Cattle Egrets, White eyed Vireo and others round out the first week of May

Cattle Egret, Hadley, MA, May 7, 2018

Brewster's Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2018

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2018

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2018

Yellow throated Vireo with broken lower bill, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2018

Blackburnian Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 5, 2018

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Quabbin Park, MA, May 4, 2018

Orchard Oriole, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 4, 2018

Overall the first week of May has been quite productive with great migration conditions starting on May 2nd and continuing through the 5th.  Sunday turned a bit cooler and rainy but the birds were still singing.  The first week of May has produced a grand total of 137 species with 26 species of warbler among them.  A number of highlights including two locally rare Cattle Egrets today in Hadley (only the second time seeing the species in the county), a singing White eyed Vireo in Amherst this morning, a continued Brewster's Warbler in Amherst, a returning Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid at Quabbin Park and a couple Bonaparte's Gulls on Saturday at Winsor Dam.  More on warblers for May so far can be found here.

Red Fox kit, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 2, 2018

House Wren with leg bands building nest, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 7, 2018

Black capped Chickadee excavating nest, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 6, 2018

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 5, 2018

At home more and more species continue to show up a total of 80 species seen or heard throughout the week.  Several species have already started building nests with a pair of House Wrens finishing up a nest (with the banded female part of the pair), Black capped Chickadees excavating a nest hole and Gray Catbirds and American Robins carrying nest material to parts unknown. The cameras continue to capture both birds and the family of Red Foxes