Springtime Sights and Sounds

 

   I could not convince myself to enjoy this traditional New England winter. I had no desire to go snowshoeing or ice fishing. Even when it came to the fun winter birding my mindset was "been there, done that, can't justify the gas".  So I pretty much stayed in the house working out and binge watching television.

   So when spring arrived, I was very willing to get out and see some of the sure signs that it was really here. One of my favorite things I enjoy about spring nature is that it starts with a trickle. Take birding during peak migration from late April through the third week of  May, I may see seventy new species of birds. During March, you can count on only a few new species such as Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallows, Great Egret, Ospreys, and a few others. To me, when these new individuals arrive, I feel as though I need to see them like I would reconnecting with an old friend. 

   For me, it isn't just about birds. I need to see many old friends of different types of animals. The feeling is strong and quite honestly, with some of the species if I don't see them I feel incomplete. This may sound absolutely ridiculous (because it is) but if I miss seeing Wood Frogs (for example) I feel as though there is an empty hole I can not fill.

   So, once we got some warmer weather, off I went to see "old friends". The first were Wood Frogs. When we had a huge rainstorm with fifty mile an hour winds two weeks ago, my only thought was I hope the power doesn't go out. The thought that it was a "big night" for amphibians did not cross my mind.  Luckily, I had the next day off from work and it dawned on me that the warm rain had to have triggered the frogs to migrate to vernal pools. so we migrated to see them.

   Sure enough, we did see dozens of Wood Frogs. The light was perfect and despite having  loads of photos of them I couldn't help taking another hundred more. While we were at the vernal pool, Laurie found a Spotted Salamander. I moved a leaf it swam under with a stick and we got a very good look. A lifer for Laurie.

Alewives

   My next old friend I needed to see were herring. Sunday was nice so we went to a herring run and I was really hoping to see a "scout" or two. It would have made me happy to see a couple of these early fish leading the way for the bulk of the run. To my astonishment,  the run was full of alewives (the name of the most common  species of herring). There were more herring than I had ever seen at one time, thousands for sure. After I got out of work on Monday, we rushed down to the run again with a picnic. We ate our food and watched the herring fight the current in the manmade ladder to get over where a mill once stood. I had Tuesday off and for the third day in a row, we went to the herring run and watched the fish. It was almost seventy degrees so we sat on the damp grass and watched them for an hour. There were even more than the previous two days.

   Despite naming the March birds in the opening paragraph, none of them hold a place in my heart as much as another early arrival...Pine Warbler. I love hearing their trill in the wood. I had been listening for a couple of weeks when taking walks in the neighborhood that has some huge White Pines but hadn't heard any. Tuesday we went to Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth, MA (before going to the herring run). We brought a picnic (sensing a theme?) and sat in the pines. There were multiple Pine Warblers calling. I enjoyed listening to them the entire time we were there. I didn't even try to see one. Just listening to them was enough for me.

 

Red Bellied Cooter

   Another creature I try to see every year is Red Bellied Cooters. These are an endangered turtle in Massachusetts and the next closest population is in New Jersey. They are a new species to me and I only learned about them three years ago. Seeing them still feels "fresh". I didn't really expect to see any in March, but when we went to Myles Standish there was a big one on a log. Turtles don't move a hell of a lot, so we watched it for five minutes and thanked it for its time. 

   My next spring adventure is usually hit or miss. I usually go to Provincetown and see the migrating Right Whales. I have been successful a few times and struck out more often than I have seen them. However, there is a thrill of seeing whales from the beach. You aren't surrounded by three hundred people on a whale watch boat after paying seventy dollars to board. It is just you and the whales, and you found them not a captain of a vessel. It is a magical feeling. I hope to get to P-town on Wednesday of next week but the weather will determine if I can go. 

   In the next month we will have overshoot Blue Grosbeaks, Summer Tanagers, and Prothonotary Warblers. Common warblers such as Redstarts, Palm, and Black and Whites will be here in mid to late April. A few warm days in the middle of the month will get snakes going and my eyes will go from looking in trees in the morning to under rocks as the sun rises throughout the day. I'll hopefully run across more old friends. I appreciate them all but the Wood Frogs, Pine Warblers, whales, and herring at the beginning of the season hold a special place for me. I simply need to see or hear them every single year. 

