Thrush Day

Map of our Trip

First we went to place in Millbury I heard a growling sound and it was a Great Blue Heron  Then we saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet singing and we saw red on top of its head. I was so happy to see that because its one of my favorite birds. Then we went to the cemetery to see the Great Horned Owl again and she was there with her baby and we also found the Barn Swallow it had orange on its belly not like a Tree Swallow that has white on its belly. Then we found a Blue-headed Vireo and it was following us and we found two Hermit Thrushes. then we went to see a Louisiana Waterthrush. We tried to find Savvanah Sparrows but there were lots of people there and they were talking loud. When we were just about to leave we had a new yard bird and a lifer Cooper's Hawk in our yard. We saw 3 Coopers Hawks that day!

Our Checklists

St. Philips Cemetery, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US 

Upton State Forest, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US 

Uxbridge Community Gardens and Soccer Fields, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US 

Purgatory Chasm State Reservation, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US 

Brierly Pond, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US 

 right after he got his lifer Hermit Thrush

 after he got his lifer Blue-headed Vireo

 after getting his Louisiana Waterthrush

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Hermit Thrush

Blue-headed Vireo

Louisiana Waterthrush

Great Horned Owl with fledgling

New Year Birds

133	Cooper's Hawk	Brierly Pond	US-MA	19 Apr 2014
134	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Brierly Pond	US-MA	19 Apr 2014
135	Louisiana Waterthrush	Upton State Forest	US-MA	19 Apr 2014
136	Barn Swallow	St. Philips Cemetery	US-MA	19 Apr 2014

New Lifers

164	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Brierly Pond	US-MA	19 Apr 2014
165	Louisiana Waterthrush	Upton State Forest	US-MA	19 Apr 2014
166	Barn Swallow	St. Philips Cemetery	US-MA	19 Apr 2014

Warbler day!!

Our Trip

I went to the cemetery and we found a baby owl and it was a Great Horned baby owl. Also we saw the hornets and the Yellow-rumped Warblers and the Brown-headed Cowbird. Mute Swan was protecting its nest from the Canada Goose.There were Tree Swallows everywhere and Red-winged Blackbirds. and at the next stop we went to see the Eastern Towhee and we did. My dad saw a Cooper's Hawk and there Blue Jays everywhere going crazy because the Cooper's Hawk. We heard a Field Sparrow singing.  We went to find a Pine Warbler and my dad was mad because his camera almost broke. And we stayed there for like 1 hour and 30 min and we heard 5! The next stop we went to like a desert. We were chased by hornets and we saw 4 Palm Warblers when we were there but we did not see the Ruffed Grouse. We heard a Vesper Sparrow and a Field Sparrow singing. Next we went to the Bolton Flats we saw the Lesser Yellowlegs and the greater and a Northern Rough-winged Swallows and a Pectoral Sandpiper and 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. We held a turtle and a frog. I spotted the turtle and my dad spotted the frog. We saw a Canada Goose poop. When we were going to a store we saw a Double-crested Cormorant.

Checklists----

Cross Street Powerlines, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US

Purgatory Chasm State Reservation, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US

St. Philips Cemetery, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US

Pine Hill Rd. Grasslands, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US

Bolton Flats, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US

New Year Birds

126	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Purgatory Chasm State Reservation	US-MA	13 Apr 2014
127	Pine Warbler	Purgatory Chasm State Reservation	US-MA	13 Apr 2014
128	Palm Warbler	Pine Hill Rd. Grasslands	US-MA	13 Apr 2014
129	Vesper Sparrow	Pine Hill Rd. Grasslands	US-MA	13 Apr 2014
130	Double-crested Cormorant	Bolton Flats	US-MA	13 Apr 2014
131	Lesser Yellowlegs	Bolton Flats	US-MA	13 Apr 2014
132	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Bolton Flats	US-MA	13 Apr 2014

New Lifers!

160	Vesper Sparrow	Pine Hill Rd. Grasslands	US-MA	13 Apr 2014
161	Double-crested Cormorant	Bolton Flats	US-MA	13 Apr 2014
162	Lesser Yellowlegs	Bolton Flats	US-MA	13 Apr 2014
163	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Bolton Flats	US-MA	13 Apr 2014

Wetty

Our Trip

we went to Bolton Flats and it was flooded we had to walk through water the whole way. we found an Wilson's Snipe and Pectoral Sandpipers and some Tree Swallows and a Killdeer and a Kestrel. we saw a beaver! I found on my own an Osprey and a Great Blue Heron. there was Ring-necked Ducks and Gadwalls, Northern Pintail, and American Wigeons. we didnt get a Blue-winged Teal

