Bye-bye Boston.

The airline industry operates in a dynamic world where change, flexibility and cost effectiveness are an ingrained part of the culture. A new fleet of younger, prettier and above all lighter crew will be taking over the Boston routes from April. Us old hatless crew, complexions desiccated by a thousand transatlantic night flights and weighed down by years of experience will wave goodbye to one of our favourite destinations. We all felt little twinges of sadness and sciatica as, for most of us, this would be our last visit here and the stop was so brief.
It seemed more appropriate to toast the city one last time with my colleagues than to wander off alone to look at birds, so I had purposefully left my camera behind, but the girls' instinct to shop could not be overcome and I found myself with a spare hour before dusk on a stunning Massachusetts evening.

Many years ago, I took my first faltering steps into North American birding in Boston Back Bay Fens so I wanted to take a last stumble around the park before meeting up with my colleagues. It was strangely liberating to be birding with neither a camera nor even binoculars, but it occurred to me that I may end up writing a post and suddenly the urge to get pictures overwhelmed me. If you were one of the strangers that I may have inadvertently startled by asking for copies of your photographs, I apologise.

To Dionysius, who actually sent me some, thank you very much.

he Canada Geese were making a tremendous noise along the Muddy River and flocked on the lawns, feeding and depositing. The heads of the male Mallards looked stunning in the late afternoon light. A few White-throated Sparrows fed on the ground by the bridge near the rose garden.
In the Community Gardens, I met Annie who has set up feeders in her patch and visits every day. She had attracted Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse and Song Sparrow.

A young Red-tailed Hawk flew low across the allotments and settled in a tree above another garden filled with feeders. The weak winter sun had left the sky now and the hawk was silhouetted until it dropped down into the gardens scaring the passerines, but not managing to catch one.
I hope that the new crew will enjoy Boston as much as we did and that they will get out to see the beauty that it has to offer. Don't miss the Whale watching and as for the cemetery at Mount Auburn....
Given the cyclical nature of this business and the re-birth of ideas that keep a transient management busy, it is quite probable that the route will one day revert to the wizened fleet, but until then, "So long Boston".

Birds seen; 12

Canada Goose 200, Mallard 40, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Mourning Dove 10, Red-bellied Woodpecker 1, Black-capped Chickadee 6, Tufted Titmouse 4, House Sparrow 8, Song Sparrow 4, White-throated Sparrow 8, Northern Cardinal 4, Red-winged Blackbird 4.

Mount Auburn Cemetery, Boston, June 2011

Recent readers will notice that Mount Auburn Cemetery has become my patch of choice when visiting Boston. Reasons for this are very simple and anyone who has visited there couldn’t help but agree. It is safe, quiet and stunningly beautiful. This first week of June is no exception with the sun shining and the rhododendrons in full bloom.

I observed on my last visit that Boston was trailing behind other parts of the country in progression of spring. The locustellas in New York’s Central Park had already lost their blossom by the first day of June, yet a week later, Boston’s trees were still blooming.

I had hoped that a few warblers might be lagging behind the big north push, but the sightings board by the entrance disappointed me by noting only one Magnolia Warbler for the previous day. It was quiet, but there was still some movement. Northern Cardinals were attending a nest low in a bush and Warbling Vireos were singing their very pleasant song.

Other signs of the approaching summer were well advanced with young American Robins already out of their nests and feeding among the headstones. The Great Horned Owl chicks had fledged from their nest and were high up in a huge maple tree. Both chicks were looking well and one played peek-a-boo for a while.

One of the adults was hidden from view in the same tree. It had picked a spot that caught the evening sun and could only be seen from one particular point.

The White-throated Sparrows and Blue Jays which had been so much a part of my April visit, had moved on, but had seemingly been replaced by Eastern Chipmunks.

There is a Red-tailed Hawks' nest in the cemetery, so the chipmunks’ nervousness was very understandable. I didn’t see the nest today, but any chicks will have hatched by now and will need feeding. Imagine being a chipmunk and looking over your shoulder to see this and then sudden blackness.

It was late in the evening now and I bumped into a dozy Raccoon who looked in need of a coffee to wake him up.

