September comes to an end

Yellow throated Vireo, Belchertown, MA, Sep 30, 2022

Magnolia Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 30, 2022

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 30, 2022

Bay breasted Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 30, 2022

Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 30, 2022

Northern Mockingbird, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 30, 2022

Sun halo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 30, 2022

The last couple nights have featured the largest number of migrants for the fall so far (according to Birdcast) with an estimated 2.2 million birds last night and 3.0 million the night before.  Due to work the only morning I could get out for an extended was today after finishing my shift and I headed right over to Arcadia.  Overall it was slower than I expected but I still found 63 species in a bit under a couple hours.  I was really surprised by the lower number of sparrows as I expected a huge increase in number given the date and migration conditions.  Among the highlights for my time there included continued numbers of Blue Jays migrating, my first Dark eyed Junco in the valley and eleven species of warbler (more on warblers to end the month at the following link).  I then headed over to a spot in Belchertown in the hopes of turning up a continued Connecticut Warbler that had been present at the location for a few days.  I had no luck with that warbler but did have a decent mixed species flock that held a late Yellow throated Vireo and eight species of warblers among other species.  

Overall for the month I had 158 species in Hampshire County, which is around average for the last several years for me but well off my best September which occurred last year when I had 171 species.  October will certainly see less species overall as the peak of diversity of fall migration is past us but it will feature the peak of sparrow migration, a large amount of waterfowl migration and the increased chance of rarities.  

Dawn, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 29, 2022

I had very limited time on Thursday morning before work so made a stop in the Honey Pot area of Hadley but the birding was slow.  I'm sure it got better once the sun came up and warmed it up a bit.

Blackpoll Warblers, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2022

Red breasted Nuthatch, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2022

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2022

Swainson's Thrush, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 30, 2022

The camera at the water feature has caught both migrants and some resident species the last couple days....nice to have something watching for birds when I'm not there.

More migrants the last few days with two Connecticut Warblers today

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2022

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2022

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2022

Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2022

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', North Hadley, MA, Sep 26, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Hadley, MA, Sep 26, 2022

Lincoln's Sparrow, Hadley, MA, Sep 26, 2022

Song Sparrow, Hadley, MA, Sep 26, 2022

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Hadley, MA, Sep 26, 2022

I was out this morning in search of warblers and I had some great luck with a total of 16 species for the morning with the highlight by far being two Connecticut Warblers (much more on warblers the last few days at the following link).  I started the morning at a rather foggy Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where I had at least five American Woodcocks flying around before dawn.  I also had a couple Wood Thrushes plus some Swainson's Thrushes calling early.  Otherwise it was fairly quiet so I moved on to some spots along the river in Hadley and these areas proved to be more productive.  The fog in these areas was not as thick and the increased sunshine increased bird activity.  My first stop produced a nice mixed species flock with nine species of warbler.  My next stop produced my first Connecticut  Warbler of the morning but I only managed to hear it and it never popped into view.  Other highlights at my second stop along the river including a late Yellow Warbler and at least nine Indigo Buntings (including a few singing).  I then headed home to pick up Wilson to go for a walk where we had a few more birds but nothing too unusual.  After we finished our walk I discussed the day with Wilson and we decided I would head back out for a little longer to finish out the morning.  Although the wind had picked up a bit, the sun came out from time to time and warmed things up.  I walked for around an hour and this produced my second Connecticut Warbler of the morning and my first one this season that showed itself for more than a few seconds.  I had a large mixed flock and within the flock I heard the distinct call of a Connecticut Warbler.  The bird eventually popped up a bit and allowed for some photos.  I was very happy to finally get some decent looks at Connecticut Warbler for the fall.

Northern Harrier, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 25, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 25, 2022

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 25, 2022

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 25, 2022

House Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 25, 2022

Dawn, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 25, 2022

Sunday I had a good portion of the morning available so I headed over to Arcadia arriving before dawn and then spending at little over four hours covering multiple locations.  I had several highlights including the following:  at least three American Woodcocks flying around before dawn, eight species of raptors, groups of Blue Jays migrating past, eleven House Wrens, at least three Wood Thrushes, multiple Purple Finches flying over, eight species of sparrows with a Grasshopper Sparrow and around twenty Lincoln's Sparrows and a dozen species of warblers among some 77 species overall.  

