Date: 8/26/25 1:50 pm From: 'PAUL ROBERTS' via Arlington Birds <arlingtonbirds...> Subject: [Arlington Birds] "Identifying Hawks in Flight" Webinar for Mass Audubon, Thurs., Sept 4, 7-8:30 pm
Thursday evening, September 4, I am giving a webinar on "Identifying Hawks in Flight" for Mass Audubon from 7-8:30 p.m. Whether taking it for the first time or as a refresher, the webinar provides an opportunity to prepare for an exciting hawk migration, especially the peak from Sept 10-24 when you have your best chance to see 100+ hawks and 10+ species in a single day. One of the most spectacular migrations you can see live. (Caution: it can be addictive!) The class will help you identify 13 species of hawks and learn when and where to look for migrants. You will also have online archive access to the video of the class in case you miss the live presentation or want to review it again. The class is $20 for Audubon members; $24 for nonmembers. For more information or to register, go to https://www.massaudubon.org/programs/mass-audubon-education/97131-birds-of-summer-identifying-hawks-in-flight Best, Paul Paul M. Roberts Medford, MA <phawk254...>
Date: 8/17/25 1:57 pm From: Diana F. <diana.fru...> Subject: [Arlington Birds] Eastern Mass Hawk Watch Annual Meeting: IN PERSON! Friday Sept 5th 2025, 7pm at Middlesex Community College, Bedford Campus. Public Invited!
Fyi
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Brian Rusnica <velocicrafter...>
Date: Fri, Aug 15, 2025, 8:04 AM
Subject: [MASSBIRD] Eastern Mass Hawk Watch Annual Meeting: IN PERSON!
Friday Sept 5th 2025, 7pm at Middlesex Community College, Bedford Campus.
Public Invited!
To: Massbird <massbird...>
The 2025 Eastern Mass Hawk Watch annual meeting will be Friday, September
5th at 7pm. *PLEASE NOTE* our new location for 2025: we will gather at
Middlesex Community College in Bedford, MA. The meeting will take place in
the Cafe East section of the Campus Center. Please see a detailed campus
map on our website here: https://massbird.org/emhw/annual-meeting/
We'd like to extend the invitation to our meeting to the public and welcome
all who are interested in learning more about hawkwatching and our
organization. The annual meeting is the traditional kick-off to the Fall
hawkwatching season in Massachusetts - it won't be long before the first
kettles of Broad-wings gather over the skies of New England!
Our keynote speaker this year is Ben Nickley from The Berkshire Bird
Observatory. Ben will present on Berkshire Bird Observatory’s efforts to
recover American Kestrel populations in the Berkshires through their
American Kestrel Nest Box Project. Though initially a side-project,
bringing Kestels back has become central to BBO’s conservation efforts in
the region, as these extraordinary pocket falcons deserve full commitment.
Considered a species of greatest conservation need in MA, Kestrels have
unfortunately experienced range-wide declines with acute declines across
the Northeast. Ben will present on the development of BBO’s Kestrel trail
and the early success of the project.
The meeting is free and open to the public (donations appreciated) and will
take place in the auditorium. A social hour with beverages, appetizers and
snacks starts at 6pm, followed at 7pm by a brief business meeting and the
keynote presentation. The business meeting will review EMHW Watch Sites and
how you can visit or participate this upcoming migration season! We’ll also
have the return of our famous raffle, including many raptor-related and
birding items and some fantastic photography. Join us for a great evening!
If you are interested in contributing raffle items, refreshments, or
helping EMHW with the meeting, please let us know at
<e.masshawkwatch...> and we'll be in contact!
For complete information, including directions to the location in Bedford
(plenty of free parking), visit the Eastern Mass Hawk Watch web site at
massbird.org/EMHW.
EMHW's Bonfire T-Shirt campaign is running at https://www.bonfire.com/emhw if you'd like to support our raptor conservation efforts and order a
t-shirt. We've partnered with *Bonfire* as a unique solution that allows
EMHW to support a wide variety of size, color and garment options.
