More waterfowl today

PHOTOS TO COME

The waterfowl show continued this morning despite not having as much time as I would have liked due to a doctors appointment down in Springfield.  I had a few hours free in the morning and I made the most of it with waterfowl being the main focus with 14 species found even with no rare geese around.  I was up well before dawn so went looking for owls and found three species (including a Short eared Owl) before heading to the East Meadows to look for waterfowl.  I checked out an area along the river and had thousands of birds with the majority being Canada Geese with a decent showing of various duck species.  Lots of stuff moved out at dawn so I may have missed something among them.  After about 45 minutes there I headed further south to check another area along the river in Hadley.  When I arrived there were thousands of geese present as well as several species of ducks.  I then walked about a mile along the river mainly looking for early migrant passerines and finding few.  As I was getting back to my car there was a deafening roar of geese and I got to witness the arrival of 6000+ geese that came in from the East Meadows.  Try as I might I failed to find any rare geese among the nearly 9000 geese present.  I would have loved to wade through the hordes again but I had to go to my appointment.  Once I was finished in Springfield I headed back to Quabbin with a stop at Winsor Dam where I had a selection of waterfowl way out at the edge of the ice.  I then decided to take advantage of a little free time and temps in the 50's and walk down to the waters edge at Gate 5.  There was a good selection of species there despite the windy conditions.  It was nice to not need gloves and see lots of birds around. 

Record setting pace for first week of March with 87 species

Cackling Goose, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Cackling Goose, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Canada Goose with pale body, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Canada Goose with neck band, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Greater White fronted Geese, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Fox Sparrow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 7, 2025

I typically do not do so many posts here within a few days anymore but I want to make just one more quick post as the first week of March has now come to an end.  Despite very windy conditions today I added several new species for the month plus two more for the year in the Hampshire County (new year species being American Woodcock and Gadwall).  This was best start to March ever here with 87 species so far (breaking my previous first week of March back in 2022 when I had 77 species).  I also stand at 118 species for the year so far in the county which is my highest YTD total for the end of the first week of March.  A lot of the good numbers are thanks to a great showing of waterfowl this month with a number of rarities around plus a few early arriving species.  For today I started near home and then visited a number of spots along both sides of the river with continued large numbers of geese including a few unusual species (Greater White fronted Geese and Cackling Goose) as well as the Greenland banded Canada Goose.  The concentrations of geese continue to be impressive with several thousand Canada Geese in the area with other waterfowl showing also with a total of 20 species so far for the month.  The ice on the river is rapidly disappearing and open water is slowly starting to show in other areas.

More goose goodness with Greater White fronted Geese and the return of the pale Canada Goose for a fifth winter (plus other continued rare, unusual and banded geese)

Greater White fronted Geese, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 6, 2025

Canada Goose with neck band, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 6, 2025

Snow Geese, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 6, 2025

Pale Canada Goose, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 6, 2025

Pink footed Goose, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 6, 2025

Canada Goose with pale body, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 6, 2025

Canada Geese, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 6, 2025

Rough legged Hawk, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 6, 2025

After another way too busy shift at work I got out this morning and headed out mainly in search of geese and other waterfowl (and whatever else I could find for newly arriving birds).  It was still relatively warm for the time of year with light winds but the heavy rain overnight and snow melt made a muddy mess of any dirt road.  There was a bit of thick fog in places to start the morning which made viewing tough at times.  I hit a few fields and other areas in Hadley and South Hadley as I worked my way toward the Holyoke Dam.  Most areas were fairly quiet although I did have at least two very early Tree Swallows below the Holyoke Dam popping in and out of the fog.  I also tried for Yellow rumped Warblers in a few locations along the river and came up empty.  As I came back north on the west side of the river the fog lifted so I decided to try the very muddy East Meadows for geese and was rewarded with several thousand birds scattered throughout the fields.  I immediately noticed a decent sized group of Snow Geese among the hordes of Canada Geese.  I then spent the next half hour slowly scanning through the geese in search of unusual species and odd individuals and had success on both endeavors.  I found the continued Pink Goose sitting contently at the south end of the meadows as well as the continued pale bodied Canada Goose plus the very uniquely plumaged overall pale Canada Goose that has now shown for a fifth straight winter (I would love to know where this bird stays during the warmer months).  I made a post about this really neat looking individual in the fall of 2023.  Beyond the geese there were other notables around including 16 Killdeer, two Rough legged Hawks, 280+ Horned Larks, at least two American Pipits and a Lapland Longspur.  Around 10:30 the Snow Geese suddenly lifted off followed quickly by all the other geese with large groups heading in various directions.  I figured I would stop by the Coolidge Bridge as it looked like some of the geese headed in that direction.  I arrived to find hundreds of geese present with more and more arriving over time including my first of the year Greater White fronted Geese as well the individual banded in Greenland.

