The last few gloomy days

Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, May 24, 2014

Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, May 24, 2014

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, May 24, 2014

I spent the rather cool morning today around Quabbin Park (with a brief detour over to Lake Wallace).  I hoped to find some unusual stuff but nothing too crazy around this morning.  I did manage to find both species of cuckoo at Quabbin but not too many obvious migrants with most birds appearing to be residents.  I did have a few Blackpoll Warblers at Lake Wallace but otherwise all resident birds there too.  I headed home around 9am to pick up Wilson and head out for a walk.

Double crested Cormorants, Quabbin Park, May 23, 2014

Least Sandpipers (right bird with white patch on back), Hop Brook at the rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 23, 2014

Least Sandpipers (right bird with white patch on back), Hop Brook at the rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 23, 2014

Yesterday morning started off rather gloomy with low clouds and occasional drizzle and light showers. I had high hopes for something of interest being grounded by the weather but the conditions were not optimal for this to happen but figured I would try anyway. I got to Winsor Dam before five and had a couple Eastern Whip Poor Wills calling plus a couple Common Nighthawks feeding over the water. Out on the water I had seven Common Loons, a couple Wood Ducks, five Common Mergansers and a distant Mute Swan plus at least two Spotted Sandpipers working the shoreline.  Also had at least two young eagles in the nest but there may have been a third. Without too much at Winsor Dam and the gates to the park not open yet I decided to head elsewhere. A brief stop at Beaver Lake in Ware was fairly unproductive with geese being the only waterfowl.  I then decided to make the trip across the river and try my luck up at the Old Pilgrim Airport. Unfortunately that long trip over there was not really worth it with the only shorebirds around being a Spotted Sandpiper and a Killdeer...oh well.  I then headed back across the river after checking a few fields in Hatfield without anything of note found. My next stop was over to the rail trail in Amherst with the main focus being possible shorebirds on the mudflats at Hop Brook and perhaps an Olive sided Flycatcher somewhere along the trail. The mudflats produced five species of shorebird including three Killdeer, a couple Spotted Sandpiper, a Solitary Sandpiper, 16 Least Sandpipers (including one with a bright white patch on its back that I couldn't tell for certain what it was) plus a single Semipalmated Sandpiper. I tried to make the Semipalmated Sandpiper into something more unusual but could not....nonetheless it was still a new species for the county this year, #210. Lots of other flycatchers around but not the one I hoped to find. After the rail trail it was another stop back at Winsor Dam but the water was fairly quiet although I did have a Black billed Cuckoo calling behind the admin building. Although it was still somewhat early I decided to head home and pick up Wilson to head out for a walk. We headed down to the land trust trail and walked up to a small field that did have an unusual species in it the other day, a Clay colored Sparrow found by Devin. We actually ran across him there and despite quite a bit of looking we could not turn the bird up...perhaps it left or it was just being stealthy? Other good stuff around there but nothing too unusual. Once I dropped Wilson back off at home I headed over to Quabbin Park but due to the road being closed for work I couldn't check some good areas. Nevertheless I still had good stuff including a single flock of 19 Double crested Cormorants on the water west of Goodnough Dike. I also had a Great Horned Owl calling at the same area at just after noon...odd.  A few other migrants noted but the vast majority of birds appeared to be on territory.

The later afternoon I spent at home produced a decent show of birds around the yard including another Tennessee Warbler, a Blackpoll Warbler and a Blackburnian Warbler among the 13 species of warblers around plus loads of other stuff.  Also had a brief look at one the Gray Foxes as it ran back in under the shed when I walked by.

Orchard Oriole, rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 22, 2014

Orchard Oriole, rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 22, 2014

Eastern Kingbird, rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 22, 2014

Before work on Thursday I took a walk along the rail trail before getting rained out.  Nothing too extreme but a singing first year Orchard Oriole was nice to see and hear.  With the continued on and off showers and low clouds I made a brief stop at Winsor Dam on my way home.  Highlight there was eight Common Loons in a few small groups.