A Day in Boston-Two Lifers

I took the train into Boston for work today and was kind of excited with all of the recent bird sightings right in the area where I work. My excitement didn't last long when I looked out the window early this morning and saw pouring rain hitting my window. I took the train in staring out the window at gray skies and ponds as that's what I do every time I go into Boston because birding via train can actually yield pretty good results sometimes.

Glass building at Post Office Square

By the time I arrived at South Station the rain was gone and the sun decided to shine and I was hopeful the Yellow-breasted Chat would decide to grace me with its presence.
The wind blew strong as I checked out every nook and cranny at Post Office Square. After spending about 5 minutes there I gave up and headed toward my office.
And resigned myself to the fact that the only birds I would see this morning was the Heron above.

And a very nice Bald Eagle that was just begging for a photo.

During our coffee break, my co-worker did a quick stop Fanuel Hall to see if we could spot the Barred Owl. We couldn't see the owl but spoke to some of the local vendors there who had the 411 on this bird as they are there all the time. They looked at me with pride as they explained what time the owl usually arrives and what time it leaves. One also took pride in the fact that she spotted it for the first time due to the fact that she saw pigeon guts falling from the tree in large chunks which caused her to look up to see where the spillage was coming from and there was the owl staring at her. How cool is that! Another vendor told me to head to Rowes Wharf as he had seen the Barred Owl there a couple of times so I decided to head off there during my lunch hour.
As soon as I arrived I could see a Ring-billed Gull, a Herring Gull and then another Gull that instantly stood out to me so I zoned in on him. For one split second I thought a rather dark Herring Gull, but my gut told me no so I then decided Greater Black-backed Gull but again something didn't feel right.
Look at it one more time and excitement starts as I realize it is a Lesser Black-backed Gull. I so wanted to be certain on this so poured over my guide on the train ride back home and then sent the picture to two other birders to have them confirm. Life bird for me so I'm very happy right now.
And a Mallard I saw there too that I thought came out half way decent so I just had to share!
After Rowes Wharf I ran to Post Office Square as I only had an hour. I really didn't think I would see the Yellow-breasted Chat due to the wind, but decided to head there anyway to see if the Barred Owl could be found. I did some looking around and met up with a fellow birder so we decided to look for the bird together. Suddenly my eye goes to an area with brush, trees and fencing and I can see a lot of yellow so I zone in on it. The yellow screams chat to me but I am taken aback at how large the bird is compared to a warbler and uncertainty sets it. I excitedly direct the birder to its location as I try and get a better look at it.
There are a couple of people on a bench watching the whole scenario wondering who the crazy broad is with the camera as I sheepishly explain to them that there is a very special bird right behind their shoulder. They don't look at all impressed but they were kind enough to move to another location for us! Yes, I do admit to getting carried away at times but seriously, wouldn't you?
I never was able to get the killer shots I wanted as the wind would prove to be too strong for this bird for long-term perching but was happy just the same to see it.
After looking at the bird for a bit, it was off to work again. I walked back with a little more spring in my step as I was very happy to get not only one, but two life birds on my lunch hour. Will be going into Boston weekly for the next 2 months and suddenly it doesn't seem half bad to me. ;-)
My co-worker and I headed out one last time to scout for the owl as I wanted to bring my team out to see if but wanted to make sure it was there first. We never did see that particular owl, but I did see this one at Crate & Barrel!
After all of that intense birding I needed energy so we headed to Godiva for a fuel stop.
I decided to get myself a dark chocolate truffle and one of those nifty strawberry-banana kabobs you see above. All in all it was a fabulous day. Who knew city birding could be so exciting! Special thanks to Matt for all of the info you shared with me. Take care all!

Tagged Ring-billed Gull info

Ken from DCR got back to me on the orange tagged Ring-billed Gulls I saw yesterday so I thought I would share.

The first three I reported A330, A334, A335 were all captured the morning I reported them at Clark Street School in Worcester so obviously this was the first sighting. Funny how all three of them were tagged together and then took off to Indian Lake afterwards. The three of them seemed unfazed by the whole ordeal so I guess they quickly forget.

The only one with a sense of adventure was A38 Above.

