Bad weather = good birds

I decided to make a quick stop over at Winsor Dam this morning to see if the couple of days of cloudy, rainy weather put down any birds. Although a little early for waterfowl migration I was hopeful anyway. I immediately spotted a tight raft of birds well out in the open water. After setting my scope on them a group of 19 White winged Scoters appeared. Nice to see these guys again this season. I tried another stop in the evening but no birds were present then.

Common Mergansers, Gate 16, September 26, 2010
Common Merganser, Gate 16, September 26, 2010

Common Loons, Gate 16, September 26,2010

Nashville Warbler, Gate 16, September 26, 2010

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Gate 10, September 26, 2010

I made another trip up to the western gates of Quabbin this morning starting at dawn at Gate 22. Despite the cool temps in the high 40's birds were active. I had Wood, Swainsons and Hermit Thrush here plus the best bird of the day, a Cape May Warbler. In addition I had several other warbler species, calling Common Loons and Barred Owl plus a nice influx of White throated Sparrows and Junco's. I next went to Gate 16 and walked to the water. I had some close looks at both Common Mergansers and Common Loons at the end of the road. In addition a Nashville Warbler plus others made themselves visible even if only for a brief time. It appears alot of warblers and vireos moved out last night to be replaced by sparrows and thrushes. My next stop at Gate 10 produced many of the same species as seen earlier in the morning but again I got some great looks at various migrants. My final stop at Reed Conservation area produced a few more migrants plus a handful of raptors overhead including a Bald Eagle being pursued by a pair of Red tailed hawks plus an Osprey. At home the raptors continued during the afternoon with a single eight bird Broad winged Hawk kettle noted plus an American Kestrel, Cooper's and Sharp shinned Hawks, Turkey Vulture and an intriguing falcon that went out of view shortly after being seen.

Hermit Thrush, Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, September 26, 2010

Hampshire Bird Club trip central Quabbin

Northern Parula

I co-led a Hampshire Bird Club trip into the central part of Quabbin today. I will include a list and more details later but quick highlights included twenty Rusty Blackbirds, a Barred Owl perched on the shore of a small stream below eye level, four Ruffed Grouse including one drumming, etc. I'll include more details later.

Now that I have a little time I will include the list for the day and more details. The twelve members of the Hampshire Bird Club plus the spirit of the late Chris Ellison began the day at the Pelham Overlook and then tried to go to Gate 22 but our key didn't work so we then went to our next destination which was the restricted access area via Gate 20. This is an area of Quabbin few get to see so the trip is always full. The day started off warm and ended hot. The temperature at sunrise was over 70 and topped out in the 80's. The wind throughout the day did not create as many issues as originally feared...but it did keep our warbler numbers down as did the appearance of an accipiter at many of of our tried and true warbler spots. I guess the hawks know where the birds are too! Besides the many birding highlights we had some great looks at Coyote, a family of three River Otters and a family of deer plus the first black phase Gray Squirrel I have seen in this area of Quabbin. We had some fantastic birds but oddly missed some typical birds for this area like Red breasted Nuthatch and Black throated Blue Warbler. Its just the way it goes when you are out birding. As promised above here is the list for the day. The total number of bird species for the day was 76. A great trip with a great group of people. The only thing missing was Chris. He was at least there in spirit and I know he enjoyed the birds.

Central Quabbin from 7:25am-5:20pm

Canada Goose 4
Wood Duck 5
American Black Duck 4 together
Green-winged Teal 2
Hooded Merganser 4
Ruffed Grouse 4 one drumming
Wild Turkey 8
Common Loon 5
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 2
Turkey Vulture 4
Osprey 2
Bald Eagle 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 6
Cooper's Hawk 2
Accipiter sp. 1
Broad-winged Hawk 19 largest kettle 15 birds
Red-tailed Hawk 5
American Kestrel 2
Merlin 1
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 2
Mourning Dove 3
Barred Owl 1 sitting on bank of small stream, below eye level
Chimney Swift 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 11
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Eastern Phoebe 17
Blue-headed Vireo 5
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 133 some large migrant groups
American Crow 15
Common Raven 4
Black-capped Chickadee 65
Tufted Titmouse 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 9
Brown Creeper 6
Winter Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 13
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 7
Swainson's Thrush 1
American Robin 10
Gray Catbird 13
Cedar Waxwing 14
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler 18
Black-throated Green Warbler 5
Pine Warbler 5 some still calling
Palm Warbler 2
Blackpoll Warbler 19
Black-and-white Warbler 1
American Redstart 3
Common Yellowthroat 6
Wilson's Warbler 1 female
Eastern Towhee 14
Chipping Sparrow 5
Savannah Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 7
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 60 minimum number
Dark-eyed Junco 42
Scarlet Tanager 2
Northern Cardinal 1
Indigo Bunting 1
Bobolink 1
Rusty Blackbird 20 one group of 15, group of 4 and a single
Common Grackle 1
Purple Finch 2
American Goldfinch 7

