The third week of April comes to an end

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Apr 21, 2022

To end the third week of April I made it out this morning after work and took a few short walks in Hadley.  There was the typical collection of expected residents and migrants with the only new species for me being a Northern Waterthrush.  At least it was a little warmer than the previous day but the breeze eventually picked back up and more clouds developed.  In addition I tried again to find some shorebirds in some puddles in the various farm fields in the area but could not find anything beyond some Killdeer.  It was the same story when I tried for shorebirds on my way into work on Wednesday.

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 19, 2022

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2022

After heavy rain that started on Monday and continued into Tuesday morning I had hopes that the weather might have grounded some migrants but multiple checks at Winsor Dam and a few nearby waterbodies didn't turn up anything of note.  It was cool and rainy for the morning but thankfully we missed out on any snow but the hills to the west ended up with a few inches of snow while areas further west into New York got over a foot of snow.  Even without anything storm related there was still stuff to be seen.

Glossy Ibis, South Hadley, MA, Apr 18, 2022

Glossy Ibis, South Hadley, MA, Apr 18, 2022

As I was heading out the door to run some errands in Granby on Monday afternoon I saw a report of a Glossy Ibis in South Hadley and I decided to go check it out and make sure it was not something even rarer.  The bird was in a small pool of water in a farm field and seemed content and was actively feeding.  Glossy Ibis can be a tough species to find some years so I was happy to see one show up nearby (thanks to May K. for the original sighting).

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 18, 2022

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 18, 2022

Hooded Mergansers, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 18, 2022

Horned Grebe, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 18, 2022

Broad winged Hawk, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 18, 2022

Savannah Sparrow, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 18, 2022

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 18, 2022

After the previous days cold and wind, Monday was bright and sunny all day with temps that made it to the upper 50's with light wind for most of the morning.  I stayed around the local area with the main goal being to track down any early arriving warblers I could find and I was lucky to find an early Black and White Warbler at Quabbin Park (more on warblers for the day at the following link).  Once I got home and picked up Wilson we went for a walk and had two flyover Sandhill Cranes calling and heading east.  A check of several nearby fields failed to turn them up on the ground.

Brown Thrasher, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Apr 17, 2022

Tree Swallow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Apr 17, 2022

Great Blue Heron nest building, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 17, 2022

Wilson ready to eat some snow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 17, 2022

Sunday started out sunny but it clouded up quickly and by the afternoon we had a few snow showers move through (which Wilson enjoyed).  I hit a few spots in Hadley and Amherst before heading back home and the most productive spot was a flooded field in Amherst that held several species of shorebird including a somewhat early Spotted Sandpiper.  I also had a few passerines including my first House Wren of the season.

Great Egret, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 16, 2022

Pied billed Grebe, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 16, 2022

Great Blue Herons nest building, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 16, 2022

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 16, 2022

On Saturday I started the morning at Winsor Dam where I had all three species of mergansers including three Red breasted Mergansers.  I then headed over to Lake Wallace where I had a decent selection of species with several recently arrived migrants plus a few Great Blue Herons building nests.  It has been a few years since the species has nested here so it was good to see them back.  My next stop was over to the rail trail in Amherst which turned out to be fairly quiet compared to the day before but the Pied billed Grebe continued to show very well.  I got a message late in the day from Theresa about a Great Egret at Lake Wallace and after dinner and in between bouts of heavier rain I made a quick stop and easily found the Great Egret (the species is fairly common in fall but less so in the spring).