Copied and pasted from my personal blog published 4/2/2026

Handicapped Accessible trail at Roaring Brook

 

   I’ve known about this trail for what seems like years, but the road, drivable, part has always been good for me, so I was lazy and did not leave the car, until yesterday.  I am kicking myself because it IS a truly accessible trail.  Honestly most of the ones that claim to be are not.  I appreciate the attempt, but it just ends up being disappointing.  This one did not disappoint – very accessible and very birdy.  Here is what I found.

.35 miles of the .9 mile loop is Boardwalk, which is great for me. It is a well-maintained wood walk and lots of places to sit – some picnic tables and some benches all solid and with arms to assist getting up.

I parked at the upper pond after slowly driving the road getting my first photo of a Northern Waterthrush on the way.  Had more great birds along the road which is wide enough to get decent views into the trees.  I parked in the lot and as I was getting my Orange (required at this time of year) from the trunk, a dog walker started chatting with me and 5 (count ‘em) 5 adult bald eagles flew by – WOW.  I have never seen more than 2 together, the dog walker assured me she sees groups of them frequently.  Of course, my camera was in the car, sigh.

I walked across the first part of the boardwalk, maybe 100 feet and stopped at the “Hot Corner” see map the Warbling Vireo, Hooded Warbler, Eastern Kingbird & Baltimore Oriole were near this corner.  I repeat only 100 feet from the parking lot – and there is a place to sit.  An accessible dream. 

I wasn’t sure how long the boardwalk ran, but I knew it couldn’t be very long as the road I had driven up constituted the loop back up.  It was a lovely walk through the wood with lots of birds to look at before you reach the lower pond (and loud brook).  I ran into one other dog walker, but the dogs were well behaved otherwise I had the place to myself. 

The way back:

I decided to walk back on the boardwalk because I would be driving back on the road again anyway.  The Hooded Warbler was only there on the way back @8:30. In the past I have had them on the road – but not today.  Here is my checklist from the day:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S230829053

And Some Birds

Northern Waterthrush

Eastern Phoebe

Female Red-winged Blackbird with nesting materials

Even if accessibility is not an issue for you – this is a great spot for birds.

Barbara Seith

Annual Meeting Guest Speaker Gene Ellison

 

  The Ocean State Bird Club is proud to announce our guest speaker at our annual meeting. Our meeting will be April 12 for members only. The meeting will have refreshments and raffles. After we get done with business such as the presidents message, financial report, and voting on new board members we will have...wait for it... 

  Gene Ellison talk about his big year in 2023. Gene saw 801 species  I have known Gene (not well) for a long time. It was last year when I found out he had a passion for birding. I didn't know that he did a big year. When I found out I asked a million questions then I asked if he would be willing to speak at our annual meeting. He agreed.

  Instead of telling you more about Gene let him tell you in his own words. Below is a summary of his presentation and his bio. If there is one thing that is for sure, Gino (that is what most people call him) loves all aspects of the outdoors!

Title: Rarified Air – One Passionate Birders’ Big Year Quest   How many different bird species could you dream of seeing, capturing a sound recording of or photographing from January 1 to December 31 of any given year ?  Have you ever considered doing an ABA Birding Big Year ?  How about a county or statewide Big Year ?  Why would you want to even do one ?  How does one plan out all the logistics to ensure that each of the important states are visited at the most opportune times ?  Can you do this alone or do you need to seek out help ?  Come and learn about the mishaps, the successes, the lessons learned along the way, the hilarious birding stories, the new life-time friends met along the way and the joy of reporting 801 bird species during 2023 !  But be warned … if you attend, you just might get the urge to plan a Big Year yourself !  Please come and meet Big Year Birder Gino Ellison and see tons of beautiful bird photographs while hearing one birders tale about a 12-month quest of a life time !      Bio:   Eugene (Gino) Ellison - is a lifetime resident of Massachusetts. He is happily married to his wonderful wife Kate (38 years) and they have 3 fun kids and 4 active grandkids. Gino is now retired from the investment business as well as the Professional Bass Fishing Tournament circuit. Gino has been affiliated with Bass Pro Shops for over 25 years and still makes several store appearances each year. Gino is a hunter, fisherman, conservationist and passionate birder who leads dozens of walks in Massachusetts.  He greatly enjoys volunteering with Mass Wildlife and with Mass Audubon at their family birding & fishing events. Gino just completed a successful ABA Birding Big Year in 2023 and is scheduled to speak at birding festivals and clubs around New England and nationwide.

