Photographs of the hottest birds:

Spotted Towhee: On January 26 Peter and Fay Vale spotted a Towhee in Rockport that caught their eyes - Spotted Towhee!  Photos from Christian Gras (1/27), Jeremiah Trimble (1/27), and Suzanne Sullivan (1/28).

Slaty-backed Gull: On January 21 Steve Grinley discovered a third-winter Slaty-backed Gull at  Gloucester Harbor. Margo Goetschkes and Jeremiah Trimble got photos.

Tundra Swan: On Christmas day Michele Sauter discovered a Tundra Swan in Dover. On December 26 Steve Grinley got photos, and Erik Neilsen got shots on December 29.

Townsend's Warbler: This was a nice Christmas present for Jim Berry when the Townsend's Warbler showed up at his feeder. The following day was the Newburyport CBC and he and his team tallied it, and Tom Murray got photos. Still there on January 10 when Bruce deGraaf got some stunning photos. On January 22, Bruce deGraaf captured some images

Western Tanager: On the Buzzards Bay CBC Chris Dalton discovered a Western Tanager in Falmouth on December 17. John Hoye photographed it on Decembe 20, Ryan Schain and Jeff Offerman on December 24, and Peter Crosson on December 26.

Painted Bunting: On December 18 Jim Sweeney and Vin Zollo had a Painted Bunting on the Cape Cod Christmas Bird Count in Eastham and Vin posted photos. Peter Crosson got great shots on New Years Day.

Pink-footed Goose: On December 11 Paul Peterson reported a possible Pink-footed or White-fronted Goose in Saugus. Marshall Iliff and Ryan Schain went out on December 13 to check it out and after combing all the fields in the area they discovered a Pink-footed Goose at Barry Park in Lynn. Ryan got photos!

Painted Bunting: Eric Labado was at Fort Hill in Eastham on November 26 and spished up a female Painted Bunting!

Cassin's Kingbird: On November 25 Paul Ruvido discovered a kingbird at Cherry Hill Reservoir, and initially identified it as a Western Kingbird. Additional examination of photographs taken by Jeff Offerman revealed it was probably the far rarer Cassin's Kingbird. Dave Larson, Erik Nielsen and Jason Forbes photographed it on November 26. On November 27 Phil Brown got photos and video, including it's call note. It was still there in December and Luke Seitz photographed it on December 1, Siobhan Basile on December 9, Steve Mirick on December 10. Still there on December 28 for David Bernstein.

Ash-throated Flycatcher: New yard bird for Vern Laux. On November 25 he spotted this Ash-throated Flycatcher in his yard at Linda Loring Nature Center.

Barnacle Goose: On November 6 Phil Brown discovered a Barnacle Goose in West Newbury and got photos.  Bob Stymeist and Ryan Doherty shot it on November 9, Bo Zaremba on November 10, Erik Nielsen on November 12, Hilke Breder on November 19, Steve Mirick on December 10.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: At the Nantucket Birding Festival a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was discovered on October 21. It continued to be seen sporadically, and on November 3 Vern Laux was able to photograph it.

Ash-throated Flycatcher: Another? Yup. Jim Fenton was at Salisbury State Park on October 28 when he spotted this one. He managed what he called a "cruddy" picture (we don't agree). On October 29 Erik Nielsen got photos, and on Noember 2 Suzanne Sullivan got photos.

American White Pelican: Birders were looking for the Chatham Townsend's Solitaire when Mark Faherty spotted a White Pelican flying over - Ryan Schain managed to grab a diagnostic shot!

Pink-footed Goose: Turners Falls is one of the best places in the state for migrating waterfowl and on October 26 James P. Smith discovered a Pink-footed Goose there - only the fourth record for the state. While there, he ran into Chris and Diane Fisher of Connecticut who also got photos.

Townsend's Solitaire: On October 25 Don Manchester was manning the Morris Island hawk watch in Chatham when he spotted a Townsend's Solitaire and alerted Mark Faherty. On October 28 Ryan Schain was there and captured photos.

Townsend's Solitaire: Nantucket Birding Festival, day 3. Vern Laux and Peter Trimble got photos of a Townsend's Solitaire.

