Odiorne Point State Park Bioblitz - 9/21/24 (84species of birds! But only 2 butterflies and no dragonflies!)
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Steve Mirick
Sep 22, 2024, 9:08:04 AM9/22/24
to NHBirds
Jane and I made it to the Bioblitz again this year yesterday. This was
the 22nd year for this annual event and we've made it every year. The
event is run by the Seacoast Science Center and the goal is to try to
record as many species of living organisms in the park in one day. The
purpose is to educate the public and to expose people to the different
organisms that can be found in such a small area. As always, Jane and I
focused on birds, but we always look at bugs and this year (because of a
growing interest), we were even more excited to look at bugs this year.
But sadly, for the 3rd year in a row, the bugs were difficult, and in
fact, there were almost zero insects this year with
cold/raw/drizzle/light rain/NE winds.
Cloudy and cool with off and on light rain and drizzle all day and
moderate NE winds and a King Tide. Fortunately, mostly good to
excellent visibility and we used the tent for protection and scanned
offshore for ocean bird and migrants. Decent numbers of migrant land
birds and waterbirds and a nice MIGRATION of a few species despite the
inclement weather!
The bird list was pretty good at 84 species, but below the high count of
about 100 species from 2021. Thanks to help from other birders
including Jason Lambert, Jacqui Shuster, Ethan Ring, Robyn Prieto, David
Blezard, Holly Bauer, Sam Stoddard, and others.
Recent years bird totals
---------------------------------
2024 - 84 species
2023 - 80 species
2022 - 100 species
2021 - 81 species
2020 - 93 species
2019 - 75 species
2024 - 77 species seen by Jane and/or I plus 7 additional recorded by
others.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canada Goose 15
Mallard 1
American Black Duck 3
Green-winged Teal 5
Common Eider 60
Surf Scoter 1
White-winged Scoter 19
Black Scoter 3
scoter sp. 12
Wild Turkey 1
Mourning Dove 1
Killdeer 3
Semipalmated Plover 14
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Least Sandpiper 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 28
Little Gull 0. The recent celebrity of the park did NOT cooperate
for the Bioblitz.
Bonaparte's Gull 250
Laughing Gull 9. Probably an undercount of bird migrating south.
Ring-billed Gull 111. Probably an undercount.
Herring Gull 150. Probably an undercount.
Great Black-backed Gull 20. Probably an undercount.
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2. Both juveniles in mixed flock with
juvenile Herring Gulls and a couple of Ring-billed Gulls in cove north
of Center. No sign of "Wood"!
COMMON LOON 51. MIGRATING. Excellent September flight of Common
Loons. Flocks up to 6 in size.
CORY'S SHEARWATER 3 Good numbers of shearwaters coursing over the
water just at the limit of visibility. At least 2 or 3 looked good
enough to ID as Cory's.
shearwater sp. 7. Likely Cory's.
Northern Gannet 5
Double-crested Cormorant 652. MIGRATING. Nice skeins flying south.
Snowy Egret 3
Great Egret 3
Great Blue Heron 7
Osprey 7. MIGRATING. The most migrating birds we've seen this fall.
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 4
Northern Flicker 2
Merlin 2
Peregrine Falcon 3
Eastern Phoebe 4
Blue-headed Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 8
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 7
Tufted Titmouse 3
Tree Swallow 47
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
Carolina Wren 6
Gray Catbird 12
GRAY-CHEEKED/BICKNELL'S THRUSH 2. Foraging together. On brownish
side of the spectrum perhaps either Newfoundland Gray-cheek or Bicknell's.
American Robin 1
Cedar Waxwing 1
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 1
Chipping Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 6
Savannah Sparrow 6
Song Sparrow 6
Swamp Sparrow 1
Ovenbird 1
Black-and-white Warbler 5
Nashville Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 9
American Redstart 1
Cape May Warbler 1
Northern Parula 3
Magnolia Warbler 4
Yellow Warbler 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 5
Pine Warbler 5
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Northern Cardinal 5
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
7 species seen by others
--------------------------------
Lincoln's Sparrow
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Brown Creeper
Belted Kingfisher
Great Cormorant
Sanderling
Insects were pitiful due to the weather. I only heard about a couple of
Monarchs (I saw one) and Jane had a non monarch (probably lady). No
adult Odonates were recorded.
