Although I do not consider myself a “lister,” I do keep track of the birds we see and where we first see them. Taking a break from gardening one day, I got to wondering how many species of birds we had seen around the farm. After going through my annotated Sibley Guide to Birds, I figured we had seen or heard about 75 species. According to a list compiled by state ornithologist Bradford Blodget, about 448 species have been recorded in Massachusetts. This means we have seen about 16 percent of those species.
Of course, there is absolutely no chance of seeing some of the birds like shearwaters, gannets, and petrels because they only occur over the ocean. To put this in perspective, about 2,023 species have been recorded in North America and more than 10,000 throughout the world. The largest concentration is in Central and South America, which hosts about 3,500 species. That may explain my attraction to places like Costa Rica, Belize, and Ecuador.
On a recent bird walk at Fruitlands Museum led by Tom Pirro of the Forbush Bird Club of Worcester, we saw (or heard) a total of 45 species. Most notable were several pairs of bobolinks that have taken to the field established by Fruitlands when they removed a large area of overgrown Scotch pine. The evolving fields, along with neighboring hay fields, seem to have been successful in attracting these birds to the area. Let’s hope the neighbors do not hay their fields until after the bobolinks have fledged their young.
Another exciting bird we saw in the same area was the indigo bunting. The only disappointment (to me) was that there were not more people taking advantage of the walk. Only four of us showed up. Tom was a great leader, knowing all the bird songs, and having scouted the area several days before, he knew a little of what to expect. It would have been a great time for a novice birder because Tom’s easy manner and obvious knowledge of bird songs, habitat, and identification made for a fruitful couple of hours.
Bird walks like this are excellent ways to get into bird-watching. Along with dozens of programs offered by Mass. Audubon, there are several birding clubs, like Forbush and Brookline Bird Club, that welcome newcomers on their walks. Birders are generally very generous with their expertise and usually make sure newcomers see the birds.
Getting back to my “list,” there are several birds that are ingrained in my memory. Several years ago I was sitting on our terrace with Julie Zickefoose (birder, author, commentator, illustrator) when an osprey appeared over our pond, hovered there for a few minutes, and dove and captured one of my trout. That same year I heard the distinctive call of a bobwhite in our back field. Bobwhites, once plentiful, are now rarely seen. This one hung around for a few days and I never heard it again. I especially enjoy the birds I provide nesting habitat for—the bluebirds, tree swallows (they finally arrived back this year and nested), and barn swallows. The most spectacular bird we see here, the hooded mergansers, come back to spend a few days on the pond every spring and fall during migration.
When people ask me where to bird, I usually say your own back yard. That is where you have the opportunity to observe and get to know the birds and their habits over time.