Tufted Duck: Jim Sweeney was scanning the Ruddy Ducks on Manchester Reservoir when he picked out a drake Tufted Duck and digiscoped a few shots. Jeff Offerman, John Hoye, Erik Nielsen and Ryan Schain also captured photos.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: Nantucket Birding Festival, day 2. Check out Simon Perkins's photos of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher taken October 21. The Scissor-tailed was still there for Vern Laux's camera the next day.

Magnificent Frigatebird: October 20 was the first day of the Nantucket Birding Festival, and they started out with a bang. Jeff Carlson spotted a Magnificent Frigatebird over Nantucket Harbor and Vern Laux nailed the photos.

Ash-throated Flycatcher: It's a fallout! Mike Sylvia went to Cuttyhunk Island on October 16 and discovered and photographed another!

Ash-throated Flycatcher: And yet another! On October 11 Paul Peterson was birding the Winthrop Greenway when he spotted an Ash-throat just behind the Belle Isle Cemetery. Matt Garvey was on the spot the next day to get video, and Ryan Schain got photos (as a bonus you get to see Ryan's photos of a Yellow-headed Blackbird).

Ash-throated Flycatcher: Remember the Ash-throated Flycatcher on September 27 at Plum Island? Well, there have been intermittent reports since then including its capture at the banding station on October 8 - the same bird? Suzanne Sullivan speculates it is based on photos taken at the Warden's, across the street from the banding station. Check out her comparisons at her web site.

Lark Bunting: Brian Harris spotted this Lark Bunting on Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester on October 8. Rick Heil got photos and video that afternoon, as did Tim Spahr. It was still there the next day when John Hoye, Jeff Offerman and Erik Nielsen photographed it.

Purple Gallinule: Ryan Schain, Jeff Offerman, and Ian Davies made their first visit to Cuttyhunk Island and had a great trip, highlighted by a juvenile Purple Gallinule which Ryan and Jeff photographed.

Ash-throated Flycatcher: On September 27 Brian Harris and Suzanne Sullivan were birding Plum Island when Brian heard and spotted an Ash-throated Flycatcher at Sandy Point. Suzanne got photos!

Northern Wheatear: Joyce Van Vorst was on her way to work on Nantucket on September 19 when she spotted a Northern Wheatear on Polpis Road. She got the word out and Vern Laux and Tom Griswold got some terrific photos.

Northern Wheatear: Irish birder Manus Curran is used to seeing Northern Wheatears at home so when he saw one in Hull on September 14-15 it didn't register as a rarity. When he discovered it was, he forwarded photos of his find.

Anhinga?: On September 11 Steve Arena captured some photos of an intriguing bird he has identified as an Anhinga. This has created some discussion about the identify of this bird (archives to the Massbird listserv are listed in the column to the left, but only the most recent are shown). See what you think.

Brown Pelican: On August 30 Kelly Kleister spotted a Brown Pelican on Cuttyhunk, and over the next few days it was seen by a number of people visiting the island. Check out Kelly's photos and those by George Hamilton and Joy Marzolf.

Sooty Tern: Another storm-blown bird was one of several Sooty Terns seen in the state on August 28. Larry Therrien was lucky enough to get a couple of photos at Quabbin Reservoir through the miserable weather.

More Terns: Also during the storm Paul Champlin photographed both Sooty and Bridled terns in Westport.

Band-rumped Storm-Petrel: As Hurricane Irene was blowing through Nantucket on August 29 Vern Laux found a Band-rumped Storm-Petrel floundering on a dirt road on the island. He kept it overnight and released it the following day, but not without taking photos.

Yellow-green Vireo: Ben Flemer was banding birds at the Joppa Flats banding station on Plum Island on September 4. He was extracting a vireo from the net that superficially resembled a Red-eyed Vireo, except it had a large bill, was brighter yellow overall, and had bright yellow undertail coverts. After careful measurements and examination he and his team confirmed it as a Yellow-green Vireo. It was molting primaries which suggested that it may well have been in the area for some time. Joppa Flats' Bill Gette commented "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Yellow-green Vireo recorded north of Florida on the east coast. The Yellow-green Vireo's normal range is from southernmost Texas, throughout Central America and to northern South America."

