“The Patagonia Picnic Table Effect” was in full force at Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in early November. First, Shane O’Neil found a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on November 2, drawing a predictable crowd. In the afternoon of the flycatcher’s third day there, Lily Morello was just about to leave when she spotted a Mountain Bluebird. Both birds were present within sight of each other the following day. The bluebird has not been seen since, but the flycatcher continues to be reported through press time. The bluebird is approximately the 13th state record of its species. The flycatcher is the third of its kind in the state this year, following one on Plum Island on October 20, and another in Carver in early May. Lily Morello took the photos.
While walking his dog, Robert Kiessling found a Fork-tailed Flycatcher on wires near Chatham on October 16; he spotted it daily through October 20. Robert was unable to spread the word to other birders until after the bird left the area. Robert’s photo is above.
Bicknell’s Thrush used to breed in Massachusetts. Due to the disappearance of the Mount Greylock population and the extreme difficulty of separating this species from Gray-cheeked Thrush, MARC has accepted only three records of the species, all from Manomet where they were mist-netted and banded. The Berkshire Bird Observatory may have added a fourth on October 15 in Jug’s End State Reservation—about as far as one can get from Manomet in the state—when they netted, banded, and carefully measured one, and saved a couple of feather samples for DNA confirmation. The photo credit goes to The Berkshire Bird Observatory.
Jonathan Kaufman photographed a female Vermilion Flycatcher on October 8 at South Cape Beach State Park, near Mashpee. A few hours later, Mary Keleher, without knowing about the earlier sighting, discovered the same flycatcher as a consolation prize following an unsuccessful search for a Seaside Sparrow. This bird was the sixth record of its species for the state, and the second in 2024, following one on New Year’s Day. Mary Keleher took the photo.
On the morning that we all set back our clocks an hour, Jill Gatlin spent that extra hour—and a few more—at Mount Auburn Cemetery, where she found a Black-throated Gray Warbler. It remained in the cemetery through November 6, pleasing many birders. Jessie Brazelton (@birdingjess) took the photo.