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.