Animals

January 11. 2013 10:06PM

This week's Rare Bird Alert

Linked articles:
Stacey Cole's Nature Talks: Former NH resident offers annual bluebird report

This is New Hampshire Audubon's Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, Jan. 9.

An immature red-headed woodpecker has been coming to a feeder in Alexandria since Dec. 13, and was last reported on Jan. 6.

A greater white-fronted goose was seen at the Portsmouth traffic circle with a flock of Canada geese on Dec. 29, then seen again in North Mill Pond in Portsmouth on Jan. 1 and 2, and relocated at the end of Marsh Lane in Portsmouth on Jan. 6. It has been seen with a flock of Canada geese.

Three brant were reported from coastal Hampton on Jan. 8.

A male Barrow's goldeneye was seen on the Merrimack River in Manchester on Dec. 30, and has been several times since then. It was most recently reported near 250 Commercial St. on Jan. 6. A greater scaup and a great cormorant have also been reported nearby.

A male and a female Barrow's goldeneye were seen off of Great Boar's Head in Hampton on Jan. 5.

A female Barrow's goldeneye was seen on Eel Pond in Rye on Jan. 2, and again on the sixth and seventh.

A dark-morph rough-legged hawk was reported from coastal North Hampton on Jan. 7.

A glaucous gull was seen on the Seabrook side of Hampton Harbor on Jan. 1 and 2, and again on the seventh.

Four Iceland gulls, a northern shoveler, a ruddy duck, a wood duck, and 12 lesser scaup have been reported at the Exeter Wastewater Treatment Plant since Jan.1.

Four razorbills were seen from Great Island Common in New Castle on Jan. 6, and 8 were seen from Hampton Beach State Park on the sixth, and 10 were seen off of Seabrook Beach on the 5th.

Four northern gannets, 15 black-legged kittiwakes, and two black guillemots were reported from coastal Hampton on Jan. 5.

Two gadwall and a wood duck were reported from Nashua on Jan. 5, and a female northern pintail was seen in South Mill Pond in Portsmouth on Jan. 6. A pied-billed grebe was seen in Portsmouth on Jan. 6.

Six purple sandpipers were seen on the north side of the Hampton Harbor inlet on Jan. 6.

Pine grosbeak sightings during the past week included: eight in Hanover on Jan. 7; 11 in West Lebanon, eight in Nashua, and two in Derry on the sixth; 18 in Manchester, 20 in Plymouth, and 12 in Concord on the fourth; 23 in Dover on the ninth; and 10 in Exeter and two in Portsmouth on the fifth.

Common redpoll sightings during the past week included: 150 in Stratham and 50 in Hampton on Jan. 6; 50 in Lyme and 35 in Bedford on the seventh; 40 in Exeter on the fifth; 25 in Spofford and 20 in Roxbury on the ninth; and 20 in Merrimack on the second.

Bohemian waxwing sightings during the past week included: 250 in Plymouth on Jan. 4; and 50 in Ashland and 40 in Hanover on the seventh.

A flock of 60 snow buntings was seen in Greenland on Jan. 4, a flock of 40 was seen in New Castle on the sixth, a flock of 15 was seen in Salem on the seventh, a flock of 12 was seen in Hanover on the sixth, a flock of 10 was seen in Enfield Center on the sixth, a flock of 10 was seen in Plainfield on the sixth, and three were seen in Peterborough on the seventh.

A peregrine falcon was seen in Ashland on Jan. 7, and one was seen in Concord on the fifth.

A merlin was seen in Lebanon on Jan. 4.

A turkey vulture was seen in Nashua on Jan. 5, and again on the eighth.

A rusty blackbird and a common yellowthroat were seen in Rye on Jan. 6.

A yellow bellied sapsucker was seen in Nashua on Jan. 4.

A fox sparrow was reported from Exeter on Jan. 6.

A ruby-crowned kinglet was reported from Rochester on Jan. 4, and one was seen in Exeter on the fifth.

A yellow-rumped warbler was seen in Hampton on Jan. 5.

A winter wren was seen in New Castle, and five Carolina wrens were seen along the coast, all on Jan. 6.

A Carolina wren was reported from Lebanon on Jan. 6.

Sixteen horned larks were reported from Durham on Jan. 7.

This information is also available by phone recording: call 224-9909 and press 2 as directed or ask to be transferred. If you have seen any interesting birds recently, you can leave a message at the end of the recording or send your sightings to the RBA via e-mail at: birdsetc@nhaudubon.org. Please put either "bird sighting" or "Rare Bird Alert" in the subject line and be sure to include your mailing address and phone number. The RBA is also available on-line at the New Hampshire Audubon web site, www.nhaudubon.org.