Odiorne Point SP Bioblitz - 2026 (92 species including COMMON RINGED PLOVER!!!!!)

[Steve Mirick]

Jane and I helped out with the Odiorne Point State Park Bioblitz
yesterday.  This was the 24rd year for this annual event and we've made
it every year except one.   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.  There were experts in the field all day and short
field trips every hour during the day.

Jane and I focused on birds, but we have now expanded and (weather
permitting) spend a large part of the day searching for insects.  Our
track record has been pretty bad for insect weather in the last few
years and this year continued that trend.  Overcast with southerly winds
shifting to the southeast and strengthening.  But the forecast of
afternoon rain held off and we only had some very light drizzle and the
visibility offshore was excellent.  There weren't lots of migrants in
the park, but there was good diversity and the overall bird list was
very good with 92 species well above last year's poor species list of
only 70.  The high is about 100 species from 2021.  The insects (not
surprisingly given the weather) were terrible; however, we managed to
get a few species.  Thanks to help from other birders/insect fanatics
including Jason Lambert, Jacqui Shuster, Robyn Prieto, Ben Griffith,
David Blezard,  and others.

Birds - 92 species (including several not seen by Jane and I)
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Sep 20, 2026 7:01 AM - 5:01 PM

Canada Goose 12
Mallard X
American Black Duck 2
Northern Pintail 2 Two female type birds flew in and landed on ocean
near Science Center.
Common Eider 24
Surf Scoter 6 Migrating.
White-winged Scoter 5 Migrating.
scoter sp. 32 Small groups migrating.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 8 Together at wooden bridge. A new high count
for me at Odiorne! 🙂
Mourning Dove 6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird X
Black-bellied Plover 2
American Golden-Plover 2 Two juveniles in pannes south of Odiorne.
Barely visible from boundary of Odiorne.
Killdeer 2
COMMON RINGED PLOVER 1 FIRST STATE RECORD!!!! Bird found by Stuart
Varney on 9/19, but not relocated that day. Refound at first light by
Jason Lambert in same spot where Stuart had it the previous day. In cove
north of the Seacoast Science Center in vicinity of seal carcass.
Apparently by itself at first, but joined by a few Semipalmated Plovers.
FANTASTIC WAY to start out the Bioblitz! First bird of the day! Close
views of toe webbing and recorded vocalizing! Seen off-and-on by many
other birders over the course of the day.
Semipalmated Plover 5
Spotted Sandpiper 3
Lesser Yellowlegs 6
Greater Yellowlegs 2
STILT SANDPIPER 1 Continuing juvenile in Shelduck pools. FIRST RECORD
FOR BIOBLITZ.
Least Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 1 In Shelduck pools.
WESTERN SANDPIPER X Photographed by Kyle Wilmarth. FIRST RECORD FOR
BIOBLITZ.
Semipalmated Sandpiper 14
Black Guillemot 1 Maybe 2.
Bonaparte's Gull 42
Laughing Gull 7
Ring-billed Gull 37
American Herring Gull 20
Great Black-backed Gull 4
Lesser Black-backed Gull 4 Including "Woody" back in his usual spot.
Plus 3 flybys late in day.
CASPIAN TERN 5 Two groups of 2 and a singleton migrating. Now an
expected/hoped for bird on the Bioblitz. Always migrating by.
Forster's Tern X  Offshore flyby reported by Robyn Prieto
Common Tern 17
tern sp. 7 Distant flock in harbor
Common Loon 6 A couple migrating overhead.
Great Cormorant X
Double-crested Cormorant 391 A few flocks migrating. Lots in Little Harbor.
Snowy Egret 4
Great Egret 3
Great Blue Heron 4
Osprey 2 Migrating.
Bald Eagle X
Great Horned Owl X.  Flyby spotted by Ben Griffith in the middle of the
afternoon!
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker X
Pileated Woodpecker X
Northern Flicker 4
Merlin 1 Migrating.
Peregrine Falcon 1 Migrating from offshore.
Least Flycatcher X
Eastern Phoebe 6
Red-eyed Vireo 6
Blue Jay 16
American Crow 6
Black-capped Chickadee 9
Tufted Titmouse 3
Tree Swallow 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 7
Red-breasted Nuthatch 9
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Northern House Wren 2
Carolina Wren 3
Gray Catbird 6
Northern Mockingbird 1
Eastern Bluebird 6
Swainson's Thrush 2
American Robin 9
Cedar Waxwing 13
House Finch 6
American Goldfinch 2
Chipping Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 7
Savannah Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 4
Northern Waterthrush X
Black-and-white Warbler 3
Tennessee Warbler 1
Nashville Warbler X
Common Yellowthroat 3
American Redstart 3
Cape May Warbler 2
Magnolia Warbler 1
Northern Yellow Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 8
Black-throated Blue Warbler X
Pine Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Wilson's Warbler 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1

Butterflies (5 species)
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Mourning Cloak
Red Admiral
American Lady
Clouded Sulphur
Monarch

Damselflies & Dragonflies (2 species)
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Common Green Darner
Cherry-faced Meadowhawk

Robber Flies (0 species)
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:-(

Other fauna of interest
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Four-banded Stink Bug Wasp
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402048998

Margined Calligrapher
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/402048999


Steve Mirick (for group)
Bradford, MA

[Steve Mirick]

Correction!  Add one more species.

Ben Griffith and Robyn Prieto had

Philadelphia Vireo - 3 together in alder swamp.  Likely a continuing
group for the last several days.  Jane and I couldn't find them! :-(

Steve Mirick
Bradford, MA