 AM, Goshawk3 AT aol.com wrote: > We've all been noting the missing Blue Jays so much, but I've noticed this winter that the colony of Fish Crows that used to hang out near the Mansfield Post Office all the time is missing in action. I haven't seen or heard them since last summer. I also note that I have not seen Fish Crow listed on any Massbird posts in a long time. I have seen American Crows around here, but no Ravens, either, though that's not unexpected. > > I am also missing the usual Carolina Wrens around my house in West Bridgewater. Lots of people are seeing Carolina wrens, though, so ours must have moved or been eaten by something. > > Observations, fellow birders? Seen any Fish Crows? > > Good birding, and watch out for phish, > > Denise Cabral > Walnut St., West Bridgewater > goshawk3 AT aol.com Subject: Re: Seen any Fish Crows? From: Gael Hurley <gael19 AT nycap.rr.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 10:48:16 -0500 I heard my first Fish Crow on Sun., in Pittsfield (Berkshire County), seems a little early for this part of Ma. in my experience Gael Hurley Dalton gael19 AT nycap.rr.com Sent from my iPhone On Feb 2, 2012, at 9:38 AM, Goshawk3 AT aol.com wrote: > We've all been noting the missing Blue Jays so much, but I've noticed this winter that the colony of Fish Crows that used to hang out near the Mansfield Post Office all the time is missing in action. I haven't seen or heard them since last summer. I also note that I have not seen Fish Crow listed on any Massbird posts in a long time. I have seen American Crows around here, but no Ravens, either, though that's not unexpected. > > I am also missing the usual Carolina Wrens around my house in West Bridgewater. Lots of people are seeing Carolina wrens, though, so ours must have moved or been eaten by something. > > Observations, fellow birders? Seen any Fish Crows? > > Good birding, and watch out for phish, > > Denise Cabral > Walnut St., West Bridgewater > goshawk3 AT aol.com Subject: Seen any Fish Crows? From: Gene <bigwingboy AT comcast.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:53:41 -0500 There are about two dozen Fish Crow hanging out here at Plymouth Beach, MA. Gene Harriman Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA bigwingboyatcomcastdotnet Subject: Re: Seen any Fish Crows? From: Eddie <emgiles62 AT comcast.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:53:49 -0500 Corvus O. Galluzzo - it's got a nice ring to it... Congratulations, John! Eddie *********************************************** Eddie Giles East Bridgewater, MA emgiles62 AT comcast.net On 2/2/2012 9:56 AM, John Galluzzo wrote: > So funny you should ask - I noted one FISH CROW yesterday as I was walking to my car at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth just after the birth of my son :) > > John Galluzzo > Weymouth, MA > > ________________________________ > > From: massbird-approval AT TheWorld.com on behalf of Goshawk3 AT aol.com > Sent: Thu 2/2/2012 9:38 AM > To: massbird AT TheWorld.com > Subject: [MASSBIRD] Seen any Fish Crows? > > > We've all been noting the missing Blue Jays so much, but I've noticed this winter that the colony of Fish Crows that used to hang out near the Mansfield Post Office all the time is missing in action. I haven't seen or heard them since last summer. I also note that I have not seen Fish Crow listed on any Massbird posts in a long time. I have seen American Crows around here, but no Ravens, either, though that's not unexpected. > > I am also missing the usual Carolina Wrens around my house in West Bridgewater. Lots of people are seeing Carolina wrens, though, so ours must have moved or been eaten by something. > > Observations, fellow birders? Seen any Fish Crows? > > Good birding, and watch out for phish, > > Denise Cabral > Walnut St., West Bridgewater > goshawk3 AT aol.com > > Subject: fish crows From: alice morgan <morgan.alice AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:54:56 -0500 had a couple in Falmouth Jan 28... -- Alice & Dane Morgan Brookline & S. Dartmouth, MA Subject: RE: Seen any Fish Crows? From: "John Galluzzo" <jgalluzzo AT massaudubon.org> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:56:53 -0500 So funny you should ask - I noted one FISH CROW yesterday as I was walking to my car