Record setting October comes to an end

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 21, 2018

Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 21, 2018

Surf Scoter, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Evening Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Purple Finch, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

October has rapidly come to an end and what a month it was for birding in Hampshire County.  I managed to find a total of 152 species for the month, which beat my previous best October in the county by 21 species!  Despite the month being cooler than normal overall there were a number of lingering species as well as lots of migrants moving through including a few irruptive from the north that don't always show up in numbers (Purple Finches, Pine Siskins and Evening Grosbeaks).  Waterfowl figured prominently into the total species for the month with a total of 23 species including four new species for the year for me: Brant, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter and Ruddy Duck.  These four additions bring me up to a total of 236 species for the year which is just two short of my best year ever with two months of the year left.  Hopefully some rarities will show up and push me past my old record...time will tell.

White crowned Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 22, 2018

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Song Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 22, 2018

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 14, 2018

White crowned Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 11, 2018

White throated Sparrow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

As normal for October sparrows were evident in numbers and variety with a total of
14 species of sparrows and juncos seen throughout the month with a noticeably large number of White crowned Sparrows compared to a typical October.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 26, 2018

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 22, 2018

Black and White Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

I found a total of 16 species of warblers for the month with a number of them lingering later into the fall then I have ever had before (more on that in another post sometime)...more details on warblers for the month can be found at the following link.

White rumped Sandpiper, Hadley, MA, Oct 11, 2018

Solitary Sandpiper, Hadley, MA, Oct 10, 2018

Pectoral Sandpiper, Hadley, MA, Oct 8, 2018

A dozen species of shorebirds was also way above the typical number I find during October around here and many allowed close viewing and furnished some of my highest totals for several species (Loads of Pectorals and several White rumped Sandpipers including my first ever at Quabbin..my 247th species at Quabbin).

Evening Grosbeaks and waterfowl following nor'easter

Evening Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Evening Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Evening Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

White throated Sparrow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Surf Scoter, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Horned Grebes, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Canada Goose with extensive white on neck, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Ring necked Ducks and Red breasted Merganser, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 28, 2018

The after effects of the nor'easter continued into this morning with drizzle, fog and overcast conditions but thankfully less wind than yesterday.  Yesterday was pretty much a washout but I did manage to make it over to Winsor Dam at dawn at the onset of the storm and got a few species of waterfowl before the heavy rain and wind cut down visibility too much.  Highlights included a Red breasted Merganser and a Pied billed Grebe (full list here).  Today I started out at first light at Beaver Lake (which was fairly empty) and then headed over to a foggy Winsor Dam which held just a few Hooded Mergansers and a Common Loon.  As it looked like the low clouds, fog and drizzle would not be lifting right away I headed over to Hadley and Amherst to see if I could find any storm related birds and better viewing conditions.  I started at the campus pond at UMASS and then over to various fields off Meadow Street.  The pond was quiet but the fields produced several hundred geese enjoying a hunter free morning (with one individual with extensive white on its neck) plus a number of Mallards, a Black Duck, a Northern Pintail and two Green winged Teal.  My next stop was down to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where I picked up three Evening Grosbeaks not long after arriving right at the entrance to the main trails.  They stayed around for a few minutes for photos before heading off to part unknown.  The Evening Grosbeaks have started arriving in the area in the last several days but these were the first ones I have had and will hopefully be just the beginning of what appears to be a big influx of the species.  The predictions of an irruptive year for a number of northern species appears to be correct with Purple Finch numbers continuing to be way above normal as well as a notable influx of Pine Siskins at various locations the last several days.  I had also hoped to find some late warblers but the best I could do was a calling flyover warbler that was not a Yellow rumped Warbler.  Once I was finished over in Hadley I headed back to Quabbin Park where the fog lifted slightly allowing me to find a few more species of waterfowl including a Ruddy Duck (county species #236 for the year), a Surf Scoter, five Horned Grebes and a Red necked Grebe and a few others.  I also added a couple more flyover Evening Grosbeaks while in the park.  Overall a productive morning with a number of notable birds around.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands and Red bellied Woodpecker, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 27, 2018

Hairy Woodpecker and Black capped Chickadee, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 26, 2018

Northern Cardinal and White breasted Nuthatch, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 27, 2018

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands and Red bellied Woodpecker, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 25, 2018

Hermit Thrush, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 25, 2018

I have nearly completed the new feeder set up at home complete with motion cameras to capture the activity.  I have just a few suet cakes up so far while I hold off on adding the remaining seed feeders until I'm fairly certain the bears will not be a problem.  I have captured a number of species on the cameras so far including one of my banded Black capped Chickadees.  The water feature also continues to attract a few species including a Hermit Thrush that has stayed around for a few days so far.

