Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1942 to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitat for migratory birds. Located along the Atlantic Flyway on the Massachusetts coast, the Refuge is of special significance to waterfowl and shorebirds, including the federally threatened piping plover. Consisting of 4,662 acres (1,883 hectares) of diverse wetland and upland habitats, the Refuge also supports a great variety of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and other wildlife.
Parker River Refuge is accessible by motor vehicle and foot over mostly gentle terrain. Several miles of foot trails meander through dune, shrub/thicket, freshwater marsh, and other Refuge habitats. Observation towers and platforms afford commanding views of the Refuge and surrounding lands and waters. A 6.3 mile (10.1 kilometer) roadway runs the length of the Refuge and provides several pull-offs. For your safety, roadside parking is prohibited and the 25 mph (40 kmph) speed limit is strictly enforced.
Wheelchair accessible birding sites include the Salt Pannes Wildlife Observation Area, the North Pool Overlook, the 0.3 mile (0.5 kilometer) Pines Trail, and the observation platforms overlooking the beach and ocean at parking lots 1 and 7.
Parker River Refuge is noted as one of the finest birding areas in the nation with more than 300 species recorded. While any season can produce a memorable visit, spring, summer, and fall offer the best birdwatching opportunities. Each season's highlights are described below.
Piping plovers first return in March to nest on the ocean beach. Purple martins begin to arrive in mid-April and are most easily observed from parking lots 1 and 4 at provided compartment houses. Raptor migration is best in April and early May with prime viewing available in parking lot 1. Top single-day flights of American kestrel, sharp-shinned hawk, and other species consist of several hundred birds. Peak migratory bird diversity occurs during the latter half of May. At this time a day's tally may result in one hundred or more species. Major waves of passerines, especially warblers, vireos, thrushes, and flycatchers, are the main attraction. Hellcat Wildlife Observation Area and the Pines Trail are popular viewing sites.
Good birding continues into early June with passerine migration still in progress. By early July, southbound shorebird migrants begin to arrive with numbers peaking in August. Viewing is normally best at the Salt Pannes Wildlife Observation Area at high tide and Stage Island, Bill Forward, and North Pools when water levels are low. Beginning in mid-August, large numbers of herons during some years congregate at Bill Forward Pool and other Refuge roost sites. In even greater concentrations, migrating tree swallows can be observed in marsh, beach, and other open habitats. Also at this time, warblers, vireos, and other fall passerine migrants become apparent.
Emerson Rocks (parking lot 7) attracts wintering loons, grebes, and sea ducks including common eider, white-winged scoter, and long-tailed duck. Also at this tidal area, purple sandpipers can sometimes be observed on exposed rocks. Two winter specialties are snowy owl and rough-legged hawk, found most commonly in Refuge grasslands and other open habitats. Northern shrike, another winter feature, is most frequently located in roadside trees and shrubs.
Please remain an unobtrusive observer by viewing birds and other wildlife from an appropriate distance and staying within designated public use areas.
During the warmer months, the Refuge sometimes fills to capacity and is subsequently closed for several hours. Arriving early may help you avoid this inconvenience.
This checklist provides information on the likelihood of seeing individual bird species through the seasons. This likelihood is based on the species' observability and is dependent upon many factors including its size, color, behavior, habitat preference, habitat conditions, relative abundance, and frequency of occurrence.
Prepared in accordance with the Seventh Edition of "The American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds," this brochure lists 306 species which have been observed on or from the Plum Island section of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. It also includes two separate lists of birds of extremely rare occurrence.
| Sp | Spring | March-May |
| Su | Summer | June-August |
| F | Fall | September-November |
| W | Winter | December-February |
Sighting Likelihood
|
5 |
very good to excellent |
|
4 |
good to very good |
|
3 |
fair to good |
|
2 |
poor to fair |
|
1 |
very poor to poor |
The probability of seeing a bird may vary within a season. The value assigned to each bird in this checklist represents the highest value that generally occurs within that season.
For specific information on Massachusetts birds concerning such factors as seasonal abundance, habitat preference, and early and late seasonal dates, refer to "Birds of Massachusetts" by Richard R. Veit and Wayne R. Petersen, and the "Field List of Essex County Birds," 7th edition, by by the Essex County Ornithological Club.
