This is New Hampshire Audubon's Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, October 27th, 2010. 2 YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS were seen at the south end of Odiorne Point State Park in Rye on October 24th. 3 CATTLE EGRETS were located in fields at Runnymede Farm along Route 111 in North Hampton on October 24th, and 2 were seen there again on the 25th and 27th. 2 SNOW GEESE were present there on the 27th. A GREATER-WHITE FRONTED GOOSE was seen in fields along Route 3A in Litchfield near the Hudson town line on October 27th. 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS were seen migrating along North Beach in Hampton on October 24th. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen in Moore Fields on Route 155A in Durham, and one was seen at Hampton Beach State Park, both on October 27th. 2 HUDSONIAN GODWITS were seen in Hampton Harbor on October 24th. A WESTERN SANDPIPER was seen in Hampton Harbor on October 23rd. A PECTORAL SANDPIPER was seen in wetlands along Old Mill Road in Lee, and 3 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were seen in marshes along Route 1 in Hampton, all on October 26th. 15 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were seen along the coast on October 27th. 57 BRANT were seen migrating along the coast on October 20th. 37 BLACK SCOTERS, 28 SURF SCOTERS, 1 WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, 1 LONG-TAILED DUCK, 11 BUFFLEHEADS, and 9 PALM WARBLERS were seen at the Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson on October 22nd. 31 AMERICAN COOTS were seen on Eel Pond in Rye on October 27th, and 3 PIED-BILLED GREBES were seen there on the 20th. 24 PIED-BILLED GREBES, a SNOW GOOSE, and a DUNLIN were seen along the Connecticut River in Hinsdale on October 20th, and an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was seen there on the 26th. A NORTHERN PINTAIL, 57 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 40 BLACK SCOTERS, 12 RED-NECKED GREBES, 30 NORTHERN GANNETS, a SNOWY EGRET, 4 BLACKPOLL WARBLERS, a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, 2 FIELD SPARROWS, and 2 "IPSWICH" SAVANNAH SPARROWS were all tallied along the coast on October 23rd, and 68 RED-THROATED LOONS, a GREAT EGRET, 3 AMERICAN WOODCOCKS, 3 BLACK GUILLEMOTS, 4 EASTERN PHOEBES, and 6 HERMIT THRUSHES were seen along the coast on the 24th. 2 AMERICAN WOODCOCKS were reported from Durham on October 24th. A GREAT CORMORANT and 8 SURF SCOTERS were seen on Spofford Lake in Chesterfield on October 20th. 5 RUDDY DUCKS, a LESSER SCAUP, and a RED-NECKED GREBE were all reported from Lake Massabesic in Auburn on October 25th. A WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL was reported from near Thirty Pines in Penacook on October 24th. 5 LAPLAND LONGSPURS were seen at Ragged Neck in Rye on October 27th, and 31 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen along the coast on October 24th. There were also single SNOW BUNTING sightings from Wilder along the Connecticut River, and Plymouth. A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO was seen on Adams Point Road in Durham on October 26th. A late-migrating COMMON TERN was seen in Rye on October 27th. A NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was heard in Merrimack on October 24th. A BLACKPOLL WARBLER was reported from Goffstown on October 23rd, and a BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER was seen in Pittsfield on October 26th. 21 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS were reported from a field in Peterborough on October 26th. PINE SISKINS, PURPLE FINCHES, FOX SPARROWS, and AMERICAN PIPITS were reported from appropriate habitat in numerous locations throughout the state during the past week. Over 100,000 BLACKBIRDS, consisting mainly of COMMON GRACKLES were seen in the "Portsmouth bog" located along Route 95 on October 22nd. RAPTOR migration is under way with over 10,400 raptors already reported from the Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory in Peterborough since August 24th, including 3 GOLDEN EAGLES, 77 BALD EAGLES, and 52 PEREGRINE FALCONS. The peak flight days were on September 18th, with over 3,400 raptors seen on that day, and September 19th, with nearly 1,800 raptors seen then. Observers have also been counting migrating raptors from the Carter Hill Raptor Observatory in Concord with over 4,000 reported since September 1st, including over 900 tallied on September 18th. Be sure to visit these observatories this fall season to help out with the count and participate in the excitement! This message is also available by phone recording: call (603) 224-9909 and press 2 as directed or ask to be transferred. If you have seen any interesting birds recently, you can leave a message at the end of the recording or send your sightings to the RBA via e-mail at: [log in to unmask] Please put either "bird sighting" or "Rare Bird Alert" in the subject line and be sure to include your mailing address and phone number. The RBA is also available on-line at the New Hampshire Audubon web site, www.nhaudubon.org Thanks very much and good birding. **************************************************************** To post messages, send e-mail to: [log in to unmask] Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages. To contact the list owner: [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------- Web based archives and subscription management are available at: http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html ****************************************************************