Steve & Jane Mirick (for group)
Bradford, MA
the 22nd year for this annual event and we've made it every year. The
event is run by the Seacoast Science Center and the goal is to try to
record as many species of living organisms in the park in one day. The
purpose is to educate the public and to expose people to the different
organisms that can be found in such a small area. As always, Jane and I
focused on birds, but we always look at bugs and this year (because of a
growing interest), we were even more excited to look at bugs this year.
But sadly, for the 3rd year in a row, the bugs were difficult, and in
fact, there were almost zero insects this year with
cold/raw/drizzle/light rain/NE winds.
Cloudy and cool with off and on light rain and drizzle all day and
moderate NE winds and a King Tide. Fortunately, mostly good to
excellent visibility and we used the tent for protection and scanned
offshore for ocean bird and migrants. Decent numbers of migrant land
birds and waterbirds and a nice MIGRATION of a few species despite the
inclement weather!
The bird list was pretty good at 84 species, but below the high count of
about 100 species from 2021. Thanks to help from other birders
including Jason Lambert, Jacqui Shuster, Ethan Ring, Robyn Prieto, David
Blezard, Holly Bauer, Sam Stoddard, and others.
Recent years bird totals
---------------------------------
2024 - 84 species
2023 - 80 species
2022 - 100 species
2021 - 81 species
2020 - 93 species
2019 - 75 species
2024 - 77 species seen by Jane and/or I plus 7 additional recorded by
others.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canada Goose 15
Mallard 1
American Black Duck 3
Green-winged Teal 5
Common Eider 60
Surf Scoter 1
White-winged Scoter 19
Black Scoter 3
scoter sp. 12
Wild Turkey 1
Mourning Dove 1
Killdeer 3
Semipalmated Plover 14
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Least Sandpiper 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 28
Little Gull 0. The recent celebrity of the park did NOT cooperate
for the Bioblitz.
Bonaparte's Gull 250
Laughing Gull 9. Probably an undercount of bird migrating south.
Ring-billed Gull 111. Probably an undercount.
Herring Gull 150. Probably an undercount.
Great Black-backed Gull 20. Probably an undercount.
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2. Both juveniles in mixed flock with
juvenile Herring Gulls and a couple of Ring-billed Gulls in cove north
of Center. No sign of "Wood"!
COMMON LOON 51. MIGRATING. Excellent September flight of Common
Loons. Flocks up to 6 in size.
CORY'S SHEARWATER 3 Good numbers of shearwaters coursing over the
water just at the limit of visibility. At least 2 or 3 looked good
enough to ID as Cory's.
shearwater sp. 7. Likely Cory's.
Northern Gannet 5
Double-crested Cormorant 652. MIGRATING. Nice skeins flying south.
Snowy Egret 3
Great Egret 3
Great Blue Heron 7
Osprey 7. MIGRATING. The most migrating birds we've seen this fall.
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 4
Northern Flicker 2
Merlin 2
Peregrine Falcon 3
Eastern Phoebe 4
Blue-headed Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 8
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 7
Tufted Titmouse 3
Tree Swallow 47
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
Carolina Wren 6
Gray Catbird 12
GRAY-CHEEKED/BICKNELL'S THRUSH 2. Foraging together. On brownish
side of the spectrum perhaps either Newfoundland Gray-cheek or Bicknell's.
American Robin 1
Cedar Waxwing 1
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 1
Chipping Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 6
Savannah Sparrow 6
Song Sparrow 6
Swamp Sparrow 1
Ovenbird 1
Black-and-white Warbler 5
Nashville Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 9
American Redstart 1
Cape May Warbler 1
Northern Parula 3
Magnolia Warbler 4
Yellow Warbler 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 5
Pine Warbler 5
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Northern Cardinal 5
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
7 species seen by others
--------------------------------
Lincoln's Sparrow
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Brown Creeper
Belted Kingfisher
Great Cormorant
Sanderling
Insects were pitiful due to the weather. I only heard about a couple of
Monarchs (I saw one) and Jane had a non monarch (probably lady). No
adult Odonates were recorded.
Steve & Jane Mirick (for group)
Bradford, MA
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