at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth just after the birth of my son :) John Galluzzo Weymouth, MA ________________________________ From: massbird-approval AT TheWorld.com on behalf of Goshawk3 AT aol.com Sent: Thu 2/2/2012 9:38 AM To: massbird AT TheWorld.com Subject: [MASSBIRD] Seen any Fish Crows? We've all been noting the missing Blue Jays so much, but I've noticed this winter that the colony of Fish Crows that used to hang out near the Mansfield Post Office all the time is missing in action. I haven't seen or heard them since last summer. I also note that I have not seen Fish Crow listed on any Massbird posts in a long time. I have seen American Crows around here, but no Ravens, either, though that's not unexpected. I am also missing the usual Carolina Wrens around my house in West Bridgewater. Lots of people are seeing Carolina wrens, though, so ours must have moved or been eaten by something. Observations, fellow birders? Seen any Fish Crows? Good birding, and watch out for phish, Denise Cabral Walnut St., West Bridgewater goshawk3 AT aol.com Subject: Seen any Fish Crows? From: Goshawk3 AT aol.com Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:38:17 -0500 (EST) We've all been noting the missing Blue Jays so much, but I've noticed this winter that the colony of Fish Crows that used to hang out near the Mansfield Post Office all the time is missing in action. I haven't seen or heard them since last summer. I also note that I have not seen Fish Crow listed on any Massbird posts in a long time. I have seen American Crows around here, but no Ravens, either, though that's not unexpected. I am also missing the usual Carolina Wrens around my house in West Bridgewater. Lots of people are seeing Carolina wrens, though, so ours must have moved or been eaten by something. Observations, fellow birders? Seen any Fish Crows? Good birding, and watch out for phish, Denise Cabral Walnut St., West Bridgewater goshawk3 AT aol.com Subject: Gang of Blue Jays in Amesbury From: Felicia Sienkiewicz <fsienkiewicz AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 08:20:02 -0500 Just happened to look out at my feeder - there's a group of 7 of them on the ground eating seed and in/around the birdbath. Just as quickly as they showed up, they disappeared. They were accompanied by a few red-winged blackbirds, which I guess I was surprised to see - did they come back already, or never leave this year? Subject: moderator - hacking and spam From: Barbara Volkle and Steve Moore <barb620 AT TheWorld.com> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:08:55 -0500 Yesterday a poster's account was hacked and an email requesting funds was sent. This is one of an increasing number of incidents seen recently. Thanks to all of you that jumped in and clarified the situation for all. Problems with hacking and viruses arise in two ways. Someone can break into your account, or you can get malware from an email or by clicking on an infected website. From Wikipedia: Malware, short for malicious software, is software (or script or code) designed to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems. It is a general term used to describe any kind of software or code specifically designed to exploit a computer, or the data it contains, without consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, most rootkits, and other malicious programs. Think of virus and firewall protection as prevention. In today's climate, you aren't being responsible if you operate your computer without them. For other devices, use security that is available. What are you waiting for? Here are some simple steps that each of you should take. 1 - Change your passwords. Make them something unique, something only you know, a mix of characters and numbers. Don't use the name of your favorite pastime (birding) or your pet's name, etc. or anything else that is easy to guess! 2 - If you do NOT have virus and firewall protection, get some. Free software is available to use. Download and install it. AVG is a good virus package, Spybot for firewall. Great commercial products are available. 3 - After you have installed and updated your virus protection, run a virus scan on your computer. If you do not update your definitions, the software cannot recognize new threats. 