104th Ipswich River Bird Survey
May 22, 2010
Dear Members,
Four paddlers enjoyed the ECOC Ipswich River Canoe Trip in two separate canoes. The Buchsbaums of Beverly [father & son duo Robert & Gabriel] were in one, and Linda Pivacek of Nahant and Jim McCoy of Melrose were in the other! A special thanks to this foursome for keeping our Club’s tradition alive!
Among their avian finds were Yellow-throated Vireo, Virginia Rail, Spotted Sandpiper and Orchard Oriole. The weather was terrific; the river was up but still lazy. The trip had a couple of pleasant surprises; Gabriel and Robert’s favorite was the mink they saw carrying a big fish in its mouth. It swam across the river and scurried along the shoreline for awhile, then stopped and stared at them. Pretty neat! For birds, Gabriel really liked the Great Blue Herons. Robert liked seeing a great, close up view of a Yellow-throated Vireo. They enjoyed hearing the Virginia Rails too while canoeing through all those wonderful wetlands.
Sightings:
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Virginia Rail
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Pine Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Northern Cardinal
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
David Brewster & Robert Buchsbaum conducted a land component in the Ipswich River Watershed at the John C. Phillips Preserve, Beverly.
Sightings:
Canada Goose 5
Mallard 1
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Herring Gull (American) 20
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Mourning Dove 2
Barred Owl 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Eastern Kingbird 2
Blue Jay 6
Tree Swallow 5
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Wood Thrush 1
European Starling 1
Yellow Warbler 2
Pine Warbler 1
Ovenbird 1
Scarlet Tanager 2
Song Sparrow 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Common Grackle 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Baltimore Oriole 4
American Goldfinch 4
House Sparrow 5
I hope you all have a pleasant summer!
Best Wishes,
Sue
Sue McGrath
ECOC, President