My first Prescott field surveys of the year plus a Hooded Warbler today

Baltimore Oriole, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Purple Finch, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Gray Catbird, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Chestnut sided Warbler, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Black Bear, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Dawn over the Waugh fields, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

I finally made it into the restricted access Prescott Peninsula this morning to conduct a few field surveys.  Unfortunately the weather turned out to be a bit breezy to begin with and got windier as the morning continued.  Nonetheless I got a few surveys done and although I didn't find anything too unusual it was nice to be back on the Prescott again (I did conduct a whip poor will survey there a few days ago but more on those surveys in a future post).  Lots of birds on territory at this point with no obvious migrants for the morning.  Although I didn't find any Moose (which is almost a given on the peninsula)  I did have a large Black Bear amble across one of the roads there and I got a blurry photo through the windshield.  As the winds continued to increase I cut my time on the peninsula short and headed back toward home.

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Among the few stops I made before going home I checked up on the Lawrence's Warbler that I first discovered on May 5th at a location in Belchertown.  The bird was still present today and this is the only time I have had this hybrid stick around for more than a couple days.  No obvious signs that it has found a mate but I will continue to follow up on it.

Hooded Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Hooded Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Hooded Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Hooded Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 7, 2020

 After getting home and then taking Wilson for a walk I was getting ready to do some yard work when I noticed a post from Ted saying he had a Hooded Warbler in Hadley.  I had yet to catch up with this species for the spring in the county so I decided to head over that way and see if I could find it.  Following Ted's perfect directions I quickly located the bird that was singing quite a bit in what looked to be perfect breeding habitat.  There were a few others there and all got some good looks as it played hide and seek among the foliage.  The windy conditions made finding the bird a bit tough at times but with patience good looks could be had.  The Hooded Warbler became warbler species #30 for the year in Hampshire County.

More on warblers for the day can be found at the following link.