4 - After you have installed and updated your firewall protection, run a firewall scan on your computer. If you do not update your definitions, the software cannot recognize new threats. 5 - Fix any problems that are found. 6 - Notify your contacts if you had a problem, and ask them to take the above steps. THANK YOU for doing your part to combat these troublesome and recurring threats. Good birding! Barbara Volkle, moderator Northborough, MA barb620 AT theworld.com Subject: Royalston Siskins From: chris buelow <dryoptera AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 06:05:32 -0800 (PST) Yesterday morning (2/1) I had a flock of 6 Pine Siskins in a hemlock stand at the north end of Tully Lake in Royalston. Chris Buelow - Hardwick, MA - dryoptera AT yahoo.com Subject: turkeys displaying, normal yard birds From: Alan Bostick <awbostick01 AT verizon.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:59:46 -0500 4 male turkeys displaying in my yard this morning, Seem early, going to be a long spring. 25 female turkeys, ignoring them. 9 mourning doves x juncos x goldfinch 4 tufted titmice x chickadees 7 blue jays 2 downy woodpecker male female 2 white breasted nuthatch Alan Bostick Groton, MA Subject: CT Report 02/01/2012 From: Roy Harvey <rmharvey AT snet.net> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:26:12 -0500 From Annie and Mike Perko: 02/01/12 - Lebanon, Norwich Ave -- Harris's Sparrow seen around 10 AM. From Louise P. Tucker: 02/01/12 - Lebanon, Norwich Ave -- Saw my life Harris's  Sparrow 3 times in the usual spot between approximately noon and 1:15 when I left. Madison, Hammonasset Beach State Park -- 3 Snow Buntings were on Pebble beach close to the marsh just before the land with the bushes rises for the trail. Also a male Common Eider. From Phil Asprelli: 02/01/12 - Madison, Fox Chase Ln -- Yellow-throated Warbler came to feeder at 9:15am and then again 10 minutes later. From Judy Moore: 02/01/12 - West Haven, West Haven Boat Launch -- around 1:30, drake REDHEAD continues. Madison -- YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER at feeder around 12:40.  I had to wait 50 minutes for it to appear. New Haven, East Shore Park -- a single NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW flying low near the treatment plant. From Ralph Amodei, John Barrett: 02/01/12 - West Haven Boat Ramp -- 1 Male REDHEAD to the left among the wood pilings. From Paul Cianfaglione: 02/01/12 - Wethersfield, Wethersfield Cove -- 1 adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, 1 first-cycle ICELAND GULL. From Carol Goertz: 02/01/12 - Cheshire -- Four BLACK VULTURES in area between Higgins and Cornwall Ave. From John Hannan and Ted Gilman: 02/01/12 – Greenwich, Audubon Center -– AMERICAN WOODCOCK calling near lower edge of hawk watch field 5:45PM, temp 56 degrees! ********************************************************************** This CTDailyReport list is sponsored by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA). It is primarily meant to meet the informational needs of the active CT birder. Any other use requires written authorization from the board of directors of the COA. ********************************************************************** Visit the COA web site at http://www.ctbirding.org Reports should be sent to CTBirdReport AT ftml.net. Reports should include sender's name, date, location of sightings and species of note at each location. Reporting Guidelines are available at: http://www.ctbirding.org/ecommittee.htm#reporting To change your subscription options, or unsubscribe, please visit http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctdailyreport_lists.ctbirding.org Archives of these reports may be found at either of these locations: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CTDY.html http://lists.ctbirding.org/pipermail/ctdailyreport_lists.ctbirding.org/ Subject: Cape Ann 2/1/2012 From: Barbara Volkle and Steve Moore <barb620 AT TheWorld.com> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:12:40 -0500 Six participants went on the Brookline Bird Club Midweek Walk for Alcids, etc. today to Rockport and Gloucester led by Barbara Volkle. We started at Andrews Point, then the Loblolly Cove area, then the Jodrey Fish Pier, then Brace's Cove and then the Elk's along Atlantic Avenue. The sea was calm. Morning mist burned off by