Additional Symbols
|
* |
represents a species known or suspected to nest on the Refuge |
|
bold |
indicates a federally listed threatened or endangered species |
LOONS — GREBES Sp Su F W
___ Red-throated Loon 3 - 4 2 ___ Common Loon 4 2 4 4 ___*Pied-billed Grebe 2 2 2 1 ___ Horned Grebe 4 - 3 4 ___ Red-necked Grebe 2 - 2 2
SHEARWATERS — STORM-PETRELS Sp Su F W
___ Northern Fulmar 1 1 1 1 ___ Greater Shearwater 1 1 1 1 ___ Sooty Shearwater 1 1 1 - ___ Manx Shearwater 1 1 1 - ___ Wilson's Storm-Petrel 1 1 1 - ___ Leach's Storm-Petrel 1 1 1 -
GANNETS — PELICANS — CORMORANTS Sp Su F W
___ Northern Gannet 3 1 4 3 ___ Great Cormorant 2 - 2 2 ___ Double-crested Cormorant 5 5 5 2
BITTERNS — HERONS — IBISES Sp Su F W
___ American Bittern 2 - 2 2 ___*Least Bittern 2 2 1 - ___ Great Blue Heron 4 5 5 2 ___ Great Egret 5 5 5 - ___ Snowy Egret 5 5 5 - ___ Little Blue Heron 2 2 2 1 ___ Tricolored Heron 2 2 2 1 ___ Cattle Egret 1 1 1 - ___*Green Heron 3 3 2 - ___*Black-crowned Night-Heron 2 2 2 1 ___*Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 1 1 1 - ___ Glossy Ibis 3 3 2 1
SWANS — GEESE — DUCKS Sp Su F W
___ Tundra Swan 1 - 1 1 ___*Mute Swan 3 3 3 2 ___ Whopper Swan 2 2 2 2 ___ Snow Goose 2 1 3 3 ___ Brant 3 1 3 1 ___*Canada Goose 5 5 5 5 ___*Wood Duck 2 2 2 - ___*Green-winged Teal 5 3 5 2 ___*American Black Duck 5 4 5 5 ___*Mallard 4 4 4 4 ___*Northern Pintail 3 2 4 3 ___*Blue-winged Teal 2 4 3 - ___*Northern Shoveler 2 1 2 1 ___*Gadwall 3 3 3 2 ___ Eurasian Wigeon 1 1 1 1 ___ American Wigeon 2 2 3 2 ___ Canvasback 1 - 1 1 ___ Redhead 1 - 1 1 ___ Ring-necked Duck 2 1 2 1 ___ Greater Scaup 2 - 2 2 ___ Lesser Scaup 1 - 1 1 ___ Common Eider 4 2 4 4 ___ King Eider 1 - 1 1 ___ Harlequin Duck 1 - 1 1 ___ Long-tailed Duck 3 1 3 3 ___ Black Scoter 3 2 3 2 ___ Surf Scoter 3 2 3 2 ___ White-winged Scoter 4 2 4 4 ___ Common Goldeneye 4 - 3 4 ___ Barrow's Goldeneye 1 - - 1 ___ Bufflehead 4 - 4 4 ___ Hooded Merganser 2 1 2 2 ___ Common Merganser 2 - 2 2 ___ Red-breasted Merganser 3 2 3 3 ___*Ruddy Duck 1 1 2 1
VULTURES — HAWKS — FALCONS Sp Su F W
___ Turkey Vulture 2 1 2 1 ___*Osprey 4 4 4 - ___ Bald Eagle 1 1 1 1 ___ Northern Harrier 4 3 4 4 ___ Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 - 3 2 ___ Cooper's Hawk 2 1 2 1 ___ Northern Goshawk 1 - 1 1 ___ Red-shouldered Hawk 1 - 1 - ___ Broad-winged Hawk 1 - 1 - ___ Red-tailed Hawk 3 2 2 2 ___ Rough-legged Hawk 3 - 3 3 ___ Golden Eagle 1 1 1 1 ___*American Kestrel 4 3 3 3 ___ Merlin 3 1 3 1 ___ Peregrine Falcon 3 1 3 1 ___ Gyrfalcon 1 - 1 1
GROUSE — QUAIL — TURKEYS Sp Su F W
___*Ring-necked Pheasant 1 1 1 1 ___*Wild Turkey 1 1 1 1
RAILS — CRANES Sp Su F W
___*Clapper Rail 2 2 2 - ___*King Rail 2 2 2 - ___*Virginia Rail 2 2 2 - ___*Sora 2 2 2 - ___*Common Moorhen 1 1 2 1 ___*American Coot 1 1 2 2
PLOVERS — SANDPIPERS Sp Su F W
