Birthday birding

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 25, 2013

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 25, 2013

 

Black and White Warbler, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 25, 2013

 

American Goldfinch, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 25, 2013

Glossy Ibis with Pied billed Grebe(right), rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 25, 2013

 

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 25, 2013

I spent my entire birthday morning out birding in various areas around the valley trying to catch up with any new migrants that may have arrived overnight.  Despite the decent winds last night and overnight rain I had very little in the way of evidence of migration.  I started at Orchard Hill at UMASS and then hit the rail trail in Amherst before making a brief stop at Winsor Dam.  I then headed home to pick up Wilson and we walked along Jabish Canal as well as along the Belchertown Land Trust trail.  I got my only new county bird for the year at Orchard Hill when I had a Northern Waterthrush (#142) calling (I found another individual along the rail trail).  Overall the hill was very quiet and windy so I headed to the rail trail to try to get out of the wind a bit.  The three Glossy Ibis continued in the same spot they have been for over a week now although today they were a bit further out in the marsh.  I also a Pied billed Grebe in the same area as the ibis. I have had a pair here on a few other visits lately.   Perhaps they will nest here (or already are nesting).  Numbers of some early migrants such as Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Brown Thrasher, Black and White Warbler, House Wren and others have increased in numbers.  The winds made viewing at Winsor Dam difficult so little was seen.  Jabish Canal had a decent raptor show with several migrating despite the northwest winds.  I had six species of raptor plus Turkey Vultures.