Tom’s Birding Page

2026 Quarter-Month Status
Birds of Plum Island, Essex County, Massachusetts

Compiled by Tom Wetmore

This table shows the 2026 quarter-month status of the birds of Plum Island. It is based on data collected for inclusion on the Plum Island sigthings web site. The column labeled N shows the number days the species has been reported in 2026.

Status of the Birds of Plum Island — updated May 16, 2026 — day 136

 Species N  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Snow Goose 4 
Brant 60 
Canada Goose 127 
Mute Swan 77 
Wood Duck 12 
Blue-winged Teal 13 
Northern Shoveler 26 
Gadwall 73 
Eurasian Wigeon 1 
American Wigeon 10 
Mallard 113 
American Black Duck 126 
Northern Pintail 51 
Green-winged Teal 69 
Ring-necked Duck 29 
Greater Scaup 50 
Lesser Scaup 19 
Common Eider 88 
Surf Scoter 79 
White-winged Scoter 104 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Black Scoter 103 
Long-tailed Duck 110 
Bufflehead 109 
Common Goldeneye 96 
Hooded Merganser 43 
Common Merganser 34 
Red-breasted Merganser 111 
Wild Turkey 55 
Pied-billed Grebe 7 
Horned Grebe 77 
Red-necked Grebe 29 
Rock Pigeon 111 
Mourning Dove 121 
Black-billed Cuckoo 2 
Eastern Whip-poor-will 3 
Chimney Swift 9 
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 11 
Clapper Rail 13 
Virginia Rail 3 
Sora 2 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
American Coot 3 
American Oystercatcher 12 
Black-bellied Plover 18 
Killdeer 69 
Semipalmated Plover 14 
Piping Plover 52 
Ruddy Turnstone 6 
Ruff 2 
Sanderling 53 
Dunlin 67 
Purple Sandpiper 23 
Least Sandpiper 26 
White-rumped Sandpiper 8 
Pectoral Sandpiper 4 
Semipalmated Sandpiper 8 
Short-billed Dowitcher 6 
American Woodcock 47 
Wilson's Snipe 37 
Spotted Sandpiper 4 
Solitary Sandpiper 4 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Lesser Yellowlegs 25 
Willet 28 
Greater Yellowlegs 42 
Wilson's Phalarope 7 
Dovekie 1 
Thick-billed Murre 4 
Razorbill 17 
Black Guillemot 1 
Black-legged Kittiwake 1 
Bonaparte's Gull 1 
Laughing Gull 1 
Ring-billed Gull 92 
Herring Gull 129 
Iceland Gull 2 
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 
Great Black-backed Gull 114 
Least Tern 7 
Roseate Tern 4 
Common Tern 12 
Red-throated Loon 66 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Common Loon 102 
Northern Gannet 29 
Great Cormorant 16 
Double-crested Cormorant 59 
American Bittern 17 
Least Bittern 7 
Great Blue Heron 46 
Great Egret 57 
Snowy Egret 36 
Little Blue Heron 1 
Tricolored Heron 2 
Green Heron 1 
Black-crowned Night-Heron 2 
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 18 
Glossy Ibis 23 
White-faced Ibis 1 
Turkey Vulture 44 
Osprey 55 
Northern Harrier 131 
Sharp-shinned Hawk 36 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Cooper's Hawk 69 
Northern Goshawk 4 
Bald Eagle 89 
Red-shouldered Hawk 3 
Broad-winged Hawk 1 
Red-tailed Hawk 56 
Rough-legged Hawk 15 
Great Horned Owl 3 
Snowy Owl 34 
Long-eared Owl 1 
Short-eared Owl 23 
Belted Kingfisher 24 
Red-bellied Woodpecker 19 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4 
Downy Woodpecker 123 
Hairy Woodpecker 75 
Northern Flicker 65 
Pileated Woodpecker 1 
American Kestrel 41 
Merlin 48 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Peregrine Falcon 18 
Great Crested Flycatcher 12 
Eastern Kingbird 13 
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3 
Least Flycatcher 11 
Eastern Phoebe 38 
White-eyed Vireo 9 
Yellow-throated Vireo 7 
Blue-headed Vireo 23 
Warbling Vireo 9 
Red-eyed Vireo 3 
Blue Jay 121 
American Crow 118 
Fish Crow 24 
Common Raven 97 
Black-capped Chickadee 127 
Tufted Titmouse 52 
Horned Lark 52 
Bank Swallow 6 
Tree Swallow 46 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 6 
Purple Martin 34 
Barn Swallow 32 
Cliff Swallow 4 
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 35 
Golden-crowned Kinglet 35 
Bohemian Waxwing 11 
Cedar Waxwing 65 
Red-breasted Nuthatch 108 
White-breasted Nuthatch 30 
Brown Creeper 29 
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 18 
House Wren 15 
Winter Wren 5 
Marsh Wren 24 
Carolina Wren 30 
Gray Catbird 45 
Brown Thrasher 33 
Northern Mockingbird 113 
European Starling 107 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Eastern Bluebird 2 
Veery 7 
Swainson's Thrush 2 
Hermit Thrush 73 
Wood Thrush 8 
American Robin 128 
House Sparrow 107 
American Pipit 7 
House Finch 115 
Purple Finch 94 
Pine Siskin 3 
American Goldfinch 101 
Lapland Longspur 15 
Snow Bunting 24 
Chipping Sparrow 36 
Field Sparrow 41 
Fox Sparrow 22 
American Tree Sparrow 87 
Dark-eyed Junco 88 
White-crowned Sparrow 4 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
White-throated Sparrow 113 
Vesper Sparrow 2 
Seaside Sparrow 2 
Nelson's Sparrow 1 
Saltmarsh Sparrow 4 
Savannah Sparrow 57 
Song Sparrow 117 
Lincoln's Sparrow 2 
Swamp Sparrow 48 
Eastern Towhee 78 
Yellow-breasted Chat 2 
Bobolink 13 
Eastern Meadowlark 5 
Orchard Oriole 12 
Baltimore Oriole 13 
Red-winged Blackbird 72 
Brown-headed Cowbird 60 
Rusty Blackbird 5 
Common Grackle 70 
Ovenbird 14 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Louisiana Waterthrush 1 
Northern Waterthrush 15 
Blue-winged Warbler 1 
Black-and-white Warbler 18 
Orange-crowned Warbler 1 
Nashville Warbler 12 
Common Yellowthroat 15 
American Redstart 13 
Cape May Warbler 1 
Northern Parula 15 
Magnolia Warbler 11 
Bay-breasted Warbler 3 
Blackburnian Warbler 8 
Yellow Warbler 22 
Chestnut-sided Warbler 9 
Blackpoll Warbler 3 
Black-throated Blue Warbler 13 
Palm Warbler 31 
Pine Warbler 21 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 115 
 Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec
Prairie Warbler 14 
Black-throated Green Warbler 14 
Canada Warbler 2 
Wilson's Warbler 9 
Scarlet Tanager 2 
Northern Cardinal 128 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 12 
Blue Grosbeak 1 
Indigo Bunting 6 

Total species 229. Total reports 31,973. Total sightings 8,317.

May 16, 2026, Tom Wetmore