mid-morning. Mild temperatures (in the high 50's) made birding less challenging than for a normal February day. There was a period of rain after lunch. We saw: Canada Goose - 3 Mute Swan - 2 American Black Duck - 15 Mallard - 2 Green-winged Teal - 1 Common Eider - 151 Harlequin Duck - 88 Surf Scoter - 8 White-winged Scoter -144 Black Scoter - 1 Long-tailed Duck - 1 Bufflehead - 80 Common Goldeneye - 25 Red-breasted Merganser - 55 Red-throated Loon - 2 Common Loon - 34 Horned Grebe - 6 Red-necked Grebe - 49 Northern Gannet - 2 Great Cormorant - 25 Purple Sandpiper - 1 (Loblolly Cove) Ring-billed Gull - 4 Herring Gull - 501 Iceland Gull - 7 Great Black-backed Gull - 62 Thick-billed Murre - 1 (from Jodrey Pier at 1pm) Razorbill - 16 (12 at Andrews Point) Black Guillemot - 6 (5 from the Elk's Club) Rock Pigeon - 31 Downy Woodpecker - 1 American Crow - 18 Black-capped Chickadee - 14 Tufted Titmouse - 3 Carolina Wren - 2 American Robin - 4 Northern Mockingbird - 1 American Tree Sparrow - 1 Song Sparrow - 1 White-throated Sparrow - 1 Northern Cardinal - 5 Dickcissel - 1 (at a feeder on Penzance Road in Rockport) House Finch - 6 American Goldfinch - 1 House Sparrow - 31 Looked for the spotted towhee and chat, but did not find them. Barbara Volkle Northborough, Ma barb620 AT theworld.com Subject: Re: Blacked Headed Gulls From: Mary Keleher <maryeak AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 02:33:52 -0800 (PST) There have been reports of 1-2 Black-headed Gulls in this area on and off since November so there very well could be 3 of them. Mary Keleher, Mashpee, MA --- On Wed, 2/1/12, Richard Sisal wrote: From: Richard Sisal Subject: [MASSBIRD] Blacked Headed Gulls To: "capecodbirds AT yahoogroups.com" , "Massbird" Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 12:13 PM Has anyone been seeing more than one black headed gull at a time at Keyes Beach in Hyannisport?  There looked to me to be three of them around noon today in the salt pond across the street from the beach. Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___ Subject: Fw: eBird Report - Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit, Feb 1, 2012 From: Baggy Katt <baggykatt AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 20:07:01 -0800 (PST) Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit, Middlesex, US-MA Feb 1, 2012 7:15 AM - 10:45 AM Protocol: Traveling 1.0 mile(s) Comments:     Weekly species census for NWR; unseasonably mild, foggy; Will Martens and Kathy Dia 28 species Canada Goose  202 American Black Duck  3 Mallard  14 Common Goldeneye  16     14 on the upper impoundment; 2 on the river Hooded Merganser  6 American Coot  7 Ring-billed Gull  1 Great Black-backed Gull  2 Rock Pigeon  6 Red-bellied Woodpecker  1 Downy Woodpecker  6 Hairy Woodpecker  1 Northern Flicker  1 Blue Jay  1 American Crow  6 Black-capped Chickadee  19 Tufted Titmouse  16 White-breasted Nuthatch  9 Brown Creeper  1     near restrooms Carolina Wren  1 Winter Wren  1     marsh are on Dike Trail Marsh Wren  2 American Robin  44 American Tree Sparrow  3 Song Sparrow  3 Northern Cardinal  1 Rusty Blackbird  3     In a tree with robins American Goldfinch  3 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org) Subject: Chestnut Hill Res Waterfowl From: Peter De Gennaro <degennap AT bc.edu> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:59:22 -0500 2/1 - Chestnut Hill Reservoir, Chestnut Hill Nice day out, so I decided to bird my "patch" and had the following: Hooded Merganser 35 Common Merganser 28 American Coot 35 Wasn't there a Townsend's Warbler here a few years ago? Lauren and Peter DeGennaro Boston College Subject: Snowy Owl Help @ Plum Island Tomorrow From: Justin Lawson <justindlawson AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 19:04:02 -0500 I am a new birder on here. I have had the opportunity to meet a handful of you out in the field. I have taken 9 trips to Plum Island, Plymouth Beach, Salisbury and Hampton in search of a Snowy Owl. its about a 4 hour round trip for me to travel to plum island. tomorrow I will make the trek again in hopes of one last time seeing one. All I bring with me is my d700 and 500mm lens. I have yet to get binos and scopes. I prefer the camera. I would love to meet up with someone tomorrow that will be out there that I could bird with and better my chances! I appreciate anyone's help. I have been very lucky to see some great raptors this winter! Justin Lawson Millbury Mass justindlawson AT gmail.com Subject: Ashburnham 2/1 From: Caronenv <caronenv AT aol.