Quabbin Park and nearby

Northern Parula, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

On the coldest morning so far this early fall season I stayed close to home with an early AM visit to Quabbin Park as well as shorter walks at both the Belchertown Land Trust trail and along Jabish Canal as well as brief (just over an hour) hawk watch at Winsor Dam.

Black throated Green Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

Swainson Thrush in poor light, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

Bald Eagle, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

Carolina Wren (unusual here..one of three), Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

Black throated Green Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

Northern Parula, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

 

Scarlet Tanager, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

 

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

The morning started off at a cold 43 degrees with a fairly good breeze (so much for the predicted calm conditions!). The first morning I have had to wear gloves. I began at Quabbin Park and hit a variety of areas. I tried to get some migrants at first light around the tower but it was too windy. Instead I head down the hill toward goodnough dike. I ran into several good pockets of migrants with 14 species of warbler including Bay breasted and Blackburnian.  Three species of vireo with a few still singing including a Yellow throated. I worked my way out to the furthest entrance and found a variety of other new birds including my first of season Ruby crowned Kinglet plus other highlights like five Scarlet Tanagers, Lincoln's Sparrow, several Swainson Thrush, four Red Crossbills, half a dozen towhees and seven junco's. There are other notable birds so I have attached an eBird list for my time there.

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11560384

I picked up Wilson and our walks at the land trust and the canal produced a few more species of note including two Solitary Sandpipers, many Red breasted Nuthatch's and a handful of warblers.

Broad winged Hawk, Quabbin Park, MA, Sept 11, 2012

In just over an hour in early afternoon at Winsor Dam produced 67  Broad wing Hawks (almost all very high and tough to see...missed many I'm sure), an Osprey and a handful of Bald Eagles, Red tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures.  I can imagine it would have been a good day to be at a hawk watch site.