Hot Birds: December 2018

Sat, 01 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

A decade ago, Massachusetts had only one record of Pink-footed Goose, which was considered questionable with regards to origin. Now the state hosts multiple individuals just about every winter. Phil Brown found this winter’s first in Ipswich on November 8. Phil’s photo of the bird among Canada Geese is above.

A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, originally spotted in the southwesternmost corner of New Hampshire, flew across the state line to Salisbury Beach State Park where Marj Watson and Judy Parrot Willis were waiting. It stayed overnight to be admired by a gathering of birders the next morning. Around noon it flew across the mouth of the Merrimack River toward Plum Island but was never relocated. Sandy Selesky took the photo above.