Record Penacook Survey

[Pam Hunt]

With another good migration night - this time not followed by howling winds - I set off on my Penacook 10 k survey with high expectations. Things got off to a good start with two Tennessee Warblers in the first 1o minutes, but then warbler activity slowed down noticeably. There was a Cape May along Borough Road and a latish Prairie behind the Vineyards condos, but I hadn't really encountered a flock in the first 4.5 hours. Mind you, there were still birds around, with sparrows and Ruby-crowned Kinglets particularly noticeable. There was a good Blue Jay flight, with a couple of flocks of 25+ in the first hour, and I ended up with 97 - just 5 short of the all time record. A smattering of ravens DID set a new record with 11, including seven in one flock along River road. Bog Road was quiet, but provided a drumming grouse and my first Golden-crowned Kinglet for the fall. Another - and totally unexpected - visitor from the North was a Pine Siskin feeding with sparrows at Murray Farms. Through in both Hermit and Swainson's Thrushes, a sweep of the expected woodpeckers, and some good raptor diversity (Turkey Vulture, Osprey, 3 Sharp-shins, Red-shoulder, and Broad-wing), and I was back on the island at 11:30 with 62 species - tying the late September record. But there were a lot of things missing, especially Cedar Waxwing, Red-eyed Vireo, and several reliable warbler species. Some of that got resolved when I saw a couple of warblers high in a tree as I walked home along the canal. They were "just" Pines, but when I started pishing all sorts of birds came out of the woodwork: 3 RE Vireos, 2 BH Vireos, 2 each parulas, Magnolias, blackpolls, and BT Greens, and a Nashville. The last-named bird put me to 66, and with nothing new on the final leg I ended with that as a new record. I also tied the duration record of 5.5 hours set four weeks ago with Unity.

Until the next time, good birding!

Pam Hunt
Penacook