by Peter Alden and Lillian Stokes (co-leaders)
On our first Spark Birding Snowy Owl chase in early February, we endured windy/snowy conditions only to be shut out by the closure of the main gate to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Many of us returned last Saturday to sunny skies, a minor breeze, and an open gate! Before arriving at the refuge, we watched a Bald Eagle soaring over the harbor.
Trying to spot a white bird against miles of snow-covered salt marshes was a challenge. When we heard that a fellow birder spotted one by the sea, the chase was on! A long boardwalk slicked with ice took us over the dunes to the edge of a quiet shoreline with a few overwintering Sanderlings running along. Walking a half mile south, we hit pay dirt! Atop a grassy dune by the sea with the sun at our backs there rested a huge-headed yellow-eyed Snowy Owl for an extended look. These high Arctic breeders were scarce this winter and was a life bird for many.
Next, heading south, we spotted a hawk hovering just north of Hellcat Swamp. We jumped out of our vehicles to watch another high Arctic breeder that doesn’t often spend winters here. Since Red-tails rarely hover, we knew it had to be a Rough-legged Hawk: a light phase with black, gray and white plumage featuring a white tail with terminal black band.
At the Hellcat Swamp parking lot we had fabulous views of the normally timid Hermit Thrush. We could note in the leafless vines its lightly spotted chest, soft brown back and diagnostic reddish tail. It was friendly and even flew down to the boardwalk for a clear view. Its ethereal song rings through much of our cooler woodlands in summer, but very few manage to winter in these parts. It appeared to be dining exclusively on fruits of the highly invasive Oriental/Asian Bittersweet. This plant is highly invasive, but is keeping this little bird alive. To this day I do not know whether humans may eat or like these abundant new fruits. Anyone wish to try a bittersweet pie?
Up on the dyke by Hellcat we watched two more Bald Eagles soaring over the Parker River estuary and another better view of the Rough-legged Hawk. We returned to have lunch at the Riptide Restaurant on your left as you pass the crossroad. Crossing back to the mainland we saw some folk with binoculars and a telescope. Birders often quiz such folk regarding any interesting birds. Sure enough, we saw they were looking at an adult Bald Eagle perched by a nearby river channel. As a final goodbye to the area, Peter watched another Rough-legged Hawk hovering over the Common Pastures west of Newburyport.
A priceless winter morning in a tough winter!
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