Quabbin & Plum Island

Piping Plover (Plum Is)

It's been a couple of weeks since my last update- To say Migration is in full swing , would be an understatement. Recent trips with the Hitchcock Center Birding Class to the Quabbin Reservoir and last weekend to Plum Island/Newburyport have been quite successful.

The Quabbin trip produced some nice highlights...Nesting Common Ravens at the spillway, Bald Eagle, several Yellow-throated Vireos and 15+ Black-throated Blue Warblers.

Last weeks trip to the Newburyport/Plum Island region produced 103 species. While it wasn't the best day for migrates, an adult White-faced Ibis in Newbury continued to put on a show. Other highlights included - a large raft of Long-tailed Ducks off parking lot #1 on Plum Island, Blue-winged Teal, Tricolored Heron, 65 Glossy Ibis (Newbury),
Great Horned Owl nest, (1 young) and Orchard Oriole.

Gadwall (Plum Is)

Eastern Towhee (Plum Is. Mass)

Common Raven (Quabbin Reservoir-Spillway)

Mt. Auburn Cemetery -May 3rd

American Robin- Nest near Restrooms.




The Hitchcock Center Birding Class headed east today to visit historic Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. The cemetery is clearly one of the most beautiful places to bird in Massachusetts or for that matter, New England. The lush vegetation is a magnet for spring migrates that filter out of the predawn skies looking to rest and refuel for the continuing journey north to there breeding grounds. The cemetery is literally an Island oasis in a sea of concrete and steel.

We arrived at the cemetery around 7:30am, gathered up our group and worked our way to Indian Ridge. The weather conditions were considerably less than ideal, overcast, on-off light rain, light easterly wind (raw) with temps holding around 44 degrees.

I knew this was not going to be one of those legendary Mt. Auburn days, but the group and I managed 43 species (7 species of Warblers) and had some nice looks at some common, but at times, hard to view species.

Species Seen:

Canada Goose
Mallard
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1)
Downy Woodpecker (3)
No.Flicker (1)
Eastern Phoebe (1)
Blue-headed Vireo (1)
Warbling Vireo (1)
Blue Jay
Am.Crow
Fish Crow (1)
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch (1)
White-breasted Nuthatch (1)
Carolina Wren (1)
House Wren (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (15)
Hermit Thrush (2)
American Robin
E.Starling
Northern Parula (1)
Yellow Warbler (1)
Black-thr.blue Warbler (1m)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (14)
Pine Warbler (2)
Black/White Warbler (3)
Ovenbird (1)
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow (1)
White-thr.Sparrow (22)
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole (1-m)
Baltimore Oriole (3)
House Finch
Am.Goldfinch
House Sparrow
















View of Boston. (Click on Images for larger photo)
















The Group-

































The Cemetery..
















Baltimore Oriole- one of three. Overcast conditions made for a difficult day with the camera.
















Orchard Oriole