Birds of May 2010

My favorite month as a birder with all of the migrants passing through and the bulk of our local breeding birds returning.
These are images taken around the north shore at some of my favorite haunts.

A pair of Yellow-throated Vireo are just
about done with nest construction quite
close to the parking lot at
Bradley Palmer State Park.

"Click" on the image to the left for a brief video of the vireo calling from the nest.

"Click" on any image for a larger photo...

Yellow-throated Vireo - Bradley Palmer S.P. - Topsfield

Eastern Kingbird - Bradley Palmer S.P. - Topsfield

Bull Frog - Bradley Palmer S.P. - Topsfield, MA

 Loads of Bullfrogs call Bradley Palmer S.P. their home

Barred Owl - Bradley Palmer S.P. - Topsfield, MA

Cliff Swallow - Newburyport, MA

Eastern Phoebe - Newburyport, MA

 The Barred Owl was hanging around over the road for a second day on the 23rd, could there be young in the area?

The Cliff Swallows build there nest one gob of mud at a time!

Great Egret - Newburyport, MA

Great Egret - Newburyport, MA

Great Egret - Newburyport, MA

 This very efficient Great Egret was foraging next to the road along Water Street in Newburyport. It only managed to eat one of the three fish it had grabbed.

Great-crested Flycatcher - Essex, MA

Great-crested Flycatcher - Essex, MA

Great-crested Flycatcher - Essex, MA

Great-crested Flycatcher - Essex, MA

Great-crested Flycatcher - Essex, MA

 The Great-crested Flycatcher is nesting in my yard.
All of these images were taken from the
kitchen window.

As you can see in the 2 images above, snake
skins are used in most Great-crested nests.
She carried a much larger skin into the
nest before I had set up.

Barred Owl - Bradley Palmer SP - Topsfield, MA

Black Water Snake - Bradley Palmer SP - Topsfield, MA

Blue-winged Warbler - Newbury, MA

Blue-winged Warbler - Newbury, MA

Eastern Kingbird - Bradley Palmer SP - Topsfield, MA

Great-crested Flycatcher - Essex, MA

Great-crested Flycatcher - Essex, MA

Great-crested Flycatcher - Essex, MA

Semipalmated Plover - Newburyport, MA

Semipalmated Plover - Newburyport, MA

Semipalmated Plover - Newburyport, MA

Semipalmated Sandpiper - Newburyport, MA

Semipalmated Sandpiper - Newburyport, MA

 The shorebirds were seen behind the
Newburyport waste water treatment
plant along Water St. just prior
to high tide on May 21
A Common Nighthawk called as I got out of the car along J.B. Little Road in Groveland on the 20th. It was easy to find from there as it was roosting fairly close to the road.

"Click" on the image to the left for a brief video of it preening.

Common Nighthawk - Groveland, MA

Common Nighthawk - Groveland, MA
The Great Egret was "fishing" along
Water St in Newburyport

Ready to fledge Barred Owls - Boxford, MA

Bay-breasted Warbler - Parker River NWR

Bonaparte's Gull - Newburyport, MA

Baltimore Oriole - Essex, MA

Baltimore Oriole - Essex, MA

Black & white Warbler - Parker River NWR

Cattle Egret & cattle - Ipswich, MA

Canada Goose - Newburyport, MA

Chestnut-sided Warbler - Parker river NWR

Eastern Bluebird - Newbury, MA

Fisher - Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

House Wren - Essex, MA

Least Sandpiper - Newburyport, MA

Northern Parula - Essex, MA

Orchard Oriole - Newbury, MA

Palm Warbler - Groveland, MA

Purple Gallinule - Gloucester, MA

Purple Gallinule - Gloucester, MA

Purple Gallinule - Gloucester, MA

Pileated Woodpecker - Boxford, MA

Piping Plover - Ipswich, MA

Purple Martin - Newburyport, MA

Ring-necked Pheasant - Newburyport, MA

Ring-necked Pheasant - Newburyport, MA

Ring-necked Pheasant - Newburyport, MA

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Essex, MA

Swainson's Thrush - Newburyport, MA

Swamp Sparrow - Groveland, MA

White-crowned Sparrow - Essex, MA

White-crowned Sparrow - Essex, MA

White-crowned Sparrow - Essex, MA

White-crowned Sparrow - Essex, MA

Yellow-crowned Night Heron - Newburyport, MA

Yellow-crowned Night Heron - Newburyport, MA

Yellow-crowned Night Heron - Newburyport, MA

Yellow-crowned Night Heron - Newburyport, MA

Yellow-crowned Night Heron - Newburyport, MA

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Groveland, MA

NE Birds Plus Home

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All photos © Phil Brown 2010