Birding/ Nature Goals for the Year

   

This female King Eider was one of my favorite birds
I've seen in 2025. I didn't see any King Eider in 2024

   At the beginning of every year, I try to plan out my nature and birding goals. If you know me, you know I bird, hike, fish, and look for herps. Recently I started seining. I try not to make my plans on the fly for things I really want to do. Much of what I enjoy is based on nature's calendar so I play by Mother Nature's rules. 

   Planning new adventures may require some research on my part. It may mean I need to make reservations months in advance. If I want to try to catch a fish species I've never seen, it would help of I knew what water temp they are active at? Do they prefer cover or open water? Do they feed during the day or the low light of dusk/dawn? Putting a list together in early January, lets me make sure I cover research and reservations (if need be).

    I thought it may be fun to get OSBC members involved and find out what their birding or nature goals are for the year.  We are going to send out an email to club members with my email address on it. If you'd like to share your birding/nature goals for 2025 with us, we will post the results in The Osprey our quarterly newsletter. I am really hoping to get quite a bit of member participation 

   There is no wrong answer to the question "What are your birding or nature goals for the year?" If you are a "lister" maybe you want to reach a certain number of birds, maybe you want to break your previous personal best. You might even want to bird less. Maybe as a birder you want to see a specific species. You may just want to make sure your birdfeeder never runs empty. Are you going to an exotic location and you have a target bird, maybe a perfect photo, see as many potential targets as possible? Whatever your birding goals it would be great if you shared them

    I look at birding as an excuse to get out into nature. Birds are such a small part of it. So even though we are a bird club please feel free to tell us any other plans you have for the year. Do you want to see a breaching whale? first moose? hike a mountain? catch a legal size striped bass, learn how to identify edible mushrooms? learn how to tell trees apart? Do you want to harvest wild blueberries or quahogs...

    I could go on and on about the endless goals one could have outdoors but you get the idea. Many of the above were goals of mine. I can't tell you how many whale watches  I went on before I saw one breach. I hiked all of the four thousand foot mountains in New Hampshire (it took seventeen years) and I know exactly where I caught my first legal sized striped bass. But we all know that the most important goals are our own, and we'd love it if you shared yours.

   But since I'm asking you to share yours, here are some of mine for the year. 

  * Spend a day in late May at the fish elevator in Holyoke. You can watch fish being lifted (American Shad, Herring, Striped Bass, etc...) over the dam. There are also Soft Shelled Turtles in the Connecticut River. Seeing one would be a lifer for me. It will be a two-for-one day. 

   * Spend a day or weekend at the state parks along the New Hampshire coast. I've never explored Rye Harbor State Park or Odiorne State Park and a couple smaller ones. We are planning this trip for late April. This is before spring migration and before summer crowds descend.  

  * Visit Fort Trumbell in Connecticut. This is a Revolutionary War Fort. I only learned about it a month ago. There is a boat ride you can take from the state park. I learned about this fort because there was a Black Throated Gray Warbler there that I chased and dipped on the first week of January. 

  * I am not keeping a year list of any type this year. So year birds will mean nothing to me other than having the pleasure of seeing them. I still want to see lifers and RI state birds. My RI state bird list is very important to me. I will drive anywhere in RI to see a species I've never seen (or never seen inside of RI borders)

  * Catch a damn Northern Pike. I took three trips to Connecticut and two to northern NH last year to locations that have pike. I drove home with my tail between my legs every time. This is the year!

  * I spent last year doing a Vertebrate Big Year. I spent a lot of time fishing for many species. I'd like to cut down on that number and specifically fish for a few target species.

   *Go to Connecticut and look for Five Lined Skink. The only lizard with a natural range that extends into New England. 

Those are my main goals. What are yours? Michael will send out an email with the link to this blog with my email address on it if you are a member. Feel free to send me a note with what you want to see or do in the outdoors. 

***Note- I believe that all club members deserve to be able to contact the bird club president via email which is why the email address will be sent to members. There are about 140 member households but over 700 people follow our Facebook page. I'm sure you can understand why I don't want my email address broadcast all over the web. 

