Sightings in the third week of April

Palm Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 20, 2017

Louisiana Waterthrush, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 20, 2017

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 20, 2017

Pine Warbler, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2017

Rusty Blackbird, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2017

Carolina Wren, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 18, 2017

Pileated Woodpeckers, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 18, 2017

As the third week of April comes to an end migration continues to pick up with new birds showing up everyday.  Some notables I have had over the last several days included both Blue headed Vireo and Broad winged Hawk on the 15th, Blue winged Teal and Black and White Warbler in Hadley on the 17th, an Eastern Whip Poor Will at Winsor Dam on the 18th (I had two there yesterday), House Wren at Mitch's Way also on the 18th and a Bonaparte's Gull at Winsor Dam on the 19th.  The warblers are just starting to arrive with decent numbers of Pine, Palm and Yellow rumped Warblers around plus a few Louisiana Waterthrushes and Black and White Warblers.  I was expecting some unusual stuff to be brought down by the raining weather overnight into this morning but no luck at the places I checked.  The next week into May should bring in a big influx of both numbers and variety.  This year I have decided to see how many warbler species I can find within Hampshire County by focusing on them.  My previous best years have been 2014 and 2016 with 32 warbler species plus a hybrid...we shall see what this year brings.

In other news a tropical storm (Tropical Storm Arlene) has formed way out in the Atlantic, which is quite unusual for April.  It is no threat to any landmasses but certainly interesting to see this time of year.