Recent Bird Sightings from Plum Island

Tom’s Birding Page

Recent Bird Sightings from Plum Island

Here’s a list of recent bird sightings from Plum Island, located in Newburyport, Newbury, Rowley, and Ipswich, Massachusetts. Most sightings are from the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, which makes up the southern two thirds of the island. This information is only as complete as the reports received. To contribute your sightings please send them to Tom Wetmore. Reports to the MassBird mailing list are integrated into this page.

See the legend after the list for an explanation of terms. You can find most of the locations on the Parker River NWR map.

There are 36 species currently on the list. The list covers the last 10 days.

Recent Bird Sightings from Plum Island — updated March 1, 2015

Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
- 01 Mar, 1 m flyby one, t wetmore
Greater Scaup, Aythya marila
- 25 Feb, 4 n end island, r heil
Common Eider, Somateria mollissima
- 01 Mar, 180+ one ocean, t wetmore
- 25 Feb, 290+ n end island, r heil
Surf Scoter, Melanitta perspicillata
- 26 Feb, 2 m one ocean, t wetmore
White-winged Scoter, Melanitta fusca
- 01 Mar, 40 one ocean, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 12+ one ocean, t wetmore
- 27 Feb, one ocean, e labato
- 26 Feb, 8-10 one ocean, t wetmore
- 25 Feb, 12 n end island, r heil
Black Scoter, Melanitta americana
- 01 Mar, 4 one ocean, t wetmore
- 26 Feb, 3 one ocean, t wetmore
- 25 Feb, 3 n end island, r heil
Long-tailed Duck, Clangula hyemalis
- 01 Mar, 5 one ocean, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 2-3 one ocean, t wetmore
- 27 Feb, one ocean, e labato
- 26 Feb, 1 m one ocean, t wetmore
Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus
- 25 Feb, 2 pi rv, r heil
Red-throated Loon, Gavia stellata
- 26 Feb, 1 one, d adrien
- 26 Feb, 2 one ocean, t wetmore
Common Loon, Gavia immer
- 01 Mar, 25 one ocean, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, ~10 one ocean, t wetmore
- 27 Feb, one ocean, e labato
- 26 Feb, 10+ one ocean, t wetmore
- 25 Feb, 12 n end island, r heil
Horned Grebe, Podiceps auritus
- 01 Mar, 2 one ocean, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 2-3 one ocean, t wetmore
- 27 Feb, one ocean, e labato
- 25 Feb, 1 n end island, r heil
Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena
- 01 Mar, 3-4 one ocean, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 2-3 one ocean, t wetmore
- 25 Feb, 5 n end island, r heil
Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo
- 01 Mar, 1 jetty f/one, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 2 jetty f/one, t wetmore
Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- 28 Feb, 1, n landry
Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
- 28 Feb, 1, n landry
- 25 Feb, 2 n end island, r heil
Razorbill, Alca torda
- 25 Feb, 20+ n end island, r heil
Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla
- 25 Feb, 5+ ad n end island, r heil
Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis
- 26 Feb, 1 one, d adrien
- 25 Feb, n end island, r heil
Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
- 01 Mar, 8+ one, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 4, n landry
- 28 Feb, 30+ one ocean, t wetmore
- 26 Feb, 1 one, d adrien
- 26 Feb, 20+ n refuge & one, t wetmore
- 25 Feb, n end island, r heil

Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides
- 25 Feb, 1 ad kumlien jetty, r heil
Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus
- 28 Feb, 1-2 one ocean, t wetmore
- 26 Feb, 1 one, d adrien
- 26 Feb, 2-3 one, t wetmore
- 25 Feb, n end island, r heil
Rock Pigeon, Columba livia
- 01 Mar, 12 pi bridge, 8 one, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 9, n landry
- 28 Feb, 6+ n refuge, t wetmore
- 26 Feb, 12 n refuge & one, t wetmore
Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
- 01 Mar, 12 one, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 3, n landry
- 28 Feb, 1 n refuge, t wetmore
Snowy Owl, Bubo scandiaca
- 28 Feb, 2 two dunes, i giriunas-bbc
- 28 Feb, 2 two dunes, t wetmore
- 27 Feb, 1 one dunes, e labato
- 26 Feb, 1 one, 1 pans, d adrien
- 26 Feb, 2 one dunes, t wetmore
- 23 Feb, 2 tween gate & two, s mcgrath
- 22 Feb, 1 two bwalk, s curtis
Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens
- 27 Feb, 1 s three, e labato
Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
- 27 Feb, 1 s three, e labato
American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
- 01 Mar, h one, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 1, n landry
- 28 Feb, 2-3 one, t wetmore
- 26 Feb, 3-4 n refuge & one, t wetmore
Horned Lark, Eremophila alpestris
- 21 Feb, 1 one lot, d davis
Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus
- 01 Mar, h n refuge, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 1, n landry
- 28 Feb, 2-3 one, t wetmore
- 27 Feb, 1 s three, e labato
- 26 Feb, h n refuge, t wetmore
American Robin, Turdus migratorius
- 01 Mar, 2 one, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 2, n landry
- 27 Feb, 2 s three, e labato
Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos
- 28 Feb, 1 one, t wetmore
European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
- 28 Feb, 1 n refuge, t wetmore
Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum
- 01 Mar, fk ~15 flyby one, t wetmore
Lapland Longspur, Calcarius lapponicus
- 21 Feb, 1 one lot, d davis
Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis
- 01 Mar, h n refuge, t wetmore
- 28 Feb, 2-3 one middens, t wetmore
- 26 Feb, 1 singing one, t wetmore
House Sparrow, Passer domesticus
- 01 Mar, h n refuge, t wetmore
- 26 Feb, n refuge, t wetmore

Legend

m - male
f - female
pr - pair
fk - flock
ad - adult
im - immature
jv - juvenal
sm - small
lg - large
lt - light morph
dk - dark morph
n - north
s - south
e - east
w - west
inc - including
migr - migrating

forward - Bill Forward Pool
one - Lot one area
three - Lot three area
seven - Lot seven area
emerson - Emerson Rocks
cross - Cross Farm Hill area
pans - North pans to lot three
north field - North boundary field
south field - South boundary field
north marsh - salt marsh from gate to wardens
south marsh - salt marsh from pines to cross
stage - Stage Island Pool area
pines - Pines Trail area
gate - Gate house area
blind - Blind on Bill Forward Pool
wardens - Sub-headquarters area
sound - Plum Island Sound

March 1, 2015, Tom Wetmore