Cape May Warbler, Ware, MA, Sep 24, 2022

Cape May Warbler, Ware, MA, Sep 24, 2022

Tennessee Warbler, Ware, MA, Sep 24, 2022

Gray Catbird, Ware, MA, Sep 24, 2022

House Wren, Ware, MA, Sep 24, 2022

White tailed Deer, Ware, MA, Sep 24, 2022

On Saturday I stayed close to home as I had limited times before other commitments for the day.  I started before dawn at Quabbin Park where I managed to turn up a late Virginia Rail (no luck with a very late Eastern Whip Poor Will but given the great migration conditions lately I was not surprised to come up empty on that quest).  After Quabbin I spent an hour and a half in Ware where the highlights including groups of Blue Jays migrating past, a couple Wood Thrush, three Tennessee Warblers and at least half a dozen Cape May Warblers (easily my highest count of the season for the species...I had only had three individuals until Saturday).  I also spent a little time at Winsor Dam where I had hundreds of Blue Jays migrating as well as groups of Canada Geese moving on the strong north winds.

Savannah Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 23, 2022

Common Yellowthroat, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 23, 2022

After work on Friday morning I headed over to the nearby East Meadows where I spent a couple hours walking the fields.  The wind made finding stuff a bit tough but it was nice to be outside after another busy work shift.  Highlights including a couple flyby Black bellied Plovers.

The last few days with the arrival of a strong cold front today plus a look at the tropics

Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2022

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 22, 2022

I have not been able to get out as much as I wanted the last few days due to work and the weather but I did get out at least a little.  We had a few bouts of heavy rain and thunderstorms associated with a strong cold front today.  Just before the storms arrived I was able to make it over to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River after work and I was able to turn up at least one (possibly two) Marsh Wrens that have been at the location for a few days.  I was unable to get any photos but did get a recording of the bird(s) singing.  The skies then opened up and that ended birding for most of the morning.  I did make a brief stop at Winsor Dam to look for any storm dropped birds but didn't find any.  The rain had a brief lull late in the morning before returning until mid afternoon.  The next couple days look to feature the coldest air of the year so far and windy conditions out of the northwest thanks to the cold front and the winds from Hurricane Fiona well off to the east (more on tropical systems at the end of the post).  I suspect some unusual species will show up but trying to find them with all the winds the next couple days will be tough but I will try.  On my way to work yesterday I made a brief stop around dawn in the East Meadows but didn't find too much in the limited time I had available.

Northern Mockingbird, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Red eyed Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Scarlet Tanager, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Yellow Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

American Redstart, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Bay breasted Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Philadelphia Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Once I got out of work on Tuesday morning I headed down to Arcadia where I spent a couple hours scouring the area in search of migrants.  I mainly ran across single birds here and there but eventually ran across a somewhat decent mixed flock not long before I left that contained half a dozen species of warblers and other migrants.  Highlights for the morning there included a Least Flycatcher, a Veery, three Swainson's Thrushes, a slightly late Yellow Warbler among 13 species of warblers and three Scarlet Tanagers.  I also had a family group of Northern Mockingbirds that included some fairly recently fledged young.  

Now on to the tropical season.  After a bit of a slow start to the hurricane season (at least compared to the last few years) the conditions have changed with multiple systems occurring and more likely to form in the near future.  The main feature right now is Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4 storm that looks to make a fairly close approach to Bermuda tomorrow morning before accelerating rapidly north for a landfall in Nova Scotia as a strong extra tropical storm (the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane at landfall most likely).  The storm already hit Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos with lots of damage mainly due to flooding.  The strong cold front coming through today is keeping the storm out of the northeast US and helping to funnel the storm into southeast Canada.  I'm certain some rare birds will show up in Canada this weekend with the arrival of the storm.  There is also Tropical Storm Gaston in the far North Atlantic that will impact the Azores (a fairly unusual location for a tropical system).  There is another tropical wave coming off Africa that will likely develop and impact the Cape Verde Islands.  The final system (currently labeled as 98L) is off the north coast of South America and heading west.  It is almost certain to develop into a storm within the next couple days.  Where it actual develops will determine where it eventually ends up as a storm (likely a hurricane).  Some models move it north and into Cuba and Florida and others into the Gulf of Mexico and others as far south as the Yucatan.  It is sure to be a major impact somewhere down south but the exact location is far from certain.  There is certainly a chance we will eventually see the remnants of the storm in the local area at some point.  I have a post from several years ago that looks at tropical systems in the area and has lots of links to info on hurricanes...the post is linked here.