I dipped on the Spotted Towhee in Provincetown
But I saw this Red Fox in a snow squall and it made the 
ride well worth it.

Seining

 

Smallmouth Flounder

   If you know me then you know that I love being in nature and it is not just birds that gets me excited. I did a blog post (July 2022) about the reptiles and amphibians I had been chasing. While I have spent a good deal of time looking for snakes again this year, I haven't taken any adventures looking for "lifers". Besides seeing birds, fishing, and looking for snakes I've been spending a lot of time trying to catch small fish with a seine. 

   A seine is a long net that you drag along the bottom of either a lake, stream, or the ocean. The object is too catch small animals for closer inspection. I've been using a 20 foot seine. While they make much bigger, the twenty footer is perfect for me and I can maneuver it easily with another person or I can make small circles by attaching one end to a tree in the water.

   I've been a fisherman all of my life so I know most of the "gamefish" in New England in both freshwater and salt. I know much of the predominant bait that those fish eat. However, I have to admit there are a lot of minnows and small fish I had never heard of.  

  One thing I learned quickly, unlike birding, I really am at the mercy of another person to help. In ponds, I can leave one end in a tree at the waters edge and work a small piece of the shoreline. To be effective in saltwater and any large stretch of shoreline, I need help. So I want to thank Allison O'Conner and Louise Ruggeri for being regulars and always willing to help. Also, Sue Palmer, Dick and Marge Bradley, and Jan St. Jean went with me once or twice. As I said, I need help, so much appreciated. 

   An interesting fact is that during the warmer months tropical fish get caught up in the Gulf Stream from Florida and the Caribbean and end up here. These juveniles are too weak to fight the current and can get dragged up the coast and end up in our salt ponds and coves. I am not an expert so every new fish is a learning experience. Usually I have to ask experts what they are. 

   Below are some photos I have taken of fish I have caught seining  this year. Enjoy

Crevalle Jack

Menhaden

I'd say this is the prize of the summer...
Striped Seahorse

Needlefish

My friend Carlos found these guys in Ninigret Pond
so  we caught them. They are Short Bigeyes. The 
adults live at 600 feet on the
Continental Shelf

One of the freshwater fish I 
caught. Common Shiner

This is the smallest
Bluefish I've ever seen. It was
only an inch long

My favorite freshwater catch. An
Eastern Chubsucker and a lifer

The front fish is a Swamp Darter

Sheepshead Minnow

Needlefish

Beautiful Banded Killifish

I worked all summer 
to catch this guy, a Banded Sunfish

One of my favorite 
tropical fish I've held
Pompano

This little fella is a very small
Permit

The Osprey Newsletter - Call for Submissions

The Osprey

Did you know that the Ocean State Bird Club publishes a quarterly newsletter? 

And that it contains original, bird related content submitted by members like you? 

The club has been doing so since 2015, when the very first issue of The Osprey was released, not long after the club was formed. In that issue, founding member and 3-year club board president, Jana Hesser, wrote the following about the newsletter: 

We hope that it will become a resource for members, with articles about birds and birding, club activities and opportunities, and member comments. We invite your contributions and suggestions for content. 

Almost 10 years later, this still holds true, and we hope you’ll consider contributing (or re-contributing, if you’ve done so previously!) to The Osprey. 

I know that each of you have your own unique perspectives on birds and birding, and that you very likely have some wonderful stories and helpful information to share with fellow members. Personally, I would love to read about your birding experiences, no matter what they might be. 

This is your club, and your newsletter, so please don’t be shy. Know that all are welcome to submit, regardless of your writing and/or birding expertise. 

Here are some ideas and guidelines for submitting works of writing, photography, or artwork: 

Writing

We welcome original, bird-related writing. Writings do not have to be specific to Rhode Island. Past content has included: 

• Book reviews

• Focus on specific species or locations

• ID tips

• Trip reports, from close to afar

• Personal essays

• Field Notes

When preparing your piece, make sure to consider the publication date. If writing for the May 1st issue, for instance, a piece about finding spring warblers and summer shorebirds makes sense, since those will be relevant topics until the next issue is published in mid-August. But one about about winter duck IDs might be better for the fall or winter issue. 

In other words, readers will want content that is timely and that helps them know what to look forward to.

