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| Wilson's Warbler, UMASS Amherst, MA, May 18, 2014 |
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| Bay breasted Warbler, UMASS Amherst, MA, May 18, 2014 |
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| Tennessee Warbler, UMASS Amherst, MA, May 18, 2014 |
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| Blackpoll Warbler, Warbler, UMASS Amherst, MA, May 18, 2014 |
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| Hop Brook at dawn, Warbler, Amherst, MA, May 18, 2014 |
Although it was not a huge migration night last night the radars
showed some stuff moving plus the temperature was forecast to be down in the low
40's so I figured I could find some good stuff if I found a spot where the sun
hit early on. One great spot for early morning activity on a morning like that
can be Orchard Hill at UMASS. I headed out from the house early and figured I
had a little time before the light would be right at Orchard Hill so I stopped
briefly at Hop Brook along the rail trail in the hopes of finding some
shorebirds. The mudflat is back covered again due to the rain from the previous
day so only had a single Solitary Sandpiper. Hopefully the water level drops a
bit in the next few days and the mud gets exposed again. Once I arrived at
Orchard Hill the activity started right away with calling Blackpoll Warblers. I
eventually found a total of twenty species of warblers between Orchard Hill,
Sylvan Woods and the NW part of campus with highlights including two Bay
breasted Warblers, four Tennessee Warblers and several Blackpoll Warblers. I
have included the lists below for my time at UMASS.
Orchard Hill/Sylvan Woods UMASS:
Northwest campus UMASS:
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| Winsor Dam, May 18, 2014 |
I then headed
back east to Quabbin with a brief stop at Winsor Dam which was very windy. I
then hit just a couple spots between the Winsor Memorial and the Swift River and turned
up more good birds but nothing too unexpected. No luck with the Cerulean
Warbler once again so it may have moved on but I haven't given on it trying to
nest here yet. A total of 23 species of warblers today at my various stops and at home...not too bad considering the wind at time.
In addition to the weather related birds I saw
yesterday morning (Caspian Tern, Black bellied Plover and various species of waterfowl) a few other
interesting birds were noted including a very rare inland Red necked Phalarope
in Williamstown on the Hoosic River, another Red necked Phalarope in Guilford,
CT in a marsh and a Black bellied Plover in Deerfield. Makes me wonder what
else was out there in out of the way places that got missed. You never know
what you will find when you head out, especially when the weather is
'bad'.
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