Birders,

I birded Bill Forward Pool early this morning, before 6:00 to about
7:00. For the second day I was not able to find the Buff-breasted
Sandpiper. However, there was a single Little Gull there, as if for
old times. The two Pectoral Sandpipers of yesterday have increased to
three. And my estimate of Long-billed Dowitchers at the pool is up
from five to about eight. I have difficulty telling the difference
between a Long-billed Dowitcher and a hendersoni Short-billed
Dowitcher. I try to go by the amount of black on the tail, the amount
of spotting and marking on the neck, the darkness of the back, the
size and blockiness of the body, and the length of the bills, but
only when I find a concentration of three or more birds with
characters more in the Long-billed direction, am I comfortable making
an ID. There are many beautifully reddish dowitchers at Forward now,
and there could easily be more Long-billeds than my conservative
identifications suggest. If only the birds were close enough to hear!

Good birding,

Tom Wetmore, ttw4(at)verizon(dot)net
Newburyport, MA
http://bartonstreet.com/tom/birds/pisightings.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plumislandbirds/

PI Birders,

Here is Paula's report from the morning of August 12. Note the Ruby-
throated Hummingbird she saw between lots one and two!

-- Tom Wetmore, Newburyport, MA
------------------------------------------------------------------

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Paula McFarland"
Date: August 12, 2005 2:15:19 PM EDT
Subject: PI Birds, Aug 12th

Hi Tom,
I went down to Stage Island, but I did not have any luck with the
Buff-breasted. Hopefully he/she was just hiding, and is still
around.  Here are my sightings:

Song Sparrow, 1 adult, 1 juv, Gatehouse
Brown Thrasher, various
Goldfinch, Lot 1
European Starling, pans, wearing polka dot pants!
Mourning Dove, various
Eastern Kingbird, various
Northern Mockingbird, twixt 1&2, south scrub
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 1 twixt 1&2
Cedar Waxwings, twixt 1&2, south scrub
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, pans
Gray Catbird, various
Robin, including juvs, lot 2
Semi-palmated Plovers, including 1 juv, pans
Least Sandpiper, including 1+ juvs, pans
Semi-palmated Sandpiper, pans
Short-billed Dowitcher, 10 pans, 4, Stage Island pool
Greater Yellowlegs, pans
Lesser Yellowlegs, south field pans (before Cross Farm Hill)
Barn Swallow, pans
Tree Swallow, 100+, roosting on lot 1, flying over North Pool area
Merganser (Red-breasted?), 1 female, pans
Yellow Warbler, s-curves, south scrub
Snowy Egret, 5+, south field pans
Glossy Ibis, 1 North Pool, 1 south field pans
Spotted Sandpiper, Stage Island pool
Northern Harrier, 1 worn female, Stage Island pool
Towhee, pans (heard)
Common Tern, 13 in flight, pans
Least Tern, 5, including at least 1 juv, pans
Osprey, 1 on Pines nest
Cormorant, various
Purple Martin, lot 1
And a gull missing its head, Stage Island pool

-Paula

PIBirders,

Another short trip to the island this morning, no further south than Hellcat. I
was after the Buff-breasted Sandpiper again, but failed. Highlights included ...

o An apparent family group of five Common Loons in the ocean off lot one.

o A repeat of yesterday's Great Blue Heron eel meel, with an added twist or two.
The heron tried to gulp the eel down before the eel was willing. Four or five
times the eel got down so only its last inches were wriggling from the bird's
mouth, and each time out it came again for some supplementary head squeezing and
shaking. Eventueely the eel went down, but its wriggling could be seeln as it
passed down the bird's neck into its gizzard. The heron had a bit of a surprised
look on its face, and stood very erect with neck extended straight upwards a few
times, but after a minute or two returned to normal heronic activity. Clearly
Forward Peel has a plentifeel stock of eels aveelabeel.

o Yesterday's two Pectoral Sandpipers and small group of Long-billed Dowitchers
were still at Forward Pool.

o A large juvenile Cooper's Hawk was hiding deep in the tree at the end of the
Hellcat dike, and made a few failed attempts on the large number of shorebirds
in Forward Pool.

o A marked reduction in the number of Marsh Wrens singing. I couldn't tell any
difference between yesterday and today, but the wrens sure could.

-- Tom Wetmore, Newburyport, MA
=============================================

Date: August 12, 2005
Note: 5:55 to 7:40 am, 68 to 70 deg, overcast, breezy, to Hellcat dikes.

Canada Goose -- 1, forward
Mute Swan -- 3, north pool
American Black Duck -- 6+, various
Mallard -- 25+, various
Green-winged Teal -- 8+, forward
Blue-winged Teal -- 1, forward
Hooded Merganser -- 1 jv, pans
Common Loon -- 6, one ocean
Double-crested Cormorant -- 10, forward, 4, one ocean
Least Bittern -- 1 heard call, north pool
Great Blue Heron -- 1, north pool, 1, forward
Great Egret -- 1, north marsh
Snowy Egret -- 4-5, north marsh
Black-crowned Night-Heron -- 1, north pool flyby
Osprey -- 1, pines nest
Northern Harrier -- 1 jv f, north field
Cooper's Hawk -- 1 lg jv, hellcat
Clapper Rail -- 2 calling, north marsh s of boatramp
Virginia Rail -- 1 calling, north pool overlook
Black-bellied Plover -- 2+ heard, hellcat, 1, one beach
Killdeer -- 6, various
Semipalmated Plover -- 20, pans, 150, forward, 60, one beach
Greater Yellowlegs -- 5, forward
Lesser Yellowlegs -- 10, forward
Spotted Sandpiper -- 1 jv, forward
Semipalmated Sandpiper -- 30, pans, 250, forward, 30, one beach
White-rumped Sandpiper -- 5+, pans, 35+, forward
Least Sandpiper -- 3+, forward, 2+, others
Sanderling -- 6+, one beach
Pectoral Sandpiper -- 2, forward
Short-billed Dowitcher -- 20, pans, 100, forward
Long-billed Dowitcher -- 5+, forward
Least Tern -- 1, pans
Common Tern -- 3, wardens, 10, one ocean
Ring-billed Gull -- 2-3, hellcat, 4, one beach
Herring Gull -- 1, hellcat, few, one beach
Great Black-backed Gull -- few, one beach
Mourning Dove -- 16, road
Eastern Kingbird -- 6+, road
Tree Swallow -- mn 100s
Purple Margin -- 6+, one colony
Bank Swallow -- 4+
Barn Swallow -- 4+
Blue Jay -- 2, hellcat
American Crow -- 2, hellcat
Marsh Wren -- 6+, north marsh, hellcat, number down
American Robin -- 10+, road
Gray Catbird -- 8+, road
Brown Thrasher -- 12+, road
European Starling -- 100s
Cedar Waxwing -- 10+ heard, various
Yellow Warbler -- 4-5 singing, road
Eastern Towhee -- 3-4, road
Song Sparrow -- 4-5, road
Savannah Sparrow -- 2, one scrub
Northern Cardinal -- 2, hellcat lot
Bobolink -- heard, north field
Red-winged Blackbird -- few
Brown-headed Cowbird -- 1 jv, one lot
American Goldfinch -- few heard

As a PS to my earlier post, neglected to note that at Bill Forward
Pool, we saw a River Otter out in the middle of the pool twisting and
turning, no doubt partaking of or going after some prey or other.
Also on the north-south dike along Bill Forward Pool, just beyond
the "No Entry" sign, we briefly saw a rather handsome, very "dark-
pelaged" mink.

Dave Weaver
Manchester, MA 01944
cygnus-dkw@...

Jock Purcell and I as Joppa Flats volunteers hosted a group of
volunteers from New Hampshire's Sandy Point Discovery Center.  These
folks do Osprey survey volunteer work and were out for an evening of
birding on Plum Island.  We were on the island from 6 until sundown,
shortly before 8.  Darkness and the midges drove us off.  Here's
what we saw:

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron (1) - Bill Forward Pool.
Great Egret (15) - 8 at North Pool Overlook.
Snowy Egret (25) - 20 at Bill Forward Pool.
Glossy Ibis (3) - 2 at North Pool Overlook, 1 at Bill Forward Pool.
Canada Goose
Mute Swan (2) - ads in North Pool (have seen no cygnets to date!)
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal (3) - Stage Island Pool.
Green-winged Teal (2) - Stage Island Pool.
Hooded Merganser (1) - juv at Bill Forward Pool.
Osprey (2)
Northern Harrier (1) - female ad.
Black-bellied Plover (1) - Bill Forward Pool.
Semipalmated Plover (many)
Killdeer (4)
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper (1) - Lot #1 boat ramp.
Semipalmated Sandpiper (many)
Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Ring-billed Gull (5)
Herring Gull (1)
Common Tern (1) - Salt Pannes.
Least Tern (1) - Salt Pannes.
Mourning Dove
American Crow
Purple Martin (3) - Lot #1 houses (have some migrated?)
Tree Swallow - lots flocking.
Barn Swallow - some amongst Tree Swallows.
Marsh Wren (1) - Lot #1 boat ramp.
Gray Catbird (1)
Northern Mockingbird (1)
European Starling
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (1) - Lot #1 boat ramp.
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch

Dave Weaver
Manchester, MA 01944
cygnus-dkw@...