On my way out of the cemetery, I took a detour to check on the owlets one more time and was lucky enough to see one of them shuffling along the branch and taking a short flight to the other side of the tree.

Other Mount Auburn visits with details and directions can be found here;

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/09/boston-back-bay-fens-and-mount-auburn.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/10/operation-autumn-colour.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/05/mount-auburn-cemetery-boston-april-2011.html

For more Trip reports about Boston follow this link.

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/09/boston-back-bay-fens-and-mount-auburn.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/07/boston-whale-watch.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/05/back-bay-fens-in-boston-april-2011.html

This link will take you to the dedicated USA and Canda page which will lead you to other sites and reports from around the continent.

Species seen; 19

Mallard 6, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Wild Turkey 1, Mourning Dove 4, Great Horned Owl 3, Chimney Swift 4, Downy Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 1, Cedar Waxwing 5, Grey Catbird 8, American Robin 45, Blue Jay 2, Common Starling 20, House Sparrow 20, Warbling Vireo 1, Chipping Sparrow 1, Northern Cardinal 6, Red-winged Blackbird 6, Common Grackle 20.

Bullfrog in Willow pond.

 Mount Auburn Cemetery, Boston, BOS



Mount Auburn Cemetery, Boston, April 2011

Having already been to Washinton DC as part of this itinerary, I became a little confused and told my wife that I was going to Mount Vernon. Angry and betrayed, she demanded to know "who's Vernon?"

The day was led by a misconception at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston. I found a couple of Blue-winged Warblers singing in a flowering pear tree at the junction of Halcyon Ave and Fountain Ave. The other birders in the cemetery were very excited to see them and a constant procession passed the tree asking about them. My plan was to stop with them until the sun came out, which it threatened to do on a couple of occasions, so while I waited, I appointed myself Chief Blue-winged Warbler pointer outer.

 The people who came to see them were invariably thrilled and or delighted, with many commenting that they had not seen them for a few years, or indeed like me, ever. So I was left with the impression that they were scarce and sought after, leading me to put up a twitchy type post to draw attention to them. Corey put me on to a website called e-bird which is a wonderful tool for judging the status of a bird in any given location and it would appear that Blue-winged Warblers, though not noted every day, are not as uncommon as I had thought. What is a day worth if you learn nothing? Even realising a mistake is a step forward.

I had seen something in Virginia a couple of days before that could have been a Blue-winged Warbler and as I watched these undeniable ones in the pear tree, I realised that it must have been. I had not seen the bird well enough at Great Falls Park, but now that I was getting well acquainted with them, I was happy to take it retrospectively. But how come I have been warbler watching for 15 years and not seen one?

Mount Auburn Cemetery has more to offer than just Blue-winged Warblers. The first birds seen this morning were a pair of Red-tailed Hawks which have a nest close to Auburn Lake, but my next stop was to be at the Great Horned Owls’ nest. Two owlets are growing fast in the nest, 5 metres up a Locust tree off Hawthorn Path. One of the adults was able to keep an eye on them from the shade of a nearby Spruce tree. I have taken it on trust that this is the male.

I had left the warblers as the sun was showing no further signs of coming out, but, cussed ball of gas that it is, as soon as I turned my back, it found a patch of clear sky. Hoping that it might last, I headed back to the warblers, passing an Eastern Chipmunk pining on its master’s grave.

By the time I got back, the light had gone again. These little warblers are so entrancing, it would have been wonderful to catch them in the blossom in good light.

Other warblers visiting the pear tree and the surrounding area included Yellow, Yellow-rumped and an accommodating Black and White Warbler.

I had covered very little ground today as most of the time was spent waiting for some good light, but a number of birds passed by while I was there. A Scarlet Tanager stopped in the top of a thinly leafed tree, a Gray Catbird peeped out from behind a low-growing evergreen bush and a Baltimore Oriole flashed through. Blue Jays are very common and one sat beautifully in a gap in a flowering Forsythia.

