Dropped the girls off at Water Country, had a few hours to kill, why not visit nearby Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge?
Former Weapons Storage Area
The parking area fronts the glorious fenced-in "Former Weapons Storage Area," which has reverted to scrubland with a few osprey nests scattered about. Apparently the iconic water tower will be coming down. (Bird-strike hazard).
Lichened fence post
I am quite fond of ruined areas. Does this make me some kind of Romantic?
Ferry Way Trail
It doesn't take long to get into the delightful hickory-oak forest. Not much activity (a scarlet tanager and great-crested flycatcher or two) but I didn't expect much. The shag-barks were dropping nuts on the trail (I was a little worried I'd get beaned).
Great Blue Heron on Little Bay
Followed a well-travelled though apparently unofficial trail down to the shore. I was amazed by the quiet. Great blue heron actively hunting. A couple of spotted sandpipers teetered on the rocks.
An overnighter in Bangor allowed for a quick early morning excursion to nearby Sunkhaze Meadows NWR, host to many breeding warblers and even some boreal species. I didn't make it very deep into the refuge (minivan vs foggy unpaved roads), stopping at the first and best documented trail, at Carter Meadow Road. The road leads to a relatively short loop through boggy woods to an observation deck overlooking the wetlands.
Here is the aural documentation.
Very quiet except for some cars passing in the distance. Mostly marsh wren and swamp sparrow song.
Swamp Sparrow (young)
Hermit thrush song was everywhere (you can even hear it a little in the recording above.)
Woods and brook ajacent to Carter Meadow Road
I spent a bit of time with one particular songster (a red-eyed vireo, practically inevitable in the woods this time of year, added his particular "charm").
I didn't stumble across any boreal species, but warbler song (particularly northern parula) was all around and ravens could be seen flying up and down the main refuge road.
Carlton Pond (marshy side)
Later, I stopped with my folks to check out the impressive Carlton Pond WPA area but flying, biting insects and lack of kayaks prevented much exploration.
The last two nesting attempts, tree swallow and eastern bluebird, are proceeding without problem. (When it gets cooler I will deal with the wasps in the box up top).
Meanwhile, the oriole children are exploring the meadow edges. Eating berries.
Orchard Orioles, Charles River Peninsula, Needham, MA
And two yellow warbler children (from the nest already documented here) are hanging in the brush near the water
Juvenile Yellow Warbler, Charles River Peninsula, Needham, MA
waiting for their father to come feed them.
Today's jaw-opener: a huge dark bird (probably a juvenile bald eagle) passing over the Needham town dump. Didn't expect to see that!
Today was clean up time at the CRP. Boxes scrubbed and disinfected, except those infested by wasps and ants. Those will have to wait.
Gotta love the front-opening box
The new tree swallow nest already has three eggs (it's also infested by ants, which may not bode well). The new bluebird chicks have just hatched. Everyone else is done for the year. I counted over two dozen tree swallows beginning to stage on the power lines above the property.
Red-winged blackbirds on the dead young shag-bark hickory
The property generally is owned by red-winged blackbirds and their myriad youngsters right now.
And milkweed, to the joy of bumblebees.
Elsewhere, new nesting boxes at Ridge Hill. A perfect complement to the flowing native grasses in the meadow. The tree swallows and bluebirds have already discovered them.
Female eastern bluebird on brand new nesting box, Ridge Hill Reservation, Needham, MA
I wonder if we can get in a bluebird brood before the end of the summer.
Great-crested Flycatcher, Charles River Peninsula, Needham, MA
A couple of pleasant surprises this morning at the CRP. First, I heard the song of a male bobolink in the field--this is the farthest into June I've ever encountered one at this property. Second, while all but one box of tree swallows has fledged, the swallows at box 2 have started another nest! Super late tree swallow nests are not unheard of (and tend to be less productive) but this is the first in my experience.
Yellow Warbler nestlings, Charles River Peninsula, Needham, MA
The chief joy today, however, was had in watching a nest of young yellow warblers and their doting parents. Video below.
Thursday I took a long walk down the Burma Road that runs the length of Fowl Meadow. It was quite flooded but passable with muck boots. On three separate occasions, large birds exploded from the trail in front of me. I suspect woodcocks (I only saw them from behind), possibly driven from their cover in the woods, or maybe just out collecting worms.
Fowl Meadow, Canton, MA
After a certain point, the Burma Road becomes quite wild and birdlife becomes abundant and, during breeding season, irritated at passers-by. At one point, joining the easily distressed red-winged blackbirds, robins, and grackles, I had common yellowthroats, yellow warblers, Baltimore orioles, blue-gray gnatcatchers, and even a sweet little warbling vireo, chipping their anger at me.
The woods at Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough, MA.
Friday morning I was out counting bobolinks at Chestnut Hill Farm. A healthy population: at least nine males, six females. Lots of singing and still some chasing.
Bobolink, Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough, MA
They were also angry when I passed by.
Cutler Park, Needham, MA
This morning it was Cutler Park in Needham. I was surprised to find a pair of indigo buntings near the train tracks and yet another trail explosion in front of me (maybe woodcock again, though it looked a little snipe-like from behind).
An incessantly calling first-year male orchard oriole was my reward for making it to the river at the end of the trail.
But this time of year Cutler belongs to the common yellowthroats and the yellow warblers. Some yellow warblers have already fledged, hiding their yellow-gray mottled selves in the brush off of the boardwalk.
Here is the video version once again too big to watch in its embedded form (it's in HD so you can watch it full-size if you please). And I apologize for the cheesy edit, but I wanted to incorporate footage of a raccoon traveling the Cutler boardwalk, completely oblivious to the possibility that I might be at the other end.
This morning I traipsed through Ridge Hill, intending to count birds (and I did). Lots of fledglings on display, including eastern phoebe, chipping sparrow, brown-headed cowbirds (victimizing chipping sparrows), even eastern bluebirds. I was particularly delighted to hear veery song from the Chestnut Trail.
Today's chief excitement, however, was provided by quadrupeds--a pair of coyote cubs on the easement near the spot of some recent gas-line maintenance. They didn't seem bothered by me until they caught a whiff of my scent. Then off they ran.