Canada Goose with neck band, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 5, 2025

Canada Goose with pale body, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 5, 2025

On my way to work yesterday I stopped off for a bit at the Coolidge Bridge and found 1200+ Canada Geese including the banded bird from Greenland plus the pale bodied bird.  I also had a few other birds that had some characteristics of a Cackling Goose but not enough to make me think a pure Cackling Goose.

For those with an interest in the great show of geese check out the post from a a couple days ago that has more unusual geese photos and additional info on the neck banded bird.  March is off to a great start for me in Hampshire County with 81 species so far with waterfowl figuring prominently (a big change from last year which featured a horrible waterfowl migration overall).  In fact I'm at my highest point for the first week of March ever in the county with one day left (although with high winds tomorrow out of the north I doubt I will find too much new stuff but one never knows!).

Influx of geese including Pink footed Goose, Cackling Goose, Snow Geese and a uniquely plumaged Canada Goose plus a neck tagged goose from Greenland

Pink footed Goose, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 3, 2025

Pink footed Goose, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 3, 2025

With the arrival of March comes the first real pulse of migrant waterfowl and the first few days have been great with geese of various species figuring prominently (plus the continued Trumpeter Swan).  I heard of a Pink footed Goose at the Coolidge Bridge on Sunday afternoon but I didn't try for it until Monday on my way to work.  Thankfully it was still there and actually showing quite well despite the bitter cold temps.  It was one of only a handful of active geese with the rest tucked in most of the time.  I also had a Cackling Goose in among the Canada Geese that popped its head up briefly thanks to a pair of very vocal Peregrine Falcons in the area.  I then continued on to work and had another extremely busy day (I really cannot wait for retirement!).  Very cool how Pink footed Goose has become more common since I found the first county record back in March 2014.

Canada Goose with pale body, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 4, 2025

Canada Goose with pale body, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 4, 2025

Cackling Goose, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 4, 2025

Pink footed Goose, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 4, 2025

Pink footed Goose, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 4, 2025

Cackling Goose, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 4, 2025

Canada Goose with neck band, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 4, 2025

Canada Goose with neck band, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 4, 2025

Canada Goose with pale body, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 4, 2025

After work on Tuesday I headed out to try to find some more unusual geese with my main target being a pair of Greater White fronted Geese seen at Mount Holyoke College the day before.  I got a text from Mary that she tried for them at the location earlier and they were not present so I decided to stop at the open water below the Coolidge Bridge once again.  There were several hundred Canada Geese in the water and much more active then the previous morning.  A scan through the flock turned up a single Cackling Goose as well as a uniquely plumaged Canada Geese that had a pale body with a typical looking head and neck...cool looking bird.  I then decided to head south with the intention of trying to find the Greater White fronted Geese (spoiler alert...I never found them).  I stopped off at Mitch's Way with the intention of possibly walking the road (depending on the ice conditions on the road).  As I pulled in I saw hundreds of geese in flight so immediately started scanning the birds moving upriver and had a group of nine Snow Geese (with one blue morph) plus a couple other Snow Geese in among the Canada Geese with one looking smaller (possibly a Ross's Goose).  I lost track of the small goose but was able to watch the group of nine with views through the scope and binoculars.  They never settled down and continued off to the north.  I then decided to head back north to check the hordes of geese.  I decided to check East Hadley Road and found hundreds of geese with more arriving over the course of the hour I remained on site.  Lots of scanning turned up a (the) Pink footed Goose, the pale bodied Canada Goose and a Cackling Goose among 1200+ Canada Geese.  I also had one neck banded Canada Goose with a yellow band with black writing with the code "G6Y".  I was fairly certain it was a bird from Greenland and a quick email to a researcher up there proved I was right.  The bird was banded in Isunngua, West Greenland in July 2023 and was last reported in late November in Nova Scotia (more info on the bird listed at end of post).  There were loads of Red winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, Brown headed Cowbirds and European Starlings as well as a very early Wilson's Snipe that was scared up by some arriving Canada Geese.  Although I missed on finding any Greater White fronted Geese I was happy to have a four goose species morning.  Spring is certainly starting to show itself, finally.

