Morning stop at Winsor Dam and Lake Wallace

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2014

Northern Flickers, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2014

Raccoon, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2014

Great Blue Heron on Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, July 29, 2014

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, July 29, 2014

I had a little time before work this morning so I made a couple stops on my way in.  My first stop was over to Winsor Dam in the hopes of finding something of interest brought in following the cold front moving through last night but no luck.  The winds were not perfect to bring in migrants (such as a Black Tern) but I thought it was worth checking nonetheless.  A Great Blue Heron sat on the wall of the dam surveying the reservoir plus a couple loons were way out but overall it was quiet there.  I then headed over to Lake Wallace in search of unusual herons and egrets but managed just a single Great Blue Heron and several Green Herons.  Among the 40+ species present during my thirty minutes there was the continuing Sora.  Unusual herons and egrets have shown up in the last few days in the area with a juvenile Little Blue Heron in Springfield and a few Great Egrets up in the northern part of Quabbin today.  I will certainly be keeping my eyes out for some unusual wader to show up soon.  I also had a Raccoon deep in the marsh at Lake Wallace which is the first one I have ever seen there.

Meanwhile the tropics have a little activity occurring with a bit of disturbed weather way out in the Atlantic on rack to become a tropical disturbance tonight or tomorrow and then a tropical storm by the end of the week as it tracks through the Lesser Antilles and then by Puerto Rico and The Bahamas.  The exact track is far from certain and the storm is unlikely to become strong for a variety of reasons but it bears watching.  Most forecast models do not showing it impacting the east coast of the US but there is at least a chance so I figured it was worth mentioning (plus the tropics have been so quiet it is the only excitement there in a few weeks).

Lake Wallace again...more herons

Great Blue Herons, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 26, 2014

Green Herons, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 26, 2014

Mallards, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 26, 2014

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 26, 2014

I originally was going to head up to a gate along the west side of Quabbin this morning but knowing from past years how bad the deer flies get there around this time of year I decided instead to stick close to home with a visit to the largely insect free Lake Wallace plus a brief stop at Quabbin Park.  I have included the full list from Lake Wallace below.  Certainly more herons around this morning then the previous morning but still just the two expected species.


Canada Goose  18
Wood Duck  48     Minimum
Hooded Merganser  6
Great Blue Heron  10     Increase from yesterday
Green Heron  7  
Virginia Rail  1
Sora  1        called twice
Mourning Dove  6
Chimney Swift  3
Belted Kingfisher  4
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  4
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  6
Pileated Woodpecker  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Eastern Phoebe  2
Eastern Kingbird  3
Red-eyed Vireo  1
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  5
Tree Swallow  34
Bank Swallow  6
Barn Swallow  1
Black-capped Chickadee  4
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Brown Creeper  2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  1
Eastern Bluebird  3
American Robin  9
Gray Catbird  2
European Starling  55
Cedar Waxwing  2
Northern Waterthrush  1
Common Yellowthroat  1
Chipping Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  3
Northern Cardinal  1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  1
Red-winged Blackbird  42
Common Grackle  19
Baltimore Oriole  2
American Goldfinch  2

Another morning around the local area

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 25, 2014

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 25, 2014

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, July 25, 2014

Wood Ducks, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 25, 2014

White tailed Deer, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 25, 2014

Mallards, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 25, 2014

Baltimore Oriole, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 25, 2014

Gray Catbird, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 25, 2014

Great Blue Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 25, 2014

I spent another morning exploring a variety of marshes in search of some unusual herons or egrets. No luck once again in finding unusual herons but did have some great looks at both Green and Great Blue Herons plus lots of other expected species. I made a brief stop at Winsor Dam before heading over to Lake Wallace where I had around fifty species including at least one each of Sora and Virginia Rail. I then headed over for a walk along the rail trail in Amherst from Station Road up to Hop Brook and back.  Thankfully the mosquitoes were not as bad I expected them to be. Some great looks at various bird species along the rail trail plus a family of deer walking along the railroad tracks. I then headed back east and picked up the Wilson for a walk along the land trust trail and then brief stops at the Route 9 marsh and again at Winsor Dam. A very nice morning to be out despite not finding anything too unusual.

