Friday, December 8, 2023

A fairly quiet week with the most outstanding reports being a flock of 24 Sandhill Cranes in flight over Townsend, single Ash-throated Flycatchers in Cambridge and Rockport, a Greater White-fronted Goose in South Egremont, at Tufted Duck at Nantucket, and a migrating Golden Eagle at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton.

Cape Cod highlights at Race Point in Provincetown included a King Eider, a Pacific Loon, 2 Common Terns, a Black-headed Gull, 6 Thick-billed Murres, and 66 Common Murres.  On Race Point Road in P-town a Western Kingbird was spotted.  Three Willets continued to be seen at Forest Beach in Chatham, and at Morris Island in Chatham there was an American Oystercatcher and a Long-billed Dowitcher.  At High Head in Truro there was a Rough-legged Hawk, and 3 Great Egrets and a Nashville Warbler were seen at Long Pasture Sanctuary in Cummaquid. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was found near Depot Pond in Eastham.

Bristol County hosted a continuing Clapper Rail at the Egypt Lane Ponds in Fairhaven, and at Town Beach on West Island in Fairhaven there were 2 Great Egrets and a Short-eared Owl.

Plymouth County reports featured a Snowy Egret at Nelson Beach in Plymouth, a Laughing Gull at Green Harbor in Marshfield and 2 more in Hull, 2 Greater Yellowlegs in Duxbury, and a Great Egret at Broad Cove in Hingham.  A House Wren, a Clay-colored Sparrow, and a Vesper Sparrow were identified at the Nemasket Trail in Plympton, Eastern Phoebes were tallied at the Great River Preserve in Bridgewater and the Tidmarsh Sanctuary in Manomet.

Norfolk County sightings of interest were 3 Great Egrets at the Sailor’s Home Pond in Quincy, a Lesser Black-backed Gull at Lake Massapoag in Sharon, a Laughing Gull and a Black Guillemot at Sandy Beach in Cohasset, and a continuing Wilson’s Warbler at Halls’s Pond in Brookline.

Suffolk County luminaries were a Pileated Woodpecker at Allendale Woods in West Roxbury, 2 Virginia Rails, a Wilson’s Warbler, a Gray Catbird, a Clay-colored Sparrow, a Dickcissel, and a Yellow-headed Blackbird among a large flock of Red-winged Blackbirds at Millennium Park in West Roxbury, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Black-bellied Plovers, and a Black-headed Gull at Crystal Cove in Winthrop, 2 Snowy Egrets at the Belle Isle Reservation, a Rough-legged Hawk at Logan Airport, a Yellow-breasted Chat at Lewis Lake in Winthrop, a continuing Lark Sparrow at Forest Hills Cemetery, a Cape May Warbler at Franklin Park, a Baltimore Oriole at the Arnold Arboretum, and a Black-and-white Warbler in the Fenway Victory Gardens.

Middlesex County reports of note included a flock of 24 Sandhill Cranes in flight at Squanacook Wildlife Area in Townsend, a continuing Ash-throated Flycatcher at Danehy Park in Cambridge, a Yellow-breasted Chat and a White-crowned Sparrow at Nahanton Park in Newton, 3 Orange-crowned Warblers and a House Wren at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, a Clay-colored Sparrow at Weston Station Pond in Weston, and Eastern Phoebe at Upper Vine Brook Conservation Area in Lexington.

Essex County highlights included a continuing Ash-throated Flycatcher and a White-eyed Vireo at Halibut State Park in Rockport, along with 4 Red Crossbills there, 20 Laughing Gulls in Beverly, and 5 White-rumped Sandpipers, a Common Gallinule, a Common Yellowthroat, and 8 Red Crossbills at Plum Island.

Berkshire County hosted 2 Redheads and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers at Lake Pontoosuc in Pittsfield, a lingering Osprey at Stevens Pond in Monterey, 20 Northern Shovelers, a Long-tailed Duck, and 3 White-winged Scoters at Laurel Lake in Lee, a Greater White-fronted Goose, a Snow Goose, and a Cackling Goose at Smiley’s Pond in South Egremont, and 6 Red Crossbills near the Mt. Williams Reservoir in North Adams.

Franklin County hosted a Red-throated Loon and 3 Lesser Scaup at Barton Cove in Hill, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers at Lake Mattawa in Orange, and an Eastern Phoebe in Leverett.

Hampshire County luminaries were a Lapland Longspur near Great Pond in Hatfield, where a Ruby-crowned Kinglet was also spotted, 2 Marsh Wrens at the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area in Northampton, and 8 continuing Pine Warblers near the Quabbin Reservoir Headquarters building in Belchertown.

Worcester County bright lights were a Surf Scoter at the Westboro Wildlife Area in Westboro, 15 Red Crossbills at Quabbin gate 43 in Hardwick, 2 Orange-crowned Warblers at the Coes Reservoir in Worcester, a migrating Golden Eagle at Wachusett Mountain Reservation in Princeton, and a Long-tailed Duck and an Iceland Gull at the Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton.

Martha’s Vineyard sightings of interest were 2 Northern Shovelers and a Eurasian Wigeon at Crystal Lake in Oak Bluffs, 5 Laughing Gulls, 36 Tree Swallows, and a Common Raven at Aquinnah, and a Willet observed from West Basin Road in Chilmark.

Nantucket highlights were 9 Great Egrets at Great Point, 3 at Hummock Pond, and a single at Sesachacha Pond.  Other observations on note were a Tufted Duck at Long Pond, a Western Kingbird see along Hummock Pond Road, 4 American Oystercatchers at the UMass Field Station, and a Black-and-white Warbler at an undisclosed location.