Birding at Quissett Harbor
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According to the recently published book, “Birding Cape Cod,” Falmouth is a great spot to bird throughout the year! The field guide was prepared by two of the foremost birding organizations in the region: the Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Cape Cod Bird Club. The updated 2005 edition provides the following insights on local birding:
"Quissett Harbor has wintering waterfowl, often at close range. Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers, and Red-breasted Mergansers frequent the harbor, while Horned Grebes, Common Eiders, Long-tailed Ducks, Common Loons, scoters, and Common Goldeneyes feed in the harbor as well as in Buzzards Bay off the Knob.
From the end of the Knob, check for Common, Roseate, and Least terns during the summer. Gansett Point offers up a regular group of Double-crested Cormorants and other sea ducks. The habitat bordering the small uninhabited tidal island just east of Gansett Point frequently hosts Snowy Egrets along with an occasional Great Egret, resident Ospreys, American Oystercatchers, Great Blue Herons, Black-Crowned Night Herons, Belted Kingfishers, and a variety of gulls and terns."
Birds Seen in Quissett Harbor or from the Knob
An informal list dating from 1995. At this posting, almost all of the sightings were made between July and November and during a brief but variable window in March-April. The spring migration is therefore not yet covered, and additional observations at any time of the year are most welcome. Send to timothy.goldsmith@yale.edu with details of who, when, and where.
Note: this list is deliberately compiled for an arbitrary and very local geographic area – Quissett Harbor and what has been seen from the walk to The Knob. Seasonal presence is very general for common species and more specific for migrants or species seen infrequently.
| Common Loon | winter, also seen in August |
| Horned Grebe | winter |
| Red-necked Grebe | seen in Apr. |
| Leach’s Storm Petrel | seen Sept. 17, 1999, 1 day after Hurricane Floyd, 3 birds feeding in the surf |
| Northern Gannet | seen in Nov |
| Double-crested Cormorant | anytime |
| Great Blue Heron | summer |
| Great Egret | summer |
| Snowy Egret | summer |
| Green Heron | summer |
| Black-crowned Night Heron | summer |
| Canada Goose | anytime |
| Mallard | anytime |
| Common Eider | winter |
| Long-tailed Duck | winter |
| Black Scoter | winter |
| Surf Scoter | winter (as late as June 26) |
| White-winged Scoter | winter (1% summered in the harbor ’04 & ’06) |
| Common Goldeneye | winter |
| Bufflehead | winter, harbor |
| Red-breasted Merganser | winter |
| Turkey Vulture | anytime |
| Osprey | summer |
| Cooper’s Hawk | anytime |
| Red-tailed Hawk | anytime |
| Merlin | seen in March, migrant |
| Northern Bobwhite | anytime |
| Least Sandpiper | seen in Aug., migrant |
| Spotted Sandpiper | seen in Aug., migrant |
| Whimbrel | seen in Aug., migrant |
| American Oystercatcher | summer |
| Laughing Gull | winter, seen in Aug. |
| Bonaparte’s Gull | seen in Nov. |
| Ring-billed Gull | winter, late summer |
| Herring Gull | anytime |
| Great Black-backed Gull | anytime |
| Roseate Tern | summer, particularly June-July |
| Common Tern | summer |
| Forster’s Tern | seen in Aug. (2 juveniles day after Hurricane Charles) |
| Black Tern | seen in July, early migrant |
| Mourning Dove | anytime |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | summer, uncommon (but seen in October) |
| Black-billed Cuckoo | uncommon (seen as October migrant) |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | anytime |
| Great Horned Owl | anytime |
| Chimney Swift | summer |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | summer |
| Belted Kingfisher | anytime |
| Downy Woodpecker | anytime |
| Hairy Woodpecker | anytime |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | anytime |
| Northern Flicker | anytime |
| Eastern Kingbird | summer |
| White-eyed Vireo | summer |
| Red-eyed Vireo | summer |
| Blue Jay | anytime |
| American Crow | anytime |
| Tree Swallow | summer, as migrants |
| Rough-winged Swallow | summer, as migrants |
| Black-capped Chickadee | anytime |
| Brown Creeper | anytime |
| Tufted Titmouse | anytime |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | anytime |
| Red breasted Nuthatch | anytime |
| Carolina Wren | anytime |
| House Wren | summer |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | winter |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | migrant, seen late Oct. with Golden-crowned |
| Hermit Thrush | anytime, seen in March |
| American Robin | anytime |
| Gray Catbird | anytime |
| Northern Mockingbird | anytime |
| Cedar Waxwing | anytime |
| European Starling anytime | |
| Yellow Warbler | summer |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | summer |
| American Redstart | summer |
| Common Yellowthroat | summer |
| Northern Cardinal | anytime |
| Eastern Towhee | summer |
| Chipping Sparrow | summer |
| Song Sparrow | anytime |
| White-crowned Sparrow | migration (seen in October) |
| White-throated Sparrow | winter |
| Dark-eyed Junco | anytime, more common in winter |
| Baltimore Oriole | summer |
| Red-winged Blackbird | anytime |
| Common Grackle | anytime |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | anytime |
| House Sparrow | anytime |
| American Goldfinch | anytime |
| House Finch | anytime |
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