White Ibis: Christopher and Pam Ciccone were amazed to discover an immature White Ibis at Stage Island Pool on Plum Island on September 4. Christopher got some photos, then John Hoye picked it up from the Plum Island Airport, then Nancy Landry.

American Avocet: On September 4 Doug Chickering found an American Avocet at the boat ramp at Salisbury Beach State Reservation. Christopher Ciccone and Suzanne Sullivan got photos. On September 9 Greg Dysart and Jon Woolf (1, 2) got photos.

Brown Booby: Mary Richmond must not have believed her eyes when she discovered an immature Brown Booby on Corporation Beach in Dennis on August 16. Several Cape Cod birders were able to get there and capture photos; check out pages from Mary Keleher, Peter Trimble, and Al Curtis. This is only the fifth record for Massachusetts. It went missing for a day, but reappeared for photo ops for Alex Burdo, Ryan Schain, Jeff Offerman, John Hoye, Lynard Love, Sina Mohammidi, and Steve Arena.

Elegant Tern: There is only one previous record of Elegant Tern in Massachusetts, so it was way oFf people's radar when Steve Grinley discovered it on July 23. He reported it as a Royal Tern, and passed on the information to other birders, including Suzanne Sullivan, who photographed it. Ian Davies checked out the photos and realized it was too small compared to the Common Tern next to it, and the word went out - Elegant Tern! Unfortunately birders were unable to relocate it. The previous record in August of 2002 also raised identification problems and it wasn't until ten days after its initial discovery that it was confirmed as Elegant Tern.

Little Egret: On July 10 Peter and Fay Vale were scanning a flock of egrets on Plum Island when Peter picked out one with long plumes on the head - a Little Egret, the first in Massachusetts since on on Nantucket in 2004. They contacted Billy Wrobel who got some photographs.

Kites! Mississippi Kites have been increasingly reported in spring, especially at the Pilgrim Heights in North Truro and this year didn't fail with 7 reported there on May 26. But Truro wasn't the only place. Mississippi Kites were reported from other areas of the cape, and locations as far flung as Westwood, Scituate and Warren, where Mark Pearson nabbled photos on May 26. But perhaps the most amazing sighting was on May 29 when Bennet Porter sighted both Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites in Falmouth. On May 30 Roy Barstow got photos of the Mississippi kite, and Ian Davies and Erik Nielsen got terrific photos of a Swallow-tailed Kite in the same frame as a Missippi Kite!

Eurasian Hobby: Two state records in one week? That's what it looks like! On May 18 Ian Davies spotted a Eurasian Hobby from his dining room window at Manomet. It put down in a tree, and he studied it, but it then took off. He gambled that it may have headed to Manomet Point where he was able to capture some flight shots. Later that day Jeremiah Trimble was able to get down there and get more photos. If accepted by the MARC it will be a first state record and possibly only a second record for the lower 48.       

Cassin's Sparrow: John Young probably thought he was dreaming when he sighted a Cassin's Sparrow in Truro on May 15, so the report came in as "possible." It didn't take long for Blair Nikula to get up there with his camera, and he nailed it. If accepted by the MARC this will be a first state record. On May 16 the sparrow was still there and photographed by Jeremiah Trimble and Peter Trull. On May 17 it was Bob Stymeist and Al Curtis, and on May 18 it was Peter Bono and Myer Bornstein. On May 19 it was Ian Davies and Jason Forbes.

Eurasian Collared-Dove: On Bird-a-thon day Steve Langer discovered a Eurasian Collared Dove on Nantucket, and Edie Ray captured some photos.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: On April 29 Warren Tatro discovered a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on Plum Island, and Jon Saperia was lucky enough to capture a couple of images before it disappeared.

Harris's Sparrow: Rick Bowes discovered a Harris's Sparrow on Duxbury Beach back in November, and on April 28 it was still there. He took some intriguing photos of its moult from April 21 to April 28.

White-faced Ibis: This species has been sighted in Essex County annually at least since 2007, so it wasn't a huge surprise when Steve Haydock spotted one on Plum Island on April 22. Word got around, and Ryan Schain got photos the same day and Suzanne Sullivan photographed it April 24. But on April 26 group of birders watching the ibis were horrified when a one-eyed Peregrine Falcon attacked and killed it. Michael Blust was videoing the ibis at the time and also captured some still photos.

