Several notable species during the last week

Lapland Longspurs, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 19, 2019

Lapland Longspurs, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 19, 2019

Short eared Owl, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Feb 19, 2019

Short eared Owl, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Feb 19, 2019

Common Redpolls, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 19, 2019

Common Redpolls, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 19, 2019

I headed out before dawn this morning despite the cold temperatures (single digits) with my first destination being Arcadia in search of the group of Common Redpolls that have been at the location for several days.  I arrived to find a large group perched at the top of a few trees and I started scanning through them with the scope and noticed a very pale individual that looked like a good candidate for Hoary Redpoll but I was never able to get good enough view (nor a photo) to confirm before the group took off and split up with the pale individual apparently heading off with a smaller group to the west.  The 70+ redpolls that remained descended on a weedy field but they were very nervous and never stayed down for more than 30 seconds at a time.  I looked through the remaining flock multiple times but the pale bird never came back.  I next decided to try my luck once again in the East Meadows near the airport to find the 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow that was found there a few days ago but I once again had no luck.  As I looked for the sparrow I managed to turn up at least four Lapland Longspurs in among the Horned Larks and Snow Buntings taking advantage of the snow free areas at the airport.  My next stop was a brief stop along Aqua Vitae Road looking for 'the' sparrow but it was not there (at least not in the spots I checked).  My final stop for the morning was a swing through the Honey Pot which was fairly quiet until just before I left when I noticed a Short eared Owl in flight, being harassed by a crow as they both gained altitude as they moved off to the northeast.

White throated Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 16, 2019

Sunrise, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 16, 2019

Sunrise, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Feb 12, 2019

Before today the last week or so around here has been fairly quiet and I had not made it out much due to both work and fighting yet another cold.  Nonetheless I turned up a few decent birds including a Wood Duck and Ruby crowned Kinglet along the Jabish Canal, my first Turkey Vultures of the year, two flyby Pine Grosbeaks, two Iceland Gulls and a Common Loon at Winsor Dam and an Eastern Screech Owl at home.  I also tried for an 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow around the airport in Northampton but despite checking all the nearby areas I never located it.  There is lots of decent habitat nearby (some not readily accessible due to snow/ice) that the bird may be enjoying.

Opossum, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 13, 2019

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 12, 2019

Bobcat, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 11, 2019

Brown Creeper, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 10, 2019

Raccoon, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 7, 2019

The various cameras around the property caught a number of critters including the continued Bobcat, Raccoons and a Opossum as well as the Brown Creeper that continues to feed on suet and some of my banded Black capped Chickadees.