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 18:18:47 -0500 (EST) Ashburnham, Worcester, US-MA Feb 1, 2012 8:05 AM - 9:05 AM Protocol: Traveling 3.9 mile(s) 18 species The center of Ashburnham was quite birdy with a few surprises. Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Blue Jay 28 (my impression is that there has been a significant increase in their numbers the last few days.) American Crow 12 Black-capped Chickadee 38 Tufted Titmouse 29 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Eastern Bluebird 2 American Robin 5 Northern Mockingbird 1 (uncommon- I saw only one within the atlas block this area is in, in five years of atlasing) American Tree Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 2 Dark-eyed Junco 38 Northern Cardinal 19 Purple Finch 12 (beginnings of an influx/movement? 11 males and 1 female in two locations) House Finch 5 American Goldfinch 24 House Sparrow 16 Submitted by Charles Caron, Westminster, MA Subject: Re: MORE ON ALDEN SCAM From: Dan <peterbilt.birder AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 18:23:11 -0500 Dam, I just wired good friend Peter Alden $10,000 dollar in cash :)) I hope Peter... puts it to good use... On Feb 1, 2012, at 10:43 AM, "a.e. strauss" wrote: > Massbirders: I responded to the scam which now says: "send 1,280 via Western Union to an account number in London". I have a contact with the FBI and I will give them all of these data. > > Alan Strauss, Providence Subject: Bird-related Apps From: Dougie Peebles <peebsfam AT msn.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 18:34:35 -0500 Birders- I just arrived in the 21st century and bought an i-phone. Perhaps off-list would some of you be kind enough to recommend the best apps for birders? I'd appreciate the help.Doug PeeblesWaylandpeebsfam AT msn.com Subject: minor addendum to the 'hack' thread From: winsome430 AT comcast.net Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 23:04:21 +0000 (UTC) This was a plausible scenario. I just returned from a trip to northern Peru and on the first night, as the group was assembling, a participant was the victim of a pickpocket within a few meters of the hotel's front door. Fortunately he did not lose his passport but all his money and credit cards were gone. Basic precautions that we should all follow include: use a money belt (or equivalent); have photocopies of your passport in each piece of luggage; have the telephone numbers of the credit card companies so you can call them if your card is stolen (keep this info separate from the cards; never carry all your money or credit cards in one place; travel insurance is also helpful. I'm sure others could add to this list. Peter Coburn Hingham Subject: Feb 1, Plum Is, 3 Unexpected Passerines at Stage From: Thomas Wetmore <ttw4 AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:33:57 -0500 PI Birders, Strange weather this winter. I got to the island a little late this morning, but still had a nice start for February. When up on the Stage tower, while looking for the two Redheads (couldn't find them today) I heard three quite unexpected passerines: MARSH WREN -- 1 calling from the phrags north of the tower. GRAY CATBIRD -- 1 calling from the thicket just south of lot seven. SWAMP SPARROW -- 1 calling from the marsh near the road north of lot seven -- tracked this bird down for a quick look. A few other sightings from the island this morning: American Black Duck -- 1200+ including 850+ on Stage. Green-winged Teal -- 7 in one of the small pans south of the main pan. Lesser Scaup -- some in the ocean from lot one, others on Stage -- haven't seen a commoner Greater in quite a while. Rough-legged Hawk -- 1 on the raptor tree at Cross farm. Snowy Owl -- 1 very dark young bird on the North Pool dike. Blue Jay -- zero, continuing the trend. American Goldfinch -- small flock just north of the refuge House Finch -- 3+ just north of the refuge. Check the sightings pages later for all the details. Good birding, Tom Wetmore, http://bartonstreet.com/tom/birds Newburyport, MA, Think globally, bird locally. Subject: Peter