PI Birders,

I've been poking around with some of the features that Yahoo provides for this
group. If you look at the sidebar over to your left (go ahead and look over
there right now), you'll see a number of features ...

I've started to use a couple of them ...

Links -- this feature allows us to create a list of useful links to places on
the web. If you select this feature you will see that I have added a few links
that I think are useful. At present this feature is wide open to any group
member. If you have a link you like you can add it.

Databases -- this feature allows us to create a list of tables. These are
standard database tables that have a set of columns and a set of rows. I believe
things are set up so that any member can create tables and any member can add to
tables. I have created two tables, one for people who want to share their Plum
Island life lists, and the other for people who want to share their Plum Island
2005 year lists. (If you are not a lister, feel free to think of me as a damaged
individual.) I have added one row to each table to get them started. If you're
not a lister, you can still add a row to rub it in. Take a look at Clem
Kadiddlehopper's entry in the database.

And there are others ...

Files -- looks like we can use this feature to store and access files for the
group. This doesn't seem all that important given that we can use the Links
feature to link to files anyplace on the Internet. But who knows?

Photos -- looks like we can use this feature to give the group a photo gallery.
Sounds like a good idea for anybody who has a bird picture from the island who
wants to put it some place. I'm sure there is some size limit that Yahoo will
enforce.

Polls -- looks like we can create polls; don't know what we would poll ("What do
you think about the refuge staff's North Pool plan?"), but is might be fun. Hmm,
"Do you have a scope?"; "Do you squint the other eye closed when you use a
scope?"; "How old were you when got binoculars to work for the first time";
"What is your favorite bird?"; "How do you feel about George Bush?"

Maybe you can think of some interesting ways to use one of these features.

-- Tom Wetmore

PI Birders,

I made a short run to Plum Island this morning, primarily to see if the
Buff-breasted Sandpiper discovered by Sue Ross yesterday was still there. When I
set up my scope at the new blind, and took my first look, the bird was in the
middle of the view! Anticlimactic. It promptly moved out of sight and didn't
reappear until a Northern Harrier came by and shifted the shorebirds around,
when the Buff-breasted landed on the grassy island where it was seen yesterday.
My think the bird is an adult, based on quite blackish feathers above and
general look of dowdiness, but I am notoriously poor about making such calls.
Though the bird was often out of sight from the new blind, it would have been
continuously visible from the Hellcat dikes.

Highlights of the morning...

o. Green-winged Teal -- a female with 8 downy young at North Pool Overlook. I
think it is safe to claim that five species of puddle ducks bred in North Pool
this year (Gadw, ABDk, Mall, GWTl, BWTl).

o. Great Blue Heron -- 1 at Forward Pool caught a large eel (about twice the
length of the bird's bill) and then went through an eloborate killing procedure
before slurping it down. The heron walked out of the pool with the eel, and
repeated placed it on the ground before stabbing it with its bill. It always
pierced into and usually through the eel's body, but only with its lower
mandible. It would then shake its bill to get the eel to slide off for another
go. If you've ever had to deel [sic] with eels you know they take a lot of
killing. This procedure continued for some time. The heron frequently put the
eel on the ground and then just watched it, as if judging its degree of deadness
by its degree of residual squirminess. When deemed dead enough, the heron
carried the eel back into the pool, swished it back and forth in the water for a
quick clean, and then gulped it down.

o. Buff-breasted Sandpiper -- 1, as mentioned above, at Forward Pool.

o. Pectoral Sandpiper -- 2 among the many, many hundreds of shorebirds at
Forward Pool.

o. Northern River Otter -- not birds in the strictest sense, but 2 were
cavorting sensuously (would have been banned in Boston) directly behind a group
of Long-billed Dowitchers at Forward Pool.

-- Tom Wetmore, Newburyport, Massachusetts

--------------------
Complete list:

Date: August 11, 2005
Note: 5:55 to 7:15 am, 71 to 75 degrees, hazy, didn't get south new blind.

Canada Goose -- forward
Amderican Black Duck -- forward, north pool overlook
Gadwall -- forward, north pool overlook
Mallard -- pans, forward, north pool overlook
Green-winged Teal -- 1 f w/ 8 downies, north pool overlook, 8, forward
Great Blue Heron -- 1, forward
Great Egret -- 4, north marsh
Snowy Egret -- 8+, various
Glossy Ibis -- 13, north marsh flby, 1, north pool overlook
Northern Gannet -- 1 ad, one ocean
Double-crested Cormorant -- 6, forward
Osprey -- 2, pines nest
Northern Heron -- 1 jv, forward
Clapper Rail -- 2 calling, marsh opp midden dunes
Virginia Rail -- 1-2 calling, north field
Black-bellied Plover -- 1 heard, hellcat, 1 heard, north marsh
Killdeer -- 4, various
Semipalmated Plover -- 55, pans, 120, forward
Greater Yellowlegs -- 1, pans, 4, forward
Lesser Yellowlegs -- 5, pans, 15, forward
Semipalmated Sadnpiper -- 130, pans, 300+, forward
White-rumped Sandpiper -- 30+, forward
Least Sandpiper -- 4+, forward
Pectorl Sandpiper -- 2, forward
Buff-breasted Sandpiper -- 1, forward, guess ad
Short-billed Dowitcher -- 50, pans, 100+, forward
Long-billed Dowitcher -- 5+, forward
Ring-billed Gull -- 3, forward
Herring Gull -- 6+, various
Great Black-backed Gull -- 3+, various
Common Tern -- 2 ad, pans, 1 ad, 1 jv, forward
Least Tern -- 1 ad, pans
Mourning Dove -- 25, road
Eastern Kingbird -- 10+, road
American Crow -- 2
Purple Martin -- 8, one colony
Tree Swallow -- mn 100s, throughout
Bank Swallow -- 1+, one lot
Marsh Wren -- 12, north marsh, north field, north pool
American Robin -- 8+, roadside
Gray Catbird -- 12+, roadside
Brown Thrasher -- 12+, roadside
Northern Mockingbird -- 1, new blind
European Starling -- 100s
Cedar Waxwing -- ~10, most heard
Yellow Warbler -- 4+, road
Eastern Towhee -- 8+, throughout
Sone Sparrow -- 6+, roadside
Savannah Sparrow -- 1, one scrub
Field Sparrow -- 1 singing, near new blind
Red-winged Blackbird -- 20+
Bobolink -- 7, north field flyby, others heard
Baltimore Oriole -- 1, scurves
American Goldfinch -- 6+, various

PI Birders,

Here is a post forwarded from Massbird, this one from Nancy Soulette
describing a Buff-breasted Sandpiper from Bill Forward Pool yesterday
evening, August 10th. Plum Island is one of the premier locations on
the east coast for this wonderful species. For me the Buff-breasted
Sandpiper ranks as high or higher than even the Snowy Owl as the most
anticipated species every year.

-- Tom Wetmore

-------------------------------
Begin forwarded message:

From: Nsoulette@...
Date: August 10, 2005 9:42:53 PM EDT
Subject: [MASSBIRD] Buff-breasted Sandpiper-Parker River NWR

The Joppa Flats Wednesday evening birding group had a major surprise
tonight (Aug. 10, 5:30-7:30 pm).  While scanning Bill Forward Pool
and taking in all the wonderful shorebirds that have already been
well reported by others recently, Sue Ross discovered a bird unlike
all the others.  At first, because of the orange lighting of the
sunset, the bird appeared to be exactly the right color for a Red
Knot in breeding plumage, but as Bill Gette persisted in questioning
us, we examined it more closely (and the sun became less intense) and
discussed every detail, we gradually realized that it had to be a
Buff-breasted Sandpiper in breeding plumage.  It was foraging on the
grass island that the cormorants and gulls roost on.  It was more
slender than a Red Knot, had a longer neck, a shorter and finer bill,
a black eye conspicuous on its plain buffy face, orangey-yellow legs,
and diffuse buffy-orangey color throughout its scalloped back
feathers (as well as over all the rest of its body).  The absolute
clincher came when the bird raised its wings and the dark comma-
shaped mark at the wrist was visible.  It was educational for all of
us to work this out, to overcome the initial reaction of "that's
impossible--it's too early" and to prove that indeed it was a Buff-
breasted Sandpiper.  Seeing one in alternate plumage was a treat.

Nancy B. Soulette
Lincoln, MA 01773

PI Birders,

Here is Dave Weaver's report from the Joppa Flat's Wednesday Morning
Birding trip that spent much of its time on the refuge. This report
is for Wednesday, August 10th.

