Mount Hope Farm, Bristol RI May 20, 2011 11-1pm cloudy 61`

A few days ago we went to Mount Hope Farm and were treated with a wide array of good birds highlighted by a quick glimpse of what was likely two pelicans which flew by. Though I got an extremely bad look at them but my brother saw them well and is convinced they were pelicans. He also heard one of them call, which he described as sounding like that of a heron. He said that they had broad wings, large bills, no visible legs, hunched neck, same gliding flight as a pelicans and very large bodys. I find it much more likely that we saw two herons. Basically everything he described fit a Great Blue Heron except of course the lack of obvious legs. Hopefully we will hear of a report of two pelicans in the area. We checked Mount Hope Bay but couldn't see any signs of either pelicans or herons.

Here is a full list of birds seen ("x" means uncountable or unknown numbers):
House Wren 1
Ovenbird 1
American Goldfinch 1
American Redstart 3
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Veery 1
American Robin 4
Eastern Wood Pewee 1 (heard - year bird)
American Oystercatcher 2 (RI year birds)
Gray Catbird 12
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Canada Goose 4
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Red-winged Blackbird x
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Eastern Kingbird 3
Chimney Swift x
Mute Swan 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Yellow Warbler 4
Common Grackle 1
Tree Swallow 2
European Starling 1
Barn Swallow 1
Song Sparrow 6
Prairie Warbler 7
Tufted Titmouse 5
American Crow x
Glossy Ibis 2 (RI year birds)
Eastern Towhee 3
Herring Gull x
Common Tern x
Double-crested Cormorant x
Pelican species 2 (may have been weird herons)
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Pine Warbler 1

The next day behind Martin Middle School in East Providence we saw a Blackpoll Warbler and a fly over Pileated Woodpecker. It is really surprising seeing this large woodpecker species in the middle of the city. It was my first time I have ever seen one in Rhode Island.

Later that day we went running at Borderland State Park in Mansfield Massachusetts the highlights which we merrily jogged passed included:
Broad Winged Hawk 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
and a possible Bay-breasted Warbler which I heard and assumed was a weird Blackpoll Warbler. I wanted to get closer to where the warbler was singing from but there were 2 people kissing 10 feet away from the spot. Going over there would be way past my embarrassment limit. It would have been a life bird.