G6Y (banded Isunngua, West Greenland, July 2023)

27.09.2023 1696 Chemin Saint-Ignace, Saint-Ignace, New Brunswick, Canada 45°29’49”N 62°38’18”W 

01.11.2023 Forbes Lake, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada 45°29’49”N 62°38’18”W 

11.11.2023 Forbes Lake, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada 45°29’49”N 62°38’18”W  

12.12.2023 Avalon Nature Preserve Lake, Stony Brook, New York, USA 40°54’49”N 73°08’46W

28.11.2024 Shaw Pond, Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, Canada 45°04’56”N 63°24’34”W 

04.03.2025 Hadley, Massachusetts, USA 

Trumpeter Swan to start March plus a decent selection of other birds

Trumpeter Swan, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Trumpeter Swan, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Turkey Vulture, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Bald Eagle, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Black Vulture, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Eastern Coyote, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Eastern Coyote, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 1, 2025

I started off March with a very rare Trumpeter Swan that showed up at the UMASS campus pond yesterday and continued through today.  It was the latest in a long line of odd waterfowl that has shown up at the small pond in the middle of the campus.  It may indeed be the same individual that has been seen in various part of the Connecticut River on and off since mid January.  Very cool to get point blank looks at it today.  I tried (and failed) to turn up an arriving American Woodcock on the southern winds overnight into the morning.  However I did find some good stuff as I visited multiple spots on the east side of the river with the highlights being an Eastern Meadowlark in Hadley and a single Snow Goose among a flock of Canada Geese headed northeast at Winsor Dam.  The open water way out at the dam also produced five other species of waterfowl.  It was a good day for unusual waterfowl in the area beyond what I found with Ted finding Cackling Goose, Pink footed Goose, Greater White fronted Goose and a Tufted Duck in Longmeadow.

Southeast Arizona -February 20-24th

Harris's Sparrow, San Pedro House, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

We took a quick trip out to southern Arizona as part of our scoping out areas where we might be spending winters once I retire. The original plan was to visit the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas but the forecast for the location was unusually cool (highs in the 40’s and 50’s) for the majority of our available time so we made a change just days ago to Arizona where the forecast was much more appealing. We took a direct flight to Phoenix leaving Bradley a bit after 6PM on Breeze Airlines. After a 45 minute delay due to “the number of passengers being off” we were finally on our way and arrived late at night (or very early morning according to our bodies), caught a shuttle to the hotel and crashed for the night. 

American Wigeon, Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, AZ, Feb 20, 2025

Wilson's Snipe, Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, AZ, Feb 20, 2025

Cinnamon Teal, Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, AZ, Feb 20, 2025

Greater Roadrunner, Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, AZ, Feb 20, 2025

Of course I was up early despite the two hour time change as my body just doesn’t know how to sleep late! I got maybe five hours of sleep and was ready to go but had to wait until Sherri got a bit more sleep. After a breakfast we were off for the day. Due to the very high costs of picking up a rental car in Phoenix and a drop off in Tucson ($700+) we decided to take an Uber from Phoenix to Tucson and pick up the car there instead.  Once we picked up the rental car late in the morning we started working our way south to the a house we booked in Sonoita and we arrived there in the late afternoon (not an optimal spot but given the last minute nature of the trip it was the best we could do). Our only real birding stop was at the Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson which was still fairly active despite us arriving there late in the morning. I added 40 species over the hour and fifteen minutes of birding with waterfowl being the main draw. It was a long day of traveling but at least it was sunny and warm. 

