Richmond Marsh 5/18/20

Date: 5/18/2020
Time: 7:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Richmond Marsh, MA
Weather: about 55F, overcast and damp from rain the night before
Habitat: Large marshy area with some forest around the edges. In one area there was a beaver dam which sectioned off a portion of the swamp from the rest. There were areas of dense reeds, muddy earth, skunk cabbage, and shallow water throughout the marsh.

Either this marsh was flooded beyond normal or it's an infrequently visited place, because there were no discernible paths anywhere. Near where I entered from the side of the road was the beaver dammed area, with a large beaver lodge in the center (it appeared to be uninhabited). This was where I spotted the belted kingfisher and solitary sandpipers. My next hour and a half was mostly spent bushwhacking through the wet reeds and muddy forest, so I scared off a lot of birds with my noise. Eventually I came upon a raised train-track bed, which gave a great view of the entire marsh along its western side. On the eastern side was forest, so this is where I observed most of the passerines, including all of the warblers. In the marsh I saw at least four great blue herons flying between fishing spots, a couple pairs of Canada geese feeding, and dozens of red-winged blackbirds on the reeds. I also saw some ducks, though only in flight. I just recorded the few I was sure of. On the other end of the marsh was a dry field. From this vantage point I could get a decent view of the swallows. I could also hear an American bittern calling, but the reeds were so dense I had no hope of spotting it.

Posted on May 18, 2020 06:57 PM by natalya-h