North Shore of Massachusetts

Two cars and seven people went to the north shore, since more birds were reported there than on the south shore, which was the scheduled destination.  It also was a shorter distance to cover and some had to return early.  Bob, Howard and Marcy were there along with Peter Gagarin from Sunderland, who took a lot of photos.  We went first to Gloucester were Good Harbor Beach was uncovered at low tide.  We stopped at Bass Rocks, which was closer to Salt Island than the Elks Club and found the male King Eider close to the point on the east and ocean side.  It was preening in the water and eventually climbed up on the low rocks.  Also on the edge of the island were a flock of about 40 Sanderlings that flew off and around twice before returning to land in the same spot.  Close to us on the rocks right beneath us was a Purple Sandpiper feeding on the seaweed exposed by the low tide.  Also close were flocks of feeding Bufflehead, scattered White-winged Scoters and Common Loons.  There were only a few Black Scoters and Red-breasted Mergansers.  Farther out flying past fairly high was a stream of Gannets.  

We made a short stop at the Elks Club, then down Atlantic Avenue seeing 3 Great Cormorants at the south end, then on to the outer Niles Cove.  Only had a few things there, so went to Niles Pond, where there was another large group of birders parked and studying birds.  We had 4 Coot, 2 Pied-billed Grebe, 6 Ring-necked Ducks, 4 Greater Scaup, and 6 Bufflehead.  Rocky Neck had Horned Grebe, 6 Bufflehead, and 8 Red-breasted Mergansers.  After a restroom break at Stop and Shop, we went to Jodrey where we had a close Oldsquaw, a big raft of Eiders and a Loon.

We went north and arrived at the Scotland Road area in West Newbury.  Cherry Hill Reservoir gave us 115 Ruddy Ducks, 20 Bufflehead and some geese, but no sign of a Pink-footed Goose.  Salisbury was very windy, but we managed to see a Harrier, 12 Red-throated Loons, 6 Common Loons, and many scoters.  Two Merlins were perched on poles in the campground and near the jetty.  We found 2 Yellowrumps and a Bluebird among the campground trees, but no Crossbills.  At Plum Island the wind and sun bothered us badly, but among the many Black Ducks and geese at Bill Forward Pool were 7 Gadwall, 6 Hooded merganser, 50+ Pintail, a distant Peregrine, 2 Harriers, and a flock of Horned Larks.  We waited at the North Pool Lookout, where others including Brad Winn from Manomet were also stationed, but we only picked up 3 more Harriers.  For the day we found 33 water birds and 12 land birds.