Central Quabbin

Yellow rumped Warbler

I spent the entire day with Tom Gagnon scouting the area of next weekends Hampshire Bird Club trip. We started at 6:30 and ended 3:15. Beyond the bird list below we saw four Coyotes, two River Otter and three Beavers. No Moose but lots of tracks. Here is the list from the day. Some good stuff but it was tough after the first couple hours due to wind. Hopefully this weekend will be calmer.


Canada Goose heard only
Wood Duck 11
Mallard 1
Hooded Merganser 9 together in small pond
Ruffed Grouse 2
Common Loon 2 adults
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 6
Bald Eagle 3 adults together
Northern Harrier 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 6
Cooper's Hawk 1
Broad-winged Hawk 173 several large kettles late AM
Red-tailed Hawk 5
American Woodcock 1
Ring-billed Gull 21
Mourning Dove 1
Barred Owl 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4
Downy Woodpecker 5
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 26 including one group of 17 together
Pileated Woodpecker 3
Least Flycatcher 1
Eastern Phoebe 16
Blue-headed Vireo 4
Red-eyed Vireo 8
Blue Jay 41
American Crow 3
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 52
Tufted Titmouse 7
Red-breasted Nuthatch 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Brown Creeper 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6
Swainson's Thrush 1
Hermit Thrush 1
Catharus sp. 1
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 5
Gray Catbird 13
Cedar Waxwing 11
Tennessee Warbler 2 adult males together
Nashville Warbler 3
Northern Parula 2
Magnolia Warbler 4
Black-throated Blue Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 21
Black-throated Green Warbler 11
Pine Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 6
Blackpoll Warbler 15
Black-and-white Warbler 4
American Redstart 3
Common Yellowthroat 26
Wilson's Warbler 1 female
Eastern Towhee 13
Chipping Sparrow 29
Song Sparrow 7
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 57
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Scarlet Tanager 1
Purple Finch 1
American Goldfinch 10

Full day of exploration

I spent the entire day out exploring. I will let the lists tell the story today.

Quabbin Gate 22

Common Merganser 61 one group together at first light on reservoir
Common Loon 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Ring-billed Gull 12
Mourning Dove 1
Barred Owl 2 calling back and forth
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's) 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue-headed Vireo 4
Warbling Vireo 1
Philadelphia Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 4
Common Raven 2
Black-capped Chickadee 32
Tufted Titmouse 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Brown Creeper 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Hermit Thrush 8 lots of activity at dawn
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 4
Cedar Waxwing 2
Northern Parula 5
Yellow Warbler 1 very bright adult male
Magnolia Warbler 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 7
Pine Warbler 6
Blackpoll Warbler 6
Black-and-white Warbler 5
Common Yellowthroat 3
Wilson's Warbler 1
warbler sp. 5
Eastern Towhee 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1 popped out of a dense tangle about 10 feet away and stayed there for almost 30 seconds before a BT Green Warbler landed next to it. Unable to refind
Song Sparrow 3
Swamp Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
Scarlet Tanager 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1




Quabbin Gate 16

Wild Turkey 2
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Bald Eagle 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Cooper's Hawk 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Barred Owl 2 calling back and forth around 8:45
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 5
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue-headed Vireo 5
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 8
Common Raven 2
Black-capped Chickadee 51 minimum number...everywhere
Tufted Titmouse 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
House Wren 1
Winter Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
Swainson's Thrush 2
Hermit Thrush 3
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 1
Cedar Waxwing 2
Northern Parula 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2
Magnolia Warbler 9
Black-throated Blue Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 5
Black-throated Green Warbler 11
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 5
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 8
Black-and-white Warbler 7
American Redstart 3
Common Yellowthroat 6
warbler sp. 4
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 8
American Goldfinch 3




