The heat wave finally ends

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2016

Green winged Teal, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2016

Least Sandpipers and Solitary Sandpiper, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, July 29, 2016

I got up before dawn today and noticed it was already rainy fairly steady so I thought I would go out to try to find some shorebirds put down by the weather.  I checked a number of fields in Hadley but came up empty.  Most of the spots I have had shorebirds in the past are either overgrown at this time or still full of unharvested crops.  I had some luck at Lower Mill Pond with four Killdeer, two each of Spotted and Solitary Sandpiper and nine Least Sandpipers (including one larger than normal individual that I tried hard to turn into something unusual).  Arcadia and a few spots along the river turned up no shorebirds at all. Yesterday there was a large influx of waders into Stebbins in Longmeadow with dozens of Great Egrets as well as a few Snowy Egrets and Little Blue Herons.  I hoped I would have some luck with some of those individuals coming a bit further north but I didn't find any unusual waders at all.  The Green winged Teal I found yesterday at Lake Wallace was still there today.

The heat wave finally ended (just barely as it made it to 89 today) after eight straight days above 90.  The forecast for heavy rain through most of the day did not turn out to be the case with just some early rain that ended by mid/late morning and we got between a quarter and half inch of rain.  Elsewhere weather wise the tropics now have two invests (96L and 97L) way out in the Atlantic that at least should be watched.  Long term forecast do not show either developing much but there are many variables that could change.

Green winged Teal (with Wood Ducks), Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 28, 2016

Green winged Teal (with Wood Duck), Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 28, 2016

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 28, 2016

Green Herons, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 28, 2016

Green Herons, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 28, 2016

I stayed local yesterday with stops at Lake Wallace and Quabbin Park early in the morning.  Lake Wallace had decent numbers of the expected waterfowl species as well as an unusual for July Green winged Teal.  I last saw the bird heading northeast with a group of Mallards.  Other notables at the lake included at least seven Green Herons and a somewhat cooperative Virginia Rail.  No luck finding the Lesser Scaup at Winsor Dam but there was more noise than unusual there due to some ongoing construction.  My brief stop at Quabbin Park turned up four Spotted Sandpipers at gate 52 plus a flyover Evening Grosbeak.

Common Grackles, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 27, 2016

Cedar Waxwing, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 27, 2016

Striped Skunk, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 27, 2016

I added a couple more bird species to my water feature list when the motion camera caught a couple Common Grackles and a Cedar Waxwing on July 27th.  These two species become species #29 & #30 for the water feature.  I also added another mammal species when a Striped Skunk showed up early in the morning on Saturday.

Heat wave continues

Great Blue Heron, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, July 27, 2016

Least Sandpipers and Killdeer, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, July 24, 2016

Just a few stops in the mornings over the last few days on my way to and from work didn't produce anything too unusual but there were a number of highlights which I have listed below.  Migration is slowly starting to gather some steam with the majority of obvious migrants being shorebirds with a scattering of other families too.

Sunday:  Killdeer, 4 Spotted Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpiper and 7 Least Sandpipers at Lower Mill Pond.

Monday: 5 Killdeer and 7 Least Sandpipers.

Tuesday:  36 Wood Ducks, 166 Mallards, 3 Green Herons.

Wednesday:  6 Great Blue Herons and 8 Killdeer at Arcadia; 5 Killdeer, 3 Spotted Sandpiper and a Solitary Sandpiper at Lower Mill Pond; 7 Double crested Cormorant, 33 Turkey Vultures, 72 Ring billed Gulls and at least 110 Chimney Swifts at the Holyoke Dam.

Gray Fox, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 25, 2016

At home the Gray Fox once again came into the water feature early Monday morning and the camera caught a shot of it.

The heat wave continues unabated for the seventh day with temps today in the low 90's.  The forecast calls for at least one more day in the 90's which would make for the longest heat wave here since 1995.  It has been a very warm and dry July as our drought conditions continue to get worse.  The tropics may finally be coming back to life after a long lull in the hurricane season (not too unusual in July) as a tropical wave coming off Africa has the potential to develop.  Any development is still days away and the large amount of dry air associated with the Saharan Air Layer may still impede development....time will tell.

