Music video was published [2022], 52 years after the songs release. It’s worth watching, if for no other reason than to hear this beautiful song once again.
“But the indoctrination of controlled misinformation fueled by greed and the desire to control others impedes the opportunities and advancement of human beings in the greater universe.” – Bicycle the Band
eBird, Merlin, talking to bird people, and tons of random articles and websites (I’ll try to do a better job at tracking these)
Catalogus specierum
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Photo [AMRO01] of a robin too fat to fly.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
On Bald Eagle nestmaking: “Both sexes contribute sticks to the structure, but the female does the arrangement.” — Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and Vultures of North America by Pete Dunne, Kevin T. Karlson.
Full Nonquitt Marsh Bald Eagles 2025 Report. June. First encounter with a mature Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the wild was at Nonquitt Marsh on June 18, 2025, at 6:45pm. Merlin open and it picked up one Bald Eagle and then another. BAEA02.
Did catch a photo of one in the trees across from the Observation Deck. BAEA03.
July. Didn’t see another Eagle until July 7 at 3:25pm. Got a great look. BAEA04
Then grabbed an audio recording at 7:26pm on July 18. BAEA05.
There have been many interactions between Osprey and Eagles. This video was taken on July 23 at 7:12pm after the Eagle landed and conveyed its annoyance to a tailing Osprey. BAEA06.
The next day, the same Eagle was back at the Marsh. A month later, August 23, an Eagle was alone across from the Deck but it took off quickly towards the ocean. Apparently it was a big loop because shortly after the Eagle returned and at least 10 Osprey took flight making a racket while chasing the Eagle Northwest. Caught the audio. BAEA07.
On August 28, a Bald Eagle landed on a sunken log out in the roadside pond part of the marsh. Still sitting there looking around spreading its wing as a couple times walked back-and-forth. BAEA08.
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Photo [CEDW01] taken at the Marsh on July 27. True to its form on every puzzle and in every book, it was eating berries. Lifer.
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
Lifer at the Marsh on June 18.
Cooper’s Hawk (Astur cooperii)
Photo [COHA01] taken down the street of a Cooper’s hawk with a fresh kill on July 10.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Photo [GBHE03] taken in Bellingham, Mass., on June 21. Nearly twenty nests are all clustered.
Photo [GBHE04] taken at Carolyn’s Pond at Egypt Lane in Fairhaven on August 24.
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
Photo [GRHE02] taken at Egypt Lane in Fairhaven on August 24.
Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)
Photo [HRSH01] taken on July 26 of a female Harris’s hawk (non-native to New England) during a beginner falconry course in Hadley, Mass. She was the demonstrator bird, and it was so much fun to watch her. She’d fly off into the trees, with a bell on her leg, and you would hear her come up from behind you. Apparently, last class she killed a catbird right in front of everyone. In the photo, she is hunting for snails, which are abundant in wet summer fields. Harris’s hawks and some other birds of prey can see snail trails through the UV spectrum. Thus making it quite easy for her to collect a bunch.
The video [HRSH02] features a younger male who wasn’t flown. He seemed less cool than her.
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)
Photo [HOFI02] taken on the front porch. The technology used to keep the grill free from overhead bird bombs seemed no issue for a late-season (August 2) clutch.
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous)
Photo [KILL01] taken on the UMass Dartmouth campus on July 10 – nests dotted across campus.
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
Lifer at the Marsh on July 24.
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
Lifer at the Marsh on July 28.
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Photo [MODO01] taken at the Tripp Athletic Center in Dartmouth, Mass., on the morning of August 12. Great look at its hallux.
Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
Lifer at Tully Pond in Orange, Mass., on July 1.
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis)
“Osprey’s long, crooked wings may in fact be an adaptation to withstand the jolting impact of a large bird striking water.” — Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and Vultures of North America by Pete Dunne, Kevin T. Karlson.
Full Nonquitt Marsh Ospreys 2025 Report. Osprey “Breeding pairs may be solitary or —where food is plentiful and suitable nest sites are few but clustered-birds may form loose breeding colonies, which provides a greater degree of nest defense and perhaps offers adults greater freedom to forage.” — Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and Vultures of North America by Pete Dunne, Kevin T. Karlson.
Osprey data was not collected until July 25, but appears in its entirety below. OSPR03.
July. Photo [OSPR04] taken of a bustling nest at Apponagansett Beach on July 10.
