The last week or so around here plus an update on an upcoming hurricane

Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 31, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 31, 2020

To finish out the month of July I stuck close to home with visits to Lake Wallace and a couple spots at Quabbin.  Nothing unusual but quite a few young birds around still being fed by adults.  We finally broke out of the multi day heat wave today with temps that only made it to the 80's. 

The tropics continue to be active and there is now a hurricane (Hurricane Isaias) near the Turks and Caicos Islands and moving northwest toward the Bahamas.  It is forecast to move just offshore of Florida before then moving northeast with impacts along the Carolina coast and then possibly into the northeast.  There are still more questions then answers with this storm and the latest guidance keeps the storm just offshore of New England (as a tropical storm) but we almost certainly get some rain and perhaps some wind out of the storm with impacts starting on Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday.  The uncertainty with the track is large enough at this point that the storm could have a much bigger impact here but the picture on that will become clearer over the next couple days as the storm moves closer.  I will update as needed if the storm looks to hit the area.

Great Egret, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jul 30, 2020

Great Blue Heron, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jul 30, 2020

I had a few minutes on my way to work on Wednesday morning and made brief stops at Lake Warner (looking for a Black crowned Nigh Heron) and then over to the Honey Pot.  No luck finding anything unusual but I didn't have a lot of time to look around.  After getting out of work on Thursday morning I made my way down to Arcadia again before yet another stop over to Lake Warner.

Great Blue Great Blue Heron, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jul 28, 2020

Great Blue Heron, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jul 28, 2020

On Monday before work I stopped at Lake Warner searching for a reported juvenile Black crowned Night Heron but I didn't manage to find it.  Always a tough to find this species there without a boat or kayak as there are only limited areas that can be viewed from publicly accessible areas.
After work on Tuesday I had to run some errands in Chicopee and on the way I stopped off at Arcadia and then down to the Holyoke Dam.  Nothing too unusual at either spot but always worth a check as birds start dispersing after breeding.

Green Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 26, 2020

Green Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 26, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 26, 2020

I took advantage of some cooler temperatures in the morning on Sunday before the next heat wave began with temps eventually reaching the low 90's.  I didn't have a lot of time so decided to make a brief stop at Winsor Dam before heading over to the rail trail to try again to catch up with the Least Bitterns (no luck with the bitterns despite looking in several areas).  I did have some very cooperative Green Herons as well as other expected species.

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

I was not sure where to head out on Saturday morning but I got an email from a couple of birders that wanted to join me for a morning at Lake Wallace to try and find some species they had not yet seen so I decided to head there early in the morning to meet them and we had great luck finding them the species they were after as well as some mammals.  We then made the short drive over to Gate 5 at Quabbin and we added some more species for them.  Always fun to get some lifers for people.

Belted Kingfisher, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 24, 2020

Belted Kingfisher, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 24, 2020

Last Friday morning I hit a few spots including Lake Wallace and Gate 5.  Nothing too unusual around but I got some great looks at a variety of species including an unusually cooperative Belted Kingfisher that had just caught a fish.  Video of the kingfisher with fish attached below:
Belted Kingfisher video 

Spotted Sandpiper, Hatfield, MA, Jul 23, 2020

After some thunderstorms overnight into Thursday the 23rd I had hopes of finding some downed shorebirds up in Hatfield but unfortunately the river was just too high to have any mudflats exposed and all the farm fields were still filled with crops.  The best I could turn up were some Spotted Sandpipers.  I also checked a variety of spot along the river all the way down to the Holyoke Dam without anything too unusual beyond at least three Osprey and the continued large gathering of Chimney Swifts around the dam.

Broad necked Wood Borer, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

Striped Skunk, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 26, 2020

Blue Jay, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 24, 2020

The cameras at the house have continued to catch a few critters plus I have found a few more on my own including a very interesting looking insect.

More rare breeders in the valley including Blue Grosbeak and Least Bittern plus other odd and ends over the last few days

Blue Grosbeak, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Jul 21, 2020

Blue Grosbeak, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Jul 21, 2020

Least Bittern fledgling, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 19, 2020

Least Bittern fledgling, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 19, 2020

This summer has continued to feature more breeding records of rare species in the valley with Blue Grosbeaks in Hadley and Least Bitterns in Amherst (and possibly other locations) being the latest.  The Least Bitterns along the rail trail produced at least three young this season and I managed to catch up with them (plus one adult) this past Sunday morning.  In typical bittern fashion they didn't show very well but at least I got to see them.  Unfortunately at least one of the young bitterns was seen being taken by a Mink by other observers later that same morning.  The Blue Grosbeaks look to have successful bred in either the Honey Pot and/or along Aqua Vitae Road in Hadley.  Multiple individuals have been present for several days in both locations.  Last year at least three grosbeaks were present in the Honey Pot and were also suspected of breeding that year.  Prior to last year Blue Grosbeaks were hardly ever present in summer and would only occasionally show up in the spring and fall.

