One of our more rewarding birding trips this summer was a pelagic (living on the ocean, usually far from land) birding trip out of Newburyport. A couple of times a year, David Larson, from Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center, leads a trip out to Stellwagen Bank or Jeffreys Ledge on a whale-watching boat. Pam and I thought this would be a good opportunity to see birds that we would never see in Harvard and would rarely see from our trips to the shore.
As luck would have it, the ocean was flat as a millpond, which boded well for seeing the birds. Bird watching on the ocean is notoriously difficult because if the birds are resting on the surface, it is easy to lose sight of them in the swells, as well as the obvious difficulty of trying to focus one’s binoculars on a moving bird from a rolling boat.
Wilson’s storm petrel. (Courtesy photos)
The first birds we encountered—and ended up seeing in the hundreds—were Wilson’s storm-petrel. We had seen a couple of these from the ferry going to Mohegan several years ago, but seeing so many was amazing. This small, dark bird with a white rump is almost swallowlike when skimming a few inches above the ocean. We witnessed their distinctive feeding habit, dancing on the water to bring the small crustacea they feed on to the surface.
Farther out in the ocean, we saw Cory’s and greater shearwaters. These birds spend their whole lives on the open ocean except when landing to breed and nest. Shearwaters have one of the longest migratory flights known, flying from their breeding grounds on islands in the Southern Hemisphere, traveling up the east coast of North America, winging across the Atlantic to the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, and heading down the eastern side of the Atlantic back to the Southern Hemisphere. They are one of the few birds that migrate south to breed. Their sleek body and gliderlike wings, with a span of close to 4 feet, enable them to effortlessly glide for hours close to the ocean surface, taking advantage of the lift created by the waves. Like the petrels, they feed on squid and fish that they pluck out of the water.
While training our binoculars on a school of baitfish that the shearwaters were feeding on, we were delighted to see a tuna jump clear out of the water with its shimmering blue body wowing everyone. On the trip we also saw dolphins, porpoises, a minke whale, and sharks.
Meanwhile, back at the farm
Summer saw the usual variety of birds nesting on or near the farm. We had a number of nesting barn swallows that fledged 30 to 40 young. These birds help keep the farm relatively free of mosquitos as, supposedly, they consume around 3,000 mosquitos a day. Swallows, like many other insectivorous birds, are declining. One reason is the widespread use of pesticides. Pesticides do not discriminate among insects that birds rely on and that we rely on for pollinating our plants and vegetables.
Baltimore oriole
We had our usual crop of bluebirds. Sitting on our terrace in the evenings, we enjoy watching these colorful birds flying down to grab insects off the lawn while the swallows swoop around catching insects on the wing. Woodpeckers, tufted titmice, cardinals, chickadees, phoebes, and tree swallows also raised young on the farm. You can tell if a bird is nesting nearby through careful observation. Watch for birds catching insects. If they fly off with food in their bill, chances are it is to feed nestlings.
Our hummingbirds returned a day earlier than last year, but to our disappointment the Carolina wren that has nested on the shelf by the back door did not return. We did have lots of cedar waxwings taking advantage of all the fruiting trees and shrubs that we have planted over the years, and most nights we were serenaded by either the barred owl or the great horned owl in the woods behind us.
The orioles appeared on time and fed on the oranges we put out for several days. They started a nest in one of our old sugar maples but didn’t complete it. We didn’t hear them or see them again all summer.
The red-shouldered hawk that we believe nests on the Powell-Reed-Abbot land through the woods across from us was often seen hunting for rodents in our pastures. One time, spotting it perched on a poplar at the edge of the field, we waited to see what it would do. After a few minutes, it flew down onto the pasture, flew back up, perched on a bluebird nest box with a large snake in its talons, and proceeded to tear the serpent apart into more manageable pieces.
Common nighthawk.
Another raptor that we see often is the Cooper’s hawk. This bird will make passes at our chickens, but we have yet to see him grab one, although he has managed to catch English house sparrows and a couple of my white homing pigeons. The Cooper’s hawk is one of our smaller raptors and can often be seen near bird feeders that provide a reliable source of smaller birds that they relish.
As of mid-September our barn and tree swallows have departed for Central and South America (lucky devils), and the hummingbirds are no longer making their forays to the feeder and to the flowers in Pam’s garden that they continually patrolled for nectar. A real sign that fall migration is underway are the flights of the common nightjars flying south over the farm at dusk.
I fondly remember the first time I really noticed nightjars. I was at a baseball game with a group of Cub Scouts. I was snapped out of my boredom by the sight of dozens of nightjars swooping around feeding on insects attracted by the floodlights. It was a night I will never forget, not because of the game, but for being able to enjoy so many nighthawks in one place.
David and Pamela Durrant live on East Bare Hill Road at Micheldever Farm, where they watch birds: their own peacocks and chickens and visiting wild birds.
