This is New Hampshire Audubon’s Rare Bird Alert for Monday, September 9, 2024.

The Massabesic Audubon Center of NH Audubon sponsored an all-day pelagic bird boat trip on September 3rd aboard the “Granite State” out of Rye Harbor. Birds seen on the all-day cruise included: 314 COMMON EIDERS, 3 SURF SCOTERS, 3 BLACK SCOTERS, a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, 5 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, a KILLDEER, 11 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 1 RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, 4 RED/RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, a GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 5 RUDDY TURNSTONES, a RED KNOT, 2 SANDERLINGS, a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, a LONG-TAILED JAEGER, 3 POMARINE JAEGERS, 2 SOUTH POLAR SKUAS, 14 BLACK GUILLEMOTS, a BONAPARTE’S GULL, 3 LAUGHING GULLS, 6 RING-BILLED GULLS, 57 HERRING GULLS, 52 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 3 COMMON TERNS, 2 COMMON LOONS, 22 WILSON’S STORM-PETRELS, 18 CORY’S SHEARWATERS, 28 GREAT SHEARWATERS, 6 MANX SHEARWATERS, 5 NORTHERN GANNETS, 8 GREAT CORMORANTS, 89 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, 3 GREAT BLUE HERONS, 2 OSPREYS, a BALD EAGLE, a MERLIN, 30 TREE SWALLOWS, 2 BARN SWALLOWS, 5 CEDAR WAXWINGS, and a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH.

2 SANDHILL CRANES were seen in a hayfield at Wild Rivers Farm in Woodsville on September 4th, and 1 was seen at Styles Bridges Highway in Thornton on the 7th.

A LITTLE GULL was seen at Seal Rocks in Rye on September 2nd.

A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen at Pickering Ponds in Rochester on September 8th.

A BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was seen from Short Street at Pease International Tradeport in Newington on September 2nd and 4th.

2 BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS and 2 WESTERN SANDPIPERS were seen at Plaice Cove in Hampton on September 4th.

A WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER was seen at Durham Town Landing on the Oyster River on September 5th and 7th.

A DUNLIN was seen in Meadow Pond in Hampton on September 6th.

A SEMIPALMATED PLOVER was seen at Bartlett Beach in Laconia on September 8th.

A juvenile YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen in Hampton Harbor on September 3rd.

2 LITTLE BLUE HERONS were seen in Parson’s Creek Salt Marsh located opposite Wallis Sands in Rye on September 3rd, and 1 was seen at Meadow Pond in Hampton on the 6th.

A BLACK VULTURE was seen in Westmoreland on September 3rd.

A KENTUCKY WARBLER was seen at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye on September 7th, and a PALM WARBLER was seen at the Pease International Tradeport in Newington on September 2nd.

A DICKCISSEL was seen at Spoonwood Pond in Nelson on September 6th.

2 LINCOLN’S SPARROWS were seen at Otter Brook Lake in Keene on September 3rd.

An AMERICAN PIPIT was seen at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye on September 8th.

A RING-NECKED DUCK was seen at Pickering Ponds in Rochester on September 6th.

A RED-NECKED GREBE was seen at the Point of Pines at Lake Wentworth in Wolfeboro on September 5th.

HAWK MIGRATION daily observation has started and observers have already counted over 450 raptors from the Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory. Be sure to visit and help the official counters!

Official COMMON NIGHTHAWK migration observation has finished for the season.

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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Boreal birds and dramatic vistas await you most any time of the year in New Hampshire’s North Country. Follow birder and naturalist Robert A. Quinn’s detailed new guide, Birding Northern New Hampshire, to the best birding in northern Coos County. All proceeds go to NH Audubon. For more info and to order a copy, check out this link.

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.