A38

Captured 10/03/08 at Worcester Hotel & Conference Center, Worcester, MA

Map of capture sight: 42.295643, - 71.774175

Captured using a rocket net baited with bread and Cheez-its

Adult ring-billed gull

Florescent orange wing-tags: A38

Red leg band: PP

federal band: 0974-05397

released on site

Sightings:

10/07/08: Lake Chauncey, Westborough, MA

10/30/08: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA

03/16/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA

03/20/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA

03/21/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA

03/25/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA

06/23/09: Hammonasset State Park, Madison, CT

06/24/09: Hammonasset State Park, Madison, CT

06/25/09: Hammonasset State Park, Madison, CT

07/23/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA

10/06/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA

10/15/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA

10/27/09: Kendrick Fields, Worcester, MA

11/18/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA (11:46 am- just before you saw the same gull at Indian Lake).

Am wondering who the Lincoln Plaza stalker is and how come I haven't bumped into him as I spent a lot of time there this past winter out of pure desperation when there were no other birds to look at Hmmmmmmmmm. Also noticed that the gulls caught in 2008 were fed both bread and Cheez-its whereas the gulls in 2009 have been fed only bread (must be due to state budget cuts, so glad to see the state being so diligent in cutting costs!) Lastly impressed with his choice of summer vacation this past June and with the fact that someone was there to track the bird!

Take care all!

Guess What I saw at Indian Lake Today

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I had a little time to myself this afternoon to head to Indian Lake to check to see if any new birds had arrived since I was there last. Nothing new, but did see the group of American Crows that hang around there including the one above, a rather large flock of Juncos, with a few White-throated Sparrows mixed in and of course, the Common Mergansers who didn't have even close to the impressive numbers as a couple of weeks ago as I only had about 25 or so.
But don't despair as I didn't leave empty handed because there were plenty of gulls for me to look at through the scope and take pictures of. Just look at the group above. Who says late November birding is dull!
There were quite a few Herring Gulls including this handsome one above. Such a stoic pose. I actually really like seeing the Herring Gulls as they are not as common as the Ring-billed here in Central Mass so it's more of a treat. Plus, these birds were nearly wiped out between approx 1875 until the early 1900s as they were hunted to be used for women's hats and many also stole their eggs which just goes to show if anyone can make a comeback, it's a gull!
But for the most part, it was all Ring-billed Gulls with a count of about 80.
They would fly from one end of the lake to another. They also spent a lot of time preening by splashing about in the water and were also feeding on something I assume as they would stick their entire head in the water too which was interesting to observe. :-p
And of course, what would any gull post of mine be without the orange tagged gulls!!! There were 4 of them today including number 335 in back. I had gotten down to the shoreline when I realized I didn't bring pen and paper with me and was afraid I would forget and was too lazy to go back up to the car
So this was the genius idea I came up with. Beach walkers will see these all over Indian Lake and wonder what they mean I'm sure.

A gang of Herring Gulls. There were 9 Herring Gulls in total today and it was funny to see some of them forming their own group away from most of the Ring-billed Gulls
Another tagged Ring-billed Gull. Don't know what it did with its tag but I think it's one of the 4 gulls I got numbers of and I am just seeing him from the other side. Will be sending this info to DCR and will post my findings as soon as I get the info as I know you all really look forward to my now weekly posts on the subject! Also note, for those of you in the area, that Ken MacKenzie and Dan Clark from the MA DCR Water Supply Gull Study will be the guest speakers at tomorrows Forbush Bird Club regular meeting. They will be discussing the program and how important it is to get folks to report any tagged gulls they see both locally and country wide (see DCR link if you see any tagged gulls and scroll down to the bottom until you see their email addresses). Should be very interesting.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any more exciting, I present to you a bug on my office window taken while waiting for a conference call to start. The things I do for my readers!

Take care all.

More Tagged Gull Information

I figured I would post this info before the weekend, as I didn't want to keep you all in suspense any longer, anyhow, DCR got back to us with the info on the gulls we have reported to them in the past couple of days. The first is the gull in Millbury whose tag I couldn't quite figure out. Alan was able to confirm the number as A89. Here is the lowdown on this little elusive bird.

