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.