More waders and my 20,000th eBird checklist

Great Blue Heron, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Aug 16, 2016

Green Heron, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, Aug 16, 2016

Solitary Sandpiper, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, Aug 16, 2016

American Kestrels, Hatfield, MA, Aug 16, 2016

Great Egret, Hatfield, MA, Aug 16, 2016

Great Egrets, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Aug 16, 2016

Great Egret and Great Blue Heron, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Aug 16, 2016

Double crested Cormorants, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Aug 16, 2016

Today I headed out bright and early to cover several areas along the river in search of herons, egrets and shorebirds.  I arrived predawn along the river in Hadley and my first few stops didn't produce much at all as far as my target species were concerned but it picked up a bit as the morning went on.  My route took from Hadley to Northampton then up to Hatfield and back through Hadley to South Hadley before heading to Lake Wallace to end the morning.  As far as waders I found three species with overall totals noted as follows:  Great Blue Heron (23), Great Egret (16) and Green Heron (8).  The waders were scattered all over the river and nearby areas with no big concentrations or roosts found.  Shorebirds were represented by four species (once again) with the following species and totals:  Killdeer (25), Least Sandpiper (4), Spotted Sandpiper (5) and Solitary Sandpiper (4).  Other notable species seen over the course of the morning included the following:  52 Wood Ducks and a Green winged Teal at Lake Wallace; 13 Double crested Cormorants at the Holyoke Dam including one individual that kept picking up items (algae, grass, debris)  and then moving toward other cormorants until they would jump off the dam into the water...interesting to watch and I have a video of some of the activity here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/28411292553/in/album-72157672541933515/

Green Herons, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Green Herons and Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Killdeer, Hadley, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Ring billed Gull with fish, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Yesterday I tried to find some whip poor wills before dawn at Winsor Dam but had no luck. Hopefully there are some still around and they were just not vocalizing. This area has been my go to spot for them into September so I hope they have no left. I then headed over to Lake Wallace where I had 107 Wood Ducks, 11 Green Herons, a couple Virginia Rails as well as the continued Louisiana Waterthrush. I initially planned on just staying around town but instead decided to head over to Hadley to see if the west/northwest winds brought in anything new. I stopped at the Honey Pot and a few spots along the river before heading to Lake Warner and then to the campus pond at UMASS before finally ending up back at Winsor Dam where I submitted my 20,000th eBird list (more on that below). Highlights from the morning included a peep species that I saw flying away at the Honey Pot...wish I had gotten a better view but no luck, three Great Egrets along the river, 11 Killdeer in a field near Huntington Rd in Hadley and a smattering of Spotted Sandpipers at a few locations.  Now more about my 20,000th eBird checklist that I submitted this morning. The list that reached that milestone was (not surprisingly) completed on a visit to Winsor Dam and I have included a link to the list below.  I still have around five hundred more to go to reach this same plateau for full checklists (the overall total includes 'incidental' lists too).  Link to list  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31102034

Olive sided Flycatcher, home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Olive sided Flycatcher, home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Olive sided Flycatcher, home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 15, 2016

Gray Fox, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 15, 2016

In the afternoon while doing work around the yard I noticed a flycatcher at the top of a dead tree that looked like it might be an Olive sided Flycatcher and a quick through binoculars confirmed it.  My sixth Olive sided Flycatcher sighting for the yard and my second fall record.  The Gray Fox also came back in the evening once again.