The last few days around here

White tailed Deer with fawn, rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 20, 2014

White tailed Deer with fawn, rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 20, 2014

White tailed Deer with two fawns, rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 20, 2014

Tree, Barn and Bank Swallows, rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 20, 2014

I headed over to the rail trail in Amherst this morning with the highlight being non avian when I got to see a standoff between two White tailed Deer with fawns.  I was scanning the marsh at Hop Brook when I noticed a deer with a single fawn moving along the edge of the marsh.  After several minutes the adult seemed to fixate on a single location and eventually another deer with two fawns appeared.  The two adults stared each other down for a few minutes and eventually got closer and closer.  Both adults did a lot of foot stomping at each other (link to video here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14517177697/)  Quite interesting to watch!  As far as birds go it was the typical 'stuff' around with lots of adults carrying food to youngsters and lots of recent fledglings moving about. 

Lake Wallace at dawn, Belchertown, MA, July 19, 2014

On Saturday I got up before dawn to go searching for night herons but I came up empty for them.  Nonetheless it was still a very pleasant morning to be out.  I once again hit a variety of areas starting at Lake Wallace then over to a few spots around south Quabbin and then over to the land trust trail with Wilson.  Lake Wallace was once again quite productive with around fifty species including a Merlin (early migrant or possible breeder from nearby?  Who knows?) lots of waterfowl, Sora, Virginia Rails and lots of other stuff including a very vocal group of four Common Ravens that cruised by.  The other areas were active but nothing too unusual.

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 18, 2014

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 18, 2014

Belted Kingfisher, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 18, 2014

American Woodcock, Belchertown, MA, July 18, 2014

Winsor dam at dusk, July 18, 2014

On Friday I hit several spots in search of marsh birds and had some luck again with rails at Lake Wallace.  The Sora continued calling on and off but never came into view but one of at least two Virginia Rails showed itself quite well for several seconds before disappearing back into the marsh grass.  The only herons around were Great Blue and Green Herons. 

I headed back out around dusk to Winsor Dam to see if anything unusual was moving around before sunset.  Nothing too unusual but did have four Bald Eagles including three juveniles hanging around at the nest site.  Once the sun set I went to Covey WMA to listen for Eastern Whip Poor Wills and had one calling right away, very close by.  I turned up another one a little later on a return stop at Winsor Dam.

Shorebird migration begins

Following up on a report from Chris Gentes I headed over to the partially drained Paradise Pond this morning looking for some early season shorebirds.  Yesterday Chris had eight Least Sandpipers and a Solitary Sandpiper there.  This morning I had just a single Least Sandpiper and a Solitary Sandpiper plus a Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, five Hooded Mergansers and a family of vocal Belted Kingfishers.  A stop by there later in the day found the pond mostly filled back up so no shorebirds.  It is tough to find a good spot for shorebirds to stop in the valley this time of year with little in the way of mudflats available along the river or lakes and most every farm field green with crops.  We mainly have to wait until late summer once the crops are harvested to get a good chance to get shorebirds stopping by. 

Weekend birding

Bank Swallow, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 13, 2014

Bank Swallows and Tree Swallow, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 13, 2014

Red bellied Woodpecker, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 13, 2014

Wood Duck ducklings, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 13, 2014

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 13, 2014

Ruffed Grouse, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 13, 2014

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 12, 2014

Northern Flickers, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 12, 2014

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 12, 2014

Another warm weekend found me getting out in the morning before it got too hot (and too crowded).  Today I headed over to the rail trail in search of some unusual herons or egrets that will hopefully be dispersing from nesting areas (or perhaps an early shorebird) but no luck.  The marsh at Hop Brook has grown up a bit some little in the way of mudflats around to attract any shorebirds.  I did come across the largest gathering of swallows I have yet had this season with a couple hundred individuals with the majority being Tree Swallows but with at least 35 Bank Swallows and a few Barn Swallows mixed in too.  Lots of other breeding birds around but nothing too unusual and surprisingly low numbers of mosquitoes.  A couple brief stops around south Quabbin didn't turn up anything out of the ordinary either.

Yesterday I headed over to Lake Wallace and had the Sora continuing to call from the reeds (seen only briefly) plus at least three Virginia Rails with two seen very well.  I'm still hopeful of finding something even more unusual here.  Also a good showing of local breeding waterfowl with lots of young of various ages.  I also made a stop by the old Palmer landfill in search of Grasshopper Sparrows I have had there the last few years but I could not find any but with the fields recently mowed I guess that was not too surprising.