-- Tom Wetmore
------------------------------------
Begin forwarded message:

From: "David K Weaver"
Date: August 10, 2005 4:06:27 PM EDT
Subject: [MASSBIRD] Joppa Flats and Parker River NWR - 08-10-05

Bill Gette and Wednesday Morning Birding hit Joppa Flats at low tide
this morning.  So, those godwits were way out there along the water's
edge.  In closer out from the boat ramp were many Lesser Yellowlegs
and Semipalmated Sandpipers.  Also visible were Semipalmated Plovers,
Black-bellied Plovers, a few Least Sandpipers, and some Short-billed
Dowitchers.  We had a better angle sunwise from the clam shack to be
able to determine that the godwits we were seeing were Hudsonian
Godwits.  From there, it was onto Plum Island and Parker River
National Wildlife Refuge where we had an excellent mix of shorebirds
as the rising tide pushed them onto the pannes.  Toward noontime, it
was quite warm and humid with very little wind:  upper 80s, SE/
2-5mph, dewpoint 71.

Here's our list for the morning:
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron (2) - flying over Joppa Flats.
Great Egret (2) - PRNWR.
Snowy Egret (5) - 1 over Joppa Flats; 4 PRNWR.
Glossy Ibis (2) - flying to west over PRNWR.
Turkey Vulture (1)
Canada Goose
Mute Swan (1) - North Pool.
Gadwall (1) - juv. south of Salt Pannes.
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal (3) - Stage Is. Pool, probably juvs.
Osprey (2) - sitting on Bill Forward Pool nest platform.
Black-bellied Plover - Joppa Flats.
Semipalmated Plover - Joppa Flats & PRNWR.
Killdeer (1) - panne south of Salt Pannes.
Greater Yellowlegs - many fewer than Lessers on Joppa Flats.
Lesser Yellowlegs (many) - Joppa Flats; a few in Forward Pool and
Stage Is. Pool, including at least one juv.
Spotted Sandpiper (1) - Stage Is. Pool.
Hudsonian Godwit (1) - Joppa Flats; a couple from Toronto, Ontario,
with license plate "GODWIT" later reported an additional 4 HUGOs.
Semipalmated Sandpiper (many)
Least Sandpiper (a few) - Joppa Flats & PRNWR.
White-rumped Sandpiper (~ 10) - pannes & Forward Pool.
Pectoral Sandpiper (2) - 1 in panne south of Salt Pannes; 1 in
Forward Pool.
Short-billed Dowitcher - Joppa Flats & PRNWR.
Wilson's Snipe (2) - Forward Pool, edge of cattail in NE corner.
Bonaparte's Gull (many) - a couple of large flocks on Merrimack River
off of Joppa Flats.
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull - noticeably few juvs.
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Tern (2) - pannes.
Least Tern (1) - pannes.
Mourning Dove
Eastern Kingbird (5) - PRNWR.
Blue Jay (1)
American Crow
Purple Martin (6) - Lot #1, PRNWR.
Tree Swallow (many) - large flock just south of PRNWR gate.
Gray Catbird (1) - north of Salt Pannes.
European Starling - beginning to flock.
Chipping Sparrow (1) - Joppa Flats Ed. Center.
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch - lots of activity.
House Sparrow - at boat ramp on Merrimack, interesting to compare
size of House Sparrow with a Least Sandpiper -- the sparrow was larger!

It was a hot day to be out and about, but an enjoyable time was had
by all. We will meet again next week back at Joppa Flats at 0930 for
Wednesday Morning Birding.  For more information about Joppa Flats
programs, call Bill
Gette or Dave Larson at 978-462-9998.

Dave Weaver
Manchester, MA 01944

PI Birders,

I birded from 5:55 am to 7:50 am this morning on the refuge, with most of the
time spent walking the marsh loop trail at Hellcat. I did manage quick peeks at
Stage Island Pool, and at the new blind.

My highpoints were ...

1. My first two Long-billed Dowitchers of the year at Bill Forward Pool --
nearly black above, rich reddish below, dark tails, long bills, strong neck
markings -- seen in the company of a hendersoni Short-billed Dowitcher, which
is, IMO, a daunting identification challenge.

2. Two Stilt Sandpipers bathing in Bill Forward Pool.

3. Flushing a noisy Wilson's Snipe from the marsh loop trail in the North Pool
reeds.

4. Flushing a noisy Black-crowned Night-Heron from along the marsh loop near the
old blind. This is the third or fourth year I've flushed herons from this area.

5. Brown Thrashers, young and old, everywhere along the road; really,
everywhere.

6. Hearing a Chestnut-sided Warbler singing near the old blind.

-- Tom Wetmore, Newburyport, Massachusetts

---------------------
Complete list:

Date: 10 August 2005, 5:55 am to 7:50 am, 71 to 75 degrees, mostly sunny, mild
westerly breeze.

Canada Goose -- forward
Mallard -- pans, forward, stage
Gadwall -- forward, stage
Green-winged Teal -- 4, stage, 8, forward
Great Blue Heron -- 1, forward
Great Egret -- 1, north marsh
Snowy Egret -- 8+, various
Black-crowned Night-Heron -- 1, disturbed at hellcat roost
Double-crested Cormornat -- 6, forward
Osprey -- 2, pines nest
Black-bellied Plover -- 2, hellcat
Killdeer -- 6, various
Semipalmated Plover -- 40, stage, 25, forward, 5, pans
Greater Yellowlegs -- 4, forward, 2, pans
Lesser Yellowlegs -- 10, forward, 6, stage, others
Semipalmated Sandpiper -- 40, stage, 200, forward, 20, pans
White-rumped Sandpiper -- 1+, pans, 2+, forward
Least Sandpiper -- 1+, somewhere
Short-billed Dowitcher -- 40, stage, 100, forward, inc 2+ hendersoni, 20, others
Long-billed Dowitcher -- 2+, forward
Stilt Sandpiper -- 2, forward
Wilson's Snipe -- 1, flushed, marsh loop
Ring-billed Gull -- 1, forward
Herring Gull -- 6+, various
Great Black-backed Gull -- 3+, various
Common Tern -- 2, pans
Mourning Dove -- 25, road
Eastern Kingbird -- 12+, road
Purple Martin -- 12, one colony
Tree Swallow -- 100s, throughout
Marsh Wren -- 15, north marsh, north field, north pool
American Robin -- 20+, mn at hellcat
Gray Catbird -- 25+, mn at hellcat
Brown Thrasher -- 25+, road throughout
Northern Mockingbird -- 3, somewhere
European Starling -- 100s
Cedar Waxwing -- 20, most at hellcat
Yellow Warbler -- 5+, most at hellcat
Chestnut-sided Warbler -- 1 singing, near old blind
Common Yellowthroat -- 1-2, hellcat
Eastern Towhee -- 16+, throughout
Song Sparrow -- 16+, roadside througout
Red-winged Blackbird -- 80+, most at north pool
Common Grackle -- 5+
Bobolink -- heard, north field
Baltimore Oriole -- 3+, hellcat
Purple Finch -- 2+, hellcat
American Goldfinch -- 12+, various

PI Birders,

Motivated by the recent post about bird abbreviations, I made a table
showing the abbreviations for current Massachusetts birds. It
includes my abbreviations, the bird banders' abbreviations, and the
Massbird abbreviations. The table is at:

http://bartonstreet.com/tom/birds/codetable.html

I have made this one of the links for this PI Birders group so you
can also get to it from the links link in the PI Birds sidebar.

--Tom Wetmore

PI Birders,

Here is a copy of Rick Heil's report to Massbird from his trip to
Plum Island from yesterday, August 9, 2005. Note that he reports a
male Greater Scaup from North Pool.

-- Tom W.

  From Rick Heil:

TUESDAY. 9 AUGUST 2005
PLUM ISLAND (1400-1945 hrs.)
Weather: Partly cloudy, SW 5-15 mph, 75-80 F.
Richard S. Heil, Elizabeth Valovic

Canada Goose (40+)
Gadwall (35+)
Am. Wigeon (1)-BFP
Am. Black Duck (15+)
Mallard (100+)
Blue-winged Teal (2)-salt pans.
Green-winged Teal (37)
Greater Scaup (1m.)-N. Pool.
Hooded Merganser (2 juvs.)
Double-crested Cormorant (30)
Great Blue Heron (3)
Great Egret (130+)-marsh roost.
Snowy Egret (150+)-  "   "
Green Heron (1)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (2)
Glossy Ibis (22): ads. and juvs.-N.Pool.
Osprey (3)
Northern Harrier (1 juv. f.)
Black-bellied Plover (9)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (850+): 15+ juvs. noted.
Piping Plover (4)-Sandy Pt.
Killdeer (10+)
Greater Yellowlegs (27 ads.)
Lesser Yellowlegs (80+): 20 juvs.
Spotted Sandpiper (2): ad, juv.
Ruddy Turnstone (27 ads.)
Sanderling (20)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (2800+): one juv.
Least Sandpiper (70+): 15+ juvs.
White-rumped Sandpiper (49 ads.)
Pectoral Sandpiper (2 ads.)-BFP
Dunlin (1)-SIP.
Stilt Sandpiper (3 ads.)-SIP.
Short-billed Dowitcher (540): Including 3 very high flocks totalling 100
birds migrating S. btn. 1630-1715 hrs.
Short-billed Dowither, hendersoni (1)-pans.
Long-billed Dowitcher (9 ads.)-BFP.
Common Tern (60+): Incl 6 juvs.-S.Pt.
Least Tern (12+ ads.)

