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Bird Observer

New England Birding Journal

Bird Observer is a New England-based bimonthly journal for birders of all skill levels. We are a nonprofit organization supported by subscribers, and staffed by volunteers. We publish original articles on birding locations, on avian populations and natural history, on regional rarities, book reviews and field notes, bird sightings, photographs, and artwork.

Bird Observer supports the right of all people to enjoy birding and nature in a safe and welcoming environment free from discrimination and harassment, be it sexual, racial, or barriers for people with disabilities.

Watch Bird Observer's 50th Anniversary Roundtable hosted by Leslie Kramer, President, Brookline Bird Club

Feature Articles from the Latest Issue:

Most Recent

Black-crowned Night-Heron by John Sill

Front Cover: June 2023

The Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a big-headed, short-necked, stocky, middle-sized heron with an exceptionally wide breeding range. A cosmopolitan species, it breeds on all continents except Antarctica and Australia, and some consider the Australian Nankeen Night-Heron a conspecific. The Black-crowned Night-Heron’s shape and appearance distinguish it from all other heron species.

Black-crowned Night-Heron by John Wiese

The Precipitous Decline of Black-crowned Night-Herons in Massachusetts and the Northeast

Over the past century, Black-crowned Night-Herons in Massachusetts have gone from populating the largest colony in North America to a much-diminished presence in the state. Despite the many threats night-herons faced in the first 75 years of the twentieth century—including widespread use of chlorinated pesticides and lack of wetlands protection—they emerged in the 1970s, when large-scale surveys were initiated, with a state population of nearly 4,000 breeding adults.

Glossy Ibis in nonbreeding plumage.

Tricky Birds: Dark Ibises

Birders should be looking for them; any flock of more common Glossy Ibises (Plegadis falcinellus) deserves scrutiny, especially in the fall when both species sport their nonbreeding plumage. This is what to look for.

Field Notes: Observing a Northern Flicker in the Late Summer Sun

Field Notes: Observing a Northern Flicker in the Late Summer Sun

Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) often sit sideways on tree branches, but clearly this flicker was doing something else. It was late summer in September 2021, a warm day in Easton, Massachusetts, with not a cloud in the sky. My first thought was to anthropomorphize her behavior because it looked as if she were flirting with the male Northern Flicker that was just to the right in the same tree snag.

At a Glance: April 2023 Revealed

At a Glance: April 2023 Revealed

This issue’s mystery bird is a football-shaped, slim-necked, bubble-headed, swimming waterbird. Although size can often be difficult to judge from a photograph, especially one that offers nothing for comparison, the impression of the pictured bird is that it is not very large. When the list of options is thoughtfully considered, some of the more viable identification possibilities include ducks, loons, grebes, cormorants, and coots. Other waterbirds that swim, including petrels, shearwaters, storm-petrels, rails, phalaropes, and alcids, can readily be eliminated because of shape, pattern, coloration, or a combination of these traits.

Zaps: 51-3

Zaps: 51-3

iNaturalist: A Community Science Tool for Reporting Bird Mortalities; Request for Information about Diets of Eastern Red Crossbills

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Warbling Vireo

Warbling Vireo
Hop Brook WMA, Lee, MA

Lawrence's Warbler

Lawrence's Warbler
Ordway Reservation, West Newbury, MA

Blackburnian Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler
Crane Hill, Ipswich, MA

Bufflehead

Bufflehead
Ipswich River WS, Topsfield, MA

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl
Crane Beach, Ipswich, MA

Canada Warbler

Canada Warbler
Langford Pond, Rockport, MA

Egrets

Egrets
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Northern Wheatear

Northern Wheatear
Wachusett Reservoir, Sterling, MA

Ovenbird

Ovenbird
Cedar Pond WS, Hamilton, MA

Piping Plover

Piping Plover
Crane Beach, Ipswich, MA

Purple Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper
Halibut Point Reservation, Rockport, MA

Red-eyed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo
Atherton Connector, West Newbury, MA

White-faced Storm-Petrel

White-faced Storm-Petrel
Georges Bank

Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher
Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA

Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone
Sandy Point State Reservation, Plum Island, MA

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

American Golden Plover

American Golden Plover
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Black Tern

Black Tern
Sengekontacket Pond, Martha's Vineyard, MA

Brown Creeper

Brown Creeper
Umbagog NWR, Errol, NH

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing
Washburn Family Forest, Clarksville, NH

