Location: Brickyard Pond, Bristol, Rhode Island, US
Date: Oct 23, 2015 8:06 AM - 10:06 AM
Distance: 2.0 mile(s)
Leader: Mike Kieron
Participants: 8
Total Species: 25 

• Canada Goose  8
• Mute Swan  2
• Mallard  16
• Bufflehead  3
• Double-crested Cormorant  28
• Great Blue Heron  2
• Bald Eagle  1
• Red-tailed Hawk  2
• Herring Gull  15
• Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
• Downy Woodpecker  2
• Eastern Phoebe  1     Heard.
• Red-eyed Vireo  1     Late bird, very well seen by multiple observers. Small vireo with dark eye line, white brow and blue-gray crown.
• Blue Jay  5
• American Crow  5
• Fish Crow  1
• Black-capped Chickadee  10
• Tufted Titmouse  3
• White-breasted Nuthatch  3
• Golden-crowned Kinglet  2
• Palm Warbler (Yellow)  1
• Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  6
• White-throated Sparrow  3
• Song Sparrow  6
• Northern Cardinal  3

Location: Ninigret NWR, Washington County, Rhode Island, US
Date: Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:30 AM
Party Size: 6
Duration: 3 hour(s), 30 minute(s)
Distance: 4.0 mile(s)
Leader: Dylan Pedro
Comments: OSBC walk at Ninigret. Conditions: Cool (~45-50F), partly cloudy, fair wind from NNW. Decent sized morning flight upon arrival at parking lot
Species: 47 species (+1 other taxa) total

• 215 Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
• One flyover flock of about 110 around 1030, a few other flyovers, and approximately 100 on Ninigret Pond. No Greats in these groups that I could pick out
• 2 Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias 
• 2 Great Egret Ardea alba 
• 2 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura 
• 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus 
• 1 Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii 
• 3 Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca 
• Vocal flyovers coming from the pond around 830
• 1 Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla 
• Probably an undercount
• 45 Herring Gull Larus argentatus 
• Approximate. Many gull sp. seen very distantly out on the pond.
• 15 Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 
• Minimum mixed in with the gull sp.
• 110 gull sp. Larinae sp. 
• 2 Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura 
• 3 Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens 
• 2 Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus 
• 18 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) Colaptes auratus auratus/luteus 
• 1 American Kestrel Falco sparverius 
• 5 Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe 
• 21 Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata 
• 8 American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos 
• 18 Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor 
• 9 Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus 
• 3 Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor 
• 0 Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis 
• One possibly heard by Scott
• 2 White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis 
• 7 Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa 
• 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula 
• 1 Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis 
• Vocal flyover in morning flight
• 3 Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus 
• 85 American Robin Turdus migratorius 
• Many flyovers throughout the late morning. Very few on the ground.
• 10 Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis 
• 1 American Pipit Anthus rubescens 
• Flushed from airstrip
• 14 Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum 
• Morning flight
• 1 American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla 
• Late female, overall gray with yellow-orange markings under wings and on tail, which was typically fanned out.
• 3 Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata 
• A couple in morning flight, at least one perched nicely for us.
• 1 Palm Warbler (Yellow) Setophaga palmarum hypochrysea 
• 150 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) Setophaga coronata coronata 
• Conservative estimate. Omnipresent. Several dozen in morning flight.
• 2 Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina 
• 6 Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 
• 1 White-crowned Sparrow (leucophrys) Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys 
• Immature
• 18 White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis 
• 17 Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia 
• 15 Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana 
• 6 Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus 
• 6 Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis 
• 18 Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus 
• Mostly flyovers, a few in morning flight
• 3 Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula 
• Morning flight
• 45 House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus 
• 0 Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus 
• Probably undercounted
• 1 Pine Siskin Spinus pinus 
• Vocal (presumably) flyover around 1050 at the Kayak Launch. Heard upsweeping "zreeeeeep!" much harsher and longer-lasting than that of an American Goldfinch
• 3 American Goldfinch Spinus tristis

October 10th Tour of RI Resource Recovery Corporation, 9:30 – 11:30.  15 OSBC members and 2 members of the public participated in this highly informative and provocative tour of the RIRRC site, land fill, viewing of a video presentation about and look at the multistream recycling facility (MRF).    We had plenty of opportunity to ask questions.    A ½ hour bus tour with Carol, our guide and Sean, our bus driver,took us to the top (500 ft elevation) of the landfill area, past the area where preparations are underway for a new landfill area, to the Small Vehicle Area where residents can drop off a variety of recyclable materials (e.g. hazardous wastes, metals, Styrofoam, ,electronics, tires, appliances, mattresses, etc), and past the extensive composting areas.    We learned that the amount and source of trash delivered to the landfill is meticulously recorded each day.  The placement of each day’s deposits are specified by RIRRC engineers, and each day’s deposits are covered with gravel, that only trash and recyclables from RI can be brought to the site, and that Cities and towns in RI pay $32 per ton for trash delivered to the site.  RIRRC generates profits from the sale of recycled materials and shares the profits with RI cities and towns based on the amount of recyclables delivered annually.   “On Sept. 29, RIRRC issued profit-sharing checks totaling $551,700 to the 39 cities and towns across the state for profits gained from the sale of recyclables in 2015.” 10/7/2015 Valley Breeze
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We also learned that the current landfill area in use and under preparation will be at capacity (at the current rate of use) by 2038.    It was a surprise to learn that the landfill is water and airtight so that the trash doesn’t decompose.   After the bus tour, which took about ½ hour, we went inside the recycling facility for discussion, review of proper deposition of various types of materials, and viewed a film showing how the multistream recycling process works which is impressive!   We highly recommend that others take the time to go on a tour which can be scheduled by going to http://www.rirrc.org/resident/tours-at-rirrc/tours-for-small-groups-needing-transporation/    Visits scheduled during the week give an opportunity to see the MRF in action.   RIRRC also does school tours and presentations and can schedule public presentations.   If you have questions about what to do with specific materials, consult their A – Z list http://www.rirrc.org/questions/a-to-z-list/  .

Hugh Markey published a write up regarding the OSBC sponsored talk from David Gracer.  Check it out at his blog page, Science and Nature for  Pie