Quabbin Gate 12


Bald Eagle 4
Broad-winged Hawk 243 steam of hawks
Northern Harrier 1 high flyby
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Chimney Swift 3
Northern Flicker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 calling
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 4
Black-capped Chickadee 13
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Brown Creeper 1
Swainson's Thrush 2
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 2
Cedar Waxwing 2
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 3
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Pine Warbler 2
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 3
American Redstart 1
Ovenbird 1
Common Yellowthroat 2
Eastern Towhee 2
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1




Quabbin Gate 11

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 4
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 2
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 8
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Gray Catbird 3
Magnolia Warbler 2
Pine Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
American Redstart 2
Eastern Towhee 1
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1





Quabbin Gate 10

Ruffed Grouse 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Cooper's Hawk 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 1
Common Raven 2
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Gray Catbird 4
Northern Parula 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 1
Eastern Towhee 3
White-throated Sparrow 2




Quabbin Gate 9

Wood Duck 9
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Broad-winged Hawk 41
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 3
Black-capped Chickadee 3
American Robin 1
Gray Catbird 2
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 6
Common Yellowthroat 1
Eastern Towhee 2
Song Sparrow 2
American Goldfinch 1




Quabbin Gate 8

Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 2
Broad-winged Hawk 167 almost all in one large kettle at 1:40
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue-headed Vireo 4
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 7
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 19
Tufted Titmouse 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Hermit Thrush 2
Gray Catbird 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2
Magnolia Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 5
Pine Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 2
Eastern Towhee 2
American Goldfinch 2

Mount Sugarloaf in afternoon

Double-crested Cormorant 3
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Peregrine Falcon 1 along cliff nest site
Common Nighthawk 1 feeding on hatch of flying ants
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 2
Gray Catbird 1
Cedar Waxwing 2


A great day to be in the field checking out the birds

Connecticut Warbler and others

Red eyed Vireo, Arcadia, September 17, 2010
Connecticut Warbler, Arcadia Meadows, September 17, 2010

Connecticut Warbler, Arcadia Meadows, September 17, 2010

Northern Harrier, adult male, Goat Peak, September 17, 2010

Given the weather forecast of early clearing leading to sunny skies with lighter north winds made me decide to make the trip across the river once again to hawk watch at Goat Peak. I arrived at dawn at Arcadia before going up to hawk watch. There was a bit of drizzle but it quickly stopped. The good bird began right away with a flyby Common Nighthawk which is getting somewhat late now that its mid September. I next had a calling Eastern Screech Owl. I only ran across a few scattered pockets of migrants compared to what I had here just a few days ago. The highlight by far was the Connecticut Warbler I came across after about an hour here. It showed itself well as it moved about in the dense thicket. It started raining at this point but I stayed and got continued great views and managed at least a few marginal shots. The distance and lighting were terrible but at least I got great looks. My impression was it was a female given the plumage I got looks at. It was interesting to see the size comparison as a Black throated Green Warbler flew down next to it and a brief second. The only other big arrival I could find here this morning were Palm Warblers.

I next made my way up to hawk watch and joined Tom Gagnon and David Peake-Jones at the top. Despite the good weather forecast the big numbers didn't move today. The sun never really made a long staying appearance and the wind really kicked up out of the north and northwest. Although the quantity lacked again the quality was good. A couple Merlins including one that made a very fast, close pass of the tower, a group of four Kestrel in a matter of minutes, several Osprey, an adult male Northern Harrier, several Bald Eagles, a few Coopers and fast moving Sharp shinned Hawks and a smattering of Broad wings rounded out the migrants for the day. A group of shorebirds were seen distantly moving north. Perhaps tomorrow will be the big day?

Various areas...

Northern Flicker, Arcadia meadows, September 15, 2010

Wood Thrush, Quabbin Park, September 15, 2010

Between yesterday and today I visited a wide variety of locations to see the ongoing migration during September. Yesterday I started at Arcadia Meadows and then moved onto Goats Peak. Lots of good stuff at Arcadia. Goats Peak didn't have the big push of hawks I would have expected given the date and northwest winds. It appears the winds may have been just too strong. A total of 138 Broad wings was still nice to see. Some birds made quick passes by the tower while others climbed up and out of view. A fast and low flying Merlin was interesting as were the continued presence of Chimney Swifts around the area. I then made a short stop at Quabbin Park and had a variety of thrushes including Wood, Swainson's, Hermit Thrushes and Veery.

