This is New Hampshire Audubon’s Rare Bird Alert for Monday, August 19, 2024.

A FORSTER’S TERN, a LAUGHING GULL, a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, a GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, a BONAPARTE’S GULL, a few HERRING GULLS, and over 30 RING-BILLED GULLS were seen at Moore Reservoir in Littleton on several days during the past week. A LAUGHING GULL was seen at Pickering Ponds in Rochester on August 14th, and a GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen in Manchester on the 16th.

18 shorebird species were reported from the coast during the past week, mainly on August 16th, including: 58 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 5 KILLDEER, 353 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 6 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 7 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 3 WILLETS (WESTERN), 18 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES, 3 STILT SANDPIPERS, a SANDERLING, a DUNLIN, a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER, 18 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, 5 LEAST SANDPIPERS, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, 2 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, and 1,051 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS.

2 RUDDY TURNSTONES were seen at Elm Brook Park in Hopkinton on August 19th.

At least 2 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, and a GREAT CORMORANT were seen at the Isles of Shoals during the past week.

There was an unconfirmed report of a PARASITIC JAEGER from offshore waters on August 13th.

3 juvenile YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were seen in Hampton Harbor, on August 19th.

12 LITTLE BLUE HERONS were seen at Parson’s Creek salt marsh in Rye on August 18th, 2 were seen in Hampton Salt Marsh on the 17th, and 1 was seen at Scruton Pond Farm in Barrington on the 18th.

57 SNOWY EGRETS, 13 GREAT EGRETS, and 3 GLOSSY IBIS were all seen from Huckleberry Lane in Hampton on August 19th, and 4 SNOWY EGRETS were seen at Adam’s Point in Durham on the 17th.

5 BLACK VULTURES were seen in Pelham on August 13th.

A GRASSHOPPER SPARROW was reported from the Concord Airport on August 15th.

A RING-NECKED DUCK was seen at Pickering Ponds in Rochester on August 19th.

COMMON NIGHTHAWK migration has begun and 75 were seen at Franklin Falls on August 17th, and 30 were reported from Plainfield on the 15th.

This message is also available by phone recording: call (603) 224-9909 and press 4 as directed or ask to be transferred. To leave a message about a rare bird without listening to the recording first, press 2.

If you have seen any interesting birds recently, you can leave a message at the end of the recording or send your sightings to the RBA via email. Please put either “bird sighting” or “Rare Bird Alert” in the subject line and be sure to include your mailing address and phone number.

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Learn more about birds and birding in New Hampshire with New Hampshire Bird Records (read a free article in each issue). This quarterly publication is produced by NH Audubon thanks to the work of many volunteers. It is available for free in digital format to all NH Audubon members, and also by print for an additional fee.

Thanks very much and good birding.