Advertisement Rare bird alert: Largest of falcons spotted in Madbury Gyrfalcon travels south from normal Arctic range Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The largest of the falcons, a rare gyrfalcon, was seen in Madbury during the past week, according to the Audubon Society's rare bird alert.Fast like a peregrine falcon and wearing a faint mustache, gyrfalcons live in the Arctic.According to the Peregrine Fund, the birds of prey are very sensitive to changes in the environment.The group said pesticides, loss of habitat or a decrease in prey can affect populations of gyrfalcons. Warming temperatures associated with climate change may also be affecting the birds by allowing peregrine falcons to extend their range north, displacing gyrfalcons."With the mean annual temperatures in the Arctic having increased at almost double the rate of the average recorded across the globe, the future of the gyrfalcon and many other arctic species may be in peril," the group said.Gyrfalcons compete for nesting space with peregrine falcons, which have done well re-establishing themselves in New Hampshire after years of decline.A pair of peregrine falcons was in seen in Concord on Dec. 14 and a pair was seen in Nashua the next day.A bird that looks similar to a gyrfalcon, a snowy owl, was seen along River Road in Manchester on Dec. 11. There have been spotty sightings of the Arctic owl recently, mostly on the Seacoast. This was the first sighting in Manchester.A rough-legged hawk was seen at the Little River Salt Marsh in North Hampton on Dec. 13.An Eastern screech-owl was seen in Pembroke on Dec. 14.An adult glaucous gull was seen on the Seabrook side of Hampton Harbor on Dec. 13.Two Iceland gulls were seen at Hedgehog Pond in Salem on Dec. 10. One was seen at Canobie Lake in Salem on Dec. 13, and one was seen in Rochester on Dec. 11.Four Eurasian wigeons were seen along with 143 American wigeons at Great Bay in Greenland on Dec. 12.A male Barrow's goldeneye, a redhead and eight gadwalls were seen at Great Bay in Greenland on Dec. 12.A female Barrow's goldeneye was seen in Hampton on Dec. 14.A long-tailed duck was seen on the Connecticut River near Charlestown on Dec. 14.A gadwall was seen in Pembroke on Dec. 14, and one was seen in Hollis on Dec. 12.A northern shoveler was reported from Hollis on Dec. 8.Two Northern pintails were seen in Hampton, and three were seen in Concord on Dec. 14.Five ruddy ducks were seen at Country Pond in Kingston on Dec. 12.A snow goose was seen with a flock of Canada geese in fields along Route 1A in Litchfield on Dec. 5, 6 and 10.A black guillemot and three purple sandpipers were reported from the coast on Dec. 13.An American coot was seen at Eel Pond in Rye on Dec. 13.Twenty-one snow buntings were reported from Berlin on Dec. 15, and a flock of 20 was seen in Lyme on Dec. 14.A flock of 65 common redpolls was seen at Sunapee State Beach in Newbury on Dec. 14, a flock of 24 was reported from Twin Mountain on Dec. 15, and one was reported from Sandwich on Dec. 9.Five evening grosbeaks were seen in Twin Mountain on Dec. 14.Two rusty blackbirds were seen visiting a birdfeeder in Barrington on consecutive days during the past week.A fox sparrow was seen in Loudon on Dec. 14.A late-migrating Baltimore oriole was seen visiting a birdfeeder in Brentwood on Dec. 12 and 13.A late-migrating common yellowthroat was seen at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth on Dec. 13.Six late-migrating double-crested cormorants were seen along the coast on Dec. 13.If you have seen any interesting birds recently, you can e-mail your sighting to birdsetc@nhaudubon.org. Please put either "bird sighting" or "Rare Bird Alert" in the subject line and be sure to include your mailing address and phone number.