___ Black-bellied Plover 3 4 4 2 ___ American Golden-Plover 1 2 2 - ___ Semipalmated Plover 3 5 4 - ___*Piping Plover 2 2 1 - ___*Killdeer 4 4 3 1 ___ American Oystercatcher 1 1 - - ___ Black-necked Stilt 1 1 - - ___ American Avocet - 1 1 1 ___ Greater Yellowlegs 4 5 5 1 ___ Lesser Yellowlegs 4 5 5 - ___ Solitary Sandpiper 2 2 2 - ___*Willet 4 4 2 - ___*Spotted Sandpiper 3 3 3 - ___ Upland Sandpiper 2 2 2 - ___ Whimbrel 2 2 2 - ___ Hudsonian Godwit - 2 2 - ___ Marbled Godwit - 1 1 - ___ Ruddy Turnstone 2 3 2 1 ___ Red Knot 2 3 3 1 ___ Sanderling 3 4 4 3 ___ Semipalmated Sandpiper 4 5 5 - ___ Western Sandpiper - 2 2 - ___ Least Sandpiper 4 5 4 - ___ White-rumped Sandpiper 3 3 3 - ___ Baird's Sandpiper - 2 2 - ___ Pectoral Sandpiper 2 3 3 - ___ Purple Sandpiper 2 - 2 2 ___ Dunlin 2 1 4 3 ___ Stilt Sandpiper 1 3 3 - ___ Buff-breasted Sandpiper - 2 2 - ___ Ruff 1 1 1 - ___ Short-billed Dowitcher 3 4 3 - ___ Long-billed Dowitcher - 3 3 1 ___ Common Snipe 2 1 2 1 ___*American Woodcock 2 2 2 1 ___*Wilson's Phalarope 2 3 3 - ___ Red-necked Phalarope 1 2 2 - ___ Red Phalarope 1 1 1 -
JAEGERS — GULLS — TERNS — AUKS Sp Su F W
___ Pomarine Jaeger - 1 1 - ___ Parasitic Jaeger - 1 1 - ___ Laughing Gull 2 2 2 - ___ Little Gull 2 1 2 1 ___ Black-headed Gull 1 1 1 2 ___ Bonaparte's Gull 2 3 2 2 ___ Ring-billed Gull 3 4 4 2 ___*Herring Gull 5 5 5 5 ___ Iceland Gull 2 - 2 2 ___ Glaucous Gull 2 - 2 2 ___ Great Black-backed Gull 5 5 5 5 ___ Black-legged Kittiwake 1 - 1 1 ___ Gull-billed Tern 1 1 1 - ___ Caspian Tern 2 1 2 - ___ Royal Tern - 2 1 - ___ Roseate Tern 2 2 2 - ___*Common Tern 4 4 2 - ___ Arctic Tern - 1 - - ___*Forster's Tern - 2 2 - ___*Least Tern 3 3 2 - ___ Black Tern 2 2 2 - ___ Black Skimmer - 1 1 - ___ Dovekie - - 1 1 ___ Thick-billed Murre 1 - 1 2 ___ Razorbill 1 - 1 1 ___ Black Guillemot 1 - 1 1
DOVES — CUCKOOS — OWLS — SWIFTS — HUMMINGBIRDS Sp Su F W
___*Rock Dove 2 2 2 2 ___*Mourning Dove 4 5 3 2 ___ Black-billed Cuckoo 2 2 2 - ___ Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 2 2 - ___ Eastern Screech-Owl 1 1 1 1 ___*Great Horned Owl 1 1 1 1 ___ Snowy Owl 2 - 2 3 ___ Long-eared Owl 1 - 1 1 ___ Short-eared Owl 2 - 2 2 ___ Northern Saw-whet Owl 1 - 1 1 ___ Common Nighthawk 1 2 2 - ___ Whip-poor-will 1 1 1 - ___ Chimney Swift 3 3 3 - ___*Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 2 2 - ___*Belted Kingfisher 3 3 3 2
WOODPECKERS — FLYCATCHERS Sp Su F W
___ Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 - 1 1 ___ Red-headed Woodpecker 1 - 1 - ___ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 - 2 - ___*Downy Woodpecker 3 3 3 3 ___ Hairy Woodpecker 1 1 1 1 ___ Northern Flicker 4 1 3 1 ___ Olive-sided Flycatcher 1 1 1 - ___ Eastern Wood-Pewee 2 2 2 - ___ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 2 2 2 - ___ Acadian Flycatcher 1 1 - - ___ Alder Flycatcher 2 2 2 - ___*Willow Flycatcher 3 3 2 - ___ Least Flycatcher 2 1 1 - ___*Eastern Phoebe 3 3 3 - ___*Great Crested Flycatcher 2 2 2 - ___ Western Kingbird - - 1 - ___*Eastern Kingbird 5 5 3 -
LARKS — SWALLOWS — JAYS — CROWS Sp Su F W