You may also include original photos along with your writing. They must be submitted as a separate file, rather than in the body of your written document. 

Photography & Artwork

The Osprey occasionally has a “Photographer’s Corner” and a “Spotlight on Artists” feature. If you’d like to showcase your work in one of these sections, we suggest you submit a short written piece about yourself, along with a few photos  You might include details such as your favorite photography equipment or art supplies, species, locations, etc.  

Submission Schedule 

Issue	Submission Deadline	Publication Date
Winter	January 15th	February 15th
Spring	April 1st	May 1st
Summer	July 15th	August 15th
Fall	October 15th	November 15th

For more ideas for submissions, you can check out past issues of The Osprey here: 

https://www.oceanstatebirdclub.org/osbc-newsletters.html

For more specific details about submissions, or if you have any questions please feel free to email: 

OspreyNewsOSBC@gmail.com and/or Louisamaerugg@gmail.com 

We look forward to hearing from you! 

-Louise Ruggeri, Board Member

Black Birders Week 2024

 Black Birders Week 2024

     by Louise Ruggeri

If you’re looking for a way to recover from May warbler neck, but still want some bird-related fun and education, I recommend checking out Black Birders Week from May 26 — June 1. 

If you’ve never heard of it, Black Birders Week is a series of online and in-person events that highlight and celebrate Black birders, while also advocating for “diversity, equity and inclusion in the birding community” according to their website. 

It was conceived in 2020, in direct response to the May 25th “Central Park birding incident” involving Christian Cooper. I think we birders all remember this, but in case you don’t: this was when a white woman was charged with filing a false police report because she claimed that Cooper, a well known NYC birder and author, was “threatening” her life. In reality — which is clear in the footage he took with his phone — he only asked her to leash her dog in an area where off-leash dogs are not permitted. As Cooper himself put it, her behavior towards him was “unmistakably racist.” 

Troubled by this incident, an existing collective of Black STEM professionals, called BlackAFinStem, decided to take action. Just 4 days later, one of their members, Corina Newsome, officially introduced Black Birders week on Twitter, saying: 

For far too long, Black people in the United States have been shown that outdoor exploration activities, such as birding, are not for us. Whether it be because of the way the media chooses to present “who” is the outdoorsy type; or the racism experienced by Black people when we do explore the outdoors — as we saw recently in Central Park — we’ve decided to change that narrative.

That first year, I watched nearly every presentation and panel discussion, while also following the hashtags and posts on social media. I learned a lot from the participants, who openly shared their experiences of feeling vulnerable or targeted while birding because of their skin color. Also discussed was the lack of representation of Black nature enthusiasts in the media and in advertising. And there were a lot of calls to action to local and national birding organizations to make birding more inclusive and accessible.  

But it wasn’t all about this — there was also a real feeling of celebration. And, of course, as you usually get with a group of birders, there was a lot of discussions and geeking out over birds and bird sightings, as well as all the inevitable bird-nerd jokes that only bird-nerds get.

One of the things I was unaware of before that first Black Birders Week in 2020 was just how big the community of Black nature enthusiasts really is. Even the organizers were surprised by this. Corina Newsome said, in an interview on the ABA podcast that year, said that she cried when she saw the volume of posts on social media during the event because she had “never seen that many Black people…doing the thing that I love doing…”

New connections were made that first year too. When the week was over, people were encouraged to use the hashtag #becauseofblackbirdersweek on social media, to share how the event impacted them. The resounding sentiment was that people felt less alone, and more supported because of the event. My favorite post was from a woman who discovered that she was not the only Black hijabi birder here in the states. Another favorite was a post where someone wrote that “in 40 years of birding, I never thought I would see the day when I wasn’t the only black birder I knew.”

Each year’s events are loosely based around a theme. 2023 was centered around creativity and had fun programs, like the “takeover” they did of BirdNote Radio. 2021 celebrated Black birders around the world. Each day in the week also has its own theme and hashtag too, to encourage engagement online.

This year’s theme is “Wings of Justice: Soaring for Change” — which is a sort of throw back to the origins of the event. The week will start with master falconer Rodney Stots as a special guest speaker. You can keep up to date on the programming via the BlackAFinStem.com website & social media sites.  They’ve also partnered with Cornell, the National Audubon Society, the Smithsonian Institute — so keep an eye out for announcements from them as well.