Yellow-legged Gull: On April 9 Keelin Miller found an interesting gull. In an email to Mary Keleher she said: "it's probably something simple, but this guy was about Herring Gull sized but bright yellow legs..." She tentatively guessed Lesser Black-backed Gull but as photographs became available birders guess it may well be a Yellow-legged Gull. Large gulls are notoriously hard to nail down, but other have been posting photos to gather evidence. On April 11 Mary Richmond captured some photos, and on April 12 it was photographed by Peter Crosson and Peter Trimble.  Check out Jeremiah Trimble's photos from April 13, Bob Stymeist's, Roy Barstow's and Erik Neilsen's from April 14. More from John Hoye, Christopher Ciccone, Joseph Cavanaugh, Jeff Davis, and Ed Labado. On April 17 Phil Brown captured some video with recorded vocalization.

Mew Gull: On February 24 John Quigley discovered a Mew Gull on Lynn Beach, and after several visits Suzanne Sullivan captured some photos on March 2, and on March 5 Neil Howard and Jeff Offerman relocated it. On March 6 Erik Nielsen and Matt Garvey photographed it, and Matt also got some video.

Western Grebe: . On February 6 Linda Ferraresso discovered a Western Grebe (or possibly a Clark's Grebe?). Bob Stymeist was lucky enough to capture some images of it.

Ross's Goose: In the fall of 2010 Massachsuetts has now tallied every species of goose ever seen in Massachusetts. On December 11 Jeremiah and Peter Trimble and Trish Pastuszak were birding on Nantucket when they discovered a Ross's Goose! Jeremiah captured photos of the goose and other Nantucket highlights.

Northern Lapwing: Imagine: you're photographing a Rough-legged Hawk in flight, and all of a sudden it is being mobbed - by a Lapwing! That's what happened to Jim Hully on December 2 on Plum Island. This is only the second state record for this species, the first being in Chilmark in December of 1996. 

Fork-tailed Flycatcher: On November 30 Vern Laux got a call from a contractor reporting a "funny bird" at the Nantucket dump. Vern hustled over and was rewarded with great views of this spectacular bird. 

Cave Swallows: Since 2003 Cave Swallows have been a specialty of November, showing up in coastal locations in increasing numbers over the years. This year on a blustery November 24 there was a flurry of reports along the New England coast, including as many as 17 seen by Sean Williams in South Boston. He quickly got the word out and Ian Davies was able to capture some terrific photos. Salisbury was another hot spot, and on Thanksgiving day Margo Goetschkes got close-up and personal photos there. Jeremiah Trimble got some close-up photos also in Cotuit on Thanksgiving. Check out Blair Nikula's extraordinary photos of birds huddled together.

Harris's Sparrow: Rick Bowes was doing a waterbird census of Duxbury Beach on November 21 when he spotted a Harris's Sparrow. He managed to get off one photo before it disappeared in the bushes.

Tundra Swans: This fall is a waterfowl bonanza! On November 20 the Hampshire Bird Club was waiting at Quabbin headquarters for the rest of the group to arrive when Larry Therrien spotted a flock of 19 swans in the distance - Tundra Swans! Ian Davies captured these photos.

Pink-footed Goose: George Gove and Judy Gordon were cruising the corn fields in the Sudbury River Valley on November 17 when they came upon a Pink-footed Goose on Concord Road in Sudbury. This is only the third record of this species in the state, both other records from Cape Cod. Jeremiah Trimble captured photos. Erik Nielsen got photos on November 20.  Still there on December 3 when Ryan Schain photographed it.

LeConte's Sparrow: Classic Patagonia Picnic Table Effect. Looking for the Boreal Chickadee, on November 11 Chris Floyd discovered a Le Conte's Sparrow in Squantum. Jeremiah Trimble photographed it the same day.

Boreal Chickadee: Ronnie Donovan was checking the thickets in Squantum on November 6 and discovered a Boreal Chickadee among a flock of Black-caps. On October 9 Ryan Schain got some photos, and Matt Garvey some video (with audio!).

Harris's Sparrow: On November 6, Jim Sweeney discovered a first year Harris's Sparrow in the Burrage Pond WMA in Halifax. He made some phone calls and Hank Levesque was able to get some images as well.