Monday, July 26, 2021

Herons and egrets in the fog

Great Egret, Comins Rd, Hadley, MA, Jul 26, 2021
Great Egret, Comins Rd, Hadley, MA, Jul 26, 2021
Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 26, 2021
Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 26, 2021
Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 26, 2021

This morning dawned very fog thanks to some overnight showers.  The fog made viewing difficult to say the least.  I decided to try my luck in tracking down dispersing waders with the hope of finding something unusual (a long shot would be a Roseate Spoonbill but not impossible given a large northern incursion of the species over the last few weeks...I'm fairly certain one will show up in the state this year...which would be a first state record).  I started my morning at Lake Wallace where I had four each of Great Blue Heron and Green Heron.  I then moved on to Hadley and Amherst where the highlight was a Great Egret in a flooded field on Comins Road.  Initially I could barely see the egret through the fog but eventually it lifted enough to get some photos.  The next several weeks will feature more and more waders dispersing and hopefully something unusual will show up.

Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jul 23, 2021

Our record setting July for rain has continued and we have already had 12+ inches of rain with more on the way if the forecast works out to be correct.  The rivers and streams in the area are high with some flooding in areas.  A very unusual July for sure!  I can only imagine the devastation if we get a tropical system moving through in the near future.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 23, 2021
House Wren with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 14, 2021


The camera at the water feature has captured a number of birds in the last couple weeks including a couple banded in the yard in early June as part of a project of a PhD candidate.  

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