Date: 8/17/25 12:59 pm From: 'PAUL ROBERTS' via Arlington Birds <arlingtonbirds...> Subject: [Arlington Birds] Status of Arlington's Eagles
Hi, So far so good. (Knock on wood.) KZ and FAE (Female Adult Eagle), nesting on the Mystic Lakes, hatched and fledged three eaglets in 2025: 75/C, the largest and almost certainly the oldest, and a female; 76/C, likely second-hatched and male, but conceivably a small female; and 77/C, last hatched, first fledged, and the smallest and most aggressive of the three. FAE has been an absolutely incredible mother. Based on her behavior, I'm inclined to think that she is as old or older than KZ, and likely previously mated, but she is unbanded, so her past has "passed." She clearly does not trust/like people being close to her. She is much more wary of being close to people than KZ, who was previously mated with MK, who regrettably had no fear of people. This year FAE was incredibly regular on incubating the eggs and expecting KZ to relieve her of those duties within minutes of dawn. She would quickly head off a distance to void, hunt, and relax for several hours. Once the eggs started to hatch, she remained very close to the nest at all times. KZ is a fantastic mate. He provided food to FAE, but she often fished for herself. He patrolled the lakes intensely, especially after FAE began laying. He tolerated juveniles and yearlings on the upper lake and forebays as long as they kept a respectful distance. However, any bird appearing close to adult plumage was aggressively ushered out of the area. Several times I was shocked to see him intercepting whitish-headed birds as far north of the Upper Forebay as I could see, conceivably close to Horn Pond, and driving them farther away. KZ is ten years old this year, probably his best year ever. I've been critical of him for taking the easiest prey, such as adult herring returning south over the dam, when they are exposed on the spillway. He did that earlier this year, but the dam has been one dry for weeks with no fish going over (including no eaglets imitating Dad's inclinations.) Instead, as the kids reached maximum growth rate beginning around 5 weeks of age, he started delivering huge fish to the nest, some of the largest fish I've ever seen pulled out of the lakes. Some were so heavy that KZ could barely carry them higher than a few feet above the water, and he had to stop and rest in the gnarly trees before trying to lift the meal up 50+ feet into the nest. (KZ probably weighs about 8 lbs.) Several times in the late winter he took fish too heavy for him or FAE to lift off the ice, so he began eating the fish on the ice and then gave way to his mate to eat to her heart's content before carrying the remains to a more secluded spot to finish it off. Feeding three eaglets is very challenging, but KZ and FAE have given lots of fish, along with squirrels, rabbits, and a raccoon or two to their kids. FAE ensured that the smallest kid was adequately fed, tearing up prey and giving it to him directly after both adults began tossing the fish directly into the nest.. Even after the kids branched and then fledged, I was surprised to see FAE and KZ still deliver most of the food to the nest. Normally one would expect the adults to take prey to perches away from the nest, and eventually put some on the ground, to encourage the search and hunting instincts of the kids. The kids know EVERYWHERE where Mom and Dad like to perch. They've gone to those places frequently, begging loudly for food. FAE and KZ have had enough, It is clear that both have communicated to the kids that they should not go begging to KZ's "man-cave", or to FAE's favorite perches on the opposite end of the lakes. The adults are tired of all that begging, so the kids are not nearly as vocal as they were. FAE also is not seen nearly as much, as she is molting heavily and appears to prefer remaining out of sight. She has delivered very few fish, and tiny ones at that, recently. (She looks like she was awakened in the middle of the night while sleeping in her clothes.) Unlike earlier, she has been seen on Mass Ave in Arlington and Spy Pond. KZ has been seen lounging at Horn Pond. Two days ago we had all three kids soaring together briefly, but most of the time we see only one or two, usually 75/C and 76/C, and they often are well hidden, seen briefly in distant flight They are now begging much less than has been the case. Today 75/C was seen striking the water in several apparent fishing attempts. The kids have scavenged leftovers deposited by Mom or Dad, and are apparently fed occasionally by KZ, usually late in the day. With the drought, there is no water running over the dam so no herring or other fry providing easy pickings for the kids or photographers. The past ten days have been some of the quietest of the year. There are rare occasions when two or three might be seen flying, occasionally soaring, in the distance, Within the next two or three weeks, the degrees of separation should increase significantly. 