Whiting Woodcocks 3/1

Just as one of my email correspondents said, the Crestwood Community Gardens, a rather shabby agglomeration of muddy plots evoking either the Great Depression or World War II victory gardens, is a hot spot of American Woodcock activity. Shari & I drove over there at dusk (it's about 5 minutes from here) and waited. It's amazing how long it takes to get dark when you want it to get dark. Just as the sky was becoming a deep gray-blue we heard our first "peent."  They started to come rapid fire for about a half hour and while we didn't see any aerial displays, we did hear the whirling of woodcock wings to the southeast. If you haven't experienced the sound of woodcocks in the spring, I'd recommend finding a muddy, marshy area near an open field and hanging around there until just after dark. Even if you don't see the woodcocks in flight--and there's a good chance you will--their calls are otherworldly.

I started March off with a trip down to Great Bay Blvd. I'm always amused by the name when I turn on to the road. Boulevard of Broken Asphalt. Not many boulevards pass through marshes.

Fish factory ruins from Great Bay Blvd.

 Not many boulevards, I believe, incorporate wooden bridges.

A favorite spot for gulls to drop clam shells

While I didn't find anything new for the year, I did find a couple of interesting birds like American Oystercatcher (always a happy find) and Savannah Sparrow. The sparrow I used for Bird A Day. Including the feeder birds from the backyard I started March off with 28 species:

Species   Count     Location

Brant   65     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Canada Goose   2     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

American Black Duck   10     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Bufflehead   1     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Red-breasted Merganser   13     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Common Loon   7     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Great Blue Heron   1     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Turkey Vulture   1     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

American Oystercatcher   7     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

American Woodcock   2     Crestwood Community Gardens

Herring Gull   20     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Great Black-backed Gull   4     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Mourning Dove   3     35 Sunset Rd

Hairy Woodpecker   1     35 Sunset Rd

Carolina Chickadee   5     35 Sunset Rd

Tufted Titmouse   2     35 Sunset Rd

White-breasted Nuthatch   2     35 Sunset Rd

Carolina Wren   1     Crestwood Community Gardens

European Starling   20     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Yellow-rumped Warbler   2     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Savannah Sparrow   2     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Song Sparrow   1     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

White-throated Sparrow   1     35 Sunset Rd

Dark-eyed Junco   11     35 Sunset Rd

Red-winged Blackbird   25     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Common Grackle   2     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

Boat-tailed Grackle   100     Great Bay Bvld. WMA

American Goldfinch   2     35 Sunset Rd