Late July had birds separated in small clusters, a few Ospreys at the north and northwest edges, with the front treeline largely vacant. Observed interactions were minimal until July 29, when one Osprey displaced another from a perch. On July 30, numbers climbed to double digits across the front, north, and northeast trees. OSPR05.
August. Similar numbers were held in early August, mainly divided among the front, north, and northwest trees. On August 13, a flock of gulls clashed noisily with several Ospreys circling overhead. Ten birds clustered together in one tree, and others fed nearby. By August 14, at least 14 were present, with many arriving and vocalizing from the south. August 16 totaled 15 Ospreys in the front trees alone, with more in the north and northwest stands. Many were stuffed with fish, sunning themselves with wings held open or bent in curious angles. They are always eating. From that point on, counts regularly exceeded 20. On August 17, 21 Ospreys were recorded, and hunting behavior became more visible. Diving attempts were observed at close range for the first time. Great photo [OSPR06] taken by Stephen Petto at the Marsh on August 22.
A record 25 were counted on August 29. OSPR07.
Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
Lifer at the Marsh on July 28.
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Photo [RTHA02] taken on the UMass Dartmouth campus on August 31.
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
Lifer at the Marsh on July 24.
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
Lifer at the Marsh on July 28.
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
Lifer at the Marsh on July 19.
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Photo [TUVU01] taken at an old Westport barn on August 28.
Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)
On July 28, I got a great Virginia Rail call and response on Merlin but couldn’t get eyes on them. VIRA01.
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
Lifer at Carolyn’s Pond at Egypt Lane in Fairhaven on June 19.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Photo [YCNH01] taken of a juvenile at Carolyn’s Pond at Egypt Lane in Fairhaven on June 18. Lifer.
Photo [YCNH02] taken at the Apponagansett Beach/the Padanaram Bridge turn on June 27.
On Bald Eagle nestmaking: “Both sexes contribute sticks to the structure, but the female does the arrangement.” — Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and Vultures of North America by Pete Dunne, Kevin T. Karlson.
(Some bad iphone content to start, but they get better)
Summer 2025 First encounter with a mature Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the wild was at Nonquitt Marsh on June 18, 2025, at 6:45pm. Merlin open and it picked up one Bald Eagle and then another. BAEA02.
Did catch a photo of one in the trees across from the Observation Deck. BAEA03.
Didn’t see another Eagle until July 7 at 3:25pm. Got a great look. BAEA04
Then grabbed an audio recording at 7:26pm on July 18. BAEA05
There have been many interactions between Osprey and Eagles. This video was taken on July 23 at 7:12pm after the Eagle landed and conveyed its annoyance to a tailing Osprey. BAEA06.
The next day, the same Eagle was back at the Marsh. A month later, August 23, an Eagle was alone across from the Deck but it took off quickly towards the ocean. Apparently it was a big loop because shortly after the Eagle returned and at least 10 Osprey took flight making a racket while chasing the Eagle Northwest. Caught the audio. BAEA07.
On August 28, a Bald Eagle landed on a sunken log out in the roadside pond part of the marsh. Still sitting there looking around spreading its wing as a couple times walked back-and-forth. BAEA08.
The Eagle took off, flying towards the Observation Deck and the Ospreys intercepted it as it went Northwest.
Fall 2025
The first Eagle of Fall 2025 was the evening of September 2. It glid in lazily and was harassed by 11 Osprey after it landed across from the Observation Deck. They had a good argument. BAEA09.
The Eagle eventually was swayed and decided to leave by seaward way. Two days after 9/11 a Bald Eagle went seaward but looped at the beach and flew roughly 30 feet above the Observation Deck. Then on September 15 an Eagle landed on the tree across from the Deck. BAEA10.
It was quickly divebombed and screamed at by an Osprey. The next day, September 16, Steve with his big camera caught an Eagle lazily flew through the Marsh, did a lap, and headed Northwest. Eventually came back and sat on the sunken log before heading Northwest again. BAEA11.
BAEA12.
BAEA13.
Saw an Eagle at the Marsh on September 18, a Second Year Juvenile Bald Eagle on September 21, and a mature Eagle on September 22. The final sighting of the Fall was finally seeing both Eagles at once on October 11 at 5:20pm. One Bald Eagle was on Osprey nestpole. Another Eagle flew in from the South, kept going North before eventually coming back to sit on a sunken rock near her mate. Both took off together and flew at the Observation Deck. Some incredible photos taken by Steve. BAEA14.
Birds Birds Birds 