Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary
Birding Community Newsletter
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A PUBLICATION OF NORTHEAST WETLAND RESTORATION
Issue 2018-01
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Saturday January 27, 2018
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1,935 Subscribers
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Up and Down, and Back Again. The Winter Carnival of January in New England, Plays On.
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This is 'That Season' when days, cleaved from the light by nights that loathe a dawn, regain ground a few grains of sand at a time.
A season when a 'Land in the North' reaches down to children who willfully resist her calls.
Dawdlers in the open plains, settled in and searching no more, calls of empty promises won't move them until the long wait is over and her song carries a promise of spring.
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January 1, 14 & 21, 2018 Trip Reports
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Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary
Saugus, Essex County, Massachusetts, US
January 1, 2018
9:00 AM - 11:12 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 Mile(s)
32 Bird Species
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Snow Goose 2
White geese with dark wing tips. Larger billed ruling out Ross's Goose.
Canada Goose 300
American Black Duck 2
scoter sp. 2
Bufflehead 19
Common Goldeneye 2
Red-breasted Merganser 4
Wild Turkey 15
Northern Harrier 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 150
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 15
Mourning Dove 10
Snowy Owl 2
Short-eared Owl 2
Peregrine Falcon 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 4
Horned Lark 65
Careful count.
European Starling 150
Lapland Longspur 2
Snow Bunting 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
White-throated Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 5
Northern Cardinal 4
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Robin sized bird with bright yellow breast. Distinctive flight pattern.
Red-winged Blackbird 29
House Sparrow 8
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Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary
Saugus, Essex County, Massachusetts, US
January 14, 2018
9:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.5 Mile(s)
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Snow Goose 2
Canada Goose 150
American Black Duck 5
White-winged Scoter 4
Bufflehead 20
Common Goldeneye 1
Red-breasted Merganser 6
Wild Turkey 12
Common Loon 2
Northern Harrier 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 4
Herring Gull x
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 22
Mourning Dove 19
Short-eared Owl 2
American Kestrel 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 8
Horned Lark 50
European Starling 200
Lapland Longspur 2
White-throated Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 8
House Sparrow 8
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Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary
Saugus, Essex County, Massachusetts, US
January 21, 2018
8:45 AM - 12:12 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 Mile(s)
29 Bird Species
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Canada Goose 140
Mallard 5
American Black Duck 29
White-winged Scoter 3
Bufflehead 36
Red-breasted Merganser 5
Wild Turkey 7
Common Loon 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Rough-legged Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 1
Herring Gull 82
Great Black Backed Gull 11
Rock Pigeon 36
Mourning Dove 2
Snowy Owl 1
Short-eared Owl 2
Merlin Falcon 1
Peregrine Falcon 2
American Crow 8
Horned Lark 85
European Starling x
Lapland Longspur 3
American Tree Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 4
Red-winged Blackbird 1
House Sparrow 17
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Song Sparrow with two American Tree Sparrows
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1st year Juvenile Bald Eagle
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2nd year Juvenile Bald Eagle
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Horned Lark and Lapland Longspur
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Inspecting a nearly frozen Pines River
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Respite from the wind in near zero air temperatures
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Snow Geese with Canada Geese
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Friends looking over the Snow Geese
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Red-tailed Hawk perched on a bee hive
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Snow Geese and Canada Geese
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Snow Geese and Canada Geese
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Dark colored Snowy Owl in flight
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Bird of the Week this week has to go out to New Year’s Day’s uncomfortably close Snowy Owl.
It was not due only to the overall size of the owl, which was Enormous. It was more about the way the owl sized up each visitor as they entered into that close zone.
Three wing beats away. I can take you, I can take you, this guy might be fair scrape, but the rest of you are no match.
In the end, no fights took place and no visitors were harmed in the production of this issue. It’s just that, it is, just as likely that it could have happened the other way.
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Runner-up this week goes out to the Snow Geese that have been with us since New Year’s.
Rare enough that they deserve all the attention that they are receiving. They have become accustomed to their celebrity life, striking great poses like champs, and very approachable.
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The Next Scheduled Nature Walks are:
Sunday, January 28 at 9 a.m.
Sunday, February 4 at 9 a.m.
NOTE: The Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary is open to the public for guided tours only. If you would like to visit the sanctuary, please attend one of our regularly scheduled nature walks, or contact us to arrange a private tour. Thank you.
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Special thanks go out to Soheil, Alan, Mark, Norm, Ted, Jarett, Cammy, Jason, Kevin, David, John, Patricia, Paul, Susan, Pat, Joe, Brian, Nancy, Janet, Paul, Nancy, Kathy, David, Susannah, Mara, Marcia, Rohuta, Jeannen, Rick, M.E, John, Linda, Joe, Thomas, Michael, Andrew, Nancy, and everyone else who contributed pictures and support this week. Without your help, this publication could not be produced.
Additional pictures from this week:
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Snowy Owl out in the marsh
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ABOUT BEAR CREEK WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
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The
Wheelabrator Saugus Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary is a 370-acre property abutting a 2,274-acre estuary on the outskirts of Boston, located in the heart of the Rumney Marshes ACEC. Maintained and managed grasslands, salt marshes, shrublands and maturing woodlands combine as one of the largest bird migration staging areas on the North Shore and a habitat for nearly 200 bird species, as well as other wildlife such as coyotes, foxes, raccoons and snakes. Visitors can enjoy the more than 14,000 feet of walking trails that permeate the site, a half-acre exhibit garden, and meeting and lecture areas, which are scattered throughout nine of the restored ecosystems. Situated directly behind Wheelabrator Saugus, the Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary is maintained and managed by Geoff Wilson of Northeast Wetland Restoration. Follow along with us as the birds change with each passing season!
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