This is New Hampshire Audubon's Rare Bird Alert for Thursday, October 16th, 2008. An immature LARK BUNTING was seen along Route 1A 100 yards south of the North Hampton and Rye town line on the west side of the road and overlooking Philbrick Marsh. It was seen along the road and in gravel adjacent to the marsh on October 11th. A WESTERN KINGBIRD was seen at the Penacook Wastewater Treatment plant in Concord on October 13th, but has not been relocated. A WHITE-EYED VIREO was discovered at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye on October 4th and was last reported on the 11th. It has been seen near the south end of the main parking lot. 2 CASPIAN TERNS were seen migrating south along the coast on October 9th, and 3 more were seen migrating south along the coast on the 14th. A FORSTER'S TERN was seen off of Seabrook Beach on October 9th. A CORY'S SHEARWATER and a GREATER SHEARWATER were seen on a Whalewatch cruise out of Rye Harbor on October 10th. 250 NORTHERN GANNETS were seen near the Isles of Shoals on October 11th. An ATLANTIC PUFFIN was seen near Jeffrey's Ledge off the coast on October 11th, and 5 LAUGHING GULLS were seen en route. A DICKCISSEL was seen at Moore Fields, located along Route 155A in Durham, on October 14th. A NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW was seen in the Concord Community Gardens in Concord on October 11th. The gardens are located on Birch Street off of Route 13. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen in Hampton on October 13th A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was seen with about 60 AMERICAN PIPITS on River Road in Charlestown on October 11th. 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS and 30 AMERICAN PIPITS were seen at Morrill Farm in Penacook on October 12th. A small flock of AMERICAN PIPITS was seen in Rumney on the 12th. 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were seen at Chickering Farm in Westmoreland on October 11th. 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS were seen in Rye on October 12th, and one was seen in Hampton Harbor on October 13th. 6 RUDDY DUCKS were seen at the Pickering Ponds in Rochester on October 13th. 5 LESSER SCAUP were seen on Turkey Pond in Concord, and 3 GREATER SCAUP were reported from Cherry Pond in Jefferson, all on October 12th. An AMERICAN WIGEON was seen in Penacook on October 13th. 3 NORTHERN PINTAILS were seen migrating south along the coast, and a BLUE-WINGED TEAL was seen in Eel Pond in Rye, all on October 9th. 6 AMERICAN COOTS were seen at Powwow Pond in Kingston on October 15th. 2 AMERICAN COOTS were seen at the Exeter Wastewater Treatment plant, and 2 were seen at Powderhouse Pond in Exeter, all on October 12th. 8 PIED-BILLED GREBES were seen on Powwow Pond in Kingston on October 9th. A GREAT EGRET was reported from Charlestown on October 11th. 4 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were seen off of Island Path in Hampton on October 13th. 40 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were seen at the Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson on October 12th. A SNOW BUNTING, a HORNED LARK, 3 AMERICAN PIPITS, and 3 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were reported from Freedom on October 13th. 50 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, 2 VESPER SPARROWS, and a BOBOLINK were all seen on Morrill Farm in Penacook on October 13th. A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO was seen on Morrill Farm in Penacook on October 12th, and one was reported from the NH Audubon Massabesic Center in Auburn on October 14th. 2 SPRUCE GROUSE and 8 BOREAL CHICKADEES were seen on Mount Hale in the White Mountains on October 10th. An EASTERN SCREECH OWL was heard at the Horatio Colony Nature Preserve in Keene, and 2 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS were heard in Rumney, all on October 9th Over 12,000 COMMON GRACKLES were seen at a roost site near New Boston Road in Kingston on October 15th. There have been numerous reports of RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS, PINE SISKINS, and PALM WARBLERS from many locations during the past week. The first FOX SPARROWS of the fall season were reported during the past week. HAWK migration continues, with nearly 9,000 raptors reported from the Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory in Peterborough, and over 2,000 hawks reported from the Carter Hill Orchard observation platform in Concord since September 1st. Be sure to visit both observatories to help out with the count! New Hampshire Audubon staffs both locations. 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 ****************************************************************