Monday, May 24, 2021- Water Birds
My Birding trip started at about 7:50am. It was around 57 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny with just a few wispy clouds in the sky. As the day progressed, the temperature rose to around 70 degrees. The sun stayed out but the day got much windier as time went on. I was birding at Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area in Hanson, MA. This was an interesting area because it is a lot of paths winding around marsh and wetland areas and at the back of the area is a large pond. Right away I saw and heard Red-winged Blackbirds. As I was entering the Management area it was a more wooded section so I saw the more common species like the Black-capped Chickadee or the American Robin. There were a few other birders in the area that pointed out some Sandhill Cranes they had been seeing for a few weeks as well as pointing out a Spotted Sandpiper and a Pied-Billed Grebe. I sat and watched a Great Blue Heron fishing in the middle of the pond and spreading out it's wings in the sun. As I sat, I used the Merlin Bird ID app on my phone to play some bird calls. When I played one for the Downy Woodpecker I would get a response. As I headed back away from the pond I saw three Great Egrets standing in a marshy area. I stopped and watched one of the Egrets chase away a Red-Winged Black bird that was flying around it. The last bird I saw of the day was an American Kestrel perched on top of a birdhouse that had been built in the middle of one of the marsh areas.