Loon survey at Quabbin

Common Loon with chick on its back, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loon (with distinct white mark on head) with chick on its back, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loon with chick, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Pale juvenile with regular juvenile Common Loon, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Pale juvenile with regular juvenile Common Loon, Quabbin, July 11, 2014



Pale juvenile Common Loon, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loon, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loons with chick, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loons with chick, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loon egg (abandoned), Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Loon nesting raft, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

I spent the morning through midday assisting with a loon survey at Quabbin along with one of the biologist there.  I have come along on this survey for several years now and it never gets old seeing the breeding loons here.  We managed to find a total of 26 Common Loons with four of them being young of various ages including a tiny individual that spent most of its time under the wing of an adult and then up on one of the adults back.  Of the 22 adult loons only two were not in full breeding plumage and one of those was the palest individual I think I have ever seen.  It was a striking bird that I'm very happy to have gotten a close look at as from a distance it could easily have been mistaken for something more unusual.  More photos of the pale bird can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/sets/72157645221662167/
We also picked up two unhatched eggs from a couple of the loon rafts.  Both of these rafts did produce a single chick but the second egg never hatched.  I have included the list for the survey at the bottom.

Before starting the loon survey I spent a little time on Prescott Peninsula checking a few fields for birds and hoping to find Red Crossbills again...no luck this time.


Loon survey-boat launch area 2 south along Prescott and then back north past shaft 12

Canada Goose  16
Common Loon  26     Four young, two juv (one very pale), remainder adults
Double-crested Cormorant  3
Turkey Vulture  4
Bald Eagle  2
Spotted Sandpiper  2
Ring-billed Gull  17
Belted Kingfisher  2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Eastern Phoebe  2
Great Crested Flycatcher  1
Eastern Kingbird  7
Blue-headed Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  8
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  2
Tree Swallow  16
Barn Swallow  2
Black-capped Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  2
Veery  4
Hermit Thrush  2
American Robin  1
Gray Catbird  3
Cedar Waxwing  5
Ovenbird  3
Common Yellowthroat  3
Black-throated Blue Warbler  2
Pine Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  2
Black-throated Green Warbler  3
Eastern Towhee  2
Song Sparrow  2
Scarlet Tanager  3
Red-winged Blackbird  3
Common Grackle  2

Lake Wallace and other stuff

Chimney Swift, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, July 6, 2014

Wood Duck ducklings, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Mallard duckling, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Sora, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Sora, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Muskrat, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Pileated Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Pileated Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

I spent about an hour and a half this morning checking out the activity at Lake Wallace and was rewarded with 54 species including the continued Sora which showed itself briefly once again (no luck seeing the vocalizing Virginia Rail). Other highlights included a Green Heron gathering nest material, perhaps the first nesting attempt failed as it is getting late for this species to be beginning a nesting attempt (I have a video of it and other stuff linked below).  Multiple species of waterfowl with young were present including Wood Duck, Mallard, Hooded Merganser and Canada Geese. I have a few unusual species in mind whenever I stop by his location including perhaps a night heron, a Black bellied Whistling Duck or a Common Gallinule (or even a Purple Gallinule) but no luck so far. A brief stop at Winsor Dam didn't produce anything unusual but the number of Chimney Swifts around has grown to eight and the Bald Eagles all seem to have fledged from the nest there. Also had some gulls out on the water but all appeared to be just Ring billed Gulls.

Link to video with Sora calling:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14400730087/in/photostream/

Link to video of Green Heron collecting nest material:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14400834117/

Link to videos of Pileated Woodpecker:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14400716920/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14583989501/in/photostream/



One more update on Hurricane Arthur and the impact on birds. It does indeed appear that Nova Scotia received the most storm related birds which makes sense given the track. Multiple reports of unusual terns including Royal, Forester's, Gull billed, Black and Sandwich Terns among the more expected terns plus many reports of Black Skimmers, Laughing Gulls, Purple Martins and a few nearshore pelagics pushed in a little closer to shore. It will be interesting to see reports from the New England coast over the next several days as many of these birds will likely move back down the coast over time...unfortunately the chances of any of them filtering through to western Mass is quite low but worth keeping an eye out nonetheless.