The tropics have started to become more active once again with a recently formed tropical storm (TS Gonzolo) developing out in the Atlantic and heading down through the southern Lesser Antilles.  It is a small storm and is forecast to reach hurricane strength possibly by tomorrow.  The forecast track and strength look to have it move through the southern Lesser Antilles as a strong tropical storm around Saturday although confidence in the strength is low as various models show a wide variations in strength.  After it gets past the Lesser Antilles the long range forecast is even more up in the air...time will tell.  There is also an invest (Invest 91L) in the Gulf of Mexico that has about a 50% chance of developing into another tropical system in the next few days before moving inland somewhere in the western gulf.  Beyond that there is another tropical wave coming off of Africa that some models are pointing toward developing into another storm but that is still ten days off at least so not a worry at this point.

In non birding news there has been a comet (Comet Neowise) gracing the early evening sky in the northern hemisphere.  I finally got to see it for a bit last night before some high clouds moved in and obscured it.  It was an impressive sight through binoculars and could even be made out with the naked eye.  It is only visible for a couple more nights and those look to be cloudy around here so I was lucky to get a look at it last night.  Once it disappears from view it will not return to earth for another 6800 years.

Bobcat, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 14, 2020

White tailed Deer, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 20, 2020

Ruby Meadowhawk, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 14, 2020

A check of the cameras at the house turned up some nighttime visitors during the past week including Bobcat and White tailed Deer.  The number of butterflies and dragonflies have also been on the increase lately, enjoying out latest heat wave.

Prescott Peninsula this morning

Red breasted Nuthatch, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jul 18, 2020

Red eyed Vireo, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jul 18, 2020

Pine Warbler, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jul 18, 2020

Blackburnian Warbler, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jul 18, 2020

American Redstart, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jul 18, 2020

Common Yellowthroat, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jul 18, 2020

I made it back to the Prescott Peninsula this morning to conduct another survey of the various small field complexes.  The weather was a bit foggy to start but the fog had burned off for the most part by the time I left and the temperatures were climbing quickly as we head into what is forecast to be a several day long heat wave.  I have not been able to get out to the peninsula as much as I planned this year for a variety of reasons but it was nice to be out there this morning.  I arrived just before six and spent a few hours checking several fields and nearby areas (I also kept my ears open for the possibility of Red Crossbills but didn't have any luck hearing any).  Most species have stopped singing for the most part (with a few exceptions) and the number of freshly fledged young having increased a lot since my last visit a few weeks ago.  I managed a total of 55 species with highlights including a family of Golden crowned Kinglets, several Red breasted Nuthatches, a few Purple Finches, eleven species of warblers and several Indigo Buntings.  Nothing too unusual but a nice morning nonetheless.

Birding during and after Tropical Storm Fay

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 11, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 11, 2020

A quick update on birding in the wake of Tropical Storm Fay both in the immediate area as well as other areas along the path of the storm.  Overall there has been very little in the way of reports of storm related birds so far.  The storm was a minimal tropical storm and was over the open ocean for a short period before making landfall in New Jersey and then moving up the Hudson River Valley and it quickly fell apart after moving inland.  The vast majority of rain on the west side of the storm in New York and the winds were not as strong as predicted. Nonetheless we did get some rain around the area but by dawn it was just occasional showers moving through and a breeze out of the south.

I was out before dawn on Saturday morning over to Winsor Dam in the hopes of finding something of interest and was joined right from the start by Ted.  We arrived around 5AM at Winsor Dam where I would have about an hour and a half to look for birds before I had to leave for work.  There were occasional showers that moved through along with periods of mist that dropped visibility for short periods of time but overall the conditions were not too bad for viewing.  A bit later in the morning we were joined by Marshall and Greg and we reminisced a bit of our epic day at the same spot during Hurricane Irene as we continually scanned both the water and sky.  We didn't have any luck finding anything of interest during the time I was there.  I heard from a couple others checking other spots along the Connecticut River early on and they also had no luck finding any storm displaced birds.  The only storm related bird that showed up in western Massachusetts was a Laughing Gull that Ted found late in the morning on the sandbar in Longmeadow and it continued through early afternoon. 

In searching through all the records I could find along the rough path of the storm from New York north the only noteworthy list with some interesting storm related birds so far was from a seawatch in New York City at Jacob Riis Park which produced a Brown Booby, 50+ Great Shearwater as well two possible Cory Shearwater and a probable Royal Tern.

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 12, 2020

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 12, 2020

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 12, 2020

I stopped by the dam briefly on my way home this morning with the faint hope of finding a lingering storm related bird but not surprisingly I did not find any.  I did however have a Common Loon in quite close that allowed for great views as it stretched and preened.

