Birding Plum Island and Cape Ann

Barred Owl at Plum Island

It was cold but beautiful for the North Branch Nature Center’s trip to the Massachusetts coast this past weekend. Seven participants scoured the seashore of Essex County, MA in search of ocean birds and discovered the surprising diversity of birds that are around in late-fall. As one season ends and another begins, birds of both fall and winter can be found along the New England coast in mid-November.

Winter birds complemented winter temperatures in our birding adventures. Snowy Owls had just begun arriving from the north over the past week, and one was seen at Plum Island. Loons, scoters, and others were seen migrating south along the coast. Snow Buntings and Horned Larks were active in the dunes at both Newburyport and Salisbury. And a variety of winter birds were seen off the coast, including Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Horned and Red-necked Grebe, Harlequin Duck, and others.

Greater White-fronted Goose in Newbury

While many species of ‘winter birds’ were seen, a handful had not yet arrived to the wintering grounds. Iceland and Glaucous Gulls were notably absent. Common Goldeneye, which can be fairly common in winter, was represented by only a single individual at Brace Cove in Rockport. And Short-eared Owl sightings so far this season have been sparse; we weren’t able to locate any during our dusk attempt.

Snowy Owl at Plum Island

Yet other species we observed were species more typically associated with warmer weather. A Hermit Thrush was observed in Rowley and a Yellow-rumped Warbler in Rockport. An American Bittern put in an appearance at Plum Island and a Great Egret was observed in Salisbury. A few lingering shorebirds were also seen, including Black-bellied Plover and Greater Yellowlegs at several locations.

Perhaps the most unusual sighting was a Greater White-fronted Goose in Newbury, mixed in with a flock of about 250 Canada Geese. This one was a lifer for most of the group. The Eurasian Wigeon seen at Plum Island was another highlight. While not unusual in Vermont, the Barred Owl seen at Plum Island was a pretty atypical species for that location.

American Bittern at Plum Island

When all was said and done, a total of 84 species were observed during the three days of birding (and 1 day of scouting by trip leader Larry Clarfeld). In addition to all the birds, a trip to Cape Ann and Plum Island is enjoyable just for the ambience. The glowing sunsets, scenic vistas, and historic downtowns of the coastal New England towns we visited were all fantastically beautiful. NBNC will be back to the Massachusetts coast in January to participate in the Superbowl of Birding, where we’ll spend a day with youths and adults, participating in this birding competition for the seventh consecutive year.

Complete Species List

Greater White-fronted Goose	Sanderling
Canada Goose	Dunlin
Mute Swan	Purple Sandpiper*
Gadwall	Razorbill
Eurasian Wigeon	Black Guillemot
American Wigeon	Bonaparte's Gull
American Black Duck	Ring-billed Gull
Mallard	Herring Gull
Northern Pintail	Great Black-backed Gull
Green-winged Teal	Rock Pigeon
Ring-necked Duck	Mourning Dove
Greater Scaup*	Snowy Owl
Common Eider	Barred Owl
Harlequin Duck	Red-bellied Woodpecker*
Surf Scoter	Downy Woodpecker
White-winged Scoter	Hairy Woodpecker
Black Scoter	Northern Flicker*
Long-tailed Duck	Peregrine Falcon*
Bufflehead	Blue Jay
Common Goldeneye	American Crow
Hooded Merganser	Horned Lark
Red-breasted Merganser	Black-capped Chickadee
Wild Turkey	Tufted Titmouse
Red-throated Loon	Red-breasted Nuthatch
Common Loon	White-breasted Nuthatch
Pied-billed Grebe*	Carolina Wren
Horned Grebe	Hermit Thrush
Red-necked Grebe	American Robin
Northern Gannet	Northern Mockingbird
Double-crested Cormorant	European Starling
Great Cormorant*	Snow Bunting
American Bittern	Yellow-rumped Warbler
Great Blue Heron	American Tree Sparrow
Great Egret	Savannah Sparrow
Northern Harrier	Song Sparrow
Cooper's Hawk	White-throated Sparrow
Bald Eagle	Dark-eyed Junco
Red-tailed Hawk	Northern Cardinal
Rough-legged Hawk*	Red-winged Blackbird
American Coot	House Finch
Black-bellied Plover	American Goldfinch
Greater Yellowlegs	House Sparrow

*Seen only during scouting