Golden crowned Sparrow, Florida Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

Painted Redstart, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

Acorn Woodpecker, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

Greater Pewee, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

Arizona Woodpecker, Madera Kubo B&B, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

Yellow eyed Junco, Madera Kubo B&B, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

Red naped Sapsucker, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

Bridled Titmouse, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

On Friday I convinced Sherri to get up early with me and head out before sunrise to the Madera Canyon area. We were out the door around 6:30 to make the hour or so drive with our first stop being Florida Canyon. It was cold to start the morning with temps near freezing. By the time we arrived at Florida Canyon it had warmed into the low 40’s. My main targets here included a rare juvenile Golden crowned Sparrow and the long staying resident Rufous capped Warblers. I walked up to the area of the old dam and fairly quickly got the Golden crowned Sparrow and even managed a few marginal photos. The sparrow was actually a life bird for me (#2162). Unfortunately the warbler was a no show and I didn’t have a lot of time to wait around for it to show. There were many (too many) birders arriving to look for the two rare species and I hate crowds plus one person there was quite loud so I doubted the warbler would show. I headed down the trail and we made our way to Madera Canyon. We first stopped the picnic area which was quite active and I added a number of species for the trip. We then walked down along the stream and then back up before moving on to other areas further up the canyon including Madera Kubo B&B, Santa Rita Lodge as well as a few other trails. There were a few notable species around with the most unusual being a rare Berylline Hummingbird that showed ever so briefly at Madera Kubo. By this point it was around 2PM and we started working our way toward our lodging with another stop at Florida Canyon in yet another vain attempt at the warbler. It was a bit breezy and there were still several people crowding the area where the warbler has been including the one guy that insisted on carrying on a conversation at high volume. I threw in the towel and we then drove back over the dirt box canyon road to our lodging with a stop off at a cidery and a restaurant to get dinner. 

Black throated Sparrow, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Pyrrhuloxia, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Abert's Towhee, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Lesser Goldfinch, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Ruddy Ducks, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's x 'myrtle' hybrid, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Neotropic Cormorants, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Broad billed Hummingbird, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Black throated Gray Warbler, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Ladder backed Woodpecker, Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Lincoln's Sparrow, Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Anna's Hummingbird, Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Violet crowned Hummingbird, Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Saturday I was up well before sunrise once again. I wanted to try a location within Las Cienegas National Conservation Area that had featured some interesting birds but the directions to the location just did not work out so I was never able to get to the area I wanted and I didn’t have the time to try other access points. After that debacle I headed to our lodging and picked up Sherri and he headed south to Patagonia Lake State Park. We spent over three hours covering the areas on the east end of the lake. There was a decent selection of waterfowl on the lake itself and the feeding station along the Birding Trail was quite active with a variety of species with the best being a female Lawrence’s Goldfinch that stopped in briefly with the tons of Lesser Goldfinches and Pine Siskins. The Lawrence’s Goldfinch was the second life bird for me on the trip (species #2163). There apparently is a decent influx of the species into this area of Arizona this winter. Sadly I missed on getting a photo of it. We then decided to head for Sonoita Creek State Natural Area but it was closed we had to skip it and instead headed up to Patagonia. Our first stop was to Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, a very well known spot for hummingbirds. It originally was a private residence that allowed people to stop by and check out the feeders for just a donation to the sugar water fund. The owners died several years ago but thankfully Tucson Audubon stepped in and bought the location so it would remain open to birders. They have improved on it a bit with more parking, more feeders and trails. Given that it is winter the number and diversity of hummingbirds is low but it still was the most active spot for hummingbirds we have found on the trip with three species including Violet crowned Hummingbird (it is probably the most reliable spot for the species in the US). We then walked a bit on the nearby trails before returning to watch the feeders more. A few birders then stopped by to let everyone present know that a very rare for the state American Woodcock was just found about a 1/4 mile down the road. I made a brief stop to see it…always fun to see a mega rarity when away from home. It looks like it was perhaps the second state record and the first for the county. We made it back to our lodging in the middle of the afternoon and then sat and enjoyed the sun and warmth. 

