This article originally appeared in the 2021 Eastern Mass Hawk Watch newsletter.
Massachusetts offers year-round intrigue for the hawkwatcher. Once again, this year provided several unique stories in my travels around the state in pursuit of raptors.
August 16, 2020 – Rarity: Crested Caracara in Massachusetts
In early August, Hurricane Isaias disrupted weather across the East Coast and likely brought a Crested Caracara to Massachusetts! This bird spent 4 days in MA, delighting lucky birders in Gloucester and Amesbury. It was approximately the 5th state record for this species that normally resides in Florida, Texas or South/Central America. Interestingly, this bird was a juvenile, making it a different individual than the adult Caracara that showed up in Vermont in March!
October 4, 2020 – Insane Ospreys at Pinnacle
Pinnacle Rock in the Middlesex Fells is known for its accipiter flights in late Fall, but on this lucky day, I was overwhelmed with Osprey. By the end of my watch, I had tallied a shocking 40 migrant Ospreys, a site single-day record! The most memorable moment was when seven Ospreys linked up to share a thermal – my first Osprey kettle!
November 14, 2020 – Kestrels on a Late Bug Hunt
Belle Isle Marsh in East Boston is a tremendous raptor spot in cold weather. During an unseasonably warm week in mid-November, a mated pair of American Kestrels hunted from a new perch raised in the meadow by DCR staff. To my surprise, the Kestrels were plucking crickets and grasshoppers out of the brown grass! Quite the unlikely catch for so late in the year!
November 28, 2020 – Merlin on the Rocks
I was strolling Winthrop Beach on a bitter day, searching the rocky terrain for a flock of elusive Snow Buntings. They eventually flushed up and zipped down the beach in a panic. Amongst the stones, I caught a glimpse of movement and found the cause: a Merlin! The falcon must’ve come in to snag a bunting, but missed and just sat on the ground, contemplating a next move. What luck – I’ve never seen a Merlin so close or so low before!
February 2021 – Bald Eagle Bounty
Bald Eagles were everywhere in February along the Merrimack River. Their resurgence in Massachusetts truly peaked during our coldest snap of the year, when frozen lakes and rivers pushed them together to compete in places like the unfrozen Merrimack. On two separate weekends this month, I counted approximately 20 individual wintering Bald Eagles between Amesbury and Newburyport!
April 24, 2021 – Osprey/Eagle Antics
Late in the day at the Plum Island Hawkwatch, the counting crew were treated to a fish fight! A local Osprey reeled in a catch from the marsh, and an adult Bald Eagle streaked across the sky in hot pursuit. The Eagle harassed the Osprey until the fish plummeted all the way back to Earth. Apparently the Eagle didn’t see it. The angered Osprey immediately turned the tables and mercilessly chased the Eagle back the same way it came. Sadly no one got to eat the fish!
May 2, 2021 – Rare Spring ‘Wing at Plum
The May 2 flight at Plum Island was wild! Wave after wave of Sharp-shinned Hawks fluttered overhead in a moderate SW wind. In between the Sharpie madness, we caught a stocky bird coming head-on. As it turned and showed a profile view, we recognized a different wing structure than the short-winged Sharpies. This was a buteo, one lacking a bellyband or pale crescents – a juvenile Broad-winged Hawk! While Broad-wings make up the bulk of our Fall count, they are rarely spotted at Plum Island. This was our only one this season, and just our 15th since 2006.
