Forbush Bird Club 2012 Trip Reports

The following are highlights of the field trips of the Forbush Bird Club, listed in reverse chronological order:

Trip Reports for 2012
4/29/12 -- DCR Kristoff Farm, West Boylston, Sterling Peat and Sterling Rail Trail (north end): Leader: Jean Holm
Observers: 22
Weather: Clear and dry, temperatures ranged from the mid 40’s to low 50’s
Highlights: Northern Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Spotted Sandpiper.
Species: 36
Canada Goose Wood Duck Mallard Turkey Vulture Cooper’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Spotted Sandpiper Mourning Dove Belted Kingfisher Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Blue Jay American Crow Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Carolina Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird American Robin Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Eastern Towhee Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Baltimore Oriole American Goldfinch House Sparrow

(trip report from Jean Holm).
4/1/12 -- Bolton Flats: On 4/1/12 John Shea lead 8 members on a trip to Bolton Flats, Dexter Drumlin, Coach lace Pond and Wachusett Reservoir. It was 28 degrees at the start with frost on the ground. Some highlights: 2 N. Shovelers, 2 N. Pintail, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 68 Snipe and 4 Pine Warblers. Details:
C.Goose 8 Wood Duck 6 Mallards 17 N.Shoveler 2 N. Pintail 2 Green-winged Teal 44 Bufflehead 8 Hooded Merganser 2 C.Merganser 5 Turkey Vulture 4 C. Loon 4 Great Blue Heron 3 Peregrine Falcon 1 Killdeer 9 L.Yellowlegs 1 Snipe 68 Morning Dove 9 Belted Kingfisher 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Downy Woodpecker 2 Hairy Woodpecker 1 N.Flicker 3 E.Phoebe 1 Blue Jay 7 A.Crow 25 Tree Swallow 6 Black-capped Chickadee 8 Tufted Titmouse 5 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Robin 85 N.Mockingbird 1 Pine Warblers 4 Field Sparrow 2 Savannah Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 15 Swamp Sparrow 1 Dark-eyed Junco 2 Cardinal 8 Red-winged Blackbird 65 Grackle 12 Brown-headed Cowbird 1 A.Goldfinch 19

(trip report from John Shea, fide Jean Holm).
3/25/12 -- Quaboag and Vicinity: Substitute leader Alan Marble and 4 other Forbush Members participated in a morning field trip to Lake Quaboag and vicinity. It was cloudy and cool with the temperatures in the mid to upper 40's. Highlights were 3 pair of Long-tailed Ducks on Lake Quaboag, 15 Ruddy Ducks at Orlandos lower pond, Pine Warbler, Chipping Sparrow and Swamp Sparrow. 43 species were observed. Complete list below.
Canada Goose Mute Swan Wood Duck American Black Duck Mallard Ring-necked Duck Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey Great Blue Heron Bald Eagle Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning dove Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Phoebe Blue Jay American Crow Tree Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Eastern Bluebird American Robin Pine Warbler Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch American Goldfinch
(trip report from Alan Marble).
1/1/12 -- New Year's Day trip, Worcester: The Forbush Bird Club, which celebrated the 80th anniversary of its founding in 2011, held its annual New Year's Day bird trip in Worcester on January 1, 2012 with 12 members attending. John Shea assisted trip leader Joan Zumpfe. John has graciously agreed to be next year's trip leader. The weather was similar to last year's trip with temperatures around 50, a sunny sky and no wind at the noon start. It cooled slightly, with a 5 to 10 mph occasional breeze, by trip end at 4:30 pm. The difference from 2011 was the lack of any snow cover and the unseasonably preceding warm month of December causing most bodies of water to be mostly open with less concentration of waterfowl. Highlights were a Red-tailed Hawk devouring a Chipmunk while perched on a telephone pole, a Merlin seen from Lake Park, a Hooded Merganser gulping down a fish and a Peregrine Falcon (first spotted by Sue Moynagh) sitting on a window ledge just below the People's Bank sign on the old Mechanics Bank building. Mike Bellows continued the tradition of generously offering us delicious, holiday decorated cookies so cleverly prepared by his wife Nancy. Two CSX freight trains also traveled through the city as we observed the following 26 species:
Canada Goose Mute Swan 6 (2 young at Coes Reservoir) Gadwall 4 (2 pairs) American Black Duck 6 Mallard Northern Pintail 1 Green-winged Teal 11 Hooded Merganser 27 Common Merganser 2 (a pair) Great Blue Heron 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 Merlin 1 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Peregrine Falcon 1 Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull 1 Rock Pigeon Belted Kingfisher 2 American Crow 8 Black-capped Chickadee 1 European Starling Song Sparrow 1 Dark-eyed Junco 3 American Goldfinch 1 House Sparrow
(trip report from Joan Zumpfe).