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of the hottest birds:
BBC Extreme
Pelagic:
This
trip, held every August, is now renowned for its pelagic rarities and the
trip August 28-29 2010 was no exception. How about White-faced Storm-Petrel,
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Great Skua? Check out photos from Luke
Seitz, Ian
Davies, Jim
Hully, Jeremiah Trimble,
Matt Garvey (video at youtube,
mobileme1, mobileme2,
mobileme3), Steve
Mirick (map1,
map2,
map3,
photo
gallery)
Bar-tailed
Godwit:
Francois
Grenon was checking out the godwits on South Beach in Chatham on August
27 when he noticed one that was different, and identified it as a Bar-tailed
Godwit. The following day Daniel
Mitev and Erik
Nielsen were able to relocate this bird and photograph it. Erik reports
"In the strong light the rump looked quite whitish at times and one observer
reported seeing a white wedge on the lower back. Those two field marks
would indicate it being of the nominate subspecies - lapponica; but the
photos (especially Daniel Mitev's) indicate that it's the even rarer bauri!"
White-tailed
Tropicbird: Eric
Savetsky found and photographed a White-tailed
Tropicbird at the north end of Welker Canyon on the Continental Shelf
edge (between Hydrographer and Oceanographer Canyons) at 8:30am on 22 August!
Although there are about 8 previous records of this species in the state,
this represents the second confirmed "natural" at sea observation.
The remainder records involve grounded birds during storms/hurricanes except
for one bird observed well during a storm from shore on 27 September 1985
in Chatham.
Brown Pelican:
On
August 5 Rachel Farrell was astonished to watch a Brown Pelican flying
south over Buzzards Bay, then land on the water for just enough time to
let Rachel grab a couple of photographs!
Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher: Siobhan
Basile was looking for Piping Plovers at Sandy Point Reservation on
Plum Island on July 22, when he happened upon a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
and captured some photos. Oh, and he saw the Piping Plovers too. Despite
birders searching, it was not seen again till July 25, when it was photographed
by Jeremiah
Trimble, on July 26 by Ryan
Schain, and on July 31 by Ian
Davies. On August 2 by Bruce
deGraaf, on August 9 by Phil
Brown.
Red-necked
Stint:
If you want to find a shorebird rarity, try South Beach in Chatham. On
June 27, Blair
Nikula discovered and photographed this handsome specimen. Other folks
on the beach got word quickly and were able to relocate the bird and it
was photographed by Luke
Seitz and Jeremiah
Trimble. Still there on June 29, Ryan
Schain got photos, and on July 1 Alex
Burdo photographed it.
Gull-billed
Tern:
Another nice Nantucket bird. On June 10 Blair Perkins found a Gull-billed
Tern at Bartlett Farm. He contacted Edie Ray and Vern Laux, and Vern got
these photos.
Black-necked
Stilts:
On June 4 Paul Champlin reported two (two!) Black-necked Stilts at Mass
Audubon's Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary and rushed out word in the middle
of his sparrow census. Erik
Nielsen got these terrific photos on June 6.
Sedge Wren:
But who found it? We still don't know, but it was initially reported May
24 at Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, and subsequently
enjoyed by many, including Bob
Stymeist, who took these terrific photos on May 26. On May 28 Ian
Davies and Jeremiah
Trimble captured some photos, and Mary
Keleher got video (and audio!). Check out photos by Erik
Nielsen and Joe
Vincent from May 29.
Purple Gallinule:
On May 26 6-year-old Rachel Mumford and her mom Sarah saw and photographed
another (?) Purple Gallinule on Great Pond in Eastham. Hmmm, the Gloucester
bird hasn't been reported since May 23.
Purple Gallinule:
On Birdathon Saturday on May 15, Steve and Jane Mirick were astonished
(and pleased) to see an adult Purple Gallinule perching in a Norway Maple
in Gloucester, chowing down on winter moth caterpillars. See Steve's photos
here (one,
two,
three,
four).Rick
Heil got the word and was able to get more photos. It continued until
May 23 so Mary Keleher could get a photo
and video.
