Birds
Observations on birds were made throughout the year. The list of species noted in and over the marsh is shown below. In general there were some differences in the occurrences of species between the unrestricted and restricted marshes. However, since the sampling was not evenly divided between the two sites (Dr. Orson lives along the restricted portion of the marsh), caution must be exercised when interpreting the data. One difference noted between the restricted and unrestricted portions of the site was was the regularity with which the raptors appeared. The osprey did fly over the restricted marsh, but tended to stay downstream of the tidegates presumably because of the amount of water and hunting needs. In contrast, the marsh hawks and the Coopers hawk tended to remain above the Rt 146 tidegate, although they too were observed over the unrestricted marsh towards the upland areas. The redtailed hawks went everywhere. Another difference between the two portions of the system was the increase in the occurrence of songbirds in and around the restricted marsh. This may be due to a number of factors including the tall grasses and denser thickets that are prevalent here. Although studies have found that songbirds tend to favor the habitats found in restricted marshes, this data cannot be used to support or refute such claims because of the greater number of observations that were conducted in the restricted portion of the system.

For the following list of birds, a single asterick denotes species found only in the restricted portion of the system; a double asterik denotes those observed only in the unrestricted marsh. No asterick represents species found in both marsh areas.

Birds
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
American Goldfinch* (Carduelis tristis)
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
American Redstart* (Setophaga ruticilla )
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea)
Baltimore Oriole* (Icterus spurius)
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Belted Kingfisher* (Ceryle alcyon)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla ) (previously Parus atricapillus)
Black-crowned Night-Heron** (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscala)
Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea)
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
Double-crested Cormorant** (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Eastern Bluebird* (Sialia sialis)
Eastern Screech Owl (Otus asio)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Field Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
Great Black-backed Gull** (Larus marinus)
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Great Egret (Ardea alba ) (previously Camerodius albus)
Green Heron** (Butorides virescens)
Hairy Woodpecker* (Picoides villosus)
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)
Little Blue Heron** (Egretta caerulea)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Mute Swan** (Cygnus olor)
Northern Cardinal* (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Northern Harrier (Marsh Hawk) (Circus cyaneus)
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Purple Martin* (Progne subis)
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
Ring-necked Pheasant* (Phasianus colchicus)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak* (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird* (Archilochus colubris)
Ruffed Grouse* (Bonasa umbellus)
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow** (Ammodramus caudacutus)
Seaside Sparrow** (Ammodramus maritimus)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
Swamp Sparrow* (Melospiza georgiana)
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Wild Turkey* (Meleagris gallopavo)
Wood Thrush* (Hylocichla mustelina)
Yellow Warbler* (Dendroica petechia)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons)

 

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