Alden SCAM From: "a.e. strauss" <ansch100 AT Cox.net> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 10:40:17 -0500 Massbirders: About a year ago I got the VERY SAME MESSAGE about a friend of mine saying he was mugged in London. I was ready to send the money until I found out from my friend that it was a set up. Beware. I was the same SCAM MESSAGE. There are some not so nice people out there trying to take advantage. Thanks, Alan Strauss, Providence Subject: Blacked Headed Gulls From: Richard Sisal <dicksisal AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 09:13:21 -0800 (PST) Has anyone been seeing more than one black headed gull at a time at Keyes Beach in Hyannisport?  There looked to me to be three of them around noon today in the salt pond across the street from the beach. ________________________________ Recent Activity: Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___ Subject: Blue Jays in Boston, but not in Concord From: Mary Small <mary.halm.small AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 13:37:18 -0500 I have been hearing blue jays almost every day in the Fens in Boston. None at my feeder in Concord. Today also had three European Starlings in Concord, first for this year. Mary Small Concord, Mass. Subject: MORE ON ALDEN SCAM From: "a.e. strauss" <ansch100 AT cox.net> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 10:43:52 -0500 Massbirders: I responded to the scam which now says: "send 1,280 via Western Union to an account number in London". I have a contact with the FBI and I will give them all of these data. Alan Strauss, Providence Subject: Bluejays & acorns, Hubbardston From: "Wendy Howes" <curiousbooks AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:35:58 -0500 Weighing in from north central MA: we had a bumper crop of acorns this year. This area holds many Red Oak-dominated forests and semi-rural backyards. Still, I have not had more than 4-7 Bluejays in my yard (feeder) since December. On the other hand, our local CBC results--when they are available--should reveal more of the "big picture." Wild Turkey, another acorn-eater, remains common and numerous. Wendy Howes Hubbardston Subject: South Natick & Wellesley Owls From: brianrfg AT aol.com Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 09:36:09 -0500 (EST) Hi Massbirders, February started off with a few owls off my Route 16 long cut to work. I found two Screech Owls along Glen Street in South Natick, including one calling at the corner of Apple Ridge Drive. Further along, at the Wellesley College golf course (the spot where Ken Winkler found some amazing birds over the years, including a Hammond's Flycatcher), I heard another Screech Owl and then it got late enough that my whistles woke up a Cardinal and a Northern Mockingbird. Brian Cassie, Foxboro Subject: Redheads, Rough-leg, Plum Island From: maurice.gilmore AT comcast.net Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 22:17:36 +0000 (UTC) Hi Folks, This afternoon Paul Sullivan, John Leslie and I had the two drake Redheads in Stage Island Pool, and a light phase Rough-legged Hawk on Cross Farm Hill, perched and then hunting. Wed., Feb 1. Pete Gilmore Newton, MA maurice.gilmore AT comcast.net Subject: Haverhill waterbirds (Canvasback, Coot) From: Steve Mirick <smirick AT comcast.net> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:54:42 -0500 Amazingly (or perhaps not so, considering the weather), Kenoza Lake has opened up again, and as soon as it opened up, some birds arrived: Lesser Scaup - 2 (pretty sure they were Lessers, but not 100%) CANVASBACK - 1 female Common Goldeneye - 10 Common Merganser - 22 AMERICAN COOT - 1 (in marsh across the street from lake....which has also opened up) Steve Mirick Bradford, MA Subject: American Woodcock IRWS From: "Scott Santino" <ssantino AT massaudubon.org> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 15:46:27 -0500 Earlier today while collecting sap in the sugar maple grove, Richard Wolniewicz had an American Woodcock. Scott Santino Mass Audubon Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary Subject: Newburyport, Hampton Beach, Salisbury - 02-01-12 From: "David K. Weaver" <cygnus-dkw AT verizon.net> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:27:51 -0500 Bill Gette and I led today's Wednesday Morning Birding program