Bolton Flats, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US

Parking Lot Flooded

Pectoral Sandpipers

 Northern Pintail

New Year Birds

122	Pectoral Sandpiper	Bolton Flats	US-MA	08 Apr 2014
123	American Kestrel	Bolton Flats	US-MA	08 Apr 2014

New Lifers

159

Pectoral Sandpiper

Bolton Flats

US-MA

08 Apr 2014

Connecticut again

Our Trip

me and grammy and daddy went to Connecticut. the first stop we went to where the tundra swan and we found it and 2 coots North Farms Reservoir, New Haven County, Connecticut, US. we went to see a Red-headed Woodpecker but we did not find it and i had a Fish Crow Lincoln and Bradley St, New Haven County, Connecticut, US . and then we went to a beach and found a Great Egret and a Bonaparte Gull and then we ate some pizza and we did not find a Little Gull and at the next stop we found a Greater Yellowlegs Short Beach Park, Fairfield County, Connecticut, US. also we heard some Boat-tailed Grackles. Stewart B. McKinney NWR--Long Beach Blvd. Pond, Fairfield County, Connecticut, US

  

New Year Birds

113	Fox Sparrow	Westborough WMA	US-MA	05 Apr 2014
114	Swamp Sparrow	Westborough WMA	US-MA	05 Apr 2014
115	Tundra Swan	North Farms Reservoir	US-CT	06 Apr 2014
116	American Coot	North Farms Reservoir	US-CT	06 Apr 2014
117	Tree Swallow	North Farms Reservoir	US-CT	06 Apr 2014
118	Osprey	Stewart B. McKinney NWR--Long Beach Blvd. Pond	US-CT	06 Apr 2014
119	Boat-tailed Grackle	Stewart B. McKinney NWR--Long Beach Blvd. Pond	US-CT	06 Apr 2014
120	Bonaparte's Gull	Short Beach Park	US-CT	06 Apr 2014
121	Greater Yellowlegs	Birdseye Boat Ramp	US-CT	06 Apr 2014

New Lifers!

156	Fox Sparrow	Westborough WMA	US-MA	05 Apr 2014
157	Bonaparte's Gull	Short Beach Park	US-CT	06 Apr 2014
158	Greater Yellowlegs	Birdseye Boat Ramp	US-CT	06 Apr 2014

Tundra Swan Range Map

Boat-tailed Grackle Range Map

Me Birding

Tundra Swan

        

American Coot

Bonaparte's Gull

Westborough WMA, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US

Telegram & Gazette

Grade-school birder has his own 'big year'

http://www.telegram.com/article/20140401/NEWS/304019631/1116

By George Barnes TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
gbarnes@telegram.com

CHARLTON — Explaining that glaucous and Iceland gulls have pink legs, Owen Lawson also knew an even more important fact about the rarely seen in Massachusetts birds. 

"They're from where Santa lives," the 6-year-old birder said. 

Owen is unquestionably a birding fanatic. The Millbury first-grader has been reading about birds and listening to bird calls since he was 3. He has a better knowledge of common and some exotic birds than many adults. 

The little big year he is attempting is a pruned version of a big year, which was made famous by a 2011 film "The Big Year" in which three birders, played by Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin, travel the continent seeking as many birds as possible. Owen said it is his favorite movie. 

A big year is an attempt to see as many birds as possible in a calendar year within a limited area. It can take many forms, but the American Birding Association area includes the 49 contiguous U.S. states, Canada and the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon and adjacent waters up to 200 miles off shore or half the distance to another country, whichever is shorter. 

Owen's little big year will take place mainly in Massachusetts, but also in some New England states, especially if something unusual appears. He has already found some unusual birds, including a painted bunting, a red-throated loon and a snowy owl. 

Traveling with his father, Justin Lawson, a photographer, or his grandmother, Sharon Lawson, or both, Owen has been searching for birds all over Massachusetts and certain locations in Rhode Island and Connecticut since Jan. 1. He is doing it when he has free time from school and when the weather is not unbearably bad. 

Last Sunday afternoon, heavy rain gave way to drizzle and he and his two adult companions headed out to Charlton with a main mission of finding a black-headed gull. They knew where one might be because Mrs. Lawson had seen and photographed it Saturday, but by Sunday it was gone. 

The gull is not rare, but an occasional visitor to the state and less frequently away from the coast. Owen's grandmother saw one at Orlando Farms on Osgood Street Saturday, but it was gone by Sunday afternoon. At the farm on Sunday, plenty of more common birds were seen, including Canada geese, ring-billed gulls and various ducks, but nothing with the distinctive black head. 

