Census

Weekly, volunteers get together to count the various species of birds found at Great Meadows Concord. The results of the census are shared with other Massachusetts birders via the MassBird list. The results are also entered in the ebird a database of North American bird observations sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.

Reading the census reports for a day that I've visited the refuge, I've been impressed about how many more species of birds they see. Curious about the process, I joined Kathy Dia, Will Martens, and Alan Bragg in the parking lot at 6:30AM to get a birder's perspective of Great Meadows and learn some of their secrets of success. David Swain joined us in progress and Clayton Swanson's BBC group also provided some observations.


Front to Back - Will, Kathy & Alan checking out the Wood Ducks on the Cross Dike Trail


Looking for the Least Bittern (Not) at the "Poison Ivy Bench"


Will and Kathy checking for birds at the Upper Impoundment Spillway


I am glad they allowed me to tag along. I was amazed at how they are able to identify birds. I learned so much. Probably half of the sightings start with recognizing a birds call. How they are able to hear a Willow Flycatcher while all the Red Winged Blackbirds, Robins, Catbirds, and Goldfinches are calling around the refuge at the same time is amazing. Knowing what they are looking for, they can look in the appropriate area to try to see the bird.

Birds in flight were even more amazing. While I was just starting to notice a bird flying, they would generally sight the bird with their binoculars and identify the bird before it disappeared out of view.

Their identifications helped me put names (and quite a few visuals) with the many calls I hear while walking around. This post is a little light on photos since I spent so much of my time observing, and observing the observers. However, I was able to take a few photos to share. (Note any errors in identification are due to my memory, not their skill!)


Tree Swallows


Downy Woodpecker


OSHA would approve - notice the nictating membrane protecting the woodpecker's eye at the moment of impact


Black-crowned Night-Heron perched seen from boat landing


Juvenile Eastern Wood Pewee


Willow Flycatcher


I had to take a photo of this Common Whitetail dragonfly as it posed on a rock. Normally, you only see them hiding in plain sight on the crushed gravel path. It was so rare to see one on a natural background that I had to take the shot.




These were just a few of the 50 different species they identified today. Here's the full list

Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit, Middlesex, US-MA
Jul 20, 2011 6:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Protocol: Audubon NWR
200.0 ac
2.4 mile(s)
50 species

Canada Goose 90
Mute Swan 2
Wood Duck 21 7 juveniles
Mallard 10
Hooded Merganser 1
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 8
Green Heron 1 Upper impoundment, 500' out from the tower in the ditch.
Black-crowned Night-Heron 4 3 flyover, 1 perched seen from boat landing
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 1
Killdeer 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 6
Least Sandpiper 4
Rock Pigeon 4
Mourning Dove 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 9 1 Juvenile
Northern Flicker 4
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Willow Flycatcher 3 Observed frequent flying to possible nest site in marsh
Eastern Phoebe 3
Eastern Kingbird 5
Warbling Vireo 11
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 5
Tree Swallow 9 Juvenile being fed by adult in maple tree just past kiosk on cross-dike trail
Barn Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 11
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Marsh Wren 23
Wood Thrush 2 Juvenile with adult on RR bed near gate.
American Robin 7
Gray Catbird 8
Cedar Waxwing 3
Yellow Warbler 5
Pine Warbler 1 Near Maintenance Shop
Common Yellowthroat 9 Adult feeding juvenile
Chipping Sparrow 2 near Maintenance Shop
Song Sparrow 11 2 Juvenile
Swamp Sparrow 4
Scarlet Tanager 1 near Maintenance Shop
Northern Cardinal 4
Red-winged Blackbird 200
Common Grackle 40
American Goldfinch 15
House Sparrow 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 (http://ebird.org)

What's The Buzz?

The NECCC Photography conference this weekend was great, but as a result it has been almost a week since my last visit to Great Meadows. The weather has been warm and dry with really hot temps coming later this week. So I figured I would check what was up at Great Meadows before I had to carry as much weight in water as I do in camera gear.

It's always good to get an overview from the tower before wandering out into the refuge. Looking down you can see the effects of draining the upper impoundment. The beavers would have a long walk before they could swim! The lotus in the upper impoundment is starting to bloom. As I started to descend the tower this Eastern Kingbird flew to the dead branches near the tower and posed.








As I ventured onto the Dike Trail, I noticed that some of the milk weed has turned to pods, but a lot is still blooming. The buzz of bees was quite audible as I walked. They were everywhere; on the milkweed, on the tick-trefoil, even on the cat tail reeds!












The dragon and damselflies were quite active as the temperature started to soar. Maybe it was all the sessions on macro photography that I attended, but I was quite happy to take their photo. The refuge has exploded with varieties of damsel and dragonflies. I will have to dedicate a whole visit to photographing them.


Eastern Forktail




Blue Dasher


Eastern Forktails Mating




(I apologize for any dragon / damselfly identifications I got wrong, my Field Guide Dragonflies and Damselflies on Massachusetts is on order.)

I've learned to expect the unexpected at Great Meadows. Sometimes, my camera even has the right settings to take advantage of the situation. Here are a few from today's visit.


Muskrat with a Large Garden Salad - To Go


One of four A-10 "Warthogs" that took off from Hanscom (Surprisingly - quieter than most of the executive jet takeoffs)


Catbird with Insects Returning to Nest

A Hot One

It was already 76 degrees when I awoke at 5:20AM, so without delay I headed to Great Meadows before the heat became unbearable. With the hot temperatures, I decided is was a good day to go with my light weight lens kit.

Walking up the Dike Trail, I was greeted by a family of Wood Ducks near the water control gates. A bit further up the path a mink or two darted back and forth across the path. While I have better pictures technically, this one captures the mood.






With the hot weather the dragonflies are out in force. I also encountered this beautiful white moth. It wasn't until I got home that I noticed the detail in the feathery antenea.








A bit further up the Dike Trail, I noticed that the Mash Wrens were all making a different call. In the end I think several nests have fledged their newborns. They are hard to see because they are small and tend to stay down in the reeds. Through persistence and luck, I finally got to get some photos of one.




At Great Meadows they have started to drain water out of the upper impoundment. The water has dropped dramatically in the last few days. You can see how much of these reeds had been under water.




With the hot weather, I knew one of my subjects would be flowers around the refuge would be one of my subjects. I should have thought about wearing long pants, kneeling on those gravel paths is tough on the knees.








The joggers were out early, which always makes photographing the birds more challenging. As the day started to heat up, the families started to come out to visit before it got TOO hot.






There is a swampy area near the parking lot near a fallen tree. Over the months I've thought that I've never photographed anything there. (It's pretty dark and disgusting). Today, I saw a Black Duck with three chicks.




With the day getting decidedly warmer, I decided to enjoy a drink while sitting on the bench beneath the tower. While I was there several birds flew in...Next hot day, maybe I'll just sit there and let the subjects come to me.


Willow Flycatcher


Female American Goldfinch