Tropical Storm Fay looking to impact area

Tropical Storm Fay projected path as of 5PM, Jul 9, 2020 (courtesy of NHC)

As mentioned briefly in a previous post there appears to be a very good chance that a tropical system will impact the area from late Friday into Saturday.  The storm system is currently in the mid Atlantic area off the coast of North Carolina and will then move north, impacting the northeast.  The National Hurricane Center upgraded the storm to a tropical storm as of the 5PM update today and the storm becomes the 6th named system of the season with the title of Tropical Storm Fay.  The projected track take it north and then northeast with some models moving it east of the area and others to the west...as with all tropical systems the track makes all the difference when it comes to the potential for rare birds to show up.  The upcoming storm appears to mainly be a flooding threat with winds not expected to be a major issue with the storm being a minimal tropical storm at best (although coastal areas could be impacted more with the wind).  As far as the potential for birds being impacted the storm will not be too strong nor over the open water for an extended length of time so the chances of a major displacement of pelagic birds is very limited but the storm could push some near shore birds (such as gulls, terns and herons/egrets) inland as well as force down early migrating shorebirds returning from the arctic.  The best spots to check would include large bodies of water (such as Quabbin reservoir), the Connecticut River (especially previously productive areas during tropical systems such as the Oxbow in Northampton, Holyoke Dam in South Hadley and the Barton Cove area.  Any farm fields that do not have crops filling them could also be productive for any shorebirds that might be forced down.  Overall the storm is not going to produce anything approaching the epic day of Hurricane Irene but it still be worth getting out and seeing what might turn up.

The 2020 hurricane season is already off to a record setting pace with five named storms so far (with Tropical Storm Eduardo having formed on July 6 off the Atlantic coast and brushing past Bermuda before heading out into the open Atlantic).  Eduardo is the earliest fifth named storm on record for the Atlantic (beating the previous record of Hurricane Emily that initially formed on July 11 in 2005).  All the hurricane predictions continue to point toward an above normal season and some have recently revised the total number of storms upward once again.

For a more detailed look at both previous tropical systems that have impacted the western Massachusetts area as well as links to helpful sites concerning forecasting and storm information please check out the following post: Tropical storm related species in Western Massachusetts.

I will update as needed the next couple days.

Birds over the last several days

Black Vulture (with Turkey Vultures), Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, Jul 8, 2020

This morning I headed out on a foggy, humid morning to several areas in Hadley and South Hadley mainly looking for species I have not yet had for the month plus trying yet again to find the Black crowned Night Heron that has been seen sporadically at Lake Warner (no luck again finding that bird).  I did manage to find several species new for the month over the course of a few hours but nothing too unusual.

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 7, 2020

Pied billed Grebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 7, 2020

Virginia Rail fledgling, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 7, 2020

On Tuesday morning I made a stop over to Lake Wallace and had some good stuff including at least two juvenile Pied Billed Grebes continuing to show well plus a family of Virginia Rails working the edge of the marsh.  They were very interesting to watch as they quickly moved through the marsh disappearing and reappearing time after time.  I got some decent videos of them which can be found at the following links:
Virginia Rails video 1
Virginia Rails video 2
Virginia Rail video 3

In between long bouts at work over the weekend holiday I stopped at the Honey Pot on the morning of the fourth to follow up on a sighting of a Blue Grosbeak that Mary found on July 3rd.  There were a number of other birders already on site and after a bit of waiting the bird was heard singing multiple times very distantly.  Unfortunately it never came in close and all the land it was on is posted and could not be checked.  Very interesting to have this species back in the same general locations for two years in a row now.  Last year there were up to three present so there was certainly a good chance they bred last year and may be doing so again this year.

Other rarities around include multiple Least Bitterns in the area including one I heard at the Barrett Street Marsh in Northampton.  Others have been present (sometimes multiples) at Great Pond, Lake Wallace and along the rail trail in Amherst in Hampshire County and Fannie Stebbins and Blandford in Hampden County.  A really impressive incursion of this tough to find species into the lower Connecticut River valley of western Massachusetts this year.

There is the chance of a tropical system having an impact in the area from Friday into Saturday and if it looks to indeed take place I will post about it.

Good start to July

Peregrine Falcon, Hadley, MA, Jul 1, 2020

Peregrine Falcon, Hadley, MA, Jul 1, 2020

Peregrine Falcons, Hadley, MA, Jul 1, 2020

Canada Warbler, Pelham MA, Jul 1, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Pelham MA, Jul 1, 2020

I decided to start off July by searching for as many warbler species as I could find in Hampshire County over the course of a morning.  I managed to find a total of 19 species of warblers plus a continuing hybrid....more details on that can be found at the following link: warblers to start July  As I searched for the various warblers I was finding lots of other stuff so I decided to see how many total species I could find in the morning before our ongoing showery and stormy weather started back up.  My morning started with a hike up the mountain at Skinner SP through the mist and ended back in Belchertown with multiple stops along the way through Hadley, Amherst and Pelham.  During my travels I turned up a total of 104 species which I thought was fairly good for the first day of July.  I could have added more species to this total for sure if I started earlier in the day and got some nocturnal species like owls and whip poor wills and/or followed up on some rarities (like the Common Tern that showed up at the Oxbow a couple days ago) or just kept going after lunch but my time was limited and the weather turned rainy by midday.