But Owen's dad had another plan. A few miles down the road at a pond surrounded by tornado-ravaged woods in Sturbridge, he had seen a great egret. Locally people are familiar with the long-legged great blue herons with their large wingspan and throaty cry. They are becoming more common in the state. 

The great egret is a similar bird, only all white with black legs. When the Lawsons pulled up near the pond, which is behind the tornado-damaged Days Inn Motel, they were treated to an even better sight. 

"They're fighting," Owen said as he and his father pointed out not one, but two great egrets, one of which was conducting a short-lived battle with a great blue heron. The native heron eventually flew off, leaving the two egrets to continue fishing and Owen was able to add them to his birding list. 

Owen's escapades in searching for birds this year are being recorded in a blog he writes: "My First Little Big Year 2014." It is found on the Internet atwww.greatgrayowen.blogspot.com. It includes photographs of the birds he has seen, a list of 107 birds he has recorded this year and a 154-bird life list of the birds he has discovered in his short life. It also includes entries about various trips, explaining what they have seen and other observations, including a March 9 entry about seeing the painted bunting, a snowy owl and a barnacle goose. The entry ends with other-than-bird observations, "When we were going to leave, we saw a chicken so close to us and a cow wanted to leave in the car with us." 

Owen said he enjoyed the painted bunting because it is so colorful. The male version of the species, which he saw, has a bright blue head, bright red underneath and yellowish green wings. It is found mostly in the southern states and Mexico and is an occasional visitor to the New England coast. 

Birding has become a family affair for the Lawsons. Justin Lawson got involved several years ago, mainly looking for opportunities to photograph eagles. The more he got involved, the more he felt compelled to seek out rare birds when he saw reports of sightings on such websites as www.massbird.org, www.massaudubon.org, and the bird news section of the American Birding Association's website www.aba.org. Central Massachusetts sightings can also be found through WPI at http://users.wpi.edu/~rsquimby/birds/recent.html. 

Sharon Lawson said she has only been birding since January. She took an interest because of her grandson and son were so excited about it. 

"I've always liked being outdoors, kayaking and hiking, but I really enjoy looking for the birds," she said. 

The newest member of the Lawson family to take an interest in birding is Liam. At age 2, he is still a little young to be doing a big year, but Justin Lawson said his son has already begun to learn basic birds and their calls. 

The family has become so interested in birding that they plan to take a vacation this summer to Machias Seal Island in Maine to look for puffins, terns and other sea birds. The island has a large breeding colony of puffins and blinds for visitors to watch the birds from. 

Owen's blog's address is named for his favorite bird. It is one he does not yet have on his little big year list or his birding life list. When asked what it is, he smiled and said excitedly, "A great gray owl." 

Owen then hurriedly explained that it is one of the largest owls, gray colored and has some of the sharpest talons of any owl. 

Chances of finding one are slim in Massachusetts. There have only been a handful of reports in Massachusetts over the years. In Central Massachusetts there have been confirmed sightings in various years in Hardwick, Sterling, Oakham, Sutton and West Brookfield. He did record one bird that is almost as difficult to find as a great gray owl. In Hadley, he and his dad were treated to seeing a pink-footed goose. 

Getting all the birds on the Massachusetts official list would be difficult and likely impossible. The list, which is kept by the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee, includes 498 species, some only seen once in the state. Some have not been seen in the state since the 1800s. Owen and his father had the chance to see an extremely rare sight in 2012: Several northern lapwings blew in with Hurricane Sandy. The birds had been seen only a couple of times before in the state. They normally range in Europe from Norway to Spain. 

There were also the second and third records of lazuli buntings seen in 2012, but although these birds are interesting, Owen again said what he really wants to see. 

"I really want to see a great gray owl," he said. 
Contact George Barnes at george.barnes@telegram.com. 

Egrets!

Our Map of Our Trip

we missed the black-headed gull. I had a interview with the newspaper.we got 17 blue herons on nests after we got 2 great egrets.

Year Birds

108	Field Sparrow	Cross Street Powerlines	US-MA	29 Mar 2014
109	House Finch	Cross Street Powerlines	US-MA	29 Mar 2014
110	Eastern Phoebe	Windle Pond	US-MA	29 Mar 2014
111	Common Raven	Uxbridge Community Gardens and Soccer Fields	US-MA	29 Mar 2014
112	Great Egret	Hobbs Brook	US-MA	30 Mar 2014

Lifers

154	Field Sparrow	Cross Street Powerlines	US-MA	29 Mar 2014
155	Eastern Phoebe	Windle Pond	US-MA	29 Mar 2014

Hobbs Brook, Worcester County, Massachusetts, US
2 Great Egrets