Common Gallinule to start November

 

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Dawn, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

I began the first day of November at Great Pond in Hatfield in search of a Common Gallinule found the day before by Steve and Leslie.  I had other commitments yesterday so was not able to make it over to see it but thankfully many others saw it throughout the day which gave me hope it would be there today.  The forecast for the today called for a mix of sun and clouds and a strong westerly wind.  I arrived before dawn at Great Pond and it was relatively calm.  There appeared to be no waterfowl hunters in the area which was a good sign the bird may show again.  As I waited in the darkness I had a Great Horned Owl calling as well as an American Woodcock displaying.  The Red winged Blackbirds started singing predawn and as it got lighter the sound got louder and louder as thousands of blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds and starlings became vocal (the roost here contained thousands of birds with most leaving between 7:15-7:30).  I had the gallinule vocalize once before dawn but then it remained quiet.  I then spent nearly an hour trying to get looks at the bird.  Eventually it came out into the open to feed and I got some photos and video (lots of those in the eBird list above).  The Common Gallinule became species #248 for Hampshire County for me this year, which ties me for my best year ever in the county (which I set last year).  The wind had really started to pick up out of the west by the time the sun came up and it stayed strong most of the day.  Common Gallinule is a fairly rare species in the county with years between sightings sometimes but they have become more common the last several years.  I had my first in the county back in 2005 along the rail trail in Amherst.  I didn't see another until 2015 when I had a single along the rail trail and a pair at Lake Wallace (which stayed for awhile and may have tried to breed).  I then had another at Lake Wallace in 2016 for a single day in May.  A very surprising one turned up at Great Pond in December in 2018 and another was found there in April of 2019.  2019 also produced one at Fitzgerald Lake in mid October.  Last year one showed for a couple days in May along the rail trail once again.

Ring necked Duck, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Turkey Vulture, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Herman Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Nov 1, 2021

The rest of the morning I stopped at a variety of spots tracking down new species for the month.  Unfortunately the wind made finding some passerines a bit difficult although it did produce a number of raptor species.  Among the highlights for the day were ten species of waterfowl, seven species of raptors, a late Eastern Phoebe and a late Palm Warbler among some 64 species (my best first day of November I have ever had in the county).  Tomorrow looks a little cooler but less windy so I will be out trying to track down passerines with warblers high on the list.