09/04/14 to 11/04/14 USA Stage 1 Boston, Massachusetts

Wednesday 09 April 2014 to Saturday 12 April 2014
Boston MA
USA

We decided to spend a few days in Boston en route to spending time with our family in Richmond Virginia.  The colonial history of this region has always fascinated us so we fulfilled a long-time desire to visit the state capital of Massachussetts. In view of our tight schedule the best I could hope for was a little bird watching as a side event.

Without a car our birding experience was mainly around the harbour and Boston Common.  In all we managed to see a total of 14 birds a low figure but nonetheless one which included some great birds.





The first birds we saw were Starlings and a couple of Herring Gulls.





However it was not too long before we spotted the first of many American Robins we were to see.



American Robin
Library picture

This bird is at least twice as big as it's European counterpart and is a really handsome bird.

The Red-winged Blackbird, a relatively common bird here, was a real treat for us.

Red-winged Blackbird
Library picture



 I have seen these before in Richmond but it still caused a stir with us.






The Dark-eyed Junco put in an appearance to add to our enjoyment.



Dark-eyed Junco
Library picture

The Black-capped Chickadee is so like the Carolina Chickadee.



Black-capped Chickadee
Library picture

Cormorants were different.  We saw the Double-crested Cormorant with their characteristic orange throat patch.



Double-crested Cormorant
Library picture

Last but by no means least was the Common Grackle with it's black and iridescent blue feathers.

Common Grackle
Library picture

Species List for Boston:
Common Grackle
Mallard
Canada Goose
Red-winged Blackbird
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Rock pigeon
American Robin
Black-capped Chickadee
Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-breasted Merganser
European Starling
Dark-eyed Junco



Species count = 14

The half dozen or so American species made this short trip memorable.  The Double-crested Cormorant and the Black-capped Chickadee were new birds to me which was nice.  

Time to move on to the warmer climate of Virginia.  Temperatures here, at the end of their winter, were typically 6-8 degrees C whereas we  are expecting temperatures over 30 degrees C in Richmond.