Birds seen; 30

Double-crested Cormorant 1, Canada Goose 4, Mallard 4, Osprey 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Mourning Dove 2, Great Horned Owl 3, Downy Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 2, Eastern Kingbird 3, Gray Catbird 1, American Robin 50, Black-capped Chickadee 4, White-breasted Nuthatch 2, Blue Jay 20, American Crow 2, Common Starling 2, House Sparrow 6, American Goldfinch 1, Blue-winged Warbler 2, Yellow Warbler 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler 14, Black and White Warbler 1, Common Yellowthroat 1, Scarlet Tanager 1, Chipping Sparrow 6, White-throated Sparrow 15, Northern Cardinal 8, Common Grackle 40, Baltimore Oriole 1.

Chipping Sparrow

Mount Auburn is 580 beautiful acres of mature trees, lawns and lakes, but primarily it is a functioning cemetery, so discretion and respect should be a priority.

There is a Boston Metro station on the Red Line called Harvard Square. From here, bus numbers 71 and 73 take less than 10 minutes to reach the cemetery gates on Mount Auburn St. (Google Earth ref; 42 22 30.83N 71 8 40.91W). The buses run approximately twice within 30 minutes.

The cemetery gates officially open around 08.00, but an early visitor will often find them open much earlier. Just inside the gate to the right is a small building that holds information about the cemetery and there is a board there that details recent interesting sightings.

 Blue-winged Warblers, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Boston, BOS

Back Bay Fens in Boston April 2011

I found a slight short-cut (reducing the already short walk) to the Back Bay Fens in Boston that brought me out at the Fire Alarm Dispatch at Fenway and Westland Ave (Google Earth Ref; 42 20’ 39”N 71 05’ 28”W).

I could hear Blue Jays and a Northern Cardinal over the traffic as I crossed the road and began exploring the reed beds behind the Fire Services depot. A Hermit Thrush skulked incompetently while a Gray Catbird made a better job, only allowing me brief glimpses.

A Blue Jay was hammering his bill, woodpecker-like into a branch trying to dislodge a grub for another bird that was begging like a fledgling. Do Blue Jay adults revert to immature behaviour or gift giving and receiving as part of a courtship? The begging bird looked far too advanced for April in Boston.

Having just visited the north part of Virginia, near Washington DC, it was immediately apparent that spring was dragging its heels to reach Massachusetts. The willows overhanging the water were flushed in green, but most of the other trees were slow to leaf. The distance of about 400 miles and 3 degrees of Longitude were certainly making a difference to the season. Boston has been suffering from a cold wet spring so far and the skies were overcast again threatening more rain.

Another birder approached and a Black and White Warbler picked above us as he stopped to chat. I invited myself to join him and we set off together a quite a pace. Ryan has a great ear and an impressive turn of speed. Our approach to birding was very different as I like to amble along craning my neck, while Ryan ‘speed birds’ identifying birds from a great distance through their calls and his familiarity with the Fens which he has been visiting daily for 6 years.

He pointed out some Savannah Sparrows which I had to grab a picture of quickly as Ryan moved on. Having imposed myself upon him, I was reluctant to slow him down by stopping for photographs until we reached the southern tip of the fens beyond the sporting area.

 Ryan picked out a Ruby-crowned Kinglet shortly followed by some Palm warblers, Northern Parula and a magnificent male Yellow Warbler.

He showed me a very productive spot to the west that I had not visited before. A sign called the area Muddy River Reservation. It was a small pond in a depression surrounded by trees and scrub. American Black Duck moved away from the bank at our approach and Dark-eyed Juncos flashed their pale outer tail feathers as they flew. A Common Grackle seemed determined to eat an acorn which I felt sure would probably choke it.

Ryan continued towards the Charles River and I began the much slower return leg. I revisited the warblers to see if I could get a better look at the tail-pumping Palm Warblers. A Brown Creeper showed well in a fallen mess of branches.

The Yellow Warbler and the kinglet showed again, but evening was upon me and the light was almost gone now. Ryan had identified Eastern Towhees by call, but they came out to be seen on the way back. In the last few rays a couple of Northern Rough-winged Swallows darted across the water close to Agassiz Road that cuts through the fens. Spring may be slow, but it’s coming for sure.

Thank to Ryan for pointing out the warblers and for letting me slow him down.