Also:

    Evening masses, and I mean masses, of swallows over Woodbridge Island
roost in Newburyport Harbor tonight was estimated at 100,000++,
overwhelmingly Tree Swallows but also probably many hundreds
(thousands?) or
Barn and Bank too.

Richard Heil
S. Peabody, MA
rsheil@...
http://www.savethenorthpool.com

Ann,

Those pictures support the Greater over Lesser argument considerably. Glad you
were there with camera in hand. I don't think the case is definitive, but I
think it is much better not to claim an August Lesser Scaup was on Plum Island
this year. I still have to say that the bird very much looked like a Lesser
Scaup to me the day before, with a peaked head and small bill. I'll admit to the
mistake and try to save face by claiming the bird was having a bad hair day when
I saw him.

--Tom Wetmore

I have a few photos of the scaup at the salt pannes with its head tucked.
Since I do not have a digiscope and the scaup was at a pretty good distance
from me, the images are not sharp, but it may be possible to make some
distinction based on the bird's profile (which is why I attempted taking
them).  They can be seen at http://www.pbase.com/anngurka/scaup

Ann Gurka
Watertown, Mass.

Ann and Gary Gurka

May the beauty you love be what you do...
there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the earth
                                        ---Rumi

PI Birders,

For curiosity sake I combined the Plum Island lists from Mark &
Sheila, Tim & Brian, and myself, from August 8, and was pleased to
find a combined count of 84 species. My list only added three (Mute
Swan, Sora, and Red-breasted Nuthatch) to the overall list. 84 is a
lot of birds for August, but still, looking through the list, there
were some easy misses, for example, Black-crowned Night-Heron. Note
that Little Gull did not make it to the list, though Mark and Sheila
did see two in Newburyport harbor.

I've included the full list of 84 below, but I've made it a little
harder for you. I used the four letter codes that I've been using
since 1973. The list is arranged in near taxonomic order, one line
per family, to make them a tad easier to decipher.

There are a number of codes in use to record birds. I invented mine
before I learned of others. Today the most used code is the one
defined by the USFWS for use by bird banders. You can see that list
by starting at the link:

http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/manual/bandsize.htm

There are some fairly idiosyncratic issues with this list, based on
its long history through many changes in the North American
checklist. For example, go to the link above and see if you can find
the "official" code for the Dark-eyed Junco.

The Bird Observer also uses a set of four letter codes you can use
when submitting bird records to them. Their code list is at:

http://massbird.org/birdobserver/Sightings/4LCodes.htm

It is the same as the bird banding codes in most cases, but it also
differs here and there.

I invented my codes as a way to save space and time when recording
sightings. I strove for a certain level of consistency and I used
both upper and lower case letters. The list also has codes for groups
of species for cases where I can't identify a bird all the way to
species. For example, gbTh is a Gray-cheeked or Bicknell's Thrush,
trFy is a "Traill's Flycatcher (Willow or an Alder Flycatcher), sCat
for unidentified Catharus thrush, sEmp for unidentified Empidonax
flycatcher, sSSp for sharp-tailed sparrow (Nelson's or Saltmarsh),
and so on. The group codes are defined in a file used by my birding
software. I added that file to the end of this email so those
interested can look it over. Each line has three fields, the code,
the English name of the group, and the definition of the group, which
can be in terms of AOU families, subfamilies, genera, my codes, or
any combination thereof. The list is not complete; I add to it
whenever I need to. Those of you used to the Plum Island sightings
page may recognize some of the groups, since this is also the scheme
I use to code unidentified species reported from the island.

--Tom W.

List of all species seen on Plum Island on August 8, 2005, by Mark
Lynch, Sheila Carroll, Brian Harris, Tim Spahr, and Tom Wetmore:

CaGo MuSn Gadw ABDk Mall GWTl BWTl (waterfowl)
DCCm (cormorants)
GBHn GrEg SnEg (herons)
Ospr NHar (hawks)
Sora ClRa (rails)
BBPv Kill SePv PiPv (plovers)
GYel LYel Will SoSa SpSa RTrn RKnt Sand SeSa WRSa LsSa PeSa StSa SBDw
AWod (sandpipers)
BoGu RBGu HeGu GBGu CoTn LsTn (larids)
MoDv (doves)
YBCu (cuckoos)
DoWo NFlk (woodpeckers)
EaKb WiFy LsFy EPbe (flycatchers)
BlJy ACro (corvids)
PMar TrSw BrSw BkSw (swallows)
BCCh (parids)
RBNh (nuthatches)
MaWn CaWn (wrens)
ARob (thrushes)
GCat BrTr NMck (mimids)
EStr (starlings)
CWax (waxwings)
YelW ARed CYth CSiW NWth (warblers)
ETow SoSp FiSp SSSp SvSp (sparrows)
NCrd (cardinalids)
RWBk CoGk Bobo BaOr BHCw EMea (icterids)
HoFn PuFn AmGf (finches)

List of "bird group codes" used in my birding software...

spLn: Loon species: Gavia
spGb: Grebe species: Podicipedidae
spSh: Shearwater species: Calonectris, Puffinus
wlSP: Wilson's or Leach's Storm-Petrel: WiSP, LcSP
spSP: Storm-Petrel species: Hydrobatidae
spCm: Cormorant species: Phalacrocorax
spNH: Black- or Yellow-crowned Night Heron: BCNH, YCNH
spEg: Egret species: SnEg, GrEg
spHn: Heron species: Ardeidae
spIb: Ibis species: WhIb, GlIb, WFIb
sVul: Vulture species; TVul, BVul
sWDk: Whistling Duck species: Dendrocygna
srGo: Snow or Ross's Goose: SnGo, RoGo
spGo: Goose species: Branta, Chen, Anser
spSn: Swan species: Cygnus
sWig; Wigeon species: EWig, AWig
spTl: Teal species: GWTl, BWTl, CiTl
sAna: Anas species: Anas
sScp: Scaup species: GScp, LScp
sAyt: Aythya species: Aythya
spEi: Eider species: Somateria, Polysticta
spSc: Scoter species: Melanitta
sGld: Goldeneye species: CGld, BGld
spMg: Merganser species: Mergus, Lophodytes
spDk: Duck species: Anatinae
lgAc: Large Accipiter species: CoHw, NGos
sAcc: Accipter species: Accipiter
sBut: Buteo species: Buteo
sEag: Eagle species: BEag, GEag
spHw: Hawk species: Buteo, NHar, Accipiter
smFa; Small falcon species: AKes, Merl
lgFa: Large falcon species: Gyrf, PeFa, PrFa
spFa: Falcon species: Falco
spGr: Grouse species: Tetraoninae
spPt: Ptarmigan species: WiPt, RoPt, WTPt
spQu: Quail species: Colinus, Callipepla
ckRa: Clapper or King Rail: ClRa, KiRa
spRa: Rail species: Coturnicops, Rallus, Porzana, Laterallus
sGPv: Golden-Plover species: AGPv, PGPv
spPv: Plover species: Charadriinae
sOys: Oystercatcher species: AOys, BOys
sYel: Yellowlegs species: GYel, LYel
sTri: Tringid sandpiper: Tringa
spCl: Curlew species: Numenius
spGd: Godwit species: Limosa
sTrn: Turnstone species: Arenaria
peep: Peep sandpiper: LsSa, SeSa, WeSa, WRSa, BaSa
wbSa: White-rumped or Baird's Sandpiper: WRSa, BaSa
sCal: Calidris species: Calidris
spSa: Sandpiper species: Scolopacinae
spDw: Dowitcher species: Limnodromus
spPr: Phalarope species: Phalaropus
sSku: Skua species: GSku, SSku
spJg: Jaeger species: PoJg, PaJg, LTJg
spGu: Gull species: Larus, Rissa
spTn: Tern species: Sterna, Chlidonias
lgTn: Large Tern species: CaTn, RyTn
spMr: Murre species: Uria
lAlc: Large Alcid species: Uria, Alca
sGui: Guillemot species: PGui, BGui
spMl: Murrelet species: Brachyramphus
spAu: Auklet species: Ptychoramphus
sPuf: Puffin species: Fratercula
sAlc: Alcid species: Alcidae
roaH: Rufous or Allen's Hummingbird: RufH, AllH
sSel: Selasphorus species: Selasphorus
spcH: Hummingbird species: Archilochus, Calypte, Stellula, Selasphorus
spCu: Cuckoo species: Coccyzus
slOw: Short-eared or Long-eared Owl: SEOw, LEOw
spOw: Owl species: Tyto, Otus, Bubo, Megascops, Surnia, Athene,
Strix, Asio, Aegolius
spWo: Woodpecker species: Picoides, Colaptes, Dryocopus
sWPw: Wood-pewee species: WWPw, EWPw
trFy: "Traill's" Flycatcher: AlFy, WiFy
sEmp: Empidonax species: Empidonax
sPbe: Phoebe species: Sayornis
spKb: Kingbird species: Tyrannus
spFy: Flycatcher species: Contopus, Empidonax, Sayornis, Myiarchus,
Tyrannus
sShr: Shrike species: Lanius
soVi: "Solitary" Vireo: BHVi, CaVi
wpVi: Warbling or Philadelpha Warbler: WaVi, PhVi
spVi: Vireo species: Vireo
sCro: Crow species: Corvus
spSw: Swallow species: Tachycineta, Stelgidopteryx, Riparia,
Petrochelidon, Hirundo
bcCh: Black-capped or Carolina Chickadee: BCCh, CaCh
bgCh: Black-capped or Gray-headed Chickadee: BCCh, GHCh
bbCh: Black-capped or Boreal Chickadee: BCCh, BoCh
spCh: Chickadee species: Poecile
spNh: Nuthatch species: Sitta
spWn: Wren species: Troglodytidae
spKl: Kinglet species: GCKl, RCKl
sBlu: Bluebird species: EBlu, WBlu, MBlu
gbTh: Gray-cheeked or Bicknell's Thrush: GCTh, BiTh
sCat: Catharus species: Catharus
spTh: Thrush species: Turdidae
sPip: Pipit species: APip, SPip
sWax: Waxwing species: BWax, CWax
sWiW; Blue-winged or Golden-winged Warbler: BWiW, GWiW
sWth: Waterthrush species: NWth, LWth
sOpo: Opornis species: Oporornis
spcW: Warbler species: Parulidae
spTg: Tanager species: Piranga
sTow: Towhee species: Pipilo
sSSp: Sharp-tailed sparrow species: NSSp, SSSp
sAmm: Ammodramus species: Ammodramus
sZon: Zonotrichia species: Zonotrichia
spSp: Sparrow species: Spizella, Pooecetes, Chondestes, Passerculus,
Ammodramus, Passerella, Melospiza, Zonotrichia
sJun: Junco species: Junco
spLs: Longspur species: Calcarius
sMea: Meadowlark species: EMea, WMea
spGk: Grackle species: CoGk, BTGk, GTGk
spCs: Crossbill species: ReCs, WWCs
sRed: Redpoll species: CRed, HRed
wPas: winter passerine: Calcarius, SnBn, HLrk
spFn: Carpodacus species: Carpodacus
spBk: Blackbird species: RWBk, RuBk, BrBk, BHCw, CoGk
spOr: Oriole species: BaOr, BuOr, OrOr