77/C is now rarely seen, and more far-ranging. 75/C and 76/C will increase that degree of separation and distance, looking for other juveniles for company, and hoping the strangers know where and when to find free, easy food. As they melt into the woods and ponds of eastern Massachusetts, they might disperse to the mid-Atlantic states, like KZ's earliest kids, but it seems increasingly likely that they might just hang out with other juveniles and yearlings at some new fishing holes in eastern Massachusetts. They meet and socialize with other youngsters and are tolerated by other adults. They have about two years of good will before they might be seen as territorial or social threats. Data suggests that with global warming "local" eagles often don't feel the need to go south. They use the winter to explore their natal areas, where they ultimately will likely attempt to nest. FAE will finish her molt and start ranging a bit more for a few months. KZ needs to go through his molt after he is done with the heavy load of feeding the kids. The two adults need several months R&R, often off-lakes, before they think of repairing the nest, or what they are going to do for next year. Birds this large, – that require 3-5 years to mature physically – have distinctive personalities. I think FAE is on the socially conservative side, probably raised away from regular close contact with humans. I think she is an incredibly smart and capable parent. KZ's tenth year has shown him to be more mature and apparently a better provider than ever before. He's fledged ten eagles on the Mystics and never done a better job than he has this year. Last year two eaglets died within a week of fledging, and the first fledgling (91/C) incurred a serious injury but was rehabbed and released. Two notes. In 2020 KZ was the territorial adult male on the Mystic Lakes and MK, a year younger, his mate. After they built the nest, MK hatched at least one chick. That spring, while MK was incubating or brooding, KZ was challenged by at least six different adult male Bald Eagles, ultimately losing twice to Z74, an adult from New York State. Z74 stole MK's first nestling from the nest and killed it, and then chased KZ around and around the lakes, causing KZ to roll over in defense and lock talons with his pursuer. The birds tumbled from the sky, and only Z74 emerged from beneath the horizon. He took possession of the lakes and theoretically MK, who refused to copulate with or feed Z74. (see "Eagle Wars," pp.4-11, Massachusetts Wildlife, No.2, 2020.) I had never read of such competition between males when the female was already incubating eggs, but it made some sense in that the female incubating was "held captive," because if she abandoned the eggs she would lose the clutch and probably the entire breeding season. I did extensive research and contacted many leading authorities on eagles. No one reported observing similar behavior in their experience.) Second, I would caution readers to seriously question instances where they see adult eagles locking talons and tumbling. In my research and experience, this is almost always agonistic behavior, i.e., fighting usually but not always between two birds of the same gender. (I have seen the larger female come to the "rescue" of her mate against a larger male foe.) Tail chasing, talon dropping, and even talon locking can be valuable "training" for immature birds, practicing for eventual defense of territories and mates in their adulthood. Very rarely do adult mates ever lock talons with potential mates in breeding displays, if at all. Best, Paul Paul M. Roberts Medford, MA <phawk254...>
Date: 8/13/25 3:55 pm From: Steven Simpson <steveshrike...> Subject: [Arlington Birds] Migrant on the Move in Arl Hts
I just spied an ovenbird out my window in our rhododendron. I am several blocks from the nearest woodland (Arl heights)so they must be getting itchy. Steven A. Simpson
The podcast gets broadcast by WICN Worcester 90.5 FM, but I don’t have the
date yet. However, you can listen to it straight off the station website.
WICN is an affiliate of NPR.
Date: 8/6/25 7:21 am From: <sohzendeh...> Subject: [Arlington Birds] FW: Snake Island survey Aug 3, 2025
Mates,
The first weekend of the Manomet shorebird blitz is almost over. I don't have data from all sources in Boston, but here is what I know so far.
