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November–December 2013
During the last week of the year, the "goose fields" of Argilla Road, Ipswich, hosted not just a Ross's Goose and Cackling Goose but also a Red-headed Woodpecker. The winter of 2013–14 saw the largest invasion of Snowy Owls in eastern North America for over 50 years, with birds reported as far afield as Florida and Bermuda; Nantucket counted 33 Snowys compared to a previous high of four. A White-winged Dove was a one-day wonder at the JFK Library in Dorchester. Rare flycatchers included a Say's Phoebe in Fairhaven and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on Nantucket. Other passerine highlights included a male and female Western Tanager a mile apart in Rockport, a Bullock's Oriole in Chelmsford, Harris's Sparrows in Wenham and Northampton, and a MacGillivray's Warbler that was found on the Taunton-Middleboro Christmas Bird Count.
Best sighting: a female King Eider at Quabbin Reservoir on November 11 was a first for Hampshire County and only the third inland record for the state.
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