I finally got around to volunteering in Mass Audubon’s Bird-a-Thon – their annual fundraiser where teams from each of the sanctuaries compete to find as many bird species as they can in a 24-hour period. The main drive of Bird-a-Thon is fundraising, but I love the challenge of having a ‘Big Day’ (as opposed to having a ‘Big Year’, for you non-birders).
Two friends joined me birding at Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area, and Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts. Rain in the morning kept quiet the warblers that stop-over near our house during migration, and due to time constraints (needing to get out to other birding locals) I missed capturing a bunch of species right around our home. My little team (which was part of the larger team supporting Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary) found 46 species – short of my goal of 60 – 70 species. The good news is that we can try again next year. My find of the day was a Yellow-throated Warbler, which went onto my life list. Full species list is below:
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Canada Goose Mallard Turkey Vulture Osprey Red-tailed Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Killdeer Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Hairy Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Tree Swallow Barn Swallow [/one_half] [one_half_last]
Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Veery American Robin Gray Catbird Common Yellowthroat Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Baltimore Oriole American Goldfinch House Sparrow
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