Trip Highlights

Below is the list of birds seen on the trip. There were 12 participants.

Pied-billed Grebe
Cormorant
Canada Goose
Mallard
Black Duck
Wood Duck
White-winged Scoter
Domesticated Duck (Swedish Blue)
Great Blue Heron
Ring-billed Gull
Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Chickadee
Titmouse
Blue Jay
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
American Crow
Mockingbird (Seen in the parking lot by Rachel and I as we were leaving)
Brown Creeper
Song Sparrow
Warbler sp.

We set out at 8:00 am with six participants, two of which were brand new members.  The weather was sunny, but cool with temps in the low 50s.  We walked to the 1 ½ mile marker, and then headed back.  
We counted a total on 17 species on the walk, with Blue Jay being the most plentiful bird of the day.  Most exciting was the Common Loon family of three.  Other birds on the water were Canada Geese, Double-crested Cormorants, a couple of Great Blue Herons, and a Belted Kingfisher.  While walking we observed three different species of woodpecker, Red-bellied, Hairy and Pileated.  There were also Golden-crowned Kinglets, White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-tailed Hawk, Blue-headed Vireo, and two species of warbler, American Redstart and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

We had a really nice birding morning at Arcadia. It was a beautiful sunny day.  Nine people attended, including Olivia, a nice young woman from England.  This was her first birding trip.  Many of our normal birds such as Cardinals and Blue Jays were new to her, so that was fun.  The highlight birds were a Meadowlark and a couple of Kestrels. Tim and April got on a Tennessee Warbler, too!.

Several members joined a group from the Southwick Public Library to enjoy nearly cloudless skies, apart from one enormous, but distant, cumulus cloud that hovered motionless for hours far to the east.  Haze along the horizon made spotting a challenge at times.  Everyone contributed valuable help with spotting the birds in a tough sky.  The wind was light during the entire watch, initially NNE, shifting to E towards the end of the watch, with temperatures in the 70s F.

A total of 59 migrating raptors were counted:  Osprey (1), Northern Harrier (1), Sharp-shinned Hawk (16), Cooper’s Hawk (3), Broad-winged Hawk (28), American Kestrel (9) and Merlin (1).  Non-migrating raptors were Turkey Vultures (6), adult Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk.  

Other species noted were Mourning Dove, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpeckers (2), Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay (18 migrants), American Crow, Common Ravens (2), Black-capped Chickadee, American Goldfinch, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler. Non-avian species observed were eight Monarch butterflies and a particular highlight of the day, a bull moose on the cleared hill to the north.  That was a sight we won’t soon forget!

Six members gathered at Stebbins Refuge to find a total of 29 species.  Highlights included close-up views of Swamp Sparrows and a Snowy Egret, and witnessing a Great Blue Heron eat a VERY large fish! 

Pied-billed Grebe 2
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Killdeer 1
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 1
Great Blue Heron 6
Canada Goose 100
Mallard 60
Black Duck 3
Green-winged Teal 4
American Widgeon 1
Wood Duck 25
Osprey 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Mourning Dove 10
Blue Jay 7
Red-winged Blackbird    200
Common Grackle 1
American Robin 5
Cedar Waxwings 4
Brown Cowbird 1
White-throated Sparrow 10
Song Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 4