PI Birders,

On Monday the 9th I birded on the island from just before 6:00 am to
about 8:15 am, never further south than Hellcat. From 7:00 to 8:00 I
joined up with Tim Spahr and Brian Harris for a walk through Goodno
Woods and out on the Hellcat Dike.

The best bird for me of the morning were the two American Woodcock,
one just before, and the other in the Ralph Goodno Woods. Woodcock
are abundant, but not seen all that often on the island, and over the
years the Goodno woods has been the best spot on the refuge to see
them during the day. A number of sightings have been made from there
this year. As you quietly walk the area, pay attention to any small
rustle you hear from the ground and stop to track it down. It will
likely be a Gray Catbird, an American Robin, or an American Woodcock.

My full list is below, but I didn't see nearly as much as did Mark
Lynch and Sheila Carroll (see their list on Massbird) or Tim Spahr
and Brian Harris after I left them.

Good birding,

--Tom W.

http://bartonstreet.com/tom/birds/pisightings.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plumislandbirds/

Date: 8 August 2005
Note: 6.10 to 8.15, 66 to 70 degrees, to Hellcat, part of time with
Tim Spahr and Brian Harris.
Canada Goose -- forward
Mute Swan -- 2, north pool
Gadwall -- north pool, forward
American Black Duck -- forward
Mallard -- pans, north pool, forward
Green-winged Teal -- 1, north pool
Double-crested Cormorant -- 20+
Great Blue Heron -- 3, pans & forward
Snowy Egret -- 4, north marsh
Osprey -- 2, pines nest
Sora -- 1 heard, north field
Black-bellied Plover -- 2, hellcat
Semipalmated Plover -- 4, north marsh, others
Killdeer -- 2, north marsh, others
Lesser Yellowlegs -- 15, forward
Spotted Sandpiper -- 1 heard, forward
Semipalmated Sandpiper -- 80, forward
Least Sandpiper -- 1, north pool, heard, north marsh
White-rumped Sandpiper -- 4, pans, 25, forward
Pectoral Sandpiper -- 1, forward
Short-billed Dowitcher -- 6, north marsh, 30, forward
American Woodcock -- 2 seen, goodno
Ring-billed Gull -- 1, forward
Herring Gull -- yes
Common Tern -- 4, north marsh
Mourning Dove -- 15, road
Downy Woodpecker -- 1-2, hellcat, inc 1 m
Eastern Kingbird -- 12+, road
Blue Jay -- 2+, hellcat, inc ad feeding jv
American Crow -- 3+
Purple Martin -- 16, one colony
Tree Swallow -- ~100
Bank Swallow -- 2+
Barn Swallow -- 5+
Black-capped Chickadee -- 5, hellcat
Red-breasted Nuthatch -- 1, opp north field
Carolina Wren -- 1 heard, hellcat
Marsh Wren -- 15, north marsh, north field, north pool
American Robin -- 16+
Gray Catbird -- 15+
Northern Mockingbird -- 1, north pool overlook, 1 other
Brown Thrasher -- 8+
European Starling -- 100s
Cedar Waxwing -- 15, most at hellcat
Yellow Warbler -- 8, most at hellcat
American Redstart -- 5+, hellcat
Common Yellowthroat -- 2-3
Eastern Towhee -- 8+
Field Sparrow -- 1 heard, hellcat
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow -- 1, pans
Song Sparrow -- 8+
Northern Cardinal -- 1-2, hellcat
Bobolink -- 6+, hellcat flybys
Red-winged Blackbird -- 40+, most at north pool
Common Grackle -- 5+
Brown-headed Cowbird -- 1+ heard, hellcat
Baltimore Oriole -- 8+, hellcat
Purple Finch -- 1-2, hellcat
American Goldfinch -- 12+, various

Hi Plum Island Birders,

Brian Harris and I met Tom Wetmore for a quick 1/2 hour
of morning birding in search of passerines in the Hellcat
area.  Then Brian and I headed to the Pines Trail, followed
by a couple of hours searching Bill Forward and Stage Island
Pools for shorebirds.  This last bit Brian and I do weekly
as part of a survey for the Parker River NWR staff.  It
is a load of fun.  Today was a tough day, but only because
there were so blasted many birds to keep track of!  Anyway,
below is the complete list.  Some totals are minimum estimates.


