Birds at the Honeypot

Grasshopper Sparrow, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Grasshopper Sparrow, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

American Golden Plovers, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

American Golden Plovers, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

American Golden Plovers, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Cliff Swallow, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Swallows (mainly Bank Swallows), Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Swallows (mainly Bank Swallows), Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Bank Swallow and Barn Swallow, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Bobolinks, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Bobolinks, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Song Sparrow, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Honeypot, Sep 7, 2013

Another cool morning (45 degrees) found me heading over to Hadley with Ian to check the honeypot for any migrants that might be around. Before meeting Ian I stopped briefly at Orchard Hill where at least two American Woodcocks were still flying around and displaying. I picked up Ian at 6 and we headed for the honeypot where we stayed for about three hours. Highlights included a Grasshopper Sparrow, 220+ Bobolinks, five raptor species (including Peregrine Falcons and Northern Harrier), at least seven American Golden Plovers both on the ground and in flight (wide assortment of plumage), a Lesser Yellowlegs, at least 21 Killdeer, about a dozen Least Sandpipers, at least 25 Chimney Swifts, 13 Indigo Buntings (several calling), an Eastern screech Owl spontaneously calling along the river, a Great Egret, a Tennessee Warbler, Black throated Green Warblers feeding down in the grasses with sparrows, and swallows in large numbers (400+ Bank Swallows, 220 Barn Swallows, 150 Tree Swallows, 2 Cliff Swallows and hundreds too far out to ID). We also had a bird that got away that may have been a Connecticut Warbler but we couldn't confirm it. A total of 57 species at this location overall.

Lesser Yellowlegs, Hadley, Sep 7, 2013

We then made a brief stop along the river in Hadley where we had another Lesser Yellowlegs, three Least Sandpipers, a Spotted Sandpiper and a Killdeer plus another Great Egret.
We headed over to the East Meadows but the bird activity was very light and the human activity somewhat heavy so we headed out of there and worked out way back to UMASS where we made a quick stop at the drawn down campus pond. The usual geese and Mallards plus a Great Blue Heron. With the mudflats present at the pond, there is a chance of a shorebird stopping by but none today.

Red eyed Vireo, home, Belchertown, Sep 7, 2013

Red eyed Vireo, home, Belchertown, Sep 7, 2013

At home I had a few mixed species flocks move through with the most numerous warbler being Black throated Green Warbler but had a few others mixed in including a Northern Parula (had an Ovenbird around yesterday)