Hollis NH Big Day - 91 species

[Susan Wrisley]

I started my Hollis big day at 5am, in my usual way - bleary eyed and groggy! My first stop was my own yard, where I deferred to a coyote who was birding the west side or our 7 acre plot, and I stuck to the east side. His search for Roadrunners turned up nothing, so he lost interest and moved on.  I found most yard regulars, including Louisiana Waterthrush and Barred Owl, but nothing unusual.  Two normal yard regulars, Northern Waterthrush and Cooper's Hawk, were no-shows all day.

Next stop was Beaver Brook Great Meadow, where I failed to find rails or bitterns, but added several expected species and a lingering pair of Ring-necked Ducks.  From there I continued on to Beaver Brook Maple Hill where I added 4 FOY (first of year) birds, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Kinglets that were abundant a week ago, seem to have moved out.

The day was really heating up by the time I left Maple Hill, so I opted for birding the high school from the comfort of my air-conditioned car as my next stop.  This turned out to be the best stop of the day when I spotted a Least Sandpiper, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs and a Sora! Those last 2 being a first for me in Hollis!  I also finally picked up Red-tailed Hawk and Mockingbird, along with a FOY Green Heron.

From here on out I decided to fill in gaps and get birds that I knew were sure things.  A short jaunt into Spaulding Town Forest gave me a pair of nesting Osprey, then I moved on to Woodmont Orchard where I picked up a few more expected birds - Kestrel, Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow. 

I made one last stop at Hayden Reservoir and the land across from it, but failed to turn up anything new.  I was feeling quite worn out and lazy by then, so I skipped doing a list and headed home.

I finished the day with 91 species and 22,000 steps!  Notable misses were Bald Eagle, accipiters, Northern Waterthrush, Winter Wren, Field Sparrow, flycatchers, Spotted Sandpiper and Hooded Merganser. 

Susan Wrisley

Holli, NH

https://ebird.org/tripreport/55578

Canada Goose

Wood Duck

Mallard

Ring-necked Duck

Wild Turkey

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Chimney Swift

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Sora (FOY and first for Hollis)

Killdeer

Least Sandpiper (FOY)

Lesser Yellowlegs (FOY and first for Hollis)

Great Blue Heron

Green Heron (FOY)

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Red-shouldered Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk (didn't see one until after 2:30pm!)

Barred Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

American Kestrel

Eastern Wood-Pewee (FOY)

Eastern Phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Blue-headed Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow (unexpected for Hollis)

Common Raven

Black-capped Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Tree Swallow

Barn Swallow

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

House Wren

Carolina Wren

European Starling

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

Eastern Bluebird

Veery (FOY)

Hermit Thrush

Wood Thrush

American Robin

House Sparrow

House Finch

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Grasshopper Sparrow (FOY)

Chipping Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Bobolink (FOY)

Baltimore Oriole

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Common Grackle

Ovenbird

Louisiana Waterthrush

Black-and-white Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Northern Parula

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Pin Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Scarlet Tanager

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting (FOY)