Bird seen; 34

Canada Goose 25, Mallard 4, American Black Duck 8, Mourning Dove 6, Downy Woodpecker 2, Northern Flicker 4, Tree Swallow 4, Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2, Gray Catbird 5, American Robin 40, Hermit Thrush 4, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 8, Black-capped Chickadee 8, White-breasted Nuthatch 2, Brown Creeper 1, Blue Jay 30, American Crow 2, Common Starling 8, House Sparrow 6, Northern Parula 2, Yellow Warbler 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 2, Palm warbler 3, Black and White Warbler 1, Eastern Sparrow 3, Chipping Sparrow 3, Savannah Sparrow 6, Song Sparrow 2, Swamp Sparrow 1, White-throated Sparrow 12, Dark-eyed Junco 8, Northern Cardinal 6, Common Grackle 20, Baltimore Oriole 1.

American Robin

For other posts from Boston, use the links below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/07/boston-whale-watch.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/09/boston-back-bay-fens-and-mount-auburn.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/10/operation-autumn-colour.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/05/mount-auburn-cemetery-boston-april-2011.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/06/mount-auburn-cemetery-boston-june-2011.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/06/whale-watching-boston-june-2011.html

Visit the dedicated page for posts from various locations in USA and Canada

Boston Whale-watch

The city of Boston steamed gently in the early summer heat. Despite it’s delightful appeal, Boston is still a city and therefore not the natural habitat for a Redgannet.

The Founding Fathers greatest gift to the city was to site it by the shore and within an hour on a fast catamaran, of Stellwagen Bank. This is a plateau that raises the seabed to within 30 meters of the surface on a line between Cape Ann and Cape Cod.

Here the cold currents are forced upwards bringing nutrients from the depths closer to their end users at the top of the food chain.

The New England Aquarium ( http://www.neaq.org/ ) runs whale-watching trips twice a day during the season which runs from April through October.

I caught the trip leaving from the dock at the aquarium at 09.30 (high season schedule). Trips usually last for 3 or 4 hours. I was concerned that this might be a little tight for my early afternoon flight back to UK, but the morning trip must return on time in order to take the afternoon trip out at 13.30, so they are reliable enough.

My first birds of the day had been spotted around the harbour area while waiting for the boat. A Mourning Dove sat well while Common Grackles flew over and an American Herring Gull rinsed itself in the shallow of the harbour.

Once out on the water, a few more gulls were seen. A couple of ring-billed Gulls were outnumbered by occasional pairs of Black-backed Gulls. Double-crested Cormorants flew low across the water until we made it beyond the shelter of the islands and onto the ocean. Here an occasional Brown Booby was seen ( actually, they were far more likely to have been juvenile Northern Gannets. Please see comment below).

My first open-water bird was a Sooty Shearwater that flew abeam of us for a short way before crossing our bows.

Next was a Wilson’s Storm-Petrel which stayed distant and small in the lens...

It was this bird that I had in mind when I considered whale-watching for today. I would love to get a decent picture of this little bird, but that is now a project for next time as the photo above was as good as it got.

The most confiding bird was the Great Shearwater. This was the most numerous and the one that approached the boat close enough to make a picture. I had not brought my field guide with me and had to rely on the naturalist on-board to narrow my possibilities. I should have been able to identify the Greater Shearwater without help.

The combination of a narrow pale band on the rump, a white collar and a smudge on the belly is distinctive. The Sooty Shearwater, I felt fairly confident about and could think of no likely alternatives.

A sudden change of direction and a drop in the tone of the engines indicated that something exciting had been spotted. The public address struck up and informed us that a small group of whales were up ahead.

They were Humpback Whales, a mother with calf and an adult male. Their manner of movement suggested that they were feeding. The naturalist kept a commentary going while we stayed with the whales, describing their migration patterns and social interactions. He was very informative, but I had issues with the Captain who seemed to prefer to keep the whales at our 11 o’clock position.

We had agreed a system of locating whales whereby straight ahead of the boat was 12 o’clock. Directly astern was 6 o’clock. I was at a point on the starboard bow that might be described as 2 o’clock. Get the idea?

