Exeter area, Pawtuckaway and shortened coast "Big Day"
Paul Lacourse
Hi Everyone,
A friend, Dan Shubert and I participted in the May BIg Day sponsored by NH Audubon on Saturday May 14. We stayed in Rockingham County. The day started out as a Big Day but as the temperature rose, turned into a more leisurely stroll. The day began with a Barred Owl hooting away as I was loading the car at 5 AM. We Arrived at Deer Hill Management Area in Brentwood at 6:00 AM and took a 3 hour walk through many of the trails of the refuge.(i know Steve, you think I would have learned never spend that much time in one place on a Big Day!lol). Certainly not as many Warblers present as the radar would have suggested but still a wonderful walk. We Arrived at Pawtuckway much later than planned so, things had aleady quieted down so missed many of the expected birds. Totally scratched Hampton and Seabrook from the intinerary when confronted by the summer traffic jam. Got on rte. 1A in North Hampton so only did the northern part of the coast. Had a fun day though, and ended up with 103 species but, how can one miss Downy Woodpecker LOL.
Highlights follow:
Lesser Scaup-2 Exeter Waste Water treatment ponds
Hooded Merganser _ 1 female at Deer Hill
Red-necked Grebe - 1 in breeding plumage in N Hampton
Pied -billed Grebe -2 at Deer Hill
Red-Throated Loon - 1
Common Loon 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird -3 with one tearing tufts of nesting material from a plant at Deer Hill
Virginia Rail - 1 at Chapman’s Landing
Common Tern - 7 perched on Seal Rocks in Rye
Roseate Tern - 3 perched on Seal Rocks with Common’s. The light was such that you could see the pinkish wash on one of the Tern’s . Stunning!!!!
Red-throated Loon -1
Common Loon -1
Green Heron -1 perched on a powerline on the edge of rte.1A seemingly oblivious of all the traffic.
Barred Owl-1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- Pawtuckaway
Least flycatcher-1
Yellow-throated Vireo-2
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Common Raven-1
Fish Crow-1
Brown Creeper- 2 trying to out sing each other in Exeter.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wood Thrush
Veery
Grasshopper Sparrow- Mcintyre Rd at Pease
Lincoln’s Sparrow- Goss Farm in Rye
Baltimore Oriole
Bobolink -1 at Goss Farm in Rye
Warblers :only 12 species. Very dissapointing!
Scarlet Tanager at both Deer Hill and Pawtuckaway.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Some misses
a few Sandpipers : We skipped Hampton and Seabrook
Purple Martin’s :same as above
Accpiiter’s and Falcon’s; I was planning on the water tower Peregrine but traffic took care of that.
Downy Woodpecker: It is what it is. lol
Many Warbler’s
Orchard Oriole : Had 2 Friday at Deer Hill
Upland Sandpiper and Eastern Meadowlark : must have spent 40 minutes scanning the runways at Pease from both Mcintyre Rd and Short Rd. “nothing”.
Save of the Day: A small Snapping Turtle(Carapace was probably 4 inches in length) crossing a road in Pawtuckaway. Herded to safety! Yay!!!
All in all a fun day, other than the coastal summer horde of beach goers.
Happy Birding
Paul Lacourse