* RBA
* Rhode Island
* Statewide
* December 20, 2009
* RIRI0912.20

 

- Birds mentioned:
PAINTED BUNTING
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW
White-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrow

VESPER SPARROW
Marsh Wren
TUNDRA SWAN
Great Egret
Eastern meadowlark
Northern Harrier
GLAUCOUS GULL
SANDHILL CRANE
LE CONTE'S SPARROW
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Lincoln's Sparrow
Snow Goose
KING EIDER
Harlequin Duck
Common Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe
American Bittern
NORTHERN GOSHAWK
Virginia Rail
Wilson's Snipe
Bonaparte's Gull
ICELAND GULL
Razorbill

BARN OWL
Great-horned Owl
SAW-WHET OWL
Eastern Phoebe
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
House Wren
Winter Wren
Brown Thrasher
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
Palm Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Swamp Sparrow
Snow Bunting
Rusty Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole
SNOWY OWL
PACIFIC LOON

 

    date: December 20th, 2009
    (401) 949-5454 or 245-7500 ext 3052
     to report: email to: DLSaint@...
     coverage: statewide
     compiler: Janice St.Jean
     transcriber: Janice St.Jean (DLSaint@aol)
     www.asri.org

 

Welcome to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island's bird alert for December 20th,  2009.  This report covers  the period  from December 14th to December 20th.  The next update will be in about one week.

 

After an absence of 6 days, the female PAINTED BUNTING was relocated in the Matunuck area, this time along Card's Pond Road, near the junction with Moonstone Beach Road..  It was seen only on the 18th, along with a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW.  On the 19th, the CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was observed again, along with 1 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, 1 FOX SPARROW, 2 VESPER SPARROWS and 1 MARSH WREN.  A feeder has been placed in the vines along Moonstone Beach Road, and seed was scattered along Card's Pond Road.  Four TUNDRA SWANS were seen on Card's Pond on the 17th.  On the 18th, 2 TUNDRA SWANS were seen in flight over the fields near the pond.  A GREAT EGRET has been seen at Card's Pond and along the east side of Trustom Pond NWR.  Seven EASTERN MEADOWLARKS and a male NORTHEN HARRIER were also seen around the fields this week.  A GLAUCOUS GULL was observed at Roy Carpenter's Beach on the 17th.

 

In Coventry, 2 TUNDRA SWANS were observed on Tiogue Lake on the 17th.

 

A SANDHILL CRANE was found in Little Compton on the 19th during the Newport/Westport Christmas Bird Count.  Other highlights from that count included: 1 LE CONTE'S SPARROW (on private property), 1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATHCER, 2 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, 2 SNOW GEESE, 1 KING EIDER,  44 HARLEQUIN DUCK (low), 528 COMMON MERGANSER, (high), 2 PIED-BILLED GREBE, 1 AMERICAN BITTERN, 1 NORTHERN GOSHAWK, 2 VIRGINIA RAILS, 3 WILSON'S SNIPE, 9 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 1 ICELAND GULL, 1 RAZORBILL, 1 BARN OWL, 22 GREAT-HORNED OWLS, 1 SAW-WHET OWL, 1 EASTERN PHOEBE, 1 YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, 1 HOUSE WREN,  4 WINTER WRENS, 8 MARSH WRENS, 3 BROWN THRASHERS, 3 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 3 PALM WARBLERS, 2 COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, 3 VESPER SPARROWS, 7 FOX SPARROWS, 94 SWAMP SPARROWS, 23 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, 7 EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, 3 SNOW BUNTINGS, 4 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and 1 BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

 

A SNOWY OWL was reported from the southern end of Breakneck Hill Road in Lincoln on the 19th.

 

In Narraganset, along Camp Fuller Road, 7 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were seen on the 18th.

 

A SNOW GOOSE was found along Switch Road in Charlestown on the 19th, and another SNOW GOOSE was seen in Middletown at Norman Bird Sanctuary on the 15th.

 

In Johnston, along the power lines off Central Ave, 1 PALM WARBLER was reported on the 13th.

 

Finally, 5 PACIFIC LOONS were observed from Block Island this past week.

 

The South County Christmas Bird Count is the 26th, and the Napatree Christmas Bird Count is the 27th.

 

That's all for this week, thank you for calling and good birding!

 

- End transcript