Animals

March 08. 2013 10:58PM

This week's Rare Bird Alert

Dartmouth College employee Philip Conrad spotted this opossum on Lime Kiln Road in the Haverhill village of Pike late last month. Conrad, who said he's lived in the area for 60 years, said this was the first opossum he's seen in this part of the state. (PHILLIP CONRAD)

Linked articles:
Stacey Cole's Nature Talks: Hawk swoops down to catch a 'meal'

This is New Hampshire Audubon's Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, March 6.

A first-winter male king eider was seen from Seabrook Beach near the Hampton Harbor inlet on March 3.

A pair of Barrow's goldeneyes, and a black-headed gull were reported from the Merrimack River in Manchester near 250 Commercial St. on March 5.

Two lesser black-backed gulls were seen at Bodwell Farm in East Kingston on March 3.

An Iceland gull was seen at Rockingham Park in Salem on March 3, one was seen at Eel Pond in Rye on March 2, and one was seen at the Exeter Wastewater Treatment Plant on Feb. 28.

An immature red-headed woodpecker has been coming to a birdfeeder on Grafton Road in Alexandria since Dec. 13, but has not been reported since Feb. 26.

A northern shrike was seen off of River Road in Stratham on March 3.

A hoary redpoll was seen off of River Road in Stratham on March 3rd.

Thirty pine grosbeaks were seen in trees in the parking lot at Trader Joe's in Nashua on March 5, five were seen in front of the Salem High School and eight were seen in front of the Texas Roadhouse on Route 101 in Nashua on the 3rd, a flock of 11 was reported from Center Ossipee on Feb. 28, and a flock of nine was seen in Hanover on Feb. 26.

Eleven snow buntings and nine eastern bluebirds were seen at the Bow High School grounds on March 4.

A peregrine falcon was seen in Concord and one was seen in Newington on March 5, and a pair was seen at the Route 95 bridge in Portsmouth on the 1st.

Three killdeer were seen in Dover, and one was seen in Walpole, all on March 3, four were seen in East Kingston and two in Exeter on the 2nd, and one was seen at East Kingston on Feb. 28.

A fish crow was reported from Salem on March 6.

There were several sightings of small flocks of red-winged blackbirds during the past week.

There was an unconfirmed report of an Atlantic puffin seen in the Connecticut River near Walpole on March 1. Birders should watch for this rare possibility.

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.