Bird Sightings: The Voice of Audubon

Submit bird sightings

The Voice of Audubon offers regular updates on birds sighted across the state to introduce you to the wide variety of species Massachusetts has to offer.

Below are the most recently published sightings. Sightings in the past month are also available.

Subscribe via RSS

Cape Cod

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Mass Audubon’s annual Bird-a-thon fundraiser was held this weekend, bringing birders from all over the state to the Cape in hopes of big species lists. One of the highlights was a sandhill crane seen by many teams at both the Beech Forest in Provincetown and the Pilgrim Heights hawk watch. Lots of night birding produced many secretive owls and rails, including clapper rails in Wellfleet, Brewster, and Harwich, Virginia rails in many locations, a sora in Chatham, and northern saw-whet owls in several locations, especially Wellfleet. The chuck-will’s-widow continues calling at Pochet in Orleans.

Other highlights included a northern shoveler, ruddy ducks in Eastham, ruffed grouse in Falmouth, parasitic jaeger and Manx shearwaters in Provincetown, cattle egret at Marstons Mills airport, a whimbrel at Lieutenant Island in Wellfleet, black skimmers in Orleans, Chatham, and Eastham, and a summer tanager and a Lincoln’s sparrow in Provincetown.

At least 24 species of warbler were reported this week, as the migration reaches its peak. A prothonotary warbler was seen in Pocasset on Tuesday, and both a golden-winged and a Kentucky warbler were at Foss Woods in Provincetown on Thursday May 10. A few worm-eating warblers were also reported, as was a hooded warbler in Provincetown. Bay-breasted, blackburnian, blue-winged, and Canada warblers were also noted this week.

A least bittern was reported at the Swan River in Dennis and a yellow-crowned night-heron was seen in the marsh off Loring Ave in West Dennis. A tricolored heron was found at Little Pond in Falmouth on Monday May 14.

Back to top

Eastern Massachusetts

Friday, May 18, 2012

With spring migration near its peak for the spring this week, a good variety of migrants is being reported from a number of different locations, including some of the later migrants such as both Black-billed and Yellow-billed cuckoo, Common Nighthawk, Olive-sided and Acadian flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, and Tennessee, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, and Mourning warblers.

Among the reports from the Parker River Refuge on Plum Island Northern Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, an Olive-sided Flycatcher, and at least 14 species of warblers including a Hooded Warbler.

Reported from Marblehead Neck Sanctuary in Marblehead was a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, a good variety of warblers including both Tennessee and Cape May warbler, and a Blue Grosbeak.  At Nahant Thicket there were both Black-billed and Yellow-billed cuckoos, an Acadian Flycatcher, and among many warbler species there were Tennessee, Cape May, Bay-breasted, and Mourning warblers.

Among many migrant and resident species tallied in the Lynn Woods this week were 14 Great Crested Flycatchers, 4 Blue-headed Vireos, 15 Red-eyed Vireos, a Winter Wren, and warblers including 19 Northern Parulas, 18 Magnolias, 11 Black-throated Blues, 5 Black-throated Greens, 2 Northern Waterthrushes, and 4 Canadas.

Reports from Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge featured at least 15 species of warblers including Tennessee, 27 Northern Parulas, 21 Magnolias, 21 American Redstarts, and 2 Wilson’s.

Recorded at Great Meadows Refuge in Concord were a Pied-billed Grebe, a Least Bittern, 17 Virginia Rails, a Sora, 2 Black Terns, 6 Common Nighthawks, and 2 Willow Flycatchers.

Miscellaneous reports this week included a Red-necked Grebe at the Jodrey Fish Pier in Gloucester; an American Bittern, a Sandhill Crane, and an Acadian Flycatcher at the Bolton Flats in Bolton; 2 Upland Sandpipers, an Orchard Oriole, and 3 Eastern Meadowlarks at Hanscom Field in Bedford; 5 Common Nighthawks in South Natick; 10 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at a feeder in Rochester; single Olive-sided Flycatchers in Milton and at Wompatuck State Park in Hingham where a Cerulean Warbler continues to be seen; and a Kentucky Warbler at Mass Audubon Headquarters in Lincoln.

Back to top

Western Massachusetts

Monday, May 14, 2012

An extraordinary May songbird migration continued this week, though at a slightly reduced pace and intensity.  Most resident species have settled in to begin breeding, and a few late arriving residents have returned, including black-billed cuckoo, eastern wood pewee, willow flycatcher, alder flycatcher and red-eyed vireo. Migrant shorebirds, warblers and sparrows heading farther north are also moving through in small numbers, along with common nighthawks.

 A golden-winged warbler was found in Amherst and both Brewster’s and Lawrence’s hybrids of this species and the blue-winged warbler have been spotted there as well.

 Three red-breasted mergansers, two American bitterns, a Cape May warbler, a cerulean warbler and a yellow-throated warbler were seen on October Mountain in the town of Washington.

 A merlin, 29 common loons, four greater yellowlegs, and a hooded warbler were reported in  Quabbin Park at the Quabbin Reservoir.

 An olive-sided flycatcher was found in Ludlow. Worm-eating and cerulean warblers were seen on Mt. Holyoke. A Virginia rail and a lesser yellowlegs were reported in Granby, and a greater yellowlegs was also seen in Longmeadow.

 A black vulture, eight upland sandpipers and 14 grasshopper sparrows were found at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee.

 An upland sandpiper, a bay-breasted warbler, a Tennessee warbler, a hooded warbler and three grasshopper sparrows were reported in Westfield.

 Two American bitterns and two pine siskins were seen in Cummington.

 

 

Back to top

About the Voice of Audubon

These bird sighting reports are transcripts of recorded messages from each of three regional "bird alerts" maintained by Mass Audubon, known as the Voice of Audubon. The phone number for the Voice of Audubon is (781) 259-8805. All three recorded reports from throughout the state are accessible through this number, and the transcripts are available anytime at www.massaudubon.org/voa). Not all sightings that are submitted are included in the VOA reports. Those that are included are intended to provide a "snapshot" of the current, noteworthy bird activity in each region within Massachusetts, and might include, for example, rarities, early/first-arriving migrants, late-departing migrants, high counts, unusual sightings (e.g., a seabird found on an inland lake), or simply those that represent exemplary sightings for the time and place.

The Boston Globe publishes one or more of the transcripts (with limited editing) each Sunday. To submit bird sightings call (781) 259-2150.

The Voice of Audubon is the oldest phone-based bird alert in the United States, first established on December 1, 1954 (original phone number, KEnmore 6-4050). See the original 1954 press release*.

Back to top

*Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader; click here for more information.