Today I decided to spend the morning over in Amherst along with Ian Davie. I began the day with a quick stop at Lawrence Swamp and had a Great Horned and Barred Owl calling plus a White throated Sparrow. I then picked up Ian and we went to the rail trail. Some of the birds here included a singing Eastern Meadowlark, a Wilson's Warbler, two Brown Thrashers, a couple Solitary Sandpipers, a couple Lincoln's Sparrows and a few other migrants scattered around. After a couple hours we went back to UMASS and spent some time on Orchard Hill. Picked up several Scarlet Tanagers, Wood Thrush and several Purple Finches.

After dropping off Ian I headed over to Quabbin and visited Gates 16, 11 and 10. Found some nice pockets of warblers including a Bay Breasted with quite a bit of rust color on the flanks. The mixed species flocks were quite active despite the later hour and the breeze. Overall fifteen species of warbler today plus a wide variety of residents and migrants including first of season Ruby crowned Kinglets.

Arcadia meadows and Goats Peak

Northern Harrier, Goats Peak, Mt Tom State Reservation
Northern Harrier, Goats Peak, Mt Tom State Reservation

Black throated Green Warbler, from Goats Peak tower at Mt Tom State Reservation

Osprey, Goats Peak
Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia Meadows, Northampton, MA

Bobolinks, Arcadia Meadows, Northampton, MA

Bobolink, Arcadia Meadows, Northampton, MA

Coopers Hawk in fog, Arcadia Meadows, Northampton, MA

I decided at the last minute to head over to Northampton this morning and check out Arcadia Meadows (AKA West Meadows) and then head up to Goats Peak at Mount Tom for some hawk watching. As I got into Hadley the fog got very thick and I thought I may have made a mistake on the choice of locations this morning but it turned out to be a great morning. Despite the fog the Arcadia area near the Ibis Pool and other hedgerows was great. Lots of good stuff and some incredible looks. After a great beginning to the morning I headed up to Goats Peak tower. I had some nice movement of warblers on the way up with one group containing a Bay Breasted and several Blackpolls plus others. On the tower I had a few more groups move through during the morning. It is always interesting to be looking down on the warblers. Despite good weather conditions the 'big' movement of Broad wings didn't materialize this morning. However despite the lack of quantity the time up there made up for it in quality. A nice mix of species and some great looks. I will include the lists for today from Arcadia and Mt Tom.

Mount Tom

Canada Goose 12
Turkey Vulture 7
Osprey 5
Bald Eagle 3 adults, locals
Northern Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 12 most low and fast
Cooper's Hawk 3
Broad-winged Hawk 7
Red-tailed Hawk 4
American Kestrel 3
Ring-billed Gull 1
Chimney Swift 28 largest group of 20 plus other small groups
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 stopped at tower and hover for several seconds before moving on
Eastern Phoebe 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 2
Common Raven 2
Tree Swallow 21
Black-capped Chickadee 28
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Brown Creeper 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Wood Thrush 1
Northern Parula 11
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 12
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 7
Black-and-white Warbler 1
American Redstart 2
American Goldfinch 4

Arcadia Meadows

Mallard 1
Cooper's Hawk 1 juvenile
American Kestrel 1
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 7
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's) 2
Least Flycatcher 2
Empidonax sp. 1
Red-eyed Vireo 7
Blue Jay 11
American Crow 7
Black-capped Chickadee 18
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 9
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 16
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 7
Cedar Waxwing 8
Tennessee Warbler 1
Nashville Warbler 2
Northern Parula 1
Yellow Warbler 4 one adult, three 1st years..two together and the others singles in widely scattered areas
Magnolia Warbler 1
Prairie Warbler 1
American Redstart 1
Ovenbird 1
Common Yellowthroat 39 minimum number...at times had half a dozen in view at once.
Savannah Sparrow 14
Song Sparrow 54 again a minimum number
Lincoln's Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Bobolink 34
Red-winged Blackbird 275
American Goldfinch 9