Here is some specific information on A89:
Captured 11/5/08 at the Price Chopper Plaza, Rt. 20, Worcester, MA
Map of capture sight: 42.21324, - 71.79617
Captured using a rocket net baited with bread and crackers
Adult ring-billed gull
Florescent orange wing-tags: A89
Red leg band: SB
federal band: 0974-05314
released on site

Sightings:
11/17/08: Singletary Boat Ramp, Millbury, MA
11/25/08: Singletary Boat Ramp, Millbury, MA
11/28/08: Greenwood St., Burlington Coat Factory
11/30/08: Singletary Boat Ramp, Millbury, MA
12/07/08: Singletary Boat Ramp, Millbury, MA
12/18/08: Price Chopper, Rt. 20, Worcester, MA

Confirmation that this is indeed one of the local Singletary Ring-billed Gulls who is quite happy going from Price Chopper to Millbury on a daily basis. Most likely roosts somewhere around Singletary Lake and then heads over to Price Chopper and Wendy's for Bagels and fries.


And who could forget Jr. here with the arm floats at Hager Pond in Marborough, number A294.

Here is some specific information on A294:
Captured 10/15/09 at the Wal-Mart, Northborough, MA
Map of capture sight: 42.285874, - 71.656002
Captured using a rocket net baited with crackers
Juvenile ring-billed gull
Florescent orange wing-tags: A294
Orange leg band: RH
federal band: 0994-03348
released on site

Sightings:
This is the first sighting of this gull.

Obviously this juvenile Ring-billed Gull has been recently banded and likes staying in the area but has moved over a few towns. We never did notice the leg band though as its leg was in the water.

And who could forget this barrel of laughs here A105 who was also at Hager Pond in Marlborough. Out of all of the gulls this is the one with the biggest sense of adventure as you will see. Drum Roll Please...............................

Here is some specific information on A105:
Captured 11/10/08 at White City Plaza, Shrewsbury, MA
Map of capture sight: 42.27349, - 71.75183
Captured using a rocket net baited with bread
Ring-billed gull
Florescent orange wing-tags: A105
Red leg band: RB
federal band: 0974-05461
released on site

Sightings:

Sightings:
11/20/08: Natick Travel Plaza, MassPike, MA
11/26/08: Natick Travel Plaza, MassPike, MA
12/29/08: Natick Travel Plaza, MassPike, MA
01/04/09: Natick Travel Plaza, MassPike, MA
02/26/09: McDonald's Plaza, Rt. 6, Swansea, MA
03/06/09: McDonald's Plaza, Rt. 6, Swansea, MA

Wondering what prompted it to fly all the way to Swansea to hang out at McDonald's when there is one right a the Natick Travel Plaza where he was spotted most. Maybe the fries in Swansea are crispier or something (nothing worse than soggy fries, perhaps even for a gull)

I have gotten into mapping lately and even played around with Google Earth some to see if I can use Latitude and Longitude information to track bird trends and geographical concentrations and find that it is another interesting way to look at data. Nothing as fancy as that above, but it will give you an idea of this birds journey all for a few lousy fries! See what one can do with too much time on ones hands.
And here is a good example of how a bird nerd can use Google Earth. The image above is used to map all of the places a Herring Gull who was actually fitted with a satellite transmitter has gone since it was put on it on 11/5/08 at the Blackstone Valley Abatement Facility. See DCR Link on more info as well as direct links to track this gull using Google Earth! And who said gulls were boring! ;-).

That's it for now, but don't fret. Will be going out tomorrow in the Nor'easter and who knows what I will find. Plus Salisbury Beach with Forbush on Sunday which should be interesting to see what we get there with the storm. Take care all!

Barrow's and Common Goldeneye Sudbury Reservoir

I had the day off today so ventured off with Alan to various places including Scar Hill where we saw the regulars such as Horned Grebes, Common Goldeneye and Hooded Mergansers. Next it was onto Mile Hill Road where the only birds we saw were 13 Long-tailed Ducks who were too far away for a decent photo.

Our next destination was the Sudbury Reservoir in search of the Barrow's Goldeneye we had read about on MassBird earlier this week. We went to the area near the powerline and could see a large congregation of Ring-necked Ducks and Common Goldeneye as shown above. Notice how this drake Common Goldeneye has a black head and round and white spot on its face.
Alan was able to pick out what appeared to be a Barrow's Goldeneye so we went to another location to get a better look at it which was out on some rocks. Let me tell you it was freezing on the waters today. The north winds were strong with no sun for warmth so birding today on the water was for the hearty only! You forgot about the wind and cold once you saw the Barrow's as it is such a beautiful and special bird. Notice the flatter head, the white crescent on its face (lores) (picture below) and the unmistakable black spur this bird has as you can see in the picture above.
Another photo that will show the crescent on the lores as well as the white spots on its back vs. the mostly white on the Common Goldeneye. Awesome bird to see and was happy just getting pictures as this bird was very far away and the scope was on the highest magnification it could be on and usually when that happens my pictures come out so lousy you don't even know what the bird is! Oh, and I also spotted a deer tick while there that was crawling up my leg once I got in the car (just a reminder to all to keep checking as they are still out there).

