Weekend Birder: Allen's Pond

I recently took a trip to Mass Audubon's Allen's Pond Sanctuary. Allen's Pond is a great spot, with nesting Orchard Orioles, Yellow Warblers, as well as a continuing King Rail, and lots of great sparrows and seabirds. Over 2 separate weekends in Westport, we visited Allen's Pond twice. The first time was before the King Rail report. We birded the Beach Loop trail, checking every Song Sparrow to check if they were Saltmarsh or Seaside Sparrows. None of them were. When we got to the causeway, I found an Orchard Oriole, the first Lifer of the morning!

Orchard Oriole

Also at the causeway, we saw Great-Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Willets, Yellow Warblers, and Common Yellowthroats.

We continued on to the beach, where we were treated with great views of a Piping Plover, but besides that the beach was mostly quiet.

Piping Plover

Walking back to the causeway, we found more lifers, a Saltmarsh Sparrow, 4 or 5 Least Terns, and 2 FOY Green Herons! I got a picture of the Saltmarsh Sparrow, but it wasn't very good and I got a better one later. EBird Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14478688

2 weeks later, we returned to look for the King Rail, as well as migrating shorebirds. The King Rail was located at the same causeway that we birded before. When we walked up, two other birders were standing looking for the bird. They said they hadn't seen the bird yet, but they had been hearing it steadily for a while. We waited for the bird, trying to listen in to where it could be, but the sound carried over the marsh. While waiting, we saw FOYs Short-billed Dowitcher and Lesser Yellowlegs, as well as a lifer Least Sandpiper!

Short-Billed Dowitchers and a Lesser Yellowlegs

Suddenly, one of the other birders exclaimed that he had the bird. The Rail was 50 yards into the marsh, not helping my opportunities for picture taking.

King Rail!

We continued down the Beach Loop, finding a couple of Piping Plovers, Great Black-Backed Gulls, and a couple of Killdeer. Once we got to the rocky shore, however, our luck changed. In the water about 40 yards offshore was a drake, breeding plumaged Surf Scoter, my 3rd Lifer of the day! Right near the Surf Scoter were a group of 5 Common Eiders, my 4th Lifer of the day!! The small "raft" of Eiders consisted of 2 juvenile Eiders and 3 adult females.