The last few days and the hurricane outlook

Horned Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, May 28, 2014

Horned Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, May 28, 2014

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, May 28, 2014

Certainly a change in the weather from yesterday to today with sun and clouds yesterday with temperatures in the 80’s and low clouds, drizzle with temperatures in the low 50’s.  Yesterday I made a brief stop at Silvio Conte NWR in Hadley trying in vain to catch up with the reported Blue Grosbeak there.  I did have the continued Olive sided Flycatcher as well as at least three Orchard Orioles (adult male, adult female and 1^st year male) plus a cooperative Black billed Cuckoo among the just over 50 species present.  This morning I decided to head over to Winsor Dam in the hopes the bad weather grounded some birds.  The first bird I found there was a late Horned Grebe in breeding plumage.  Not quite my latest record for the species but it is getting close.  Wish I had more time to check other areas for other stuff but no time today.  I imagine some other good stuff was just out there waiting to be found.

With June rapidly approaching so begins the start of hurricane season in the Atlantic and the predictions are for an average to below average season with El Nino being one of the big factors in potentially limiting the number of storms.  Even with the likelihood of an average to below average season there will certainly be storms and it only takes one to create havoc (and the silver lining of potentially great birding).  Will this year bring us a bounty of storm related birds like 2011 with Irene (http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/08/amazing-hurricane-birds.html)  or a late season fallout of waterfowl in 2012 with Sandy (http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/10/post-hurricane-sandy-birding.html) (http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/11/black-legged-kittiwake-at-quabbin-and.html) or will it be another year with no tropical impact here?…time will tell.  I will update on any storms that do occur as the season develops. 

Link to NOAA’s prediction for the hurricane season can be found here:

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2014/20140522_hurricaneoutlook_atlantic.html