After that we figured we were on a roll so decided to head out to Ipswich for the 7 Cackling Geese that were reported there on Massbird. On our way there we drove past Hager Pond in Marlborough and what do we see?? Why more banded Ring-billed Gulls of course!!! Yes, that's right folks another gull post. I believe the tags on this first cycle gull is A294 but can't be 100% certain due to how the tags were curled up on the ends. Not to mention this gull was not being at all cooperative. I had to laugh when I saw him though because it reminds me of those arm floats you put on kids before they hit the swimming pool. Too funny!
Alan had his scope on the bird as I tiptoed on a rocky embankment clinging to the guard rail that was the only thing between me and a very busy route 20 in an effort to get a better view of the number to report to DCR and for pictures obviously! Anyhow, the gull looked a little sick to me or just depressed. Perhaps it was just banded recently and is just exhausted by the experience. Also, notice how all of the other gulls are standing far away from him as if the hunter orange tags may be contagious or something. No wonder such the long face!
And just when you thought it couldn't get more exciting check out #105 which is an adult Ring-billed Gull. This bird too had a depressed look to him, I mean is he the picture of happiness or what?? The poor bird looks as if he just lost his best friend or something. I guess the gulls don't like the tags too much.
Interestingly enough, there were three Great Black-backed Gulls mixed in with the Ring-billed, but no Herrings that we could see of.
And another record shot of a first cycle Ring-billed Gull eating natural food instead of french fries which I consider very picture worthy!

Hager Pond, Marlborough

We finally did make it to Ipswich where we drove around for a while trying to locate the Cackling Geese. We never were able to see them due to the fact that all of the Canada Geese were hiding behind some fencing at a horse farm so good views to try and pick out the Cackling Geese was close to impossible as they were too far away to get a good look at the bills or an overall size comparison. We did see this Northern Harrier above though. Notice how long the tail and the wings are.
Another shot that shows its white rump and if you click on the pictures, you will see those geese on the left! Grrrrrr......Too far away to get a good look at them from the side of the road at any angle. Just saw that they had it on MassBird again this afternoon. Such is life I suppose. Have thought about cropping this picture into pieces to see if I can identify one in the bunch that way but it would probably be impossible. ;-)

eBird lists today:

Scar Hill Wachusett Res

9 Common Goldeneye
2 Common Merganser
3 Horned Grebe
2 Blue Jay
5 American Crow
15 American Robin
2 Song Sparrow3 White-throated Sparrow
20 Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)


Mile Hill Road
Species
13 Long-tailed Duck

Southborough, Sudbury Res

75-Ring-neck Duck
1 Bufflehead
8 Common Goldeneye
1 Barrow's Goldeneye

Cool Blog Alert!-The Gulls Of Appledore

I came across this blog called The Gulls of Appledore and wanted to share it all with you (it's also on my Blogroll for New England).

Anyhow, the blog is run by Dr. Julie Ellis who has been banding Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls in Maine since 2004 in an effort to Research their population trends along the coasts of Maine and the effects that these two species have on coastal marine communities of New England.

I got an email from Julie this evening asking me to be on the lookout for these particular banded gulls and thought I would pass the word along as I know I do get some readers from both the New England and Mid Atlantic coasts.

Take care.

Information on Sunday's Tagged Ring-billed Gulls

DCR got back to Alan and I with the information on the Ring-billed Gulls we saw Sunday at Indian Lake and thought I would share in case any of you were waiting patiently in eager anticipation on what we could find out! Anyhow, here's the lowdown on the clever little A42

Captured 10/3/08 at Worcester Hotel & Conference Center, Worcester, MA
Captured using a rocket net baited with bread and cheezits
Adult ring-billed gull
Florescent orange wing-tags: A42
Red leg band: RZ

Sightings:
10/07/08: White City Plaza, Shrewsbury, MA
11/03/08: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA
11/23/08: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA
12/03/08: Gull Count, Wachusett Reservoir
12/05/08: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA
12/17/08: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA
02/10/09: Coney Island Beach, NY
03/16/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA
03/20/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA
08/04/09: Lincoln Plaza, Worcester, MA
10/27/09: Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester, MA
10/30/09: Gull Count, Wachusett Reservoir

As you can see the adult Ring-billed Gull has a liking for cheezits (a very popular food among the gulls) and also decided to take a little winter vacation this year to Coney Island, for hot dogs and pretzels I'm sure!

