Recent bird sightings as reported to the Massachusetts Audubon Society:

In spite of the recent alternation between cold, snowy days and mild ones, signs of spring are beginning to appear. Most notable examples include increased courtship activity among flocks of common goldeneyes, periodic calling at dusk of a few American woodcocks and great horned owls, the courtship whistles of black-capped chickadees and tufted titmice in the morning, the yellowing bills of European starlings, the appearance of a few migrant fox sparrows, and a scattering of red-winged blackbird flocks.

►Plum Island: At Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, sightings included a bald eagle, a rough-legged hawk, a peregrine falcon, and a northern shrike.

►Ipswich: Sightings at Appleton Farm included two barred owls and a red-headed woodpecker.

►Essex: A Lincoln’s sparrow continues to periodically visit a feeder.

►Gloucester: At Jodrey State Fish Pier, an Iceland gull and a thick-billed murre were noted, and a king eider was seen off Salt Island.

►Boston Harbor: Noted at Deer Island were the continued presence of two Barrow’s goldeneyes, a rough-legged hawk, and four razorbills.

►Nantucket: Reports featured a Eurasian green-winged teal, the continued presence of a tufted duck, a long-eared owl, and an eastern phoebe.

►Miscellaneous: Reports included a snow goose in West Roxbury; two lesser scaup in Waltham; a Barrow’s goldeneye and a killdeer at Tricentennial Park in Dighton; 75 snow buntings in Lincoln; 50 red-winged blackbirds in Plymouth; 30 rusty blackbirds in Wayland; and a common redpoll in Woburn.

For more information about bird sightings or to report sightings, call the Massachusetts Audubon Society at 781-259-8805 or go to www.mass-audubon.org.