Quabbin Gates 22, 16 and 11 and Quabbin Park and a sad milestone

Northern Parula, Gate 22

I started another trip to Quabbin at Gate 22 this morning and ran into some migrants just down the hill from the gate. The birds here included my first of season Lincoln Sparrow, Nashville Warbler, half a dozen Northern Parula's, and eight other species of warblers. A bit further down the road I had a Cooper's Hawk being harassed by Blue Jays, a few very vocal Red breasted Nuthatch's and a Ruffed Grouse that rocketed out of the underbrush deeper into the forest. I wanted to try my luck at Gate 16 before the predicted rain arrived. Despite alot of looking I only managed to turn up a handful of warblers here and none in any groups. I then tried my luck at Gate 11 and after a half mile with little activity I decided I would make the run down to Quabbin Park to check to see if activity there was any better. Although the sky looked threatening it never did more than drizzle a few times. After a few stops turned up little beyond a still singing Prairie Warbler I ran into a nice active group of species near the blueberry patch road. This group included a couple Scarlet Tanagers, a Baltimore Oriole, eight species of warbler including Nashville, Blackpoll and Ovenbird, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, five Eastern Wood Pewee's, a half dozen Eastern Phoebe's, a few House Wrens and other usual. I also managed to turn up Wood Thrush, Swainson's Thrush and Hermit Thrush in various locations. Overall a fairly productive morning considering the low clouds, cool temps and slight breeze.

Today is also a sad day. It has now been six months since I lost my good dog, best buddy and frequent birding companion Kody. He is missed.

Cape Cod

Semipalmated Plover, Coast Guard Beach, Eastham, MA
Humpback Whale, off Race Point

Common Eider, Provincetown, MA

Sanderling, Coast Guard Beach, Eastham, MA

I made a trip down to Cape Cod starting on Friday and ending on Sunday. Although not a birding trip I managed to get some birding in at various locations around the area centered on Eastham. I made trips to Coast Guard Beach, Fort Hill, Head of the Meadow Beach, Pilgram Heights, Wellfleet Bay Audubon Center, and a whale watch out of Provincetown. I have not totalled up species yet but I will update later. I did manage a new state species, Yellow crowned Night Heron leaving a roost near Fort Hill. The whale watch produced several whales but very few pelagic birds with no shearwaters at all. The only pelagic birds were a handful of Northern Gannets and a single Red necked Phalarope. I was quite surprised to find no other birds out there on the southern end of Stellwagen. There were a few other birds of note but I will have to update the post at a later time and add a more few photos.

Quabbin western gates...again

Great Blue Heron flyby, Gate 22, Sept 6, 2010

Sharp shinned Hawks sparring, Gate 16, Sept 6, 2010

I decided to stick with some of the same areas I had covered the last couple mornings plus a few additions. Its always neat to see the difference in species and numbers from day to day. The lack of a strong wind today certainly helped. The morning started off even cooler than the previous morning with a low of 43. The sun quickly warmed things up by mid morning. I started at Gate 22 and covered the upper areas only. Once the sun started hitting the trees the activity started to pick up but there were no big groups of migrants. A Winter Wren, a Scarlet Tanager and a few Rose Breasted Grosbeaks were noted among the other species around.

I next stopped at Gate 16 and walked to the water where I came across a Sharp shinned Hawk pair that flew over and then sparred a bit just above the trees. the acrobatic show was impressive to watch. I managed a few photos and you can see the odd angles these birds got into as they went at each other. There were a few spots with activity here with the highlight being a male Wilson's Warbler.

I stopped next at Gate 11 and decided to make the long walk down to the water. The first bird I heard was a Broad winged Hawk. A few minutes later I scared up a Ruffed Grouse and the Broad winged Hawk was right behind it in pursuit. Not sure how that turned out for either of them but interesting to see. There were many quiet areas along the few miles to the water but did find a couple good pockets of birds. One group had four Northern Parula's together, a Canada Warbler, and an Ovenbird at the very top of a large oak. The final stop of the morning at Gate 10 produced one little flock with good numbers of Black throated Blue Warblers among the others.

