Birds Seen On or Near the Lamprey or Oyster Rivers and Great Bay


Coaching of the Durham Boat Club athletes is done on both a freshwater section of the Lamprey River and on the tidal portion of the Oyster River, Little Bay and Great Bay. The Below photograph was taken during a video taping session on the Lamprey River, when a Great Egret was being chased off a prime fishing spot by Great Blue Heron.

The below photographs were taken during a video taping session and print ad sesson the tidal estuary at Adam's Point on Great Bay with digital camera showing a Great Blue Heron taking off and in flight.

The following list was compiled by several of the coaches and includes birds that were seen or heard on or near either the Oyster River (tidal), where the competitive team rows or the Lamprey River (fresh water), where the DBC Sculling School is located:

  • Blackbird, Red-winged

  • Bobolink

  • Brown Creeper

  • Bufflehead

  • Cardinal, Northern


  • Catbird, Gray

  • Chickadee, Black-capped (see picture)


  • Chipping Sparrow (see picture)


  • Common Flicker

  • Cormorant, Double-crested (see pitures)




  • Crow, Common

  • Dove, Mouring

  • Egret, Great (first seen on the Lamprey River 8/2/98)



  • Goldfinch, American


  • Goose, Canada

  • Grackle, Common

  • Grosbeak, Rose-breasted

  • Grouse, Spruce

  • Hawk, Marsh

  • Hawk, Red Tailed

  • Herons, Great Blue (see pictures of Great Blue Heron)


  • Herons, Little Green (see pictures of Green Heron)



  • Hummingbird, Ruby Throated

  • Indigo Bunting

  • Jay, Blue

  • Junco

  • Kingbird, Eastern

  • Kingfisher, Belted

  • Mallard

  • Martin, Purple

  • Merganser, Common

  • Nuthatches, Red-breasted (see picture) & White-breasted (see picture)


  • Oriole, Baltimore


  • Osprey

  • Ovenbird

  • Phoebe, Eastern

  • Robin

  • Sandpiper, Spotted

  • Swallows, Bank & Tree

  • Swan, Mute

  • Tanager, Scarlet

  • Thrush, Hermit

  • Titmouse, Tufted

  • Tree Sparrow

  • Turkey, Wild

  • Vulture, Turkey

  • Warbler, Yellow-throated

  • Woodpeckers, Downy, Hairy & Pileated (see picture of Downy and Pileated)



    During one of the last lessons given in the Fall of 1997 a Pileated Woodpecker was seen flying across the river and landed in good viewing distance from the water. The Pileated Woodpecker was seen again in May of 2000 and was video taped (see above). Almost every day one or more Great Blue Herons can been observed at close range. In the spring and fall an Osprey can be frequently seen searching out prey within 600 meters of the dock and on a good day one can catch a glimpse of the bird diving for a fish. There are several areas on the river, where the river is wide enough to allow the swallows to showcase their bug catching acrobatics.

    For more information contact:

    C. M. Fuerst
    Durham Boat Company, Inc.
    220 Newmarket Rd. (Route 108)
    Durham, NH 03824
    Phone/fax 603-659-7575
    Contact: Cfuerst@cris.com

    DBC Sculling School
    Home Last Updated: May 12, 2005