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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

Hanson, MA

Birding Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area, and Hanson and Halifax, Massachusetts

Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a name that has become more and more common among birders, herpers, hikers, hunters, fishermen, and dog walkers. This location has something for everyone. From a birder’s perspective, the recent appearances of chase-worthy rarities— annually-breeding Sandhill Cranes and at least one breeding pair of King Rails in 2016—has made this approximately 1,700-acre Wildlife Management Area a worthwhile place to visit; once here, you will realize how beautiful and birdy it is.

Heather, wheelchair birding. Photograph by Richard Morreale.

Wheelchair Birders Face Challenges in New England

Inviting disabled people, those with lived experience trying to bird in a chair, to design accessible trails will result in more success stories. The disability civil rights movement has a rally cry of “Nothing for us, without us.” We need to be at the design table for trail upgrades and designs for new trails. Only then will things go from almost accessible to truly accessible and wheelchair birders will have access.

Birding from the accessible gazebo at Longmeadow Flats. Photograph by Steph Almasi.

Accessible Birding in Winter

I drag myself outside every day of the year with the hope of finding a bird. I have to be resourceful and creative in order to make my own winter birding adventures safe, as well as organize intentionally inclusive and accessible outings for the Feminist Bird Club and the Anti-racist Collective of Avid Birders. I want to share some of my personal experiences as well as what I have observed and learned from other disabled birders, including what they have confided in me about their wants and needs. Anyone can become disabled overnight, so exploring how to include disabled birders is a way all of us can invest in our future.

Conversations with Birds. Priyanka Kumar. 2022. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Milkweed Editions.

About Books: The Rasa of the Mango-Colored Bird

Bobcats are decent swimmers, but the water was freezing. This mesmerizing and comical scene played out in just minutes, until the blue tint to the snow began to become the first pinkish light of dawn. While watching this scene, all thoughts of the Christmas Count faded from my mind, and there was a feeling of being “in the moment.” Then a car stopped, blocking our view. The driver asked what we were looking at, and I was snapped back to reality.

At a Glance: December 2022 by Carl Goodrich

At a Glance: December 2022 Revealed

To wind up Volume 50 of Bird Observer, readers were again faced with a rather ghoulish image for the final mystery species of the year. Superficially resembling a washed-out Black-capped Chickadee with its dark throat, extensive white malar stripe between the eye and gray cheek, and whitish underparts, this bird somehow does not look quite right for the beloved little state bird of Massachusetts.

Zaps: 51-1

Zaps: 51-1

Zaps are notes of awareness and pleas for action that appear in the corresponding print edition of Bird Observer. Here they are from the current issue.

Advertisers 51-1

Advertisers 51-1

In this issue: Acadia Birding Festival, Bird Watcher's General Store, Birds & Beans Coffee, Mass Audubon Birders Meeting, and Ray Brown's Talkin' Birds

Not a subscriber yet? You can still browse the site and view enough content to see what a great resource you have in Bird Observer. We hope you'll agree with us and subscribe today.

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

New England Birding Calendar

A consolidated calendar showing field trips, meetings and club events from across the region.

New England Notables

Real-time reports, browseable by county for every New England state.

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An excellent resource for birding excursions throughout New England.

Rarities Radar

On-your-cell, real-time rarities listings within a radius of your choosing.

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High Tide Table for Boston

Made especially for birders, with time offsets for up and down the coastline

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Birding List Digests

View summary or detail on up-to-the-minute postings from birding lists throughout New England.

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Find a local or regional birding club near you.

The Bird Observer Collection

Every word of every issue - species accounts, book reviews, musings, gleanings, hot birds, cold birds, rare birds and old birds.

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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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