This is New Hampshire Audubon's Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, December 24th, 2008. . A VARIED THRUSH was discovered in Rye on December 20th and was last seen on the 23rd. It has been seen feeding with AMERICAN ROBINS in evergreen trees near the corner of Lawrence Lane and South Road. This is a residential neighborhood, so please be respectful of property and privacy. A DOVEKIE, 4 RAZORBILLS, and a BLACK GUILLEMOT were seen from Little Boar's Head in North Hampton on December 24th, and 5 BLACK GUILLEMOTS and a RAZORBILL were seen off of Pulpit Rocks in Rye on the 23rd. A KING EIDER was seen from Bicentennial Park in Hampton on December 23rd. A first-winter THAYER'S GULL, 2 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 3 GLAUCOUS GULLS, and 5 ICELAND GULLS were all seen at the Rochester Wastewater Treatment Plant on December 18th. 7 GLAUCOUS GULLS and 11 ICELAND GULLS were seen here on the 23rd. The treatment plant is gated and the hours of operation are 7:30-3:00 on weekdays. If you visit, please check in at the office and be out of the plant by 2:45 so that plant personnel do not have to ask birders to leave. Do not drive on the dikes and do not block the road. The Trails at Pickering Ponds, located east of the plant, are not gated, and are always open during daylight hours. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye on December 20th. A SNOWY OWL was seen at Ragged Neck in Rye on December 20th, a SHORT-EARED OWL was seen from Route 1A near the town line where Rye and North Hampton meet on the 24th, and an EASTERN SCREECH OWL was seen at the Park Street Common in Exeter on the 21st. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen in Lebanon on December 21st, one was seen in Portsmouth on the 20th, and one was seen in Exeter on the 20th. A male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was seen from Great Boar's Head in Hampton, and a female was seen along the coast in Rye on December 20th. There was also a report of a possible male and female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE off on Little Boar's Head in North Hampton on the 23rd. 6 GREATER SCAUP were seen from Little Boar's Head in North Hampton on December 24th, and 4 LESSER SCAUP were seen at the Exeter Wastewater Treatment Plant on the 20th. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen in Rochester on December 24th. A NORTHERN SHRIKE, 5 PINE GROSBEAKS, and 14 EVENING GROSBEAKS were reported from a private residence in Jefferson on December 23rd. 2 PINE GROSBEAKS were seen in Ashland on December 20th, and 5 PINE GROSBEAKS were reported from Berlin on the 19th. 2 COMMON REDPOLLS were seen in Hanover on December 24th, and 2 were seen at a birdfeeder in Fitzwilliam on the 18th. 30 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were reported from Ashland on December 24th. 29 PINE SISKINS were seen in Manchester, and 28 PINE SISKINS were seen in Littleton, all on December 19th. A BALTIMORE ORIOLE and 4 AMERICAN PIPITS were seen in Portsmouth on December 20th. 3 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were seen in Rye on December 20th. An EASTERN TOWHEE was seen in North Conway on December 22nd, one was seen in Portsmouth on the 20th, and one was seen in Hampton Falls on the 20th. There have been scattered sightings of PURPLE SANDPIPERS along the coast during the past week, and there have also been scattered sightings of WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, SNOW BUNTINGS and HORNED LARKS from coastal and inland sites during the past week. 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 ****************************************************************