Summer like weather in late September

American Kestrels, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2017

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2017

After the influence of Hurricane Jose on our weather finally ended at the end of last week our weather turned summer like with sunny skies and record setting temperatures on multiple days with highs in the upper 80's to low 90's with increasing humidity.  At the beginning of the warm stretch of weather I headed over to the Honey Pot on Friday morning after work (full list: Honey Pot 9/22).  It was a bit breezy which made it tough to find birds but the raptors seemed to enjoy the winds.  I finally had some flyover American Pipits...a species I oddly missed this spring.

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 24, 2017

Indigo Bunting, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 24, 2017

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 24, 2017

I stopped at Arcadia on my way home on Sunday morning and had some decent stuff around with the best bird being a rather uncooperative Connecticut Warbler that called several times and offered a very brief view.  The variety of sparrows seemed to be on a slow upswing with more Swamp and White throated Sparrows around compared to several days before.  The warbler numbers and variety continue to go down with the only other species besides the Connecticut Warbler being Common Yellowthroat and Palm Warbler.  No other unusual species and unfortunately almost all of the fields that contained good seed filled weeds have been plowed under.  Hopefully this doesn't deter species from stopping to feed and instead just concentrates them in the remaining weedy areas...time will tell.  Full list from the morning: Arcadia 9/24

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 25, 2017

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 25, 2017

Red eyed Vireo, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 25, 2017

Red breasted Nuthatch, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 25, 2017

Porcupine, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 25, 2017

Porcupine (three in one tree), Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 25, 2017

On Monday I spent the very warm morning at Quabbin Park covering just a portion of the park.  Highlights included two Eastern Whip Poor Wills still singing (this tied my latest date for the species in the county), a big influx of Ruby crowned Kinglets, two Wood Thrushes, ten species of warbler and a flyby Evening Grosbeak among a total of 55 species.  I also had a total of four Porcupines with three of them in a single tree (not something I can ever remember seeing before).  Full list from the morning:  Quabbin Park 9/25

Eastern Phoebe, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2017

Eastern Phoebe, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2017

Eastern Phoebe, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2017

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2017

Greater Yellowlegs, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2017

Tuesday morning I made my way across the river before dawn and headed to Arcadia.  Although not quite as hot as the previous two days the morning featured some thick fog that didn't burn off until mid morning which kept the birding rather slow until it got sunny.  Highlights included at least 17 Indigo Buntings, a briefly seen Connecticut Warbler in the same area a similar looking individual was seen about a week before, decent numbers of sparrows and a flyover Dickcissel late morning.  Full list here:  Arcadia 9/26

Blackburnian Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 27, 2017

Yellow rumped Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 27, 2017

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 27, 2017

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 27, 2017

Black capped Chickadee, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 27, 2017

Eastern Phoebe, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 27, 2017

Porcupine, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 27, 2017

Valley fog with hill tops sticking above, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 27, 2017

Today should be the last day of heat and humidity (probably until next year) as a cold front is forecast to sweep through today leading to cooler and drier weather through the weekend which should entice a lot of birds to move that have been waiting for a change in migration conditions.  It was yet another foggy morning but it burned off a little sooner than the last few days.  I tried to find some late whip poor wills but they seem to have finally moved south...I have never had them later than September 25 around here but I thought that with the late warm temps I might find them but no luck.  The fog actually stayed lower today so being up around Quabbin Tower early on put me above the fog which made for some great views with the tops of the hills poking out of the fog.  I then spent a few hours checking various spots around the park and had a few mixed flocks as well as a great showing of Eastern Phoebes among fifty plus species.  Full list for the morning: Quabbin Park 9/27

Black Bear, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 24, 2017

Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 24, 2017

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 24, 2017

Yellow rumped Warblers, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 23, 2017

Gray Catbird with growth on face,  Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 20, 2017

