Chipping Sparrow juv., Gate 16, August 28, 2010I made a trip up the west side of Quabbin starting at Gate 22 and then onto Gate 16, 11 and finally 4. The morning started off quite cool with a temperature of 48. The activity at Gate 22 was rather slow first thing, likely due to the cool weather. I spent only a short time here before moving on to Gate 16 were the activity picked up. Beyond the usual birds I came across a Tennessee Warbler in among a large feeding flock in a group of oaks and birches that were being warmed by the sun. This group also included five Scarlet Tanagers including a molting adult male that was a combination of yellow and red. I was limited on the time I had left so I only made a short stop at Gate 11. There were a few groups of birds around including a pair of hummingbirds that chased each other all over including right past my head! My final stop was Gate 4 which I walked down to the waters edge. The highlights here included what appeared to be a family group of five Broad winged Hawks circling low and calling out to each other and dueling in the clear blue sky. The other highlight would have to be the two Black Terns I spotted moving south toward Winsor Dam. These are my first at Quabbin and added yet another species to my Quabbin list.
Common Nighthawks feeding group, August 28, 2010
At home I watched for Common Nighthawks and the first group showed themselves at 3:55. By a little after seven I had a total of 97 for the evening. Most appeared to be feeding quite actively. During my watch I had a Sharpshinned Hawk come in and circle around a few times (photos later).
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