May 29

On Friday May 25, Joe and I went to River St. Acushnet to check on the orioles. Glad to report that Pat missed the obvious. Oriole's nest was completed but hidden in the new leaves.

Today I was visiting my friend in Dartmouth off of Reed road and am pretty sure I saw a Black chinned Hummer. He wouldn't turn to "flash" but it was not a Ruby.

Pat reports chickadees nesting in her backyard.

May 20, 2007

Rain off and on.
Long Road 7 to 11.
Not much unusual. Got some stuff for BBA. Catbirds with nesting material and a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers building a nest in a hole in a tree on the side of the road.
Lots of fighting. RW Blackbirds locked in battle fluttered into the pond, but flew back out. Flock of Cedar Waxwings very noisy. Some pairs feeding each other.
Young male Orchard Oriole and a female kept coming back to the tree I was sitting under and making scolding noises. The male sang very nicely a few times.
Saw a raccoon on the other side of the pond investigating trash. He went back into the woods and a few minutes later there was some ungodly screaming from the marsh....he may have found a nest.

May 18, 2007

Pouring rain and cold. Went to Long Road (Fhv) at lunch not expecting to see much. At the far end of the "pond" something moved in the tree. I thought it was the Green Heron from a couple days ago, but when I got a good look saw that it was a Black-crowned Night Heron. Of course since it was pouring I didn't have my camera, but it was a great birthday bird anyway.
Brings my Long Road list to 91 species.

May 17, 2007

Red-eyed vireos and Great crested flycatchers have arrived. Early in the morning, I watched a female yellow warbler by the pond, and there is a pair of wood ducks that seem to be calling that area home. I don't think they used the nest box, but they are always in the little pond area when I visit.

May 16, 2007

Long Road (Fairhaven) -- heard an unfamiliar call and then saw a dull unfamiliar bird with slight streaking on each side of breast. Trudged back for my book and when I returned, saw a strange large chickadee chasing the first bird. Turned out to be a pair of Blackpoll Warblers.
A Green Heron was very obliging posing for me. See his photos.
The usual crowd was there: Crows, Titmice, real Chickadees, Yellow Warblers, nesting B. Orioles and RW Blackbirds. Broken Robin's egg at nice new nest. Pair of Canada Geese, lots of Catbirds. N. Parula. Lots of sounds I couldn't id.
[Note: recorded a bird in the marsh and later identified it as Black-billed Cuckoo]

May 14 & 15

May 14--
Long Road (Fairhaven) early. Perfect weather. Cowbirds and Goldfinch. Goldies are very busy with the dandelions gone to seed.
Lunchtime at Mill Road (Fairhaven). Pair of nesting Mute Swans. Yellow Warbler pair going crazy...must have a nest.
Hummingbird at home (Acushnet).

May 15--
Cool, cloudy, breezy.
Long Road (Fairhaven) early a.m. -- saw Orioles and RW Blackbirds building nests. Barn and Rough-winged Swallows swooping over pond and fighting. Saw two fighting Great Crested Flycatchers. One Eastern Kingbird. Heard the Blue-winged Warbler again plus several Wood Thrush.

BBA

May 13, 2007

Long Road -- Lots of courting Catbirds. Yellow Warbler adding to a nest (but too early to add to Breeding Bird Atlas). Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Heard several Blue-winged Warblers. Lots of battling Common Yellow-throats. Lots of Wood Thrush.

Winsegansett -- Flocks of Least Sandpiper, Terns I couldn't i.d., Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, small group of Brant. Two pairs of Oystercatchers who were oddly silent....may have eggs around there. A Willet who was NOT silent. Ruddy Turnstones and Dunlin in breeding finery. Ospreys on platform nest. Heard a Killdeer near the road.

May 10, 2007

Several catbirds are coming to the suet feeders now, including one that apparently wants to be a wood thrush. The song is note perfect, but in different order. If I hadn't seen the bird sing, I wouldn't have believed it! There are many yellow warblers and black and whites in the woods, and I surprised a pair of wood ducks the other evening. Hope they use the nest box next year.

May 8, 2007

Pat and I were invited to the Hathaways to observe an "unusual" hummmer. we did see it several times but too far away to get absoluute ID . We think maybe Black chinnned? Would be nice. Also saw yellow warblers and goldfinches plus catbirds, cardinals chickadees, downy . Time well spent.