Double-crested Cormorant     20+    Bill Forward and Stage Island
Great Blue Heron              a few scattered around
Snowy Egret                  16+      Bill Forward
Great Egret                  4+      some ro0sting in trees near North Pool!
Canada Goose                many     Bill Forward and Stage Island
Gadwall                    30+     2 broods Bill Forward
American Black Duck         10+       Bill Forward and Stage Island
Mallard                    90+      Bill Forward and Stage Island
Blue-winged Teal            1       Bill Forward
Green-winged Teal            15+      Stage Island
Osprey                      5+      Near Pines Platform
Black-bellied Plover         9      Bill Forward and Stage Island
Semi-palmated Plover       270+     Bill Forward and Stage Island
Piping Plover              1         Stage Island
Killdeer                 a few
Greater Yellowlegs        22     Bill Forward and Stage Island
Lesser Yellowlegs        58       Bill Forward and Stage Island
Spotted Sandpiper         3    Bill Forward and Stage Island
Ruddy Turnstone         18    Bill Forward and Stage Island
Red Knot                 1       Bill Forward
Semipalmated Sandpiper    500++   Bill Forward and Stage Island (inc juv)
Least Sandpiper           150++     Bill Forward and Stage Island (inc juvs)
White-rumped Sandpiper    45+     Bill Forward and Stage Island
Pectoral Sandpiper        1-2      Bill Forward
Stilt Sandpiper            2       Stage Island
Short-billed Dowitcher    450++   Bill Forward and Stage Island
American Woodcock         2       Goodno
Bonaparte's Gull           1        Bill Forward
Ring-billed Gull          2-3     Bill Forward
Herring Gull               2         Bill Forward
Great Black-backed Gull     1+      Bill Forward
Common Tern               5+      inc 1 juv. at Bill Forward
Least Tern                 3+     inc 1 begging for food, Stage Island
Mourning Dove             several
Yellow-billed Cuckoo        1      Marsh Loop @ Hellcat
Downy Woodpecker          2        roadside
Northern Flicker            1       Pines Trail
Willow Flycatcher          1      Marsh Loop @ Hellcat
Least Flycatcher            1       Marsh Loop @ Hellcat
Eastern Phoebe                1     North Pool Overlook
Eastern Kingbird           30++     absolutely everywhere, many juvs
Blue Jay                 a few        heard near Hellcat
American Crow             a few     roadside
Purple Martin            10+       lot 1 colony
Tree Swallow              100++    many in heavy molt
Bank Swallow               2        Marsh Loop @ Hellcat
Barn Swallow              5+       various
Black-capped Chickadee     5+     Hellcat + roadside
Carolina Wren               1     calling at Hellcat
Marsh Wren                10++   Marsh Loop @ Hellcat
American Robin            50+    all over the place; inc young birds
Gray Catbird               50+    all over the place; inc young birds
Northern Mockingbird        2     roadside
Brown Thrasher           10+      roadside, inc young birds
European Starling        100+     all juvs
Cedar Waxwing             10+      roadside
Yellow Warbler           10+     inc juvs, various
American Redstart          6+    inc juvs, hopping on Hellcat boardwalk!
Northern Waterthrush      2+     Marsh Loop @ Hellcat
Common Yellowthroat        2+     Marsh Loop @ Hellcat
Eastern Towhee            10+     Hellcat, juvs around
Field Sparrow              1      singing Hellcat
Savannah Sparrow         several    various
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow   3+   boat ramp
Song Sparrow             several   various
Northern Cardinal         a few     Hellcat
Bobolink                   2      Hellcat flyover
Eastern Meadowlark          2 juv.   North Pool Overlook
Common Grackle           a few         various
Red-winged Blackbird      20+        Hellcat and roadside
Brown-headed Cowbird      5+      various
Baltimore Oriole         6+         Hellcat inc one stunning male
Purple Finch              2       Pines and Hellcat
House Finch             2+    Pines and Hellcat
American Goldfinch       10+    lots of singing males
House Sparrow             2      boat ramp



good birding!

Tim Spahr

PI Birders,

With Doug Chickering's permission here is the note he sent me on August 6th when
he described the Greater Scaup.

On Aug 6, 2005, at 5:12 PM, Douglas Chickering wrote:

Tom:
    here are some of Lois and my sightings for this morning (August 6) on Plum
Island

Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow  1    Boat ramp
Marsh Wren              4    Boat Ramp
Snowy Egret            42 in one pan out in salt marshes just north of the
Wardens
Great Egret            36    In same pan area
Great Blue Heron        2    In same pan area
Yellow Warbler          8    Hellcat
American Redstart       3    Hellcat
Towhee                  3 s curves, 2 hellcat
Purple Martin          10+    Parking Lot 1
Wood Duck               2 young males from North Pool overlook
Osprey                  5 seen simultaneously at Hellcat dike
Brown Thrasher          1    Wardens
White-rumped Sandpiper  circa 50  Bill forward Pool
Little Gull             1    Bill Forward Pool
Black-bellied Plover    5    Bill forward Pool
Short-billed Dowitcher  circa 60 , at least 4 hendersonii Bill  Forward Pool, I
tried in vain to turn at least one of them into a Long-billed.  Alas it was not
deep red enough and the bill was too small.
Least Sandpiper        15 - 5 Pans, 10 Bill Forward Pool
Lesser Yellowlegs      25    Bill Forward Pool
Spotted Sandpiper       1    Bill Forward Pool
Eastern Pheobe          1    Hellcat dike
Greater Scaup -         Lois and I got long looks through the scope at the Salt
Pans, on our way out. I don't feel completely confident but do lean strongly
towards Greater. When it was tucked the top of the head was flat with no
prominant bump on the top. Also the bill seemed too wide for me, and the spot on
the bill (which I got good looks at head on) although not the classical bell
shape of the Greater it was also not the small "nail head" of the the Lesser,
but pretty much intermediate between the two. According to Sibley the best time
to make the differentiation between Lesser and Greater is when the birds are at
rest. We had this bird tucked for a long time and I had to to go with Greater.

Doug Chickering

PI Birders,

I got down to Sandy Point and back from 6:00 to 8:45 this morning.
Best bird was an adult male LEAST BITTERN feeding at the edge of the
reeds in North Pool. I had him in my scope for ten minutes or so and
was able to watch him hunt insects (yes) and fish, and to skulk into
and out of the reeds a number of times. He did his insect hunting
from relatively high on the reed stalks, but "walked" and slid lower
for his fish hunting. There were few other folk about, and I made
everybody out there take a look through the scope (whether they
wanted to or not)! There were also two of the Little Gulls in Forward
Pool.

Back to the "weird hybrid" of yesterday. I studied the bird for a few
more minutes today and decided that I just don't know my birds well
enough -- it is a juvenile Hooded Merganser with a particularly fine
and slender bill. Nothing weird at all.

I was not able to relocate the scaup that I reported as a Lesser two
days ago and Doug Chickering as a Greater yesterday. I'm still hoping
to get a good look at the bird again.

Nothing else very different. The tide is still wrong for morning
shorebirds, though I did find two Black-bellied Plovers on the beach
at lot seven and a Whimbrel flew over high and to the north (toward
the muscle beds at the north end of the island?) while I was on the
Hellcat dike. All the birds sighted this morning are below.

I'm looking forward to some "land birding" on the island tomorrow
morning with Tim Spahr!

Good birding,

Tom Wetmore, ttw4(at)verizon(dot)net
Newburyport, MA
http://bartonstreet.com/tom/birds/pisightings.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plumislandbirds/

----------------------------

Date: 7 August 2005
Note: 6.00 at 69 deg to 8.50 at 75 deg, to Sandy Pt.

Canada Goose -- 10+, forward
Gadwall -- 20+, various
American Black Duck -- 15+, various
Mallard -- 40+, various
Green-winged Teal -- 5, stage, 5, forward
Hooded Merganser -- 1 jv, forward
Double-crested Cormorant -- ~20, throughout
LEAST BITTERN -- 1 ad m at reed edge, north pool
Great Blue Heron -- 3, forward, 1, pans
Great Egret -- 1, north marsh
Snowy Egret -- ~5
Osprey -- 1, north marsh, 2, pines nest
Clapper Rail -- 1 heard, marsh s of boatramp
Sora -- 1 heard, north field
Black-bellied Plover -- 2, seven
Semipalmated Plover -- 5, pans, 20, forward, 20, stage, 10, sandy pt,
4, seven beach
Piping Plover -- 4, sandy pt, 4, ipswich shore
Killdeer -- 8
Greater Yellowlegs -- 10, marsh, pans, pools
Lesser Yellowlegs -- 60, marshes, pools, pans
Spotted Sandpiper -- 1, forward, 1, stage
Whimbrel -- 1, hellcat flyby
Ruddy Turnstone -- 1, sandy pt
Sanderling -- 5, sandy pt, 15, seven beach
Semipalmated Sandpiper -- 10, pans, 40, forward, 40, stage, 10, seven
beach
Least Sandpiper -- 5, stage, 5, north marsh
White-rumped Sandpiper -- 4, pans, 5, forward, 8, stage
Short-billed Dowitcher -- 25, forward, inc 2 hendersoni, 40, stage
Little Gull -- 2 1-s, forward
Ring-billed Gull -- 2, forward, 20, sandy pt, others
Herring Gull -- few
Great Black-backed Gull -- 10+, sandy pt, others
Common Tern -- 8, marshes, pools, 35, off bar head
Least Tern -- 2-3, pans, 35, ipswich colony
Mourning Dove -- 30, road
Downy Woodpecker -- 1-2, bar head
Eastern Kingbird -- 15, throughout
American Crow -- 2-3, mid island
Purple Martin -- 8, one colony
Tree Swallow -- 100s, throughout
Bank Swallow -- 2+, seven scrub
Barn Swallow -- 15+
Black-capped Chickadee -- heard, new blind
Marsh Wren -- 15, north marsh, north pool
American Robin -- 15, most along road
Gray Catbird -- 10, most along road
Northern Mockingbird -- 1, gatehouse, 1, seven dunes
Brown Thrasher -- 15, along road, hellcat
European Starling -- 100s in fks
Cedar Waxwing -- 20
Yellow Warbler -- 6, throughout
Eastern Towhee -- 8+
Field Sparrow -- 1, new blind, 1, hellcat
Song Sparrow -- 10+
Bobolink -- heard, north & south field
Red-winged Blackbird -- 45
Common Grackle -- 5+
Baltimore Oriole -- 1, scurves
American Goldfinch -- 10

PI Birders,

I was able to get to Plum Island twice today, early in the morning,
and in the late afternoon with Lu.