Shorebirds and waders today and a family of Virginia Rails yesterday

Solitary Sandpipers, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, July 23, 2016

Great Egret, Connecticut River, Northampton, MA, July 23, 2016

Ring billed Gulls, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, July 23, 2016

Double crested Cormorants, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, July 23, 2016

Double crested Cormorants, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, July 23, 2016

I headed out early before it got too hot in search of waders and shorebirds (and anything else I might come across) starting over at Arcadia and then hitting the following spots: Lower Mill Pond, East Meadows, the Connecticut River in Northampton and Hadley, the Holyoke Dam and Lake Wallace.  The best shorebird spot by far was Lower Mill Pond with five species including nine Killdeer, two Spotted Sandpipers, five Solitary Sandpipers, four Least Sandpipers and a Semipalmated Sandpiper.  Lower Mill Pond also held a Green Heron and Great Blue Heron and I managed to add a third wader species with a Great Egret along the river in Northampton.  The Holyoke Dam had two Great Blue Herons and no shorebirds but did contain several other notable species including 14 Double crested Cormorants, 102 Ring billed Gull and at least 35 Chimney Swifts.  I didn't make it to Lake Wallace until late morning and managed to find just two Green Herons and a Great Blue Heron as far as waders were concerned but it was quite hot by the time I was there.

Virginia Rails (adult with juvenile), Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2016

Virginia Rail juvenile, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2016

Virginia Rails (adult with juvenile), Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2016

Virginia Rail juvenile, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2016

Raccoons, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2016

Raccoons, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2016

First thing Friday morning I stopped by Lake Wallace and once again had a Sora calling (but never seen despite much effort).  I also had at least five Virginia Rails including two adults and three juveniles which showed fairly well after a lot of watching.  Still lots of the expected waterfowl around but nothing unusual and no sign of the Pied billed Grebe seen there the day before.  Video of the Virginia Rail adult and three juveniles: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/28190041050/in/dateposted-public/
A family of Raccoon's repeatedly climbed up a tree in the middle of the marsh with lots of interaction between them.  Videos of Raccoons: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/27857295893/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/27857295893/in/dateposted-public/

Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, July 22, 2016

The Lesser Scaup once again showed fairly well at Winsor Dam.  Not much else of note throughout the few spots I checked at Quabbin Park.

Pied billed Grebe, Sora and the start of a heat wave

Pied billed Grebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 21, 2016

Pied billed Grebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 21, 2016

Red tailed Hawk, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 21, 2016

Turkey Vultures, Hadley, MA, July 21, 2016

Common Merganser, Connecticut River, Northampton, MA, July 21, 2016

Willow Flycatcher, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, July 21, 2016

Raccoon, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, July 21, 2016

Least Sandpipers, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, July 21, 2016

Least Sandpipers and Spotted Sandpiper, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, July 21, 2016

Great Blue Heron, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, July 21, 2016

I covered lots of territory this morning in search of waders and shorebirds and turned up three species of waders (Great Egret, Great Blue Heron and Green Heron) and four species of shorebird (Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper).  There is very little in the way of decent shorebird habitat to be had this year in the valley but hopefully that fill improve as more crops get harvested.  The river is quite low with some exposed sandbars but the high level of activity on the river makes finding shorebirds there difficult.  Besides the waders and shorebirds I had a number of highlights including a Pied billed Grebe (a juvenile...possibly from breeding activity here but tough to say for certain) and Sora at Lake Wallace, 42 Turkey Vultures in Hadley and 14 Common Mergansers in the river in Northampton.  Despite a dramatic drop off in bird song I still managed a total of 77 species over the course of the morning.

Today begins what looks to be a long duration heat wave in the area which will last through at least early next week.  The southerly winds bringing in the heat also have the potential to bring in some unusual birds from the south and west dispersing after breeding.  The possibilities include but not limited to Black bellied Whistling Ducks, various marsh birds, waders and even shorebirds.  Time will tell if anything noteworthy shows up.

Shorebirds start to arrive and more good stuff at home

Wood Turtle, Belchertown, MA, July 17, 2016

Beaver, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, July 16, 2016

On my way to work on the 16th I made a few stops but the fog was too thick along the river and at Arcadia to see much of anything.  Luckily Lower Mill Pond was fairly clear and it featured a few shorebirds including four Killdeer, three Spotted Sandpipers and two Solitary Sandpipers.  After work on the 17th I stopped at the still drained Paradise Pond looking for shorebirds and found half a dozen Killdeer and a Spotted Sandpiper.  I also stopped briefly at Winsor Dam and yet again found the Lesser Scaup.  During a walk late in the morning with Wilson we came across a Wood Turtle crossing the trail.

