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| Barred Owl, Robert Frost Trail, Amherst, MA, July 15, 2016 |
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| 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.
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| Great Egret, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 15, 2016 |
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| 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.
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| Upland Sandpiper, Stoney Brook Wetland Area, Ludlow, MA, July 14, 2016 |
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| Bald Eagle (with leg bands) eating fish, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, July 14, 2016 |
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| Bald Eagle (with leg bands) eating fish, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, July 14, 2016 |
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| 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.
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