My best bird of the day was an ALDER FLYCATCHER singing at the Stage
Island Pool overlook, near a Willow Flycatcher that was also singing.
I had heard an Alder Flycatcher singing in the scrub just opposite
Cross Farm back on July 26th, so this could easily have been the same
bird. This is an unusual summer bird on the island. Well, to make
that more plain, these are the first two singing (or otherwise) Alder
Flycatchers I've had on the island outside of spring migration in all
my years of birding on the island.

Otherwise, there was a very strange hybrid duck at Forward Pool, what
I would describe as just about halfway between a Hooded Merganser and
a Gadwall. Pretty weird.

Back to the Lesser Scaup of yesterday. Doug Chickering and Lois
Cooper saw a Greater Scaup on the pans today that they were very sure
of. Since it's hard to imagine that their bird could be different
than the scaup I saw on the pans yesterday, I have changed the record
of my bird from Lesser Scaup to scaup species, and I will be looking
for the bird again. I will send Doug's post to the PI Bird list if he
gives me permission.

A few interesting points from today. There seemed to be a lot of
Ospreys around, far more than just "our" four from the Pines Trail
nest. There was "just" one Little Gull at Forward Pool today. The
Seaside Sparrow I saw today was from the Stage Island dike, not from
the north part of the refuge. I never look for Seaside Sparrows down
near Stage, and this is the first I have ever seen there. But, in
looking around at the habitat, it looks pretty darn good.

On yesterday's report I omitted one bird, a juvenile Great Crested
Flycatcher seen in the Goodno woods.

Complete report from today...

Date: 6 August 2005
Note: 5.40 at 69 deg to 8.25 at 74 to Stage, partly cloudy, clement,
light southerly breeze.
Note: 16.40 to 18.00 with Lu to Stage.

Canada Goose, 20+, forward;
Wood Duck, 1, north pool overlook;
Gadwall, 20+, various;
American Black Duck, 15+, various;
Mallard, 30+, various;
Green-winged Teal, 8, stage;
Duck species, 1 hybrid, weird, forward;
Great Blue Heron, 3, forward, 1, pans;
Great Egret, 10+, most north marsh;
Snowy Egret, 35+, most north marsh;
Black-crowned Night-Heron, 1, north field flyby;
Osprey, 8+, pines to pans;
Clapper Rail, 1 heard, marsh s of boatramp;
Virginia Rail, 2 heard, north field;
Sora, 1-2 heard, north field;
Black-bellied Plover, 1 heard, stage;
Killdeer, 12, marsh, pans, pools;
Semipalmated Plover, 5, pans, 20, forward, 20, stage;
Greater Yellowlegs, 10, marsh, pans, pools;
Lesser Yellowlegs, 30, marsh, 90+, forward, pans, pools;
Spotted Sandpiper, 1, forward, 1, stage, 3, pines marsh;
Semipalmated Sandpiper, 10, pans, 40, forward, 40, stage;
White-rumped Sandpiper, 4, pans, 5, forward, 8, stage;
Stilt Sandpiper, 1, stage;
Short-billed Dowitcher, 25, forward, inc 2 hendersoni, 40, stage;
Little Gull, 1 1-s, forward;
Ring-billed Gull, 10, forward, other;
Herring Gull, few;
Least Tern, 2-3, pans;
Common Tern, 8, marshes, pools;
Mourning Dove, 30, road;
Willow Flycatcher, 1 singing, stage;
Alder Flycatcher, 1 singing, stage;
Eastern Kingbird, 20, throughout;
American Crow, 2-3, mid island;
Blue Jay, 2+ heard, hellcat;
Purple Martin, 8, one colony;
Tree Swallow, 100+;
Barn Swallow, 6+;
Black-capped Chickadee, 4+, road, new blind;
Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1, new blind;
Marsh Wren, 15, north marsh, north pool;
American Robin, 15, most along road;
Gray Catbird, 10, most along road;
Brown Thrasher, 15, along road, hellcat;
Cedar Waxwing, 20;
European Starling, 100s in fks;
Yellow Warbler, 9, inc new blind;
American Redstart, 1, pines;
Common Yellowthroat, 3, road;
Eastern Towhee, 8+;
Song Sparrow, 10+;
Field Sparrow, 1-2, new blind & south field;
Seaside Sparrow, 1, stage dike;
Red-winged Blackbird, 45;
Common Grackle, 5+;
Brown-headed Cowbird, 2+;
Bobolink, few, north & south field, inc flybys;
Baltimore Oriole, 2, pines;
American Goldfinch, 10;
House Sparrow, n of refuge;
Purple Finch, 2, pines;

Good birding,

Tom Wetmore, ttw4(at)verizon(dot)net
Newburyport, MA
http://bartonstreet.com/tom/birds/pisightings.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plumislandbirds/

Joan,

Good question. Here is a link for August tides in Newburyport harbor:

http://bartonstreet.com/nbptbrds/tides/aug2005.html

(I will also put a link to this page in the PI Birds link area.)

Keep in mind that the times of the tides are different from place to
place. I use the rule of thumb that the tides on the outer beaches of
Plum Island occur about 45 minutes BEFORE the times in Newburyport
Harbor. (This does make sense if you think about it.)

The page above is one I create each month and then place web pages
that I maintain. The site that I go to to create that page is at:

http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/sitesel.html

At this site you can get all kinds of info about the tides, the moon
phases, the sun rises and sun sets from all over the country. And
this is just the tip of the ice berg. If you try googling you will
find many sites that will compute the tides for you.

-- Tom W.

On Aug 6, 2005, at 11:13 AM, chasanj wrote:

> Any place to find out when it is going to be high tide.  We don't live
> that close, so would like to know to plan our trips to plum island.
>
> thanks
> Joan

Any place to find out when it is going to be high tide.  We don't live
that close, so would like to know to plan our trips to plum island.

thanks
Joan

I just wanted to add a couple of birds that hadn't yet been reported
today.  I birded with Sue McGrath and Sue Sellers tonight and saw:

Hudsonian Godwit, 3, Stage Island Pool (Sue M found these)
Green-winged Teal, 2, SIP
Glossy Ibis, 2, pans
Northern Harrier, 1 worn female, pans

See you out there!
-Paula McFarland

Greetings Plum Island Birders,

Here is a complete listing of my Plum island birds from last
evening. Forgive my lack of #s for most species - I'm not much of a
counter when birding. My list is very similar list to Tom's from
this a.m. In fact, I simply copied his list and made changes as
needed. Two notable omissions from my earlier post to massbird:
Little Blue Heron (juv) at forward and a fledgling empid (presumed
Willow) at Stage lot. As I did with last night's visit I will try to
post highlights to Massbird and a more complete listing here.

Thanks Tom for organizing this list.

Good Birding,
Mark Daley
Reading, MA
mbkm(at)hotmail(dot)com

Canada Goose: forward
Gadwall: pans & pools (w/ hatchlings at stage)
American Black Duck: pools
Mallard: pools
Green-winged Teal: stage
Double-crested Cormorant: forward
Great Egret: north marsh
Snowy Egret: north marsh
Osprey: pines nest
Killdeer: various
Greater Yellowlegs: various
Lesser Yellowlegs: various
Semipalmated Sandpiper: forward
Least Sandpiper: 1 pans, 1 juv forward
White-rumped Sandpiper: 2 forward
Short-billed Dowitcher: 3 marsh s. pans, 50+ forward, 10+ stage
Little Gull: 1 forward
Ring-billed Gull: various
Herring Gull: various
Common Tern: 2 pans
Least Common Tern: 2 pans
Mourning Dove: various
Rock Pigeon: Causeway
Eastern Kingbird: various
Willow Flycatcher: 1 fledgling stage lot
American Crow: 5 along road
Purple Martin: lot 1 colony
Tree Swallow: various
Barn Swallow: various
Marsh Wren: marsh s. lot 1
American Robin: various
Brown Thrasher: 4, pines rd, hellcat dike, roadside
Gray Catbird: various
Northern Mockingbird: stage overlook, pines field
European Starling: 100s several flocks
Cedar Waxwing: 6+ s. lot 1
Yellow Warbler: 5 incl fledglings stage overlook
Eastern Towhee: various
Song Sparrow: various
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: 1 marsh opp two
Red-winged Blackbird: various
Common Grackle: various
Bobolink: 3 pines field
Brown-headed Cowbird: 1jv, stage overlook
American Goldfinch: various
House Finch: several n of refuge
House Sparrow: several n of refuge

Here are my sightings from this morning, August 5, 2005. I got as far as Stage
Island Pool before turning back. The tide was low so shorebird numbers
corresponded.

The most unusual and unexpected bird was the LESSER SCAUP, swimming with
Mallards in the main pan. Veit and Petersen state there are almost no credible
records of Lesser Scaup in Massachusetts from June through August. This bird was
a male between alternate and basic plumages. It was a Lesser Scaup by virtue of
its head profile (not at all round, a daffy duck shape) and head face on (narrow
head, narrowish, unmarked blue-gray bill). Credible or not, a new Plum Island
year bird.