Cave Swallow:
When Vern Laux got a call on May 12 from Steve Langer about a Cliff Swallow
on Nantucket, he went to verify that it wasn't a Cave Swallow - except
it was! For photos of this first spring record for Massachusetts, see Vern's
photos from May 13 here
and here
(with details from Jeremiah Trimble).
White-faced
Ibis:
On May 10 Bob Murphy discovered two White-faced Ibis in the "Pikul's Pans"
in Rowley. Phil
Brown went to check it out and grabbed these terrific photos. Despite
being very rare in Massachusetts, one or more of these birds have been
seen in this area of Essex County almost annually since 2003, including
an individual photographed in the ibis nesting colony on Kettle Island
in Magnolia in 2009.
Wilson's
Plover:
On March 28 Edie Ray and Trish Pastuszak discovered a Wilson's Plover on
the beach at the end of North Cambridge in Madaket, Nantucket. Vern
Laux got down there in the late afternoon and photographed it.
Sage Thrasher:
The Sage Thrasher at Salisbury Beach State Reservation was last seen on
January 16 - who would imagine it could remain undetected at the popular
spot for over two months. But on March 27 Sandy Selesky and Jon
Saperia rediscovered it and Jon got some photographs. On March 28 it
continued and Ian
Davies and Erik
Nielsen captured some images.
Barnacle Goose:
Mark Lynch and Sheila Carroll discovered a Barnacle
Goose on February 20, 2010 at Mill Pond in South Egremont, and Sheila
got these photographs.
Tufted Duck:
Mike Mastropasqua says he's not a birder, but he got a terrific photograph
of a male Tufted Duck in Waltham
on February 19.
Slaty-backed
Gull:
Marshall Iliff was hoping to relocate the Mew Gull at Niles Pond in Gloucester
on January 25, but instead discovered an adult Slaty-backed
Gull. This is only the fourth record of this species in the state,
the first three being in December 2007, two of them in Gloucester! Oh,
and by the way, he also saw the Thayer's gull.
Ivory Gull:
On January 23 Dan Zimberlin and his father discovered an Ivory Gull near
Richmond Pond in Westport. Later in the day Geoff
Dennis saw and photographed an Ivory Bill a scant quarter-mile away
at Quicksand Pond in Little Compton, RI. No one has seen the Provincetown
gull since - same bird?
Thayer's Gull:
Tim Spahr reported a Thayer's Gull at Niles Pond in Gloucester on January
17. On January 20 James
P. Smith got photographs of a first cycle bird there. Marshall
Iliff also so it on January 25.
Ivory Gull:
On January 14 Bennet
Porter reported "Thanks to some birders whose names I forgot to ask,
I got some great looks at an adult Ivory Gull at Race Point in Provincetown."
Mark Faherty finally discovered the mystery birders: Ivan Ace and Ed Yargeau,
volunteers at WBWS. On January 15 Mary
Keleher got video and Blair
Nikula got photos. Check out photos from Peter
Trull and Bob Stymeist from January
16. Myer
Bornstein, Peter
Bono and James
P. Smith on January 17. Alex
Hildenbrandt on January 21.
Townsend's
Solitaire:
Yard bird for Peter Bono in Yarmouthport on January 12! Peter says: "I
was sitting at my kitchen table eating breakfast and looking out the window.
At the top of a distant bare tree (say, 150 feet away), I could see this
grayish, fairly upright bird perched. I thought it might be a waxwing or
female bluebird, but it had a relatively long tail. I put my binoculars
on it--and immediately noticed the complete eye-ring and the buffy wing
marking with white pale edgings." Check out his photos.
Mary Keleher made a visit on January 22 and got lucky - captured video
and photographs.
Sage Thrasher:
Brian Parker discovered this bird in Salisbury on January 11. Photos from
Mike
Thompson and Lee Hansche and Rick
Heil on January 11. On January 12, Jim
Fenton, Peter
Trimble, Tom
Murray, and Peter
Trull. On January 13 David
Jones. It was still there on January 16 for Julie
Waters.
Eared Grebe:
On January 2 Mary
Keleher discovered an Eared Grebe on Mill Pond, in Marstons Mills and
managed some photos and video in the snow. This is a very rare inland record
of this species. Jeremiah
Trimble dropped by later in the day (between snow flurries?) and managed
some photos.
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