Yesterday (Aug 2) morning at Belle Isle Marsh, Naeem Yusuff, Mark Hibberd, Dave Williams and John Edmondson tallied up a respectable selection of yellowlegs (6 lesser / 33 greater) a dozen SBDowitchers, a couple of hundred SemiSandpipers and one Stilt Sandpiper. In the afternoon of the same day (Aug 2), Laura Markley saw many fewer birds; today Mark told me the count was considerably lower at morning high tide than yesterday. It seems like the local Peregrine did its usual thing and terrorized the shorebirds into leaving -- the Saturday morning crew mentioned seeing a Peregrine strafe the roosting birds.
Tim Eardly at Winthrop Beach had very few birds yesterday or today.
Loretta Wood and Tim, however, scanned the airport and surrounding flats and estimated several hundred (300 - 500) peep feeding there at mid-tide. Perhaps there is less Peregrine harassment there.
I had made inquiries of my friend Joe Pike about procuring a boat to visit Snake Island in Winthrop harbor. Joe connected us with Captain Jim Healy, retired Coast Guard, who picked up 3 of us (Beth Howard, Jessica McGeary, me) and dropped us off at Snake Island around 7:30 this morning. At high tide, the number of shorebirds there was underwhelming. See list attached to the end of this email (thank you Jessica for keeping the list).
I remember hitting Snake Island a year ago with Sebastian Jones and we were immediately looking at hundreds of migrant SemiSandpipers. But see comments, below, about 1980s shorebird counts at Snake.
In Wollaston-Squantum, Dan O'Brien today counted substantial numbers of SemiSandpipers (378), yellowlegs (17 lesser / 28 greater) and 8 SBDowitchers. He also saw a White-rumped Sandpiper.
Here is some historical perspective on shorebird counts in the Harbor and vicinity.
In 1980, we started a series of Boston Harbor bird censuses which were known as Take a Second Look (TASL). Most of the counts were done in the winter and continued until 2015. But that first summer, 1980, we organized a couple of counts, one on July 20 and the other on August 3. Today was the 45th anniversary of that August count.
On this date, Aug 3 in 1980, my friend Craig Jackson and I arrived at Snake Island for an early morning high tide. In the fog we realized we were hearing a lot of shorebirds. Once the fog lifted, out first tally was of ~300 Ruddy Turnstones. We then continued with what seems like ridiculous numbers now -- 3000 SemiSandpipers, 72 Red Knots, etc. I extracted the full report for that date from TASL News (November 1980) and attached it to this email. The complete report for the two dates in summer 1980 are in the full issue of TASL News: https://032acf2.netsolhost.com/TN.issues/1980.11.pdf You will find that the count of SemiSandpipers on Aug 3 was eclipsed by 5000 on July 20.
We did no other summer surveys in the 1980s, but in 1993 we resumed doing monthly summer and early fall counts. You may browse the issues of TASL News: https://032acf2.netsolhost.com/tasl.news.htm Summer data are in the following issues: August 1994; September 1994; November 1994; June 1995; September 1995; June 1996; September 1996; June 1997; August 1997 Numbers of shorebirds were clearly beginning their long and alarming drop back then.
Here is the list from today's Snake Island survey:
BHI--Snake Island (restricted access), Suffolk, Massachusetts, US Aug 3, 2025 7:27 AM - 8:53 AM Protocol: Traveling 0.457 mile(s) Checklist Comments: 3 observers 25 bird species (+3 other taxa)
Mallard 2 Common Eider 2 Mourning Dove 5 American Oystercatcher 16 3 chicks close to fledging. 2 eggs in nest on east side of island. Semipalmated Plover 9 Short-billed Dowitcher 11 Willet 9 White-rumped Sandpiper 1 Confirmed by multiple observers Least Sandpiper 7 Semipalmated Sandpiper 60 American Herring Gull 2 gull sp. 5 Least Tern 1 Common Tern 4 Double-crested Cormorant 2 Black-crowned Night Heron 1 Snowy Egret 3 Great Egret 1 Great Blue Heron 6 Multiple sightings around and over island Osprey 4 European Starling 11 Gray Catbird 2 American Goldfinch 1 Song Sparrow 2 new world sparrow sp. 3 Red-winged Blackbird 3 Common Grackle 3 blackbird sp. 4
