Recent bird sightings on Cape Cod (as of Nov. 20) as reported to the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
A rufous hummingbird has been visiting a feeder in Eastham for over a week.
The American white pelican has moved from Wellfleet to Eastham, where it has been seen from Fort Hill and Coast Guard Beach. Three Western kingbirds continue at Fort Hill as well, where other sightings included 5 American bitterns, a sora, a continuing Le Conte’s sparrow, 3 Nelson’s sparrows including one of the interior subspecies, 4 saltmarsh sparrows, 2 seaside sparrows, 3 fox sparrows, 14 Eastern meadowlarks, 5 white-winged crossbills, and 3 common redpolls.
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Reports of brown pelicans, perhaps all pertaining to the same individual, came in from Eastham, Truro, and Provincetown Harbor, and most recently from Pilgrim Lake.
High Head in Truro has been the best place to witness the remarkable influx of finches and other winter birds from the north this fall. Reports on Saturday included 3 purple finches, 6 red crossbills, an amazing 214 white-winged crossbills, 54 common redpolls, 13 pine siskins, and an evening grosbeak, most of which were fly-overs. Other birds noted included 8 green-winged teal, 50 scaup, 4 Northern bobwhites, 7 tree swallows, 2 American pipits, 20 snow buntings, 3 pine warblers, and 5 field sparrows.
Sightings at Race Point in Provincetown included 1,500 red-breasted merganser, 250 red-throated loons, 50 common loons, 20 red-necked grebes, a purple sandpiper, 250 black-legged kittiwakes, a laughing gull, 3 common terns, 2 pomarine jaegers, 3 dovekies, 125 razorbills, and a merlin.
Other sightings around the Cape included a common yellowthroat and 8 white-winged crossbills at Ashumet Holly sanctuary in Falmouth, a yellow-breasted chat and 17 red crossbills in West Falmouth, 15 ruddy turnstones at Black Beach in Falmouth, 200 Bonaparte’s gulls and 15 red crossbills at Wellfleet Bay sanctuary, 7 Northern saw-whet owls in Wellfleet, and a snowy egret at Provincetown Harbor.
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For more information about bird sightings or to report sightings, call the Massachusetts Audubon Society at 781-259-8805 or go to
www.massaudubon.org.