Common Loon

Common Loon
Grafton Pond, Grafton, NH

Least Tern

Least Tern
Sandy Point State Reservation, Plum Island, MA

MacGillivray's Warbler

MacGillivray's Warbler
Lexington Community Farm, Lexington, MA

Red Knot

Red Knot
Sandy Point State Reservation, Plum Island, MA

Whimbrel

Whimbrel
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow
Smith Pond, Enfield, NH

Northern Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrush
Gull Pond, Wenham, MA

Common Merganser

Common Merganser
Deer Island, Newburyport, MA

Veery

Veery
Oxbow NWR, Harvard, MA

Wilson's Snipe

Wilson's Snipe
Indian Stream Road, Pittsburg, NH

American Bittern

American Bittern
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Pine Warbler

Pine Warbler
Hamlin Reservation, Ipswich, MA

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler
Chubb Creek, Beverly Farms, MA

Brown Creeper

Brown Creeper
Grafton Pond, Grafton, NH

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Virginia Rail

Virginia Rail
Ipswich River WS, Topsfield, MA

American Pipit

American Pipit
Wachusett Reservoir, Sterling, MA

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole
Coy Pond, Wenham, MA

Osprey

Osprey
Sandy Point State Reservation, Plum Island, MA

Barred Owl

Barred Owl
Great Bay NWR, Portsmouth, NH

Long-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowitcher
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Ruffed Grouse

Ruffed Grouse
Nulhegan Basin, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Bloomfield, VT

Lark Sparrow

Lark Sparrow
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler
Homestead Trail 45, Essex, MA

Blue-winged Warbler

Blue-winged Warbler
Martin H. Burnes WMA, Newbury, MA

Brant

Brant
West Beach, Beverly Farms, MA

American Avocet

American Avocet
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull
Sandy Point State Reservation, Plum Island, MA

Great Crested Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher
Delmater Sanctuary, Rockport, MA

Hermit Thrush

Hermit Thrush
Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA

Horned Lark

Horned Lark
Sandy Point State Reservation, Plum Island, MA

Eurasian Wigeon

Eurasian Wigeon
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Grasshopper Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrow
Pease Grasslands, Portsmouth, NH

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Saltmarsh Sparrow

Saltmarsh Sparrow
Nelson's Island, Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ipswich River WS, Topsfield, MA

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler
Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Phoebe
Ipswich River WS, Topsfield, MA

Indigo Bunting

Indigo Bunting
Martin H. Burnes WMA, Newbury, MA

Red-breasted Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser
Deer Island, Newburyport, MA

House Finch

House Finch
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager
Willowdale State Forest, Ipswich, MA

Green Heron

Green Heron
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Wood Thrush

Wood Thrush
Ipswich River WS, Topsfield, MA

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Savannah Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow
Crane Beach, Ipswich, MA

Lapland Longspur

Lapland Longspur
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Palm Warbler

Palm Warbler
Ipswich River WS, Topsfield, MA

Barred Owl

Barred Owl
Julia Bird Reservation, Ipswich, MA

Black-and-white Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler
Jordan Ridge, Acadia NP, Mt Desert Island, ME

Bay-breasted Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Eastern Towhee

Eastern Towhee
Old Town Hill, Newbury, MA

Evening Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak
Appleton Farms, Ipswich, MA

Northern Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrush
Coy Pond, Wenham, MA

Ring-necked Pheasant

Ring-necked Pheasant
Pikes Bridge, West Newbury, MA

House Finch

House Finch
Sandy Point State Reservation, Plum Island, MA

Wilson's Storm-Petrel

Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Georges Bank

Harlequin Duck

Harlequin Duck
Halibut Point Reservation, Rockport, MA

Wilson's Warbler

Wilson's Warbler
Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA

Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper
Little River, Newbury, MA

Swamp Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow
Round Pond, Hamilton, MA

Pine Siskin

Pine Siskin
Chubb Creek, Beverly Farms, MA

Common Grackle

Common Grackle
Ipswich River WS, Topsfield, MA

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper
Hop Brook WMA, Lee, MA

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Our mission: to support and promote the observation, understanding, and conservation of the wild birds of New England.

Bird Observer supports the right of all people to enjoy birding and nature in a safe and welcoming environment free from discrimination and harassment, be it sexual, racial, or barriers for people with disabilities.
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