[MASSBIRD] BBC/SSBC leader's choice trip 11/28/115

[Glenn d'Entremont]

Today's leader's choice BBC/SSBC trip-south of Boston went to the outer cape. We began at Fort Hill, Eastham, then to vistor's center, Eastham, to Race Point (viewing mostly from the parking area, then Herring Cove), to Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro, to Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and ended at the Marston's Mills Pond in Barnstable. We ended up with 78 species. The one that got away-perhaps an empidonax (I did not see, so can't give a good description) at the "Bell's Vireo" thicket area at Fort Hill. Highlights:

American Wigeon 14
Red-breasted Merganser 500
Manx Shearwater 50 (coming by in groups)
SOOTY SHEARWATER 1+ (late)
Great Shearwter 50
Pomarine Jaeger 1
Parasitic Jaeger 4
jaeger, sp 2
Razorbill 350
DOVEKIE 1 (smaller than Manx Shearwater, rapid wing flap and tiny bill)
Black-legged Kittiwake 350 (perhaps the best kittiwake show from land I have seen)
Laughing Gull 3
Iceland Gull 5 (4 adults, 1 {1W})
WESTERN KINGBIRD 1 (continues at the southern intersection of Nauset Road and Schoolhouse; across the street from the visitor's center)
POSSIBLE EMPIDONAX at the Bell's Vireo thicket at Fort Hill
Eastern Phoebe 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Winter Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 4 (same spot as kingbird)
Hermit Thrush 2
Gray Catbird 2
Field Sparrow 2 (at Wellfleet Bay feeders)
FOX SPARROW 2-singing!
Eastern Meadowlark 6
BALTIMORE ORIOLE 1 (late)

Glenn


Glenn d'Entremont: gdentr...@comcast.net Stoughton, MA

[Steven Whitebread]

Along the Cape Cod Canal at Scusset this morning there were several
Razorbills. I witnessed one group of 6 (I believe 2 adults and four
first winters) apparently herding a shoal of sand lance. This caused the
sand lance to congregate at the surface. This happened repeatedly over a
period of about 5 minutes. The Razorbills had a feast, although I had
the feeling that the adults were more successful. It was a bit difficult
to judge, as they generally surfaced only for a second or two.

Photos of the sand lances can be found here:
https://flic.kr/p/BuS7C2
https://flic.kr/p/AEJW6z
https://flic.kr/p/AECKCy

Razorbill photos can be found here:
https://flic.kr/p/BuS8ni
https://flic.kr/p/B4DtZV
https://flic.kr/p/AECKM1
https://flic.kr/p/B4DtNx

Some marine mammals are known to do this, but I have never heard of
birds doing it. Or maybe it was just coincidence that the fish tried to
escape at the surface and it was not active 'herding'.

Steven Whitebread
Quincy MA

[Richard Guthrie]

I have watched Common and Red-breasted Mergansers do this as well. Once, as many as 40 Common Mergs were lined up in a herding fashion. I don't know what type of fish they were pushing towards the shore. 

Rich Guthrie

New Baltimore,

The Greene County,

New York

htttp://blog.timesunion.com/birding

--

Richard Guthrie

[Bennet Porter]

I believe a type of pelican is known to do this (Brown, perhaps?). Time to rewatch David Attenborough's Life of Birds I guess.

Bennet Porter

East Falmouth, MA