Nonquitt Marsh Summer 2025 Log

Observations of birds at the Smith Farms Observation Deck overlooking Nonquitt Marsh in Dartmouth, Mass. from July 25 to August 31, 2025.

Lifer’s listed on Merlin:

Chimney Swift at the Marsh on June 18
Swamp Sparrow at the Marsh on July 19
Semipalmated Plover at the Marsh on July 24
Least Sandpiper at the Marsh on July 24
Cedar Waxwing at the Marsh on July 27
Lesser Yellowlegs at the Marsh on July 28
Short-billed Dowitcher at the Marsh on July 28
Piping Plover at the Marsh on July 28

Daily Observations

Friday, 7/25 at 5:20 - Tide down .62. Marsh empty. Front treeline empty. Large flock of cormorants in roadside pond. Strong breeze off the ocean, cooling off a hot day. 4 Osprey on north trees. South Island empty. First 4:20 of Merlin picked up zero birds. I suspect it’s still too hot, and too early, and too little water for any action on the marsh today.
Sunday, 7/27 at 7:06 - tide rising 1.24. Front treeline empty. 3 Osprey on north trees. Light tree with its dark denizens probably Grackle. Two Osprey at the roadside next box. Few Pipers on the mudflats. Add new lifer with finally seeing cedar waxwing.
Monday, 7/28 at 710 - tide rising 1.0. End of a hot day. Tons of muckers, yellowlegs, pipers, plovers. Front trees empty, two separate Osprey groups in N/NW trees - 2 N and 3 NW. Lots of Snowy Egrets racing around and raising wings at each other and making quite the racket - dominance displays? Few oystercatchers near the beach road. Got a really cool Virginia Rail call and response on Merlin but couldn’t get eyes on them.
Tuesday 7/29 at 720 - tide rising .94. Another hot day. Two Osprey in F4’d usual spot on the front treeline. 3 Osprey in the north trees, 1 solitary in NW trees. Just as I was about to leave one of the Osprey upfront flew over and pushed their comrade off their perch and took it for their own.
Wednesday 7/30 at 705 with 87*. Six Osprey on front tree line, 3 NE trees, 2 in north trees. Usual muckers. Flock of Common Tern made a giant racket circling the marsh.
Thursday 7/41 at 635 with 70*. Tide receding at 1. Big temperature drop today, storm about to hit. Very windy. 4 Osprey in North trees, 1 NW, and 4 on the front treeline. Too windy for Merlin to even pick anything up. It almost feels chilly cause of the windchill. I can see how rough the ocean is from the observation deck. Osprey siting on the Rock eating a fish. Barely above the water line and right in the open. With eagles potentially nearby, surprising move.
Friday 8/1 at 705 with 68*. Tide at 1.20 receding. 6 Osprey in front trees. 3 at NW woods and 4 at north trees. Cool day with a nice breeze. Too deep water for the muckers. Solitary blue heron at the island.
Saturday 8/2 at 843am with 65* at .79 rising. 5 Osprey front trees. 4 at north trees and 1 at NW Bunch of cormorants and egrets near the beach road.
Tuesday 8/5 at 650 with 72* and tide at 3.33 receding. Nothing in front trees. Five Osprey in north trees, one in NW. Lots of flying around by the usual muckers.
Wednesday 8/13 at 640 with 76* and tide at .42 rising. Right when I arrived about 5 Osprey and 20 AH Gulls were circling each other making a racket. Not sure what prompted it. Some nice aerial displays by the Osprey though. 10 Osprey in north trees, 8 of them in the same tree. Three in the front trees, one eating a fish.
Thursday 8/14 at 705 with 77* and tide at .43 rising. Osprey at the front trees total 7, with 5 in north trees. Two ospreys NW with one sitting barely above the water on a tiny rock. A good flow of Osprey flying in from the south, nearly all announcing themselves.
Friday 8/16 at 6 with 78* and tide at .95 receding. Beautiful breezy day. 15 Osprey in front trees. Both N and NW trees had 2 each. Great egret colony of 60 roosting in the trees by the beach road. Ospreys very active, flying in and out of the marsh. Many also sunning themselves(?) with their wings spread and bent in the strangest fashion. Many with fish still wriggling in their talons. With this many Osprey around, and how full their crops look, eating must be good.
Sunday 8/17 at 645 with 77* and tide at 2.10 receding. 10 Osprey in front trees. NW had 4 and N trees had 7. 21 Osprey is a lot. An Osprey diver and skimmer the water but came up empty. First time seeing that relatively close with perfect binocular shot.
Monday 8/18 at 650 with 68* and tide at 3 receding. 12 Osprey in front trees. Lots of dusky looking gulls circling. Maybe the strong winds and high surf brought them over from the beach. NW trees with 3 and N trees with 8 meaning 23 total Osprey.
Tuesday 8/19 at 705 with 68* and tide at 3.63 receding. Front had 5, NW had 2, and north trees had 4 Osprey.
Saturday 8/23 at 625 with 75* and tide at 2.09 riding. Bald Eagle at the front trees. Took off soon after I arrived. Ospreys immediately came back to the area. North trees have 8 ospreys, 2 NW, and 1 brave Osprey in the front trees taking the Eagles tree after departure. The bald eagle returned from the sea flying in towards the marsh and at least 10 Osprey took flight making a racket, caught it on Merlin while chasing the eagle off towards the northeast.
Monday 8/25 at 605 with 74* and tide at 1 and rising. 11 Osprey up front with one standing in the muddy shallow water. NW had 1 and N had 6.
Tuesday 8/26 at 550 with 76* and tide at .76 rising. Only one Osprey in the front trees, 3 in NW, and 4 N.
Wednesday 8/27 at 525 with 75* and tide at .63 rising (water moving out, some mud showing). 10 Osprey at front, 3 on rocks in water, and 6 in N trees. Tons of gulls by the road and some look distinct, too far to really ID. 50 or so egrets spread throughout.
Thursday 8/28 at 630 with 69* and tide at .89 rising. Mostly mud with some standing water patches. Nice group of laughing gulls patrolling the mud. Bald eagle landed on I believe 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. The Ospreys are in the front trees newrby, snowy egrets just buzzed the eagle. There’s a lot of yellow legs close to me in the freshly dried out muck at 630. The Bald eagle is flying towards me up right overhead flying into the marsh. The eagle flew inwards going north through the marsh ospreys took flight screaming after it. I have a recording. They are still patrolling the skies. The eagle went north, where it did go the other night, same back of the marsh, going inland. At least 10 Ospreys still on patrol. Counted 19 total Ospreys.
Friday August 29 at 630 with 69* and tide at .93 receding. Some mud near me now but, mostly moving water towards the back of the marsh which is damp mud. Storm about to hit, first rain in a while. Thunder begun. 10 Osprey front trees, 4 in NW and 11 in North trees. New high of 25 ospreys.
Sunday August 31 at 730am with 57* and tide at .83 rising. Thin layer of shiny water over the mud. First time here in the morning. Very lively. Twenty ospreys in the front trees, 2 more scattered in the northern trees. Gulls being loud. Muckers running every which way.