out of Joppa Flats Education Program and headed for Hampton Beach State Park and Salisbury Beach State Reservation in hopes of Snowy Owls. The skies were overcast; the forecasted warmer weather never got to us with temps remaining in the 30s; and the air was calm. En route to Hampton Beach State Park, we made a short detour through Newburyport and saw a beautifully camouflaged gray-morph Eastern Screech-Owl. You really had to look very closely through bins and then scope to see the bird -- blended very well with the tree on which it was perched. We came up empty in our search for a Snowy Owl. A quick stop at Cashman Park concluded the morning. Our list for the morning: Canada Goose - Nbpt, Merrimack R. American Black Duck - Nbpt, Merrimack; SB. Mallard - Nbpt, Merrimack; SB. Common Eider - Hampton Beach State Park and Salisbury Beach State Reservation. Surf Scoter (2) - HB. White-winged Scoter - HB & SB. Black Scoter (2) - HB. Long-tailed Duck (1) - hen, SB. Common Goldeneye (~ 12) - HB & SB. Red-breasted Merganser (~ 12) - SB. Red-throated Loon (~ 24) - HB & SB. Common Loon (~ 24) - HB & SB. Horned Grebe (~ 6) - HB & SB. Red-necked Grebe (1) - SB. Great Cormorant (3) - SB. Bald Eagle (1) - juv., Cashman. Northern Harrier (2) - SB. Merlin (1) - SB. Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Razorbill (4) - HB. Black Guillemot (2) - HB. Rock Pigeon Eastern Screech-Owl (1) - Nbpt. American Crow (2) Black-capped Chickadee (2) - Joppa Flats. Tufted Titmouse (1) - Nbpt. Northern Mockingbird (1) - SB. European Starling American Tree Sparrow (5) - Joppa Flats. Savannah Sparrow (1) - HB; Ipswich subspecies. Song Sparrow (1) - Nbpt. Snow Bunting (2) - HB. American Goldfinch (3) - Joppa Flats. House Sparrow We will meet again next week back at Joppa Flats Education Center at 9:30 for Wednesday Morning Birding. For more information about Joppa Flats programs, call Bill Gette or Dave Larson at 978-462-9998. Dave Weaver Manchester, MA 01944 cygnus-dkw AT verizon.net Subject: Possible Orange Crowned Warbler From: Donna Marchant <stripers AT comcast.net> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 19:42:24 +0000 (UTC) • Early this afternoon we had a visitor on the ground under our feeders. This is our second sighting in a month of a bird we think is an Orange-crowned Warbler. • There is also a new, round hole in an old Eastern White Pine, further down the street, that could only have been created by a Pileated Woodpecker. • We also have four to six Blue Jays that have been around all winter. They're really fond of the bittersweet vine growing on a old cherry tree across from us. Woodward Ave., West Gloucester, if anybody's interested. Donna Jacques Marchant W. Gloucester, MA Stripers AT comcast.net Subject: Fw: eBird Report - BHI--Deer Island, Feb 1, 2012 From: Paul Peterson <petersonpaul63 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:18:26 -0800 (PST) ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "do-not-reply AT ebird.org" To: petersonpaul63 AT yahoo.com Cc: Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 2:13 PM Subject: eBird Report - BHI--Deer Island, Feb 1, 2012 BHI--Deer Island, Suffolk, US-MA Feb 1, 2012 10:10 AM - 1:10 PM Protocol: Traveling 2.8 mile(s) Comments:    No sign of the three Iceland Gulls seen yesterday by Whit Manter. I looked at 10:45 a.m. and again at 12:45 p.m. at the two rectangular pools with circulating water, and surrounding area (viewed near the lighthouse that looks like a water tower; same spot Whit Manter had viewed the Iceland Gulls from). I walked the entire circuit, which equals 2.5 miles. I also walked up on the high trails. 20 species (+1 other taxa) Canada Goose  15 American Black Duck  1 Common Eider  250    surely more(no scope) Surf Scoter  13 White-winged Scoter  50 scoter sp.  80 Bufflehead  40 Common Goldeneye  17 Red-breasted Merganser  15 Red-throated Loon  2 Common Loon  3 Horned Grebe  9 Dunlin  40    seen from the southern tip-on Nix's Mate-brown color; on rocks, fluttering about as boats passed and created wakes Ring-billed Gull  X Herring Gull  100 Great Black-backed Gull  8 Rock Pigeon  10 Northern Mockingbird  3 European Starling  13 Song Sparrow  5    incl. three at entrance, along fence line House Finch  4 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org) Subject: 2/1 Duxbury Beach - Merlins on the move? From: Rick Bowes <rbowes AT bowesweb.com> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:55:36 -0500 Wed. Feb 1, 2012. 