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Jerry Twomey and Alan Trautmann discovered a Barn Owl roosting in a grove of trees at Belle Isle Marsh in early May. A wise decision was made to wait for a couple of months before making the sighting public in order to protect the bird from being harassed by photographers. Alan took the photo above.
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An evening bird walk in Parker River NWR, led by Sue McGrath, discovered a Fork-tailed Flycatcher on August 10. The bird was not relocated the next day. Lee Weber took the photo above.
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Maybe the most-viewed bird in the state this summer, an American Avocet appeared at Plum Island in late July and lingered in the area for over a month. Suzanne Sullivan took the photograph above.
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The August 2016 edition of the BBC Extreme Pelagic was its usual spectacular self, with at least five White-faced Storm-Petrels and a Black-capped Petrel, plus a Sowerby’s Beaked Whale and perhaps most astonishingly a Whale Shark! Luke Seitz took the photo above.
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Ginger Andrews and Trish Pastuszak discovered not one, but two White-winged Doves at their feeders on August 20. One kept visiting until at least the 24th. Trish took the photo above.
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A Baird’s Sandpiper found near Williamstown by Manuel Morales was the first in the Berkshires since 1976. Gael Hurley took the photo above.