Gates 22, 16 and 11

Philadelphia Vireo, Gate 11, September 5, 2010

I made yet another early morning trip up the west side of Quabbin. I began this morning at dawn at Gate 22. My first sighting of the morning was a large bull Moose that crossed my path a couple times before heading off into the woods. The light was not good enough for photos. I walked down the road to the water and was greeted there by a few shorebirds foraging along the shoreline. A pair of Semipalmated Plovers fed quite close to me as they worked the shoreline going south. In addition I had a flyby Greater Yellowlegs and a couple Spotted Sandpipers. I managed a total of five Common Loons with one calling a few times. Just before I started my walk back up the hill from the water I spotted a mother deer with fawn swimming across the reservoir. The woods along the way held a few mixed species flocks with the highlights being a Yellow throated Vireo, my first Northern Parula of the season and two Tennessee Warblers together. I also had a fairly high total of five Veery's on this stop. A pair of juvenile Yellow bellied Sapsuckers rounded out the highlights

Semipalmated Plover, Gate 22, September 5, 2010

Semipalmated Plovers, Gate 22, September 5, 2010

My next stop was at Gate 16 which held a few nice birds including a total of nine warbler species including another Northern Parula, plus another Yellow throated Vireo. The breeze continued to pick up so I decided to move down to Gate 11 to try and get there before the wind got any worse. However by the time I started down Gate 11 road the breeze had turned into a wind with gusts over 30 mph. I almost gave up on finding anything in these conditions but thought I would give it a try anyway. I'm glad I tried as I came across a nice mixed species flock feeding both high and low and moving down the road. I found a bright Philadelphia Vireo, four Northern Parula's including one still calling plus good numbers of other warblers. I finished the day with a fly over Common Raven fighting the continued windy weather.

Black and White Warbler, Gate 11, September 5,2010

Northern Parula, Gate 11, September 5, 2010

Quabbin Park and Gates 10, 9 and 5

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Gate 9

I got an early start today checking various areas at Quabbin. With the remnants of Hurricane Earl offshore the wind was quite strong at times which probably kept total numbers down a bit. I began at dawn at Winsor Dam at Quabbin Park where I had a raft of 180+ Mallards resting on the water plus a group of almost 70 Canada Geese. The ducks flew out as the sun rose to destinations unknown. There was also a pair of Common Loons well out from the dam. I then made a series of stops at various points around Quabbin Park with highlights of Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, several still calling Eastern Wood Pewee's, Baltimore Oriole, a couple Scarlet Tanagers and a White Throated Sparrow.

My next stop was Gate 10 which produced a large juvenile Cooper's Hawk being harassed by some crows and a large group of Black throated Blue Warblers (at least half a dozen in view at once with one still calling). I then made a stop at Gate 9 which produced my first Blackpoll Warbler of the season plus a few Pine Warblers still calling.

Red breasted Nuthatch

My next stop was a walk down to the water at Gate 5. The wind had really picked up at this point and I was only able to find one mixed species flock in the swaying trees. I did have a close encounter with a Red breasted Nuthatch that seemed very interested in me and gave great looks. It seems to be a good year so far for Red breasted Nuthatch's around here as I have had a least a few around the house for a weeks now and run into them most every place I go. I also still have a few Ruby throated Hummingbirds around at the house.

Rail Trail Amherst again

I made another early morning stop along the rail trail in Amherst. No Red Crossbill today but it was still quite productive. A Merlin provided excitement both for me and for all the other birds it chased around. I also had a variety of flycatchers including Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Wood Pewee's, Eastern Phoebe's and a Great Crested Flycatcher. I had one little mixed species flock which contained a Tennessee, Prairie, Blue Winged, Pine and Black and White Warbler plus an American Redstart, Common Yellowthroats, Rose breasted Grosbeaks and a Blue Gray Gnatcather. I wish I had more time to try and find some others but that will have to wait for the weekend.

Red Crossbill in Amherst yesterday

Just a brief post of a few sightings from yesterday morning along the rail trail in Amherst. I arrived a little after 6 and stayed until 7. The biggest surprise was a Red Crossbill. I was VERY surprised to find it here. The bird flew out of the first pine grove opposite the marsh area if you head toward Amherst on the rail trail. It called several times and flew in a circle and then went back toward additional larger pine groves toward Lawrence Swamp. I tried to relocate it but no luck (and not enough time). There are ALOT of potential areas it could have gone to. In addition I had an Olive sided Flycatcher, a Palm Warbler and a Merlin that buzzed through and then perched in a snag on the far side of the marsh.