Lesser Black backed Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 22, 2021
Lesser Black backed Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 22, 2021
Lesser Black backed Gull with Ring billed Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 22, 2021
Winsor Dam (view at 6:30am), Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 22, 2021
Winsor Dam (view at 10:00am), Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 22, 2021
Peregrine Falcon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 22, 2021
Double crested Cormorant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 22, 2021
Hurricane Henri turned out to be a bit of a let down as far as birding was concerned with no large influx of pelagic species being deposited inland. The set up looked perfect for the storm to bring in loads of unusual species but it never occurred. There were many reasons it looked good including the date of storm in late August with lots of potential rarities out in the Gulf Stream as well as loads of shorebirds (and others) migrating south, the strength of the storm at landfall (forecast to be a Cat 1 hurricane but it actually was a high end tropical storm instead), the forecast to rapidly dissipate over land (making it easier and safer to chase), a track over the gulf stream and an impact to an area with lots of birders looking. More on the potential of the storm and the tinking behind it can be found at the following link. Unfortunately the predictions were wrong and the storm way underperformed in regards to displacing birds. My strategy from the start was to be at Winsor Dam for a large portion of the day and that is exactly were I spent the majority of Sunday. I arrived at the dam around 5:30 and stayed at the location for nearly five hours before taking a break at home. Mary was already there when I arrived and the winds were starting to build out of the northeast (the direction they stayed all day). The rain held off for the first few hours before we started getting some intermittent light rain. The wind continued to increase and the rain soon did the same but not before we started getting some decent birds with a flyby Black bellied Plover around 7:30 and a Lesser Black backed Gull around 8:15. It really did look like we were on our way to finding lots of good stuff. A few more birders joined us as the conditions continued to deteriorate and despite a lot of effort we failed to turn up anything else unusual. It was fun to watch some Chimney Swifts flying around in the wind (before most quickly returned to their roost in one of the chimneys on the administration building). A Peregrine Falcon also made a number of passes and effortlessly moved around through the windy conditions.
Winsor Dam (view at 1:25pm), Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 22, 2021
After an early lunch break at home I returned to Winsor Dam and the weather continued to deteriorate with near horizontal rain at times. Despite another three hours at the dam the best I could find was an unidentified peep species that zipped by. As reports from near the coast continued to show little in the way of storm related birds I headed for home for a bit. After a phone call from Marshall in mid afternoon and some early dinner I once again stopped by the dam for another hour. Ted was already there and despite our best efforts we failed to turn up anything noteworthy. Despite a lot of effort by several people on Sunday we failed to turn up much of anything storm related. Nonetheless it was fun to try although I have to admit I was disappointed as the storm looked so promising to bring in rarities during its arrival. There was some consolation in seeing that most every other area being watched throughout the northeast also failed to find much from the storm so we were not alone in being disappointed...you have to take the position that even negative data is still data and will hopefully help us figure out the interaction of birds and tropical systems in the future.
Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Wilson's Snipe, Granby, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Wilson's Snipe, Granby, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Solitary Sandpiper, Granby, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Least Sandpipers, Granby, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Killdeer, Granby, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Spotted Sandpiper, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Least Sandpipers, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Northern Parula, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Aug 23, 2021
On Monday morning I headed back again at dawn to Winsor Dam in the vain hopes of finding something unusual that dropped in overnight but I once again came up empty at the dam. There was actually a bit of sun early on as Henri had moved off to our southwest and was centered in New York state on Monday morning. Although I had no luck in turning up any storm related birds I did have two nightjar species during the stop with at least two Eastern Whip Poor Wills still singing and a flyby Common Nighthawk. With little luck at the dam and ample rain during the storm I decided to make a few stops in search of shorebirds before having to return to the house to get a few things cleaned up after the storm. The small puddle in Granby that has featured a few shorebirds with a Wilson's Snipe showing well plus half a dozen Solitary Sandpipers as well as Least Sandpipers and Killdeer. My final stop was down to the Holyoke Dam where I had half a dozen Spotted Sandpipers and 13 Least Sandpipers. I checked multiple times through the roosting gulls in the hopes of finding something unusual but found only Ring billed Gulls. As I was leaving I came across a small mixed species flock and had yet another early Northern Parula.
Whimbrel, Oxbow, Northampton, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Whimbrel, Oxbow, Northampton, MA, Aug 23, 2021
Whimbrel, Oxbow, Northampton, MA, Aug 23, 2021
After arriving home I saw some interesting reports of rare shorebirds show up with the first being a Whimbrel at the Oxbow and then a report of initially 60, which was then revised up to 104,
Hudsonian Godwits flying by in a single flock in Longmeadow. Hudsonian Godwits are exceedingly rare inland many years between sightings. The count of 104 is almost certainly the highest count ever for the species in western Massachusetts. I have only seen the species once in the area and that was during
Irene when we had a dozen flyby Winsor Dam. I finally got the work done at the house and decided to try my luck in finding the Whimbrel before I had to head for work. At this point the remains of Henri were starting to pivot back through and the rain was starting to increase once again. I got good looks at the Whimbrel as it fed in a grassy field although it would occasionally disappear from view. I searched around for other stuff and was hopeful that the increasingly heavier rain would force more stuff down but I had no luck and was running short on time. Later in the afternoon I got a report from Steve of a Laughing Gull at the Oxbow and then more rarities started showing up including a Ruddy Turnstone and Black bellied Plover. The gull flew off after only a few people got to see it but the shorebirds stayed around for others to see it (unfortunately I was not one of them). The rain continued into the beginning of the overnight but came to an end around midnight.
Snowy Egret, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Aug 24, 2021
Snowy Egret, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Aug 24, 2021
Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Aug 24, 2021
Today dawned clear and that unfortunately meant the unusual species from the day before had probably already left (this typically occurs with storm downed birds...as soon as the weather clears they head out). Nonetheless sometimes bird do stick around so I headed out after work to check a few spots before having to be in Hadley for an appointment. I started at Arcadia and the heavy rain of the previous day had raised the water levels in the river to the point where there was almost no sandbar left at the Oxbow. There were no shorebirds or unusual gulls to be seen so I decided to try my luck at the Holyoke Dam (mainly hoping to relocate the Laughing Gull). I had no luck finding the gull but I was initially hopeful as among the Ring billed Gulls were two young Herring Gulls that were likely the same individuals I had at Arcadia the day before. The river was much higher and there was little in the way of habitat for any shorebirds. While scanning the area I came across a small white egret and after a while it showed itself well enough to determine it was a juvenile Snowy Egret. It was a tough bird to get good looks at but eventually it came out into the open for a bit. I also checked a few other puddles and open fields but didn't find anything unusual. It appears no one else found anything else unusual in the area this morning despite a lot of people looking.
The tropics continue to be active with three more areas of potential development over the next several days including an area off Central America into the southern Gulf of Mexico, an area to the east of Bermuda and another wave coming off of Africa a few hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. None of these are any threat at all to this area in the foreseeable future but always worth keeping an eye on the tropics as hurricane season peak is approaching.
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