August 2021https://www.birdobserver.org/Issues/2021/August-2021Bird Sightings: March–April 2021https://www.birdobserver.org/Issues/2021/August-2021/bird-sightings-marchapril-2021Bird SightingsSun, 01 Aug 2021 00:00:07 GMT<p>March came in like a roaring lion with a blast of arctic air. The low temperature in Boston for the month was 13 degrees on the morning of March 2, a day when the high reached only 28 degrees. The good news was that the bitter cold lasted only about 28 hours and Boston recovered to 50 degrees by Wednesday March 3. The high temperature for the month was 74 degrees on March 11, shattering the previous high temperature of 67 degrees set on this date in 1990. Worcester also experienced a record high—70 degrees—on the same day, breaking the previous record of 66 degrees set in 1977. The average temperature in Boston for March was 42.1 degrees, 4.1 degrees warmer than the historical average for the month. March was also the sunniest March since 2007. Rainfall was only 2.0 inches, 2.5 inches below the historical average, and the only snow all month was just a trace on March 14. A low-pressure system at the end of the month brought some severe thunderstorms, with wind gusts over 50 miles per hour and a high of 70 degrees.</p> <p class="caption"><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Assets/bo49-3/HB_Mountain_Bluebird_crop.jpg?ver=MrT92Wwsy7DyqnCaJQ39Ng%3d%3d" style="width: 366px; height: 277px;" /><br /> MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD BY ERIK NIELSEN (2016)</p> To view the rest of the article you'll need to subscribe. Bird Observer publishes original articles on birding locations, on avian populations and natural history, on regional rarities, field notes, field records, photographs, and art work. Bygone Birds: Historical Highlights for March-Aprilhttps://www.birdobserver.org/Issues/2021/August-2021/bygone-birds-historical-highlights-for-march-april7Bygone BirdsSun, 01 Aug 2021 00:00:06 GMT<h3>5 YEARS AGO</h3> <table class="table"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Assets/bo49-4/2016_0304.png?ver=TUij8xKweBlZx-Nkj1y3UQ%3d%3d" style="width: 150px; height: 225px;" title="" /></td> <td> <h6>March–April 2016</h6> <p>Three <strong>White-faced Ibises</strong>—a new high count for the state—were in Ipswich in April. Up to two <strong>Mew Gulls</strong> were present at Race Point in March. Four <strong>Yellow-throated Warblers</strong> were reported, with the earliest found on March 27. The <strong>Mountain Bluebird</strong> in Falmouth continued until March 22. <strong>Yellow-headed Blackbirds</strong> were reported from Cumberland Farms and West Harwich.</p> <p>Best sighting: the first-for-Massachusetts <strong>Yellow-billed Loon</strong> continued at Race Point, Provincetown, from February 27 until April 2 and was accompanied by up to two <strong>Pacific Loons</strong>, allowing some observers to experience a “four loon day.”</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h3>10 YEARS AGO</h3> <table class="table"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Assets/bo49-4/2011_0304.png?ver=mIybVYIs8y3xuZ5loYozQw%3d%3d" style="width: 150px; height: 225px;" title="" /></td> <td> <h6>March–April 2011</h6> <p>An <strong>Eared Grebe</strong> was found in Chatham on March 26. A <strong>White-faced Ibis</strong> that was discovered at Plum Island on April 22 ended its visit (and its life) in the talons of a Peregrine Falcon. A <strong>Mississippi Kite</strong> was spotted over Truro on April 23. A <strong>Mew Gull</strong> continued in Lynn until March 8. The three Monk Parakeets were adding nesting material to their East Boston home in April. A <strong>Scissor-tailed Flycatcher</strong> was a one-day wonder on Plum Island on April 29. The <strong>Harris’s Sparrow</strong> continued on Duxbury Beach until April 28. Four <strong>Hoary Redpolls</strong> were identified among the many large redpoll flocks during this period.</p> <p>Best sighting: five <strong>Black-bellied Whistling Ducks</strong> in Duxbury on April 29 represented the second state record.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> To view the rest of the article you'll need to subscribe. Bird Observer publishes original articles on birding locations, on avian populations and natural history, on regional rarities, field notes, field records, photographs, and art work.