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| White eyed Vireo, Belchertown, MA, July 5, 2015 |
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| Cerulean Warbler nest, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, July 5, 2015 |
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| Panoramic view from summit, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, July 5, 2015 |
I headed out early today to make it over to Skinner SP to check on the Cerulean
Warbler nest and see if the Acadian Flycatcher seen there weeks ago might still
be around. The ride over was very foggy in spots and I thought there might be a
chance the mountain would be above the fog. I was surprised to find the parking
lot empty when I arrived and I didn't run into another person the entire time I
was there. No luck finding the Acadian Flycatcher but not too surprising as I
suspect the bird seen there weeks ago was just moving through. The hike up
the mountain produced the typical birds including a couple Worm eating Warblers
and a couple family groups of Dark eyed Juncos. I spent about twenty minutes at
the Cerulean Warbler nest but no activity in or around the nest. Hopefully the
birds already fledged and the nest was successful. I did hear one Cerulean
Warbler calling distantly down the slope but never saw it. The view from the
summit was impressive as the entire valley was filled with fog with only the
hills sticking out above it...cool stuff.
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| Vultures in the fog, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, July 5, 2015 |
Once I made it down the
mountain I headed over to check on the vulture roost and despite the visibility
being limited by the fog I still managed to find a Black Vulture and 36 Turkey
Vultures and I suspect there were more hidden by the fog.
I decided to
continue on following up on unusual birds in the area so I headed over to Lake
Wallace to try for the gallinules. I ran into Scott who was already scoping the
area with no luck. We both continued looking for the birds but never had any
luck. Hopefully they are still around and nesting but they have certainly have
become harder to find. The presence of multiple Raccoons during the last few
visits does not bode well for nesting success.
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| White eyed Vireo, Belchertown, MA, July 5, 2015 |
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| Gray Catbird, Belchertown, MA, July 5, 2015 |
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| Rose breasted Grosbeak with white line on head, Belchertown, MA, July 5, 2015 |
My final stop of the
morning was over to check on the White eyed Vireo and I had the bird calling
almost as soon as I got out of the car. I was able to find the bird fairly
quickly and got a few more photos. No luck in finding a female with the male but if there is not one around he is still trying very hard to attract one. Another notable sighting was a male Rose breasted Grosbeak with a white line on its head...perhaps a bit of a holdover of juvenile plumage?
Full lists from this morning:
Skinner SP:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24153937
Moody Bridge Rd:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24154397
Lake Wallace:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24154392
White eyed Vireo location:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24157127
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| Broad winged Hawk, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, July 4, 2015 |
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| Broad winged Hawk, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, July 4, 2015 |
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| Ruby throated Hummingbird nest with nestling, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, July 4, 2015 |
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| Ruby throated Hummingbird nest, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, July 4, 2015 |
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| Cedar Waxwing with orange tipped tail, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, July 4, 2015 |
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| Moose, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, July 4, 2015 |
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| Black billed Cuckoo, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, July 4, 2015 |
I headed back up to Prescott Peninsula Saturday morning to conduct a
few field surveys and check on the hummingbird nest before the expected rain
arrived. Overall a very good morning with a few surprises with the best being a
flyby Red Crossbill on the north part of peninsula. I have had them here in the
past but this was the first one this season. I tried to get a recording of the
bird to figure out which type of Red Crossbill it was but the bird was gone
before I could record it. Hopefully I will catch up with more of them over the
coming weeks. I also had a nice view of a Black billed Cuckoo that came
in and called from a relatively nearby perch. The year continues to be great for
finding and watching cuckoos.
When I first
checked out the hummingbird nest the female was sitting on it but she took off
in pursuit of another hummingbird before I could get a photo of her on the
nest. Once she left the nest I started watching it and occasionally at least
two very freshly hatched nestlings would move around enough to be briefly
visible. I hoped to see her come back to the nest but no luck. It may have had
something to do with a group of jays around or a pair of very vocal Broad winged
Hawks. Glad to see the eggs have hatched and I look forward to checking on the
progress of the young.
Full list from the morning:
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