Least Sandpiper (Left), Spotted Sandpiper (center) and Solitary Sandpiper (Right), Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, July 19, 2016

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 20, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, July 20, 2016

Muskrat, Jabish Canal, Belchertown, MA, July 20, 2016

On the morning of the 19th I stopped over to Arcadia to look for waders and/or shorebirds but didn't find any.  Nearby Lower Mill Pond once again had some shorebirds including five Killdeer, two Spotted Sandpipers, a Solitary Sandpiper and three Least Sandpipers.  This morning I stayed local with a stop at Lake Wallace that produced 42 Wood Ducks, at least 106 Mallards, a Great Horned Owl and no herons left in their nests.  I then checked the marsh near Gate 9 at Quabbin but didn't find anything too unusual (all the heron nest there have also fledged their young).  No sign of the scaup at Winsor Dam but I hope he is still around there somewhere.  Quabbin Park once again featured some Spotted Sandpipers with half a dozen at Gate 52.  A walk with Wilson along the canal didn't produce any unusual birds but we got some great looks at Muskrats.

Gray Fox, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 17, 2016

American Goldfinch, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 19, 2016

American Robin with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 18, 2016

American Robin with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 13, 2016

More good stuff continues to show up at the water feature with one of the biggest highlights being a Gray Fox that showed up in the middle of the night for a drink.  I also added another new species (#27) when an American Goldfinch showed up.  The banded robins also continue to show up on occasion.

Searching for wrens (and other stuff) yesterday and today

Barred Owl, Robert Frost Trail, Amherst, MA, July 15, 2016

Robert Frost Trail/Well #4 Rd, Amherst, MA, July 15, 2016

After my luck with finding some Marsh Wrens in Hampden County yesterday (see below) I spent this morning hiking a portion of the Robert Frost Trail, the rail trail and Atkins Flat Conservation Area in Amherst near Lawrence Swamp in search of wrens (both Marsh and Sedge Wrens).  I covered several miles on a very warm and humid morning but didn't have any luck finding any wrens.  Best birds were two families of Barred Owls at widely separate locations with lots of vocalizations. The deer flies were horrendous despite putting on a ton of bug spray but I managed to kill a fair number of them (I stopped counting after fifty!).

The status of Marsh Wrens in Hampshire County is unusual in that the species has bred here in the past but there are no recent records.  The odd part is that the species breeds to the north, south, east and west of the county but not here despite some marshes that look perfect for them.  I have tried for several years to find a spot were they currently breed in the county but no luck so far.  I usually have to wait until fall to catch up with the species in migration.  I will have to do a longer post of this species sometime in the future looking at locations were it has bred in the past in the county but not today.

Great Egret, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 15, 2016

Great Egret, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 15, 2016

Once I came home and picked up Wilson we headed over to Lake Wallace and walked for a bit before the heat got to be a little too much for both of us.  Best sighting there was a Great Egret fishing the water along with several Great Blue Herons....hopefully a sign of more unusual egrets/herons to follow (a Little Blue Heron was sighted in the south Berkshires yesterday).  I got a few record shots of the egret with my phone through the binoculars.

Upland Sandpiper, Stoney Brook Wetland Area, Ludlow, MA, July 14, 2016

Bald Eagle (with leg bands) eating fish, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, July 14, 2016

Bald Eagle (with leg bands) eating fish, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, July 14, 2016

Bald Eagle (with leg bands) eating fish, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, July 14, 2016

Despite the occasional showers and drizzle yesterday morning I headed over to Hadley and then over the bridge to Northampton and then down south to the Holyoke Dam before making a stop outside the county at the Stoney Brook Wetland Area in Ludlow.  Not much luck finding any unusual waders or shorebirds but I did find some decent birds.  Highlights in the Hampshire County included at least three Vesper Sparrows at the Honey Pot; typical stuff at Arcadia and Lower Mill Pond; a banded adult Bald Eagle and at least 90 Chimney Swifts at the Holyoke Dam.  The area of Stoney Brook Wetland Area had several good birds including two Upland Sandpipers, both species of cuckoo, four Marsh Wrens, a Grasshopper Sparrow, three Field Sparrows and four Eastern Meadowlarks.  The wrens and meadowlarks were new species for my Hampden County list.