For some reason the captain would manoeuvre the boat so that the best view of the whales was from the 11 o’clock point. This resulted in a rush to that part of the boat. I thought that the whales would move about and appear on different sides of the boat, so I would get my chance to be in the best position if I was patient. Time and time again, the captain shifted the angle of the boat to put the whales off the port bow. It became apparent that this was her preferred position so I relinquished my place at the starboard bow and joined the throng on the other side. Only then did the whales move into the 2 o’clock position and I was left on the wrong side again. We stayed with the group for a few dives and enjoyed a few tails as they took a deeper dive.

Reports were coming in from other vessels about some Fin Whales which were being watched in the vicinity. A democratic round of applause, gave the captain her cue to break away from the humpbacks and go in search of the world’s second largest whale.

As we approached, I was pleased to see that the whales were on my side and that I was in pole position. Then the captain announced that she was going to manoeuvre the boat so that the whales were in the 11 o’clock position again. I was beginning to take it personally until I realised that there was actually a half-good reason for this. The Fin Whale is asymmetric with a pale streak that runs from the lower jaw on it’s right side and extends along the flank. The corresponding areas on the left side are dark.

The captain had moved the boat so that the pale area was visible to us and we could see the asymmetry.

I was about to make comment on how rare it is to find asymmetry in the animal kingdom, but I suddenly realised how wrong that would be. Zebras, giraffes and the spotty or stripy cats are all asymmetrically patterned. Flatfish have a left/right bias. Fiddler Crabs have one small claw and one massive one. New Zealand’s Wrybill and the Black Skimmer of the Americas both have bills with a sideways bent.

Anyway the captain was keen to show us the pale areas, so I was poorly positioned again. Nevertheless, we all had good views of a huge Fin whale and her calf. Eventually.

On the way back towards the shore 3 shearwaters flew across our starboard bow. I could see that they were smaller than the Great Shearwater and did not have the characteristic traits as described earlier. These were Manx Shearwaters. I have not seen any of these since I last went whale-watching in Boston.

Despite the temperature being very high in the city, it was cold out on the ocean. The Voyager 3 makes around 25 knots so it is windy too. The ride back to Boston was only made bearable by the Manx Shearwaters and some pleasant company from Wisconsin. I would advise a jacket or an inside seat whatever the weather.

The subway system in Boston has a stop right beside the New England Aquarium. The stop is called Aquarium, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find.

The boat goes from the dock right beside the seal tank. Schedules vary during the season and at weekends. Bookings can be made online or by turning up at the ticket booth beside the dock 30 minutes prior to departure.

The boat boasts a snack bar and toilets with an onboard naturalist and spotters. A small education exhibit is located inside where there is plenty of room to shelter from the worst of any weather.

Bird species; 12

Great Shearwater 20, Sooty Shearwater 5, Manx Shearwater 3, Wilson’s Storm Petrel 9, Northern Gannet 3, Double-crested Cormorant 40, Mallard 5, Ring-billed Gull 4, Great Black-backed Gull 25, Forster’s Tern 3, Mourning Dove 2, Common Grackle 12.

For other Boston Posts, follow the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/09/boston-back-bay-fens-and-mount-auburn.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/10/operation-autumn-colour.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/05/back-bay-fens-in-boston-april-2011.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/05/mount-auburn-cemetery-boston-april-2011.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/06/mount-auburn-cemetery-boston-june-2011.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/06/whale-watching-boston-june-2011.html

Visit the dedicated page for posts from various locations in USA and Canada

In response to a comment, I wanted to check my claim to have seen a Brown Booby. It would be a very rare event indeed to see one of these in New England waters Richard tells me.
After checking around I must concede that it was far more likely to have been a Northern Gannet. I saw a few of them and the chances that such a rare bird would appear in numbers is most unlikely, but....I am reasonably familiar with gannets and I recall the reason for choosing Brown Booby was the yellow bill and dark cleanly marked breast.
Hmmmm?
I did not realise the status of this bird at the time, so did not pay it any particular attention. I have no photos or notes taken at the time to refer back to, so it would be unrealistic to claim such a rarity.
I should hate to be the cause of birders flocking to Boston Cruises hoping to find a mega-rare bird, when in fact it was a mistake on my part. So, in this case I shall relinquish my claim on the Brown Booby in favour of a juvenile Northern Gannet.
Thanks to Richard for spotting the error.