And of course, the docile little 1st cycle Ring-billed Gull number 290.

Captured 10/27/09 at Lake Quinsigamond State Park, Worcester, MA
Captured using a rocket net baited with crackers
Juvenile ring-billed gull
Florescent orange wing-tags: A290
No colored lag band

This was actually the first sighting of the gull so it is obviously sticking close to home but starting to venture out some.

And just a reminder that DCR will be the guest speaker at this months Forbush Bird Club meeting which should be very interesting. Keep reporting those gulls!

Take care all

Yes it's Another Gull Post

Did my usual Sunday birding today and once again it was for gulls and ducks which seem to be building in larger numbers daily. I was very glad to get out there for the gulls since I am in the middle of a really good book called Gulls: A Social History by Frank Graham. It's an older book I picked up at the Ben Franklin Book Store in Worcester but it is so interesting I can't put it down. Yes, I take my gulls very seriously and am starting to build up a mini-library right along side my Raptor library and bird guide library. You know I think the bird is special if it has it's own library! ;-)

Anyhow, I started off at Lake Singletary in Millbury this morning hoping for Scaup or a Ruddy Duck but was greeted with the elusive Millbury tagged gull instead. Alan and I had seen this gull a couple of weeks ago and reported it to the DCR and they emailed him back asking for more information because we had reported it as tagged with the number 4. That was all we had so I was very excited to see the gull today to try and get more information. The sun was totally not in my favor so couldn't make out the numbers to the left with my scope or the binoculars so had to settle for the camera and lighten the pics when I got home. I am thinking it looks like 405 4 or 409 4, but can't tell for certain! Little bugger!

I also saw a very cooperative Blue Jay while there so had to get its picture.
After that I decided to head to Indian Lake in Worcester with Alan to see what was there and what do we see but more banded gulls of course! Allow me to introduce you to the Ring-billed Gull above number A42 who is also sporting an attractive ankle bracelet to go with his tag. ;-)
And as you can see #A42 is none to happy with its attire and spent most of the time we were there trying to strip itself of the annoying tag and the picture shows this bird may actually be able to pull it off!
And then there was this docile first cycle Ring-billed gull number 290 who didn't even seem to notice that tag on its wing. We also saw two other tagged Ring-billed Gulls that were too far away to get a number, even with a scope. Just a reminder to all of you, especially in Worcester County, to report any tagged gulls you see as the DCR likes to keep track (the link is in the first paragraph to this post).
There were also other gulls who were not decked out in hunter orange this AM, including this other first cycle Ring-billed Gulls as well as a first cycle Herring Gull whose picture came out lousy so am not posting it.
And speaking of Herring Gulls, we saw 25 of those today including the one above eating REAL, UNPROCESSED food-can you imagine! It was so note worthy that I had to take a picture of course.
Oh, and I finally know what Herring Gulls remind me of. You know those old Black and White gangster movies that Humphrey Bogart was in when he first started acting in the late 30s? He was always with these other shady, dark characters with those sinister eyes, well that's the Herring Gull in a nutshell, serioulsy. We also had an adult Great Black-backed Gull there too so now I have both on my Worcester County list for the season so mission accomplished!
That's not all that was there obviously and the most striking thing at Indian Lake this morning were the 320 Common Mergansers scattered in large flocks throughout the lake.

I was able to get some of my favorite shots of birds which are those where they are in flight.
And a Mallard flight shot too, just because! I also did some other birding on my own this afternoon which I will post about tomorrow. Take care everyone.

List from Indian Lake today:

18--Canada Goose
1--Mute Swan5--Mallard
3--Bufflehead
25Hooded Merganser
320--Common Merganser
5--Double-crested Cormorant
1--Great Blue Heron
75--Ring-billed Gull
25--Herring Gull (American)
1--Great Black-backed Gull
6--American Crow
5--Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)