Last week’s Nor’easter brought more than wind and rain to Massachusetts. It bought with it some birds from down South. Most notable was a roseate spoonbill, a large, pink wading bird with a large spoon-shaped bill. The Floridian bird was first discovered at the Brant Rock Town Pier in Marshfield on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 15. It later moved to the Green Harbor marshes. Only the second record of this bird in Massachusetts, it drew the attention of birders across the state and beyond.
Since we had never seen one in Massachusetts, Margo and I headed to Marshfield the next morning. We parked in the recommended lot on Dike Road and looked down the intersecting road and saw a small group of birders and photographers all looking into the marsh. I carried the scope and Margo brought her camera and we walked 50 yards to join the group.
It turned out that I didn’t need the scope, as all were looking down at the spoonbill feeding 20 feet away in an inlet next to the road! The bird was busily feeding, swishing it huge spoon bill back and forth as it walked around the small pool of water. We have seen many spoonbills in Florida, but never so close!
The photographers were stationed along the railing and the birders, some of whom also had cameras, were mostly peering between the “photons” for a look (which is how it usually is in these days of digital photography and rare birds.) Finally, one photographer relinquished her prime position and Margo was able to step in and get some fine photos. We stayed and chatted with some south shore birders whom we don’t see very often, mostly at rare bird sightings!
We then decided to go back to the car and search the area for an uncommon black-headed gull that was also reported in the area. That search came up empty, but when we returned to the culvert where the Spoonbill was, we learned that it had walked further into the marsh with the incoming tide, disappearing from sight.
We knew that other birders from the North Shore were on their way down, so we stayed and helped to relocate the rare pink bird in the marsh. It was finally spotted in flight and it landed near a small grass island that was visible from the marina. We, and others, stayed on the bird until other birding friends arrived to see it. They didn’t get the close up views that we enjoyed, but they had clear scope views of a new “state bird” for most everyone.
The spoonbill was re-found the next day in the north marshes of Duxbury Beach. It stayed most of the day, unfortunately farther out in the marsh for most other birders. It was last seen heading southwest, hopefully heading home before the cold weather really settles in!
That same Nor’easter was probably responsible for a few other uncommon birds to show up around the same time. A White Ibis was seen by many in the Belle Isle Marsh Reservation in Boston. It was associating with some great egrets and was seen Oct. 17-19. White ibis are very common in Florida and other southeastern states, and we have seen these rare visitors to the Plum Island area only a few times in past years.
Also uncommon is a Western cattle-egret that appeared in the Eel Creek area in Hampton, New Hampshire just this past Wednesday. It only stayed long enough for the observer to get some photos of the bird. This southern wader became more common to our area in past decades, but has become more uncommon again in recently years.
So the “anything can happen” fall migration in the bird world continues. Nor’easters and other fronts coming across the states can deposit more unusual birds to our area, so do keep an eye out for those rarities!
Steve Grinley is the owner of Bird Watcher’s Supply and Gift in the Port Plaza, Newburyport. Email him at Birdwsg@comcast.net. On the web: www.birdwatcherssupplyandgifts.com.