A few highlights from today (wish I had equipment to record the Rusty Blackbird chorus). Getting closer and closer to May and the migrants are trickling in.

First Gnatcatcher of the year.

A nice first of year Field Sparrow was singing in Dunstable on Saturday. It was a little hidden among the branches and it was a bit windy to keep him held steady, but I like the results.

I saw my first Wilson’s Snipe of the year on Sunday. It was pouring out, so I was without camera. Here’s one from the same spot a couple years ago in seemingly similar conditions. It actually was quite nice out that day and the effect is just from shooting through some vegetation.

One more from the weekend:

Couldn’t resist a few shots as it flew right over while we were watching the geese.

Quite the weekend.

On Saturday, I joined the BBC trip, which wandered all over Essex county. Ross’s Geese were tempting, so it didn’t take too much prodding for me to join.

After meeting up with the group, we headed right over to the geese, which were along Rt. 133 in Ipswich. They had been discovered last weekend by Rick Heil (and then more were found in western Mass and then in Haverhill as well during the week) and ended up being almost too easy. We parked on the side of the road, walked up to the fence, and had the flock in the scopes. They were a little further than I would have liked, but were still quite easy to see. The stubby bills were quite visible. Since my previous experience with Ross’s Goose were a few heads that would pop up in the flock of Snows at Bosque del Apache, this was a good chance to study them. They were a bit far for good photos, but I did snap a few that were acceptable (and if you go through Massbird archives others have posted plenty of good ones).

Can’t wait for these (and the rest of the swallows) to return.

Hopefully this isn’t the most exciting bird on the WLT Duck Walk this Sunday.

Just back from Texas, so lots of photos to go through. This one’s a Clay-colored Thrush (formerly Robin) at Santa Ana NWR and might be the dullest-looking bird possible.

One from the archives: a vagrant Sage Thrasher in York, Maine, November 2001.

Might be enjoying these by this time next week.

For no particular reason, this week’s bird is a Sooty Shearwater from this summer’s pelagic off Nantucket

More photos: