Irruption of Red breasted Nuthatches (and other stuff)

Red breasted Nuthatch, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 25, 2020

Red breasted Nuthatch, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 25, 2020

Red breasted Nuthatch, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 25, 2020

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 25, 2020

Wild Turkeys, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 25, 2020

In addition to the Red Crossbills (almost all Type 10) that have irrupted into the area since the very end of July there is an ongoing and impressive incursion of Red breasted Nuthatches.  I have had double digit counts of the species in multiple locations the last several days and there are at least a few birds present in almost any suitable habitat.  On Tuesday I had a few hours available in the morning and decided to spend my time at Quabbin Park where I had an impressive 67 in just under three hours and this count is an absolute minimum as many counted were heard only and I'm sure there were silent individuals around too.  I wish I had a little more time as I'm certain I could have hit triple digits without too much more effort.  This count is my highest ever for Hampshire County but for western Mass overall it is eclipsed by a triple digit count that totaled nearly two hundred back in 2012 on the Prescott Peninsula during another irruption of the species.  Other notables around the park for the morning included an Eastern Whip Poor Will (plus a single Common Nighthawk giving me two nightjars for the morning), a Sharp shinned Hawk in an area they have bred in the past, a dozen Carolina Wrens (a somewhat unusual species here and part of a late summer incursion of the species I have noted at multiple locations), eight Red Crossbills, a few Purple Finches and seven species of warbler.  It will be interesting to see how the irruption pans out over the next several weeks and if it indicates an expected incursion of other irruptive species.

Little Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 26, 2020

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 26, 2020

I hit Lake Wallace early on Wednesday morning before work mainly checking on the number of Green Herons coming in from their overnight roost.  I had a total of 36 Green Herons which is my highest total for the season so far and fell just short of my highest ever total of 37 of the species I had at the same location back in 2018.  Other notables around the lake included the continuing Little Blue Heron as well as at least a couple Virginia Rails.


A quick update on the tropics with the big story being Hurricane Laura which roared ashore overnight in far western Louisiana as a strong Cat 4 hurricane causing lots of damage to the area.  The storm continued north through Louisiana and into Arkansas and is forecast to hook east and come out into the mid Atlantic states Saturday and then redevelop as a post tropical low with tropical storm winds.  It will pass south of New England but will probably bring some rain on Saturday to the local area.  The chances is always there of the rain forcing down some species (especially shorebirds) so I will be out looking.  I have not heard of too many unusual species yet but I suspect there will be many birds falling out of the storm all along the track and I will update later.  Birdcast has ongoing updates on the storm at the following link.  There are more tropical waves coming off of Africa now that have the potential to develop but not for at least the next several days.