****update on birds from Nova Scotia during and after Fiona:  The storm was one of the strongest to hit Canada (at least as far as low pressure goes with a reading 932mb!).  Those brave enough enough to get out and bird were rewarded with some fantastic birds.  Highlights included a Trindade Petrel, two Sooty Terns, a Bridled Tern and two White tailed Tropicbirds and lots of other stuff in Iona on Cape Breton and two more Trindade Petrels in East Bay (also on Cape Breton)...other reports continue to come in and I will update further as I hear of them.

****great summary link through the ABA at the following link: Hurricane Fiona report.

Four mornings at Arcadia

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

Nashville Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

Fog at dawn, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

The migration conditions have been great the last four nights after several days of less than stellar conditions.  I spent at least a part of the last four morning at Arcadia trying to catch up with newly arrived migrants with a big target being Connecticut Warbler.  I'll cover today here with the previous three days covered below.  I arrived at Arcadia to a little fog and cold temps in the 40's.  I had a number of American Woodcocks flying around before dawn plus calling Wood Thrushes in a few spots.  The little amount of fog present burned off quick and the day warmed up slowly.  I expected a good amount of migrants but it was a little slower than I hoped.  Nonetheless I still had some great stuff with the highlight being a Connecticut Warbler that popped up ever so briefly before disappearing back into a hedge never to be seen again despite a lot of effort.  I was happy to see it but would have loved a longer look and perhaps a few photos but not today.  Other good stuff around for the morning, among the nearly 70 species, included a couple Least Flycatchers, a lucky 13 Eastern Phoebes, small groups of Blue Jays migrating south, nearly a dozen House Wrens, a dozen Lincoln's Sparrows, my first White throated Sparrows of the fall and a total of ten species of warblers (lots more on warblers for the last week at the following link).  I was not able to cover some other spots at Arcadia as a folk fest was going on so probably missed out on some other species I could have gotten easily for the day.  I managed a total of 97 species at Arcadia over the four mornings I was there this week as fall migration reaches it peak (at least as far as passerine diversity is concerned).

Philadelphia Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2022

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2022

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2022

Although I only had a limited amount of time on Friday due to a class I had to take at 8:30 I still hoped I would find lots of birds as once again the migration conditions were great and I heard lots of flight calls early in the evening the night before.  I arrived before dawn to a very cold Arcadia with a temperature of 41 degrees!  I started off with multiple American Woodcocks flying around and calling a little.  Despite the cool temps birds started calling well before the sun was even up.  The patchy fog blocked out the sun a bit from warming things up as early as I had hoped.  The total warbler number and diversity was very disappointing with just 7 species with a few of those being just a single individual.  I did have a few highlights for the morning including two Philadelphia Vireos, at least four Wood Thrushes, my first Ruby crowned Kinglets of the fall, three Lincoln's Sparrows and at least one Dickcissel.  I wish I could have stayed longer to see if activity picked up once the sun really warmed things up.

Northern Parula, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Yellow Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Viceroy, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Least Flycatcher, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Philadelphia Vireo, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 15, 2022

With great migration conditions overnight into Thursday morning I had high hopes as I headed over to Arcadia once again but it was actually a bit slower than the day before.  I still had good stuff but I was expecting more.  It was already a little breezy when I arrived but not too bad until around 7:30 and it increased from there and eventually made seeing movement in the trees and bushes nearly impossible.  Early on I did have some good stuff but nothing too out of the ordinary but a total of 61 species considering the conditions was fairly good.

After activity at Arcadia had trailed off considerably I decided to try my luck at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River and that stop produced some good stuff despite the continued windy conditions.  Highlights included an unidentified empidonax flycatcher, a late Least Flycatcher that actually was singing a bit, at least two (possibly three) Philadelphia Vireos, ten species of warbler (with at least three Tennessee Warblers) among the nearly 35 species over the course of an hour and a half.

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Palm Warbler 'western', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Yellow Warblers, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

House Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Warbling Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Least Flycatcher, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

On Wednesday morning I headed over to Arcadia for my first of four mornings and spent nearly four hours combing through the various fields and hedgerows.  The wind picked up by a little after eight and then kept increasing so it became increasingly difficult to see movement.  Even without perfect conditions throughout the morning I still came away with 70+ species there with several highlights including the following:  a slightly late Least Flycatcher, around a dozen House Wrens and 13 species of warbler (including a Mourning Warbler, five Yellow Warblers and my first Palm Warblers of the fall including one 'yellow' Palm Warbler).