May 6, 2007

MOUNT AUBURN CEMETERY
Pat drove Mike, Kay and Carolyn and we were met by Pam who showed us around the place.

Saw:

1. Gray Catbird
   
2. Northern Cardinal
   
3. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
   
4. American Robin
   
5. Blue Jay
   
6. Hermit Thrush
   
7. Wood Thrush
   
8. Chickadee
   
9. Tufted Titmouse
   
10. White-breasted Nuthatch
    
11. American Goldfinch
    
12. Hooded Warbler
    
13. Black-throated Green Warbler
    
14. Ovenbird
    
15. Yellow-rumped Warbler
    
16. Northern Parula
    
17. Prairie Warbler
    
18. Nashville Warbler
    
19. Black-and-white Warbler
    
20. Palm Warbler
    
21. Mallard
    
22. Brown-headed Cowbird
    
23. Red-winged Blackbird
    
24. Common Grackle
    
25. Warbling Vireo
    
26. Yellow-throated Vireo
    
27. Red-eyed Vireo
    
28. Blue-headed Vireo
    
29. Downy Woodpecker
    
30. Red-bellied Woodpecker
    
31. Great-crested Flycatcher
    
32. White-throated Sparrow
    
33. Chipping Sparrow
    
34. Song Sparrow
    
35. Mourning Dove
    
36. House Wren
    
37. Carolina Wren
    
38. Chimney Swift
    
39. Eastern Kingbird
    
40. Double-crested Cormorant (flying)
    
41. Baltimore Oriole
    
42. Red-tailed Hawk (flying)
    
43. Sharp-shinned Hawk (flying)
    
44. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
    
45. Great Blue Heron (flying with nesting material)
    

May 5, 2007

Perfect weather. Went with Kay to Long Road. Saw Cardinal, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Northern Parula, Scarlet Tanager, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Catbird, some kind of Egret with yellow feet flying, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Downy Woodpecker, Flicker, Canada Geese, pair of Cooper's Hawks chased by Red-winged Blackbird, Grackle, very brightly colored Savannah Sparrows, very dark White-throated Sparrow (and bright ones too), Mallard, Virginia Rail, Rough-winged Swallow, Titmice, Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatch, Robins building a nest, Baltimore Oriole, Common Yellowthroat, and of course, Goldfinch.

Later went back and saw Dan Z. who pointed out the Parula and a Black-and-white Warbler, Hummingbird.

Went to Little Bay in the afternoon and saw a Loon come up with a huge fish and gulp it down...truly amazing. A little kid on a bike saw the binoculars and said he saw an eagle back down the road...riiiiiight. I did go and check though.

May 3, 2007

Beautiful day. Sunny, breezy, mild. Went to Shaw Road to find Cattle Egret. Couldn't see it till Mike Mauer drove by and spotted it. Went down Shaw's Cove Road and took pics. Lots of Yellowlegs there. The bird was still there at 5 after work. Also saw Barn Swallows, Oriole, House Wren, lots of blackbirds and cowbirds.

At lunch there was one Willet at Hacker Street.

May 2, 2007

Long Road early drizzle. Lots of Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers with Cowbirds mating like crazy.
Lunchtime at Fort Phoenix. Yellow Warbler putting on a show with a Hermit Thrush sneaking around in the undergrowth.
Damn! Intended to go to Shaw Road after work, but changed my mind at the last minute and missed the Cattle Egret.

May 2, 2007

A common snipe was in the yard today, a startling and startled visitor. Yellow-rumped warblers continue to sing and allow me to see them often. Black and white warblers, yellow warblers and ovenbirds sang today. The chimney swifts and barn swallows were overhead, and tree swallows in back at the pond. I swear I heard a broad-winged hawk high overhead today too.

May 1, 2007

Long Road 7am-- Kingfisher, Cormorant, Mallard. Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Black and White Warblers. Another Nashville--the one I saw the other day had an enormous white eye-ring, today's had a large one but not as startling. Lurking near the warblers was a female Cowbird. Saw Cowbirds mating near my car. Song Sparrows, Goldfinches, Flickers, Robins, etc.