Sunday Bird Survey and Trail Cam Update

The Sunday bird survey crew (the few, the proud) met at 7:30 am sharp by the flagpole, ready to census the campus.  Our route took us to the dock, down to the entrance road swamp, and back along the lower fields to the Chapel.  Weather had not been favorable for north-bound migrants over the past couple of days, with winds out of the north and northwest, but we found some new arrivals nonetheless.  A small mixed flock along the entrance road held Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers as well as Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, none of which species were here in any numbers just last week.  The highlight of the walk was probably the smashing view we had of a male Wood Duck near the dock.  We failed to get photos, unfortunately, but a female did pose for a picture earlier in the morning as she inspected trees for potential nest cavities behind BP.

Along the way, we succeeded in getting this male Tufted Titmouse all riled up by imitating his whistled call, "Peter, Peter!"  His mate was close by with nesting material in her bill, so he was feeling especially pugnacious.  We left them alone quickly, though, as it is a waste of valuable time and energy for birds to be defending territory against phantom threats like us when they should be finding food, building nests, and warding off real challenges from actual titmouse neighbors.

The full species list from the survey follows.

Middlesex School, Middlesex, US-MA
Apr 26, 2015 7:49 AM - 9:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:    Inaugural MIDDLESEX Earth Week Bird Walk. <br />Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.8
33 species

Canada Goose  9
Wood Duck  3
American Black Duck  1
Mallard  4
Great Blue Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  4
Mourning Dove  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  3
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Eastern Phoebe  2
Blue Jay  6
Tree Swallow  10
Black-capped Chickadee  8
Tufted Titmouse  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
American Robin  30
European Starling  3
Palm Warbler (Yellow)  3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  8
Chipping Sparrow  10
Song Sparrow  1
White-throated Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco  1
Northern Cardinal  2
Red-winged Blackbird  12
Common Grackle  20
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  3
House Sparrow  5

When the birding was slow, we turned our attention to other organisms, like the snails of Bateman's Pond, which are easily visible this time of year before aquatic vegetation obscures the view in the shallows.  The predominant large snail is most likely a non-native Asian species, the Chinese Mystery Snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis).  These snails made their way to North America first as a food item in west-coast Chinese markets in the late nineteenth century, with the first documented record from Boston in 1914.  So far, the Mystery Snail's negative ecological impacts appear minimal, though it likely competes with native gastropods.  

Escargot, anyone?

An finally, on another note, the trail cams were placed in new locations last week, but there was very little activity detected; mostly brief fly-by birds and quick glimpses of squirrels.  A small doe White-tailed Deer triggered the camera as she made a dawn pass along the trail at the east end of the pond, but let's hope that we have better luck in yet another new location.