___*Horned Lark 2 1 2 3 ___*Purple Martin 5 5 1 - ___*Tree Swallow 5 5 5 - ___*Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2 2 2 - ___*Bank Swallow 3 3 3 - ___*Cliff Swallow 1 1 1 - ___*Barn Swallow 4 4 4 1 ___*Blue Jay 2 1 2 1 ___*American Crow 5 5 5 5 ___ Fish Crow 1 1 1 1
TITMICE — NUTHATCHES — WRENS Sp Su F W
___*Black-capped Chickadee 3 3 3 3 ___ Boreal Chickadee 1 - 1 1 ___ Tufted Titmouse 1 1 1 1 ___ Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 2 2 1 ___ White-breasted Nuthatch 1 1 1 1 ___ Brown Creeper 2 1 2 1 ___*House Wren 1 1 1 - ___ Winter Wren 2 1 2 - ___*Marsh Wren 4 4 3 1
KINGLETS — THRUSHES — THRASHERS Sp Su F W
___ Golden-crowned Kinglet 2 - 3 1 ___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 - 3 1 ___ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2 2 2 - ___ Eastern Bluebird 1 - 1 - ___*Veery 2 2 2 - ___ Gray-cheeked Thrush 1 1 1 - ___ Bicknell's Thrush 1 1 1 - ___ Swainson's Thrush 2 2 2 - ___ Hermit Thrush 3 - 3 1 ___ Wood Thrush 2 1 2 - ___*American Robin 5 5 5 2 ___*Gray Catbird 5 5 5 1 ___*Northern Mockingbird 4 4 4 2 ___*Brown Thrasher 4 4 3 -
WAXWINGS — SHRIKES — STARLINGS Sp Su F W
___ American Pipit 2 - 2 1 ___ Bohemian Waxwing 1 - 1 1 ___*Cedar Waxwing 2 4 3 2 ___ Northern Shrike 2 - 2 2 ___ Loggerhead Shrike 1 1 1 - ___*European Starling 5 5 5 5
VIREOS — WOOD WARBLERS Sp Su F W
___ White-eyed Vireo 1 - 1 - ___ Blue-headed Vireo 3 1 3 1 ___ Yellow-throated Vireo 1 1 1 - ___ Warbling Vireo 1 1 1 - ___ Philadelphia Vireo 1 2 2 - ___*Red-eyed Vireo 3 2 3 - ___ Blue-winged Warbler 2 1 1 - ___ Golden-winged Warbler 1 1 1 - ___ Tennessee Warbler 2 2 2 - ___ Orange-crowned Warbler 1 - 2 - ___ Nashville Warbler 2 2 2 - ___ Northern Parula 4 2 3 - ___*Yellow Warbler 5 5 2 - ___ Chestnut-sided Warbler 3 2 2 - ___ Magnolia Warbler 3 2 3 - ___ Cape May Warbler 2 2 2 - ___ Black-throated Blue Warbler 3 2 3 - ___ Yellow-rumped Warbler 4 1 5 3 ___ Black-throated Green Warbler 3 2 3 - ___ Blackburnian Warbler 3 2 2 - ___ Pine Warbler 2 1 2 1 ___ Prairie Warbler 2 2 2 - ___ Palm Warbler 3 - 3 1 ___ Bay-breasted Warbler 3 3 3 - ___ Blackpoll Warbler 3 2 3 - ___ Cerulean Warbler 1 1 1 - ___ Black-and-white Warbler 4 3 3 - ___*American Redstart 5 4 3 - ___ Prothonotary Warbler 1 1 1 - ___ Worm-eating Warbler 1 1 1 - ___ Ovenbird 3 2 2 - ___ Louisiana Waterthrush 1 1 - - ___ Northern Waterthrush 3 2 2 - ___ Connecticut Warbler - - 1 - ___ Mourning Warbler 2 2 2 - ___*Common Yellowthroat 4 4 3 1 ___ Hooded Warbler 1 1 1 - ___ Wilson's Warbler 3 3 3 - ___ Canada Warbler 3 3 3 - ___ Yellow-breasted Chat 1 1 1 -
TANAGERS — SPARROWS Sp Su F W
