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- RBA
* Massachusetts
* Eastern
* December 06, 2013
* MAEA1312.06

- Birds Mentioned
Greater White-fronted Goose
Gadwall
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
White-winged Scoter
Horned Grebe
American Bittern
Cattle Egret
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
Snowy Owl
Least Flycatcher (probable)
Blue-headed Vireo
Hermit Thrush
Gray Catbird
Yellow-breasted Chat
WESTERN TANAGER
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Eastern Meadowlark

- Transcript
Hotline:      Eastern Massachusetts
Date:         December 06, 2013
Number:     (781) 259-8805
To Report:   anytime day or night, 781-259-2178 (Wayne Petersen)
Compiler:   Wayne Petersen, Massachusetts Audubon Society
Coverage:    Eastern Massachusetts
Transcriber: Jason Forbes  [log in to unmask]

Voice of Audubon for Friday, December 6, 2013

SNOWY OWLS have taken the birding scene by storm the last ten days or so as they continue to irrupt southward into New England in practically unprecedented numbers in recent memory. Because the owls are on the move it is difficult to say with certainty how many individuals are actually present in the state at this point.  Some fortunate observers have tallied as many as 15 or more in a day along the coast of Essex County, and as many as 15 have been seen at one time in the vicinity of Logan Airport.  A sample of SNOWY OWL reports received in eastern Massachusetts just within the past week includes sightings of approximately 5 at Salisbury Beach, 10 at Parker River Refuge on Plum Island, 10 at the end of Stackyard Road in Rowley, 1 in Essex, 2 at Cranes Beach in Ipswich, 1 at Rockport, 2 at Nahant, 3 in Winthrop, 15 at Logan Airport in East Boston, 1 in Weymouth, 7 at Duxbury Beach, 1 at Plymouth Beach, 4 in Westport, and 10 at Nantucket. Birders fortunate enough to spot one !
 of these iconic Arctic owls are encouraged to report the precise location and time of their sighting to Mass Audubon however every effort should be made not to disturb the owls.

Reports from the Parker River Refuge at Plum Island this week included 2 AMERICAN BITTERNS, 2 BALD EAGLES, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 2 GRAY CATBIRDS, and 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS.

In Rockport a WESTERN TANAGER that has been present for over two weeks was seen again this week in the thickets along Penzance Road.

At Belle Isle in East Boston there were 3 SALTMARSH SPARROWS and 4 EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, and at nearby Winthrop a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was observed.

A Duxbury Beach report featured an AMERICAN BITTERN, 7 SNOWY OWLS, and 123 SNOW BUNTINGS.

Noted in the Sconticut Neck area of Fairhaven were 107 HORNED GREBES, 18 GADWALLS, 800 GREATER SCAUP, a SNOWY OWL, and 5 HERMIT THRUSHES.

Miscellaneous reports this week included a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE at Franklin Field in Dorchester; 3 HARLEQUIN DUCKS at White Horse Beach in Manomet; 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS at Fresh Pond in Cambridge; a CATTLE EGRET on Hixbridge Road in Westport; a probably LEAST FLYCATCHER in Carver near the entrance to the Plymouth Airport; and a late BLUE-HEADED VIREO in Milton.
- End Transcript

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