Loads of sparrows and late warblers at Arcadia this morning

Eastern Phoebe with grasshopper, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Black and White Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Red tailed Hawk, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

White throated Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Tennessee Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Purple Finch, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Dark eyed Junco with white cap, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

What a difference a week makes!  Last week we were in the 70's and 80's and now we have transitioned to late fall like weather with lows in 20's and frost on multiple mornings.  At least it warmed to near 60 today but it was damn cold in the morning.  I spent a good part of the morning at Arcadia and had lots of good stuff including loads of sparrows and a few late warblers (more details on the warblers) among some 61 species.  Highlights included nine species of sparrows/juncos with the most prevalent species being White throated and Song Sparrows plus an interesting Dark eyed Junco with a white cap (several hundred total sparrows present), several species of raptors keeping all the other birds on alert, continued numbers of Purple Finches, a nice influx of Ruby crowned Kinglets as well as the warblers.  Could only find a lone Gray Catbird as the hordes seemed to have moved on to warmer locations. 

Brant at Winsor Dam, a Common Gallinule in Deerfield and some shorebirds

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 16, 2018

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 16, 2018

Bonaparte's Gulls with Ring billed Gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 16, 2018

Common Gallinule, Tri-town beach, Deerfield, MA, Oct 16, 2018

Common Gallinule, Tri-town beach, Deerfield, MA, Oct 16, 2018

Semipalmated Sandpipers, North Hadley, MA, Oct 16, 2018

After another rainy, cool day yesterday it warmed up late in the day before another cold front came through overnight bringing breezy and cool conditions back once again for today.  The forecast calls for continued below normal temperatures for the foreseeable future.  Once I got out of work this morning I had a bit of time before a morning appointment in Deerfield so I checked a few spots on my way there.  The first stop was to a few farm fields in Hadley that continued to hold a handful shorebirds including three late Semipalmated Sandpipers as well as two Pectoral Sandpipers and a single Solitary Sandpiper.  I had seen reports yesterday of a juvenile Common Gallinule that Josh spotted at Tri-town Beach in Deerfield and since I was already headed to Deerfield anyway I decided to see if it was still around.  It was not visible initially but it eventually showed itself on the edge of the small area of reeds there and was seen by a few other birders present (a new species for me in Franklin County).  Once my appointment was over I wanted to head back toward home to check out Winsor Dam as I figured the west/northwest winds might bring in some waterfowl.  When I arrived there late in the morning Devin was there and quickly told me there were six Brant out on the water which I immediately got a look at and got some distant photos.  The Brant stayed around for several minutes before they lifted off and headed south.  The Brant added another species to my Hampshire County list for the year becoming species #234.  There was also some movement of raptors but little in the way of additional waterfowl at that point.  After a few errands I made a few more stops at the dam over the course of the day and turned up a group of five Bonaparte's Gulls (found by Aaron before I saw them) as well as another single Brant and a few Long tailed Ducks.  I suspect there will be a few more good days of waterfowl migration coming up over the next week as a series of cold shots of air come in.

Fruitless search for a Nelson's Sparrow today and an update on devastating Hurricane Michael

White crowned Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 11, 2018

Savannah Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 11, 2018

Wilson's Snipe, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 11, 2018

Pectoral Sandpipers, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 11, 2018

White rumped Sandpiper, North Hadley, MA, Oct 11, 2018

Semipalmated Sandpiper, North Hadley, MA, Oct 11, 2018

Today I went in search of a Nelson's Sparrow seen yesterday in the East Meadows but despite quite a bit of looking I came up empty but did have some other good stuff there including several species of sparrows and a few different shorebirds (full eBird list here)  The Nelson's Sparrow may still be in the area but it was not in the areas I checked.  After striking out on the sparrow I headed over for a brief visit to the Honey Pot before continuing north to check on some muddy fields in Hadley.  I found a nice selection of shorebirds there and ended the morning with seven species including three Semipalmated Sandpipers (late).

Hurricane Michael came ashore yesterday in the Florida panhandle at just below Category 5 strength with winds around 150-155 MPH and a pressure of 919 mb making it one of the strongest hurricanes (by wind speed and barometric pressure) to ever make landfall in the U.S. and the strongest storm ever to make landfall in the U.S. in October.  The storm continued moving off to the northeast and entered inland Georgia as a Category 3 storm.  It continues to move rapidly and will likely maintain tropical storm strength before making it back over the ocean in the mid Atlantic where it will regain some strength as it becomes an extratropical storm.  A historic storm to be sure and one that caused catastrophic damage..a hurricane chaser I follow fairly closely describes the area of Panama City as looking as if a nuke was dropped on the city and is some of the worst damage he has seen (and he has chased many storms all around the world).  As far as birds are concerned Birdcast has a page dedicated to the storm at the following link:  Hurricane Michael birding.  The only impact we should see here is some tropical downpours today associated with the storm as it passes off to our south.  Our mild stretch (80's yesterday and 70's today) will be coming to an end with much cooler temps starting tomorrow courtesy of a stiff northwest wind (with highs around 60).  We could also have our first frost on Sunday morning.  Hopefully the northerly winds will bring us our first big push of waterfowl.

Wilson in the sun, Oct 10, 2018

There is at least someone who will be happy with the change to cooler weather...he was dragging yesterday in the 80 degree weather.