King Rail at Parker River! | Essex County Little Big Year | Week 24

Week 24 of the Essex County Little Big Year — and it was a big one. 11 new species, bringing the running total to 236. The headliners: King Rail at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island, a genuinely secretive marsh bird that requires patience and a bit of luck to pin down. And while I was at it, the Clapper Rail I'd been hearing for weeks finally showed itself long enough for a photo (and I wasn't rushing off to get a parking spot for warbler migration!). Elsewhere around Essex County, I tracked down Bank Swallow at Crane Beach, Common Gallinule at Bailey Reservation in Haverhill, Willow Flycatcher and Alder Flycatcher at Parker, Acadian Flycatcher at Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Nahant Thicket Wildlife Sanctuary (officially got all the Essex County flycatchers!), Red Knot at Parker, Saltmarsh Sparrow at Old Town Hill in Newbury, and Eastern Whip-poor-will — heard first at Crane Beach, then confirmed at Parker. I also included some bonus footage from a Mass Audubon trip to Kennebunk Plains in Maine, where I picked up two sparrow lifers in one afternoon: Grasshopper Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, plus a bonus Field Sparrow. And yes — the Piping Plover chicks are hatching. You'll see some of that footage here, and there's a lot more coming. Species added this week: King Rail Clapper Rail Bank Swallow Common Gallinule Willow Flycatcher Eastern Whip-poor-will Acadian Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Red Knot Saltmarsh Sparrow Alder Flycatcher Running total: 236 species 📷 Nikon Z6III + 180–600mm Find this content and more on the Wayfaring Warbler YT channel — search @WayfaringWarbler to find us!