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  Tricky Birds: Large Alcids

  First some caveats. This article does not cover smaller alcids such as the tiny Dovekie (Alle alle), Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle), and Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica), or extreme rarities such as murrelets. But as always, be cautious about the trap of relative size when identifying birds in the field—especially when they are distant. Do not make an identification primarily based on perception of the size of the bird in question, and always include other field marks, features, and behavior in concert with size. Another trap to avoid is the confusion of alcids with similarly sized, fast-flying, largely black-and-white sea ducks such as Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) (Figure 1). Finally, there will be times, perhaps many occasions, when identifying individual birds may be impossible, and other designations—e.g., alcid sp. —may be the best way forward. It is always desirable to approach bird identification with caution and understand that one cannot confidently identify every bird observed. Razorbill Figure 2. Razorbills in flight. Photograph by Sebastian Jones. In Massachusetts, Razorbills are the most common and widespread large alcid species observed from shore. In almost all circumstances, consider ...
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  Birding the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire

  VERMONT Lake Runnemede/Evarts Pond Lake Runnemede, also known locally as Evarts Pond, is by far the top birding hotspot in Windsor County, boasting an all-time tally of 218 species. Located in Windsor, this 62-acre human-created water body is embedded within 224-acre Paradise Park, featuring mixed hardwood forests, shrubby cattail wetlands, agricultural lands, and open water. The public park offers numerous access points and foot trails. For birding, a multi-use trail across the large dike at the lake’s east end and a connected loop around the horseshoe-shaped interior provide the best opportunities. Spring and fall can be exhilarating, especially on good fallout mornings, which are often associated with low cloud ceilings and drizzle or light rain. Even in winter, the interior agricultural fields—typically planted in pumpkins and/or corn—with their embedded weedy patches and surrounding dense thickets, can harbor large flocks of Snow Buntings, hardy sparrows, and an occasional Northern Shrike. Bald Eagles are predictable, often feeding on ice-fishing offal. Following spring migration, early summer can still offer fruitful birding. Alder and Willow flycatchers nest in the shrubby wetlands, as do Virginia Rails ...
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  Hot Birds: February 2024

  Massachusetts birders are lucky if even a single Swainson’s Hawk is documented in our state in any given year, but this fall we have hosted three. Jason Forbes photographed the first one (above) in Lexington on September 24. Beth Vaccino crossed paths with the second in Halifax on October 16. The third flew over Stacie and Matt Lambert in Provincetown’s Beech Forest on November 5. All three were one-minute wonders, seen by no one but the people who photographed them. Western Massachusetts ended the year stealing some of the rare-bird spotlight that usually points east when Mary McKitrick found a Say’s Phoebe (above) by the dam of the Quabbin Reservoir on December 10. Although most of our state’s records of this species are one-day wonders—including one on Plum Island about a month and a half earlier, and another in Uxbridge just after Christmas—the Quabbin bird stuck around through at least January 10, allowing the Quabbin CBC to tally two species of phoebe, quite an achievement in our state. Tim Spahr found a Hammond’s Flycatcher (above) on November 15 at Crane Swamp ...
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  Twenty-sixth Report of the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee

  ACCEPTED RECORDS Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) [3 records accepted in this report, 16 total] 2021-049: 1 at Salt Pond, Falmouth, Barnstable, 7/15/2021 [Amy Roberts* (ph), m.ob.]. 2021-048: 7 at Lucy Vincent Beach, Chilmark, Dukes, 7/30/2021 [Jim Shoemaker* (ph)]. 2022-058: 1 at Town Beach Road Marsh, Richmond, Berkshire, 6/16/2022 [Zach Adams* (ph), v.o.]. First accepted to the state list from a 2008 record, this species continues to be a regular vagrant in recent years, with most records of short-staying birds or flocks from April 29 to August 4; the Berkshire record was a county first. Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) [9, 34] 2021-088: 4 at Longmeadow Flats, Longmeadow, Hampden, 12/11/2021 [Jeremy Spool*, Meghadeepa Maity* (ph)]. 2021-091: 1 at Shaw Road, Fairhaven and Mill Road, Fairhaven, Bristol, 12/14/2021 to 12/17/2021 [Dan Mckinnon*, m.ob.]. 2021-092: 1 at Stanley Park, Westfield, Hampden, 12/16/2021 to 12/18/2021 [Frank Bowrys* (ph)]. 2021-096: 1 at 2236 Riverside Avenue, Somerset, Bristol, 12/21/2021 [Jim Sweeney* (ph), m.ob. (ph)]. 2022-003: 2 at Connecticut River, Hadley (Mitch’s Way and Hadley Bridge), Hampshire, 1/4/2022 to 1/11/2022 [Mary McKitrick* (ph), m.ob.]. 2022-005: 1 at Duxbury High School area, Duxbury, Plymouth, 1/12/2022 to 1/16/2022 Emily Szczypek* (ph), ...
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  Bygone Birds: Historical Highlights for September-October

  10 YEARS AGO September–October 2013 Hawk watchers on Mount Wachusett tallied 14,471 Broad-winged Hawks—the largest number of this species since 1989. The raptor highlight was a Swainson’s Hawk that was caught and banded in Carver on September 4. A Brown Booby was found off Race Point in Provincetown on September 17 and apparently stuck around unnoticed until October 12 when reported again at Race Point. A Purple Gallinule discovered in Peabody was more cooperative, staying a week for many birders to enjoy. Any hummingbird found in mid-September should be closely observed. At the Nantucket Birding Festival, a Calliope Hummingbird was found, only the fifth state record. A Rufous Hummingbird was banded in Brewster. Highlight of the period: the passerine fall migration. Birders were out and about enjoying great weather both in September and October. In addition to the spectacular concentration of Tree Swallows, two major fallouts resulted in large numbers of songbirds descending on Plum Island. Notable were 18 Philadelphia Vireos and 18 warbler species, including 12 Cape May Warblers. For the period throughout the state, 31 warbler species were noted with ...
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  Photo Essay: Birds of the Twenty-sixth MARC Report

  Western Meadowlark. November 11, 2021. Honey Pot, Hadley. Photograph by Sara Griesemer. Virginia’s Warbler. October 8, 2023. Putnam Farm Conservation Area, Orleans. Photograph by Sam Zhang.