Other intersting sightings (hearings) were two Clapper Rails south of the boat
ramp (calling simultaneously), four very well marked hendersoni Short-billed
Dowitchers at Bill Forward Pool, and three first-summer Little Gulls still at
Bill Forward Pool. The hendersoni dowitchers were very blackish above, and I
tried hard to make at least one of them into a Long-billed Dowitcher. However,
none of the four had other than fine spotting on the neck and breast, and none
had a grotesquely long bill.

Of note was the fact that White-rumped Sandpipers were found at three locations,
the pans, Bill Forward Pool, and Stage Island Pool, though in low numbers. This
may indicate they are starting their fall arrival, so be watching for these
little guys.

-- Tom W.

Date: 5 August 2005
Note: 5:55 am to 8:15 am, 61 deg to 75 deg (14 degree difference!), humid, hazy,
low tide

Canada Goose: 20, forward
Wood Duck: 1 m, north pool overlook, 1 m, forward
Gadwall: 25, pans & pools
American Black Duck: 8, pools
Mallard: 40, pans & pools
Green-winged Teal: 8, stage
Blue-winged Teal: 2, stage
LESSER SCAUP: 1 m, pans
Double-crested Cormorant: few, pans, pools
Great Blue Heron: 3, pans, forward, north field
Great Egret: 1, north marsh
Snowy Egret: 5, north marsh, pans, pools
Black-crowned Night-Heron: 1, pines flyby
Osprey: 3, pines nest
Virginia Rail: 1 heard, north field
Clapper Rail: 2 heard, s of midden dune
Sora: 1 heard, north field
Killdeer: 5+, various
Semipalmated Plover: 5, boatramp, 10, forward, 15, stage
Greater Yellowlegs: 4, various
Lesser Yellowlegs: 45, most at forward & stage
Willet: 2, boatramp
Spotted Sandpiper: 2, boatramp, 1, forward, 3, stage
Semipalmated Sandpiper: 20, boatramp, 40, forward, 40, stage
Least Sandpiper: 4, boat ramp, 2+, forward, 2+, stage
White-rumped Sandpiper: 2, pans, 4, forward, 5, stage
Short-billed Dowitcher: 6, boatramp, 40, forward, inc 4 hendersoni, 40, stage
Little Gull: 3 2-s, forward
Ring-billed Gull: 3, various
Herring Gull: 12, various
Great Black-backed Gull: 8, various
Common Tern: 2, boatramp, 10, forward flyby, 6, north marsh & pans
Least Common Tern: 2, pans, 1, forward
Mourning Dove: 30, along road
Eastern Kingbird: 20+, various
American Crow: 3+, along road
Purple Martin: 15+, one colony
Tree Swallow: 60+, various
Barn Swallow: 6, various
Black-capped Chickadee: 3, new blind, 4, hellcat
Marsh Wren: 12+, north marsh, north field
Carolina Wren: 1, dune loop at road
House Wren: 1, road near hellcat lot
American Robin: 20, various
Brown Thrasher: 6, various
Gray Catbird: 8, various
Northern Mockingbird: 1, one, 1, new blind, 1, other
European Starling: 100s
Cedar Waxwing: 15, various
Yellow Warbler: 8, various
Common Yellowthroat: 2, road
American Redstart: 6, goodno area
Eastern Towhee: 8+, various
Song Sparrow: 10+, various
Savannah Sparrow: 1 heard, south field
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow: 3, marsh opp two
Field Sparrow: 1, new blind, 2, hellcat
Red-winged Blackbird: 40+, various
Common Grackle: 15+, various
Bobolink: 6+, new blind flyby
Baltimore Oriole: 2-3, hellcat
Brown-headed Cowbird: 2+ jv, road
Northern Cardinal: 2, hellcat
American Goldfinch: 10+, various
House Finch: 1 m, boatramp
House Sparrow: 1 f, boatramp, other n of refuge

Thanks, Tom, for setting this site up.

I look forward to informative posts about one of my favorite birding
areas. I only wish I lived closer.

Richard
New Baltimore, NY/
Lenox, Massachusetts

Here are my Plum Island sightings from this morning before heading off to work.
Highpoints were the 4 Little Gulls at Forward Pool, the 3 rails species heard
calling. It was
low tide so the shorebird numbers were low. The juvenile Merlin was on the
margin of
Stage Island Pool, running around at times and pouncing on feathers. The other
birds gave
it room but otherwise were unconcerned about the neophyte. All sightings are
from the
refuge.

-- Tom W.

Date: 4 August 2005
Location: Plum Island
Note: 5:30 to 7:50 am, sunny, 66 deg, low tide, to Sandy Pt., no land birding.

Canada Goose -- 20, forward
WOOD DUCK -- 1 bplu m, forward
Gadwall -- 10, various
American Black Duck -- 4-5, various
Mallard -- 35, various
Green-winged Team -- 6, stage
Double-crested Cormorant -- few, ocean, pans, pools
Great Blue Heron -- 1, sandy pt
Great Egret -- 1, north marsh
Snowy Egret -- 1, forward, 6, north marsh
Black-crowned Night-Heron -- 1, north field flyby
Osprey -- 3, pines nest
Northern Harrier -- 1 ad f, worn plumage, sandy pt
MERLIN -- 1 jv, stage
Virginia Rail -- 1-2 heard, north field
CLAPPER RAIL -- 1 heard, s of midden dune
Sora -- 1-2 heard, north field
Piping Plover -- 7+, inc jvs, sandy pt
Killdeer -- 5+, various
Semipalmated Plover -- 15, stage, 15, sandy pt, 5, seven beach
Greater Yellowlegs -- 4, various
Lesser Yellowlegs -- 45, most at forward & stage
Spotted Sandpiper -- 4-5, stage, 1-2, forward
Semipalmated Sandpiper -- 50, forward, 60, stage
Least Sandpiper -- 2, north marsh, 4+, stage
White-rumped Sandpiper -- 1, forward
Sanderling -- 1, sandy pt, 5, seven beach
Ruddy Turnstone -- 1, sandy pt
Short-billed Dowitcher -- 30, forward, 45, stage
LITTLE GULL -- 4, forward
Bonaparte's Gull -- 2 ad, sandy pt, 2+, seven ocean
Ring-billed Gull -- 6, various
Herring Gull -- 12, various
Great Black-backed Gull -- 8, various
Common Tern -- 4-6, various
Mourning Dove -- 30, along road
Downy Woodpecker -- 1 heard, bar head
Willow Flycatcher -- 3 heard, various
Eastern Kingbird -- 12+, various
Purple Martin -- 2+, one colony
Tree Swallow -- few
Barn Swallow -- 6+, sandy pt
Bank Swallow -- few
Black-capped Chickadee -- 3, new blind
Marsh Wren -- 6-8, north marsh, north field
American Robin -- 12, various
Brown Thrasher -- 6, various
Gray Catbird -- 6, various
Northern Mockingbird -- 1, seven scrub
European Starling -- 100s
Cedar Waxwing -- 15, various
Yellow Warbler -- 5-6, various
Common Yellowthroat -- 2-3, road
Eastern Towhee -- 6+, various
Song Sparrow -- 10+, various
Savannah Sparrow -- 1-2, sandy pt
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow -- 3, marsh opp two
Field Sparrow -- 1, new blind, 1, hellcat
Red-winged Blackbird -- 100+, inc fk, various
Common Grackle -- few
Bobolink -- few heard, north & south fields
Brown-headed Cowbird -- 2+ jv, road
American Goldfinch -- 10+, various
House Finch -- heard, bar head

Hi Birders,

This will be a fun e-group to be a part of!

Through mid-October I'll be doing a weekly shorebird
census of Bill Forward and Stage Island Pools.  I'll try
to get those sightings, as well as anything else I see
along the way, sent to this list as I complete each
day's work.

good birding!

Tim Spahr

Here is the link to the Plum Island bird sightings web page:

http://bartonstreet.com/tom/birds/pisightings.html

Unless I am on a trip I update this list on a near daily basis. I
include any sightings that are emailed to me directly, that are sent
to massbird posts, or that I hear about when birding on the island.

I hope this new email group will become another good source of
sightings for the web page.

-- Tom W.

This is the first post to the Plum Island Birds group. The purpose of
the group is to share information about the birds of and birding on
Plum Island, Essex County, Massachusetts.

Plum Island, especially the portion of the island that lies on the
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, is one of the most popular
birding sites in New England. There is something special going on with
the birds of Plum Island every month of the year. Now in August that
something special is the fall shorebird migration. If you visit the
island near high tide, you will see hundreds, if not thousands, of
shorebirds, with large concentrations at Stage Island Pool.

If that's not enough to entice you to visit, Bill Forward Pool has
been hosting three to five Little Gulls every day for months. A number
of Little Gulls arrived on the island during a major northeasterly
storm in June, and haven't left.

Tom Wetmore