Blackpoll Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 20, 2017

Tennessee Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 25, 2017

Hermit Thrushes, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 25, 2017

Tennessee Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2017

At home there are a few birds birds moving through and among them have been a number of Pine Warbler and Yellow rumped Warblers, some of whom have stopped to enjoy the water feature.  The camera at the water feature also captured a Gray Catbird with an odd growth near its bill...still trying to figure out exactly what it is.  After being a bit slow for the last few weeks the water feature has captured three new species for the water feature list with a Blackpoll Warbler (9/20) and Hermit Thrushes and a Tennessee Warbler (9/25 and 9/26) bringing the overall water feature list to 36 (with ten of those being warblers).  Staying with birds, there have been a couple of banded Black capped Chickadees in the yard and I managed to get a photo of one of them.  The motion camera I have set up along the brook also captured a Black Bear moving by on Sunday morning...thankfully not when Wilson was out and about!

Outer edge of Hurricane Jose causes wind, drizzle here as yet another catastrophic hurricane hits the Caribbean

Black throated Green Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 19, 2017

Pine Warbler with odd growth near bill, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 19, 2017

Northern Parula, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 19, 2017

We have felt just the outer edges of weakening Hurricane Jose as it slowly circles around off the southern New England coast giving us low clouds, some wind and occasional drizzle the last couple days which has kept me birding locally around Quabbin Park.  Despite the conditions I have still managed to find some pockets of birds in my travels although not is as great of numbers as I would expect if the weather were better.  On Tuesday I spent a good portion of the morning around the park and found two Eastern Whip Poor Wills still singing, a Brown Thrasher giving an odd call and seven species of warbler including a Pine Warbler with an odd growth near its bill (I found the same bird today and got some better photos).  Full list from the morning: Quabbin Park 9/19

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 20, 2017

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 20, 2017

Pine Warbler with odd growth near bill, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 20, 2017

Yellow rumped Warbler 'Myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 20, 2017

As the conditions were a bit less conducive to birding today I covered a smaller area but still found some birds around including the Pine Warbler with an odd growth. Full list here:  Quabbin Park 9/20.

Hurricane Maria after striking Dominica, Sep 19, 2017 (courtesy of NOAA)

Now onto to Hurricane Maria which devastated Dominica as a Category 5 hurricane before it moved on to give Puerto Rico a direct hit this morning as a strong Category 4 storm (the strongest storm to hit the island since the 1930's).  This storm looks to have caused major destruction over a wide area and certainly impacted the various bird species on all the impacted islands.  Puerto Rico alone contains 17 endemic species with several of them endangered so a major storm like this will certainly have an impact on a number of species.  Puerto Rico is filled with some unique birds that makes it sad to watch a storm like Maria hit. Post from my trip down to Puerto Rico here:  Puerto Rico Dec 2016.  The island of Barbuda (home of the endemic Barbuda Warbler) was hit directly by Hurricane Irma with 185 MPH and the chance is there that this species was wiped out.  In addition the large frigatebird rookery appears to have been completely destroyed. Other nearby islands such as Saint Martin and the US and British Virgin Islands were also hit directly by Irma and also suffered extensive damage.  Cuba, the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos also suffered extensive damage with heavy loss to some bird species there including the well publicized deaths of large numbers of American Flamingos in Cuba (warning, it is hard to watch)-Flamingos on Cuba-dead and injured.

Hurricane Maria rapidly developed and hit the island of Dominica (home to two endemic parrot species and a near endemic warbler) and the damage there looks to be in a similar category to the damage suffered earlier by Barbuda.  The parrots are critically endangered and may also have been wiped out...a truly sad toll from the storm.  I planned on getting down there in a few months but they may not happen now.  All the the impacted will need months and likely years to recover and if you are so inclined to make a donation to assist those who help the birds in the area follow either this link to Birds Caribbean or to a direct link to make donations: Birdscaribbean-Hurricane-Relief
The hurricane will continue to move off to the northwest before turning north and then northeast out to sea before hitting the US thanks to the continued presence of the remains of Jose to its north.  There is always a chance this track could change over the next several days and if any major changes occur that could impact us here I will update as needed.