___ Summer Tanager 1 1 1 - ___ Scarlet Tanager 3 2 2 - ___*Northern Cardinal 3 3 2 2 ___ Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3 2 2 - ___ Blue Grosbeak 1 - 1 - ___ Indigo Bunting 2 1 2 - ___ Dickcissel 1 1 1 1 ___*Eastern Towhee 4 4 3 1 ___ American Tree Sparrow 3 - 4 4 ___ Chipping Sparrow 3 2 3 - ___ Clay-colored Sparrow 1 1 2 - ___*Field Sparrow 3 3 2 - ___*Vesper Sparrow 1 - 1 - ___ Lark Sparrow 1 - 1 - ___ Lark Bunting 1 1 1 - ___*Savannah Sparrow 3 3 4 2 ___*Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow 3 3 3 - ___ Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 3 1 3 1 ___*Seaside Sparrow 2 2 2 1 ___ Fox Sparrow 2 - 2 1 ___*Song Sparrow 5 5 5 2 ___ Lincoln's Sparrow 2 1 2 - ___*Swamp Sparrow 2 1 2 1 ___ White-throated Sparrow 3 1 3 2 ___ White-crowned Sparrow 2 - 2 - ___ Dark-eyed Junco 3 - 4 2 ___ Lapland Longspur 2 - 3 2 ___ Snow Bunting 3 - 4 3
BLACKBIRDS — FINCHES Sp Su F W
___*Bobolink 4 4 2 - ___*Red-winged Blackbird 5 5 2 2 ___*Eastern Meadowlark 2 - 2 1 ___ Yellow-headed Blackbird 1 1 1 - ___ Rusty Blackbird 2 - 2 - ___*Common Grackle 5 5 2 2 ___*Brown-headed Cowbird 4 4 2 1 ___*Orchard Oriole 2 2 - - ___*Baltimore Oriole 3 3 2 - ___ Pine Grosbeak 1 1 1 1 ___*Purple Finch 3 3 2 1 ___*House Finch 3 3 3 2 ___ Red Crossbill 1 - 1 1 ___ White-winged Crossbill 1 - 1 1 ___ Common Redpoll 1 - 1 1 ___ Pine Siskin 1 - 1 1 ___*American Goldfinch 5 5 2 2 ___ Evening Grosbeak 1 - 1 1 ___*House Sparrow 5 5 2 2
The following is a list of resident or migratory bird species of eastern Massachusetts that are of extremely rare Refuge occurrence.
Cory's Shearwater Ruffed Grouse Yellow Rail Long-tailed Jaeger Common Murre Atlantic Puffin Northern Bobwhite Barn Owl Barred Owl Pileated Woodpecker Common Raven Carolina Wren Sedge Wren Grasshopper Sparrow Henslow's Sparrow
Pacific Loon Western Grebe Eared Grebe American White Pelican Little Egret White-faced Ibis White Ibis Black Vulture Sandhill Crane Greater White-fronted Goose Garganey Fulvous Whistling Duck Black Rail Wilson's Plover Bar-tailed Godwit Long-billed Curlew Spotted Redshank Terek Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Red-necked Stint Little Stint Franklin's Gull Ross's Gull Thayer's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Sabine's Gull Ivory Gull Sandwich Tern Sooty Tern Swainson's Hawk Chuck-will's-widow Black-backed Woodpecker Couch’s Kingbird Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Fork-tailed Flycatcher Say's Phoebe Vermilion Flycatcher Black-billed Magpie Northern Wheatear Sage Thrasher Black-throated Gray Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Kentucky Warbler Black-headed Grosbeak LeConte's Sparrow Harris' Sparrow Bullock’s Oriole Western Tanager Hoary Redpoll
We are indebted to the many visiting ornithologists and birders who have over the years contributed significantly to the Refuge avian data base. The accuracy of future checklists depends in part upon the continued support of such professional and amateur bird enthusiasts. Please report significant observations to Refuge Headquarters at the address or phone number listed at the end of this brochure.