Birding east of the CT river

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Wood Ducks (and a beaver-right middle), Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Although the sky looked threatening most of the morning I managed to avoid any rain as I hit a variety of areas through mid morning. My focus today was to try to find some unusual herons (yet again with this mission and yet again, no luck). I started off before dawn at Lake Wallace where the waterfowl numbers continue to build with 94 Wood Ducks, 24 Canada Geese, 22 Mallards and a few Hooded Mergansers. Almost as soon as I arrived I noticed a Peregrine Falcon perched in one of the tallest trees devouring a fresh kill. I got the scope on the bird and noticed it was banded. I got quite a few photos but I was never able to read the bands completely.  The falcon had a silver band on its right leg and two bands (black over green) on its left leg. Without seeing the entire band I will probably have no chance of finding out where the bird was banded but I reported what I did see to the government banding site.  ****update*** I finally heard about the banded falcon in December of this year...it was banded in Massachusetts by the state fish and wildlife service as a nestling at an unspecified location.   As far as herons go just a few Great Blue and Green Herons around.

Tree and Bank Swallows, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Tree, Bank and Barn Swallows, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Aug 3, 2014

I then decided to head west over to the rail trail in Amherst walking in from Mill Lane down to Hop Brook. The only heron at Hop Brook was a single Great Blue Heron. I did have a nice showing of swallows with hundreds around with most being Tree and Bank Swallows plus some Barn Swallows.

Turkey Vultures at roost (18 in view), Hadley, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Turkey Vultures at roost, Hadley, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Turkey Vultures at roost, Hadley, MA, Aug 3, 2014

After my first stop at the rail trail I decided to head over to Hadley Cove to check out the water levels. On my way there I drove down Moody Bridge Road and noticed a few vultures roosting in the trees so I stopped to check them out in hopes of finding a Black Vulture (no luck today but I have had them in this exact spot before). I managed to count a total of 18 TUVU's which I thought was a fairly decent number. Hadley Cove was quiet but the access and viewing was largely blocked by the summers growth of brush. I considered heading over to Arcadia but I decided I would rather stay on this side of the river for the morning so I headed back east and stopped back at Moody Bridge to check on the roosting vultures. This time I managed to find 31 Turkey Vultures (but still no Black Vultures). This is by far my biggest count for Turkey Vultures I have ever had at a roost in the valley. As I was counting the vultures I had a single Least Sandpiper fly by quite close, calling over and over again....the only migrant shorebird I had all morning....I really wish there was a spot for shorebirds to stop around here in August but sadly there is not. I decided to try my luck once more at the rail trail heading in from the Station Road entrance. Beyond the expected species I also ran across a Cliff Swallow in among the other swallows.