I have a more detailed post concerning the impacts on the various endemic warbler species from the islands that have suffered from the recent hurricanes and a link to that post is here:  Hurricane Irma and Maria impacts on warblers

More migrants moving through and the latest tropical update

Clay colored Sparrow, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2017

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2017

Blackpoll Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2017

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2017

Ovenbirds having a squabble, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2017

Ovenbirds having a squabble, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2017

Magnolia Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2017

On Friday morning I decided to spend my entire morning at Quabbin Park and get away from the crowds. It was a banner day with loads of stuff around including my first Clay colored Sparrow I have ever had at Quabbin Park (species #236 for me there...it has been awhile since I have added a new species there). Before the sun came up I was over at Winsor Dam listening for Eastern Whip Poor Wills and I heard at least two still singing. The rest of the morning I spent exploring various trails in the park and I came across a number of mixed species flocks containing a nice variety of migrants. Full list with lots of photos here: Quabbin Park

Merlin, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2017

Merlin, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2017

Marsh Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2017

Marsh Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2017

Grasshopper Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2017

Saturday morning was spent around Arcadia with Keenan, Devin and Aidan. The low clouds stayed in place throughout the morning but at least the visibility was decent. No luck finding any Connecticut Warblers but we did have some unusual species as well as decent numbers of some more common species. The unusual species included a Marsh Wren and a Grasshopper Sparrow. Unfortunately while we were there one of the best fields for sparrows was plowed under so the birding will not be nearly as good moving forward. Not too surprised as the fields in question are active farm fields but it would have been nice if the plowing was put off until later in the season...oh well.

Northern Parula, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 17, 2017

House Wren, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 17, 2017

Sunday started off as yet another warm morning with low clouds and fog. Without a lot of time to go out before other commitments later in the morning I stayed close to home with a visit back over to Quabbin Park. After adding a new species to my Quabbin Park list just a couple days before I added another on Sunday with a Connecticut Warbler...two new species in just three days. I guess it pays off to spend a little more time there in fall. Before I found the warbler later in the morning I had some good stuff early morning including two Eastern Whip Poor Wills, a half dozen Great Horned Owls, a Barred Owl and a Eastern Screech Owl. Overall the park was a little be slower then a couple days ago but the weather was not as good and I didn't have as much time to poke around. Full list from the morning here: Quabbin Park

Dickcissel, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 18, 2017

Dickcissel, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 18, 2017

Dickcissel (dull individual), Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 18, 2017

Marsh Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 18, 2017

With the thought that the crowds of the weekend would be gone I headed back to Arcadia on Monday morning to enjoy the last calm morning before the effects of Hurricane Jose start being felt here with increased winds and rain. The storm looks to brush past southern New England before heading out into the Atlantic (more on the tropics below).  I was joined for part of the morning by Keenan as we explored a variety of areas on a foggy, misty morning which made viewing a bit tough at times.  Overall numbers were down a bit but we nonetheless still managed to find some good stuff including two Marsh Wrens, a Connecticut Warbler (seen very briefly) and two Dickcissel (an incredible fall for this species).


Hurricane Jose remains a Category 1 storm as it continues north on the way to a brush past southern New England.  The storm should stay far enough offshore to spare extreme damage but there will certainly be some wind, rain and beach erosion.  As far as bird activity is concerned there is always the potential for something unusual to show up or be grounded by the weather but the chances are quite low with the track of Jose.  Beyond Jose the tropics continue to be active with two more named storms out in the open ocean...Maria and Lee. Hurricane Maria is moving northwest through the northern Lesser Antilles...an area that does not need any more impacts from tropical systems but it appears they will indeed. It also looks to be heading for a direct hit on Puerto Rico on Wednesday before continuing northwest.  The storm is now a Category 4 storm with 130 MPH and is forecast to remain a major hurricane for the next several days. The long range forecast is tough to determine this far out but there is the distinct possibility it could be a threat to the US at some point.  Lee has lost most of its strength and is no threat to any landmass as it slowly drifts way out in the Atlantic.