8:00-9:45am. HiTide 5:37am (9.4ft only); Temp 40F,Showery, wind nil. Made a drive down to Gurnet and back staying in the car due to the showers and lack of time. I posted my first Merlin yesterday for several weeks from an unlikely spot (Spooner Pond in Plymouth). Oddly I had two more today on Duxbury Beach. It seems odd that they would appear all at once making me curious: Are these early migrants, is it just a random coincidence, or is there some other explanation? Highlights: * Continuing Black-bellied Plovers (2) on bayside water's edge north of Bridge near Pavillion * Continuing Snowy Owl in the Gurnet Marsh * Merlins (2) - after not seeing one on the beach for several weeks fun to see two today. * Great Cormorants (22) 19 of them off the Gurnet - some beginning to show bright plumage including cheek-throat colors and visible white breeding patches on the flanks. Full eBird list of 25 species * Brant X * Canada Goose X * American Black Duck X * Common Eider X * Surf Scoter X * White-winged Scoter X * Long-tailed Duck X * Bufflehead X * Common Goldeneye X * Red-breasted Merganser X * Common Loon X * Horned Grebe X * Northern Gannet (1) off the Gurnet cliff * Great Cormorant (22) 19 off Gurnet - many in or nearing full breeding plumage including colorful throat patches and obvious white breeding patches * Northern Harrier (1) female between bridge and 1st crossover * Merlin (2) first in many weeks. One at 2nd xover and one on a Gurnet building. Density of breast striping different on the two assuring that they were different individuals. * Black-bellied Plover 2 continuing on bayside shoreline north of Bridge by the Pavillion * Sanderling X * Dunlin X * Ring-billed Gull X * Herring Gull X * Great Black-backed Gull X * Rock Pigeon X * Snowy Owl 1 Moving about in Gurnet marsh - first on the ground, then flew to a snow-fence pole on the ridge running down the Gurnet-Saquish road, and then to the Osprey pole. Understanding that they are hard to "sex" in the field per Norman Smith, I'm thinking that this very white, lightly marked bird was almost certainly an fully adult male. * American Crow X This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rick Bowes rbowes AT bowesweb.com PO Box 1637, Duxbury, MA 02331 Subject: Blue jay From: "Malcolm T. Hill, Jr." <xcheng629 AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 12:41:46 -0500 A blue jay just made a brief visit to my sparrow and squirrel feeder in Brookline Subject: Re: Awful Trip - Peter Alden From: Joshua Rose <opihi AT mindspring.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 12:29:19 -0500 Hi again, I received an off-list e-mail confirming that Peter is in Concord MA and is fine, outside of his aol account.... Thanks Mark! JSR Joshua Rose, Ph.D. Amherst, MA opihi AT mindspring.com http://bugguide.net/user/view/2399 http://www.facebook.com/opihi On Feb 1, 2012, at 11:37 AM, Bill Principe wrote: > On 2/1/2012 8:56 AM, Cherrie Corey wrote: >> Looks like Peter's email account may have been hacked...this is typical >> scam content. Anyone know if he's OK? >> >> Cherrie Corey > > It is not just Peter's account that is affected by this hack. > You should all watch your other e-mail accounts. > > I also received a copy of the phony message on my work e-mail > account, where I have received e-mails from Peter in the past. > > I suspect this happened during his trip to Africa, where someone > he may have trusted has hacked into his PC. > > Bill Principe > Ayer MA Subject: Re: Awful Trip - Peter Alden From: Bill Principe <birding AT charter.net> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:37:53 -0500 On 2/1/2012 8:56 AM, Cherrie Corey wrote: > Looks like Peter's email account may have been hacked...this is typical > scam content. Anyone know if he's OK? > > Cherrie Corey It is not just Peter's account that is affected by this hack. You should all watch your other e-mail accounts. I also received a copy of the phony message on my work e-mail account, where I have received e-mails from Peter in the past. I suspect this happened during his trip to Africa, where someone he may have trusted has hacked into his PC. Bill Principe Ayer MA