Acorn Woodpecker, Ramsey's Canton Preserve, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

Violet crowned Hummingbird, Ramsey's Canyon, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

Rivoli's Hummingbird making nest, Ramsey's Canyon, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

Painted Redstart, Ramsey's Canton Preserve, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

Bridled Titmouse, Ramsey's Canyon, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

Ramsey's Canyon, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

Gila Woodpecker, San Pedro House, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

Lark Bunting, San Pedro House, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

Red tailed Hawk, San Pedro House, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

Harris's Sparrow, San Pedro House, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

On our last full day in Arizona we headed a bit east and south to Ramsey’s Canyon to try our luck there. The Ramsey's Canyon Preserve did not open until 9 so we had to wait a bit to get in and start our walk up through the canyon. We made a brief stop at the trailhead to Brown Canyon and had a few birds while we waited. Once the preserve opened we were some of the first people there and immediately started up the trail. It was quite cool to start with temps in the 30’s but it warmed fairly quickly once the sun made its way into the canyon. It was fairly slow with a few pockets of birds down low with the highlight being a Rivoli’s Hummingbird making a nest. The hike further up the canyon was very quiet although the views made up somewhat for the lack of birds. On our way back down the activity picked up a little as we neared the parking area and I got a few more species for the day including a Violet crowned Hummingbird. After a quick break for lunch we made a brief stop at the feeders at Ramsey Canyon Lodge with almost no bird activity at all. I wanted to make a trip over to San Pedro House in the hopes of finding a overwintering Harris’s Sparrow there. We arrived there around 12:30 and I immediately started checking the hordes of birds coming into the feeding stations (mainly White crowned Sparrows) and I located the Harris’s Sparrow fairly quickly and then lost track of it almost as quick. I scanned through the other sparrows for almost a half hour with no luck. We then decided to walk along the river where I found a few more species before we returned to the feeding stations to try again to relocate the Harris’s Sparrow to get some photos. After about 15 minutes of looking I found it and got some photos. The Harris’s Sparrow was lifer number three on the trip, bringing me to 1264. We then headed back toward our lodging with a brief stop off to enjoy some ice cream in the sun and warmth of the day. 

Costa's Hummingbird, Canoa Ranch Conservation Park, Green Valley, AZ, Feb 24, 2025

Lark Buntings, Canoa Ranch Conservation Park, Green Valley, AZ, Feb 24, 2025

Rufous winged Sparrow, Canoa Ranch Conservation Park, Green Valley, AZ, Feb 24, 2025

Brewer's Sparrow, Canoa Ranch Conservation Park, Green Valley, AZ, Feb 24, 2025

Mount Wrightson at dawn, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, Sonoita, AZ, Feb 24, 2025

We had a midday flight out of Tucson to return home so we had a few hours in the morning to enjoy the last of the warmth and sunshine before returning home to snow, ice and cold…damn good thing Wilson was there to come home to or we might not return! We toyed with multiple ideas and decided on leaving our lodging around 7:45 and make the drive up to a small park in Green Valley south of Tucson. Before we left I headed out before dawn to try my luck once again at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area armed with more detailed directions. Unfortunately the area was not accessible with my rental car given the condition of the road. I didn't have enough time to walk into an area that has featured some unusual birds so had to be content with birding from some other nearby roads. I had a few pockets of sparrows and longspurs in the vast grassland area before I had to head back to pack and then drive north. After a slight navigation error we arrived at Canoa Ranch Conservation Park. There were tons of sparrows and buntings around the small pond and nearby wet area as well as in the nearby grasslands. By a little after ten we had to head to the airport to catch our flight home.

Although a short trip it was productive and we had great weather with sun everyday and temps in the 60's and 70's (a cool mornings). I had a total of 127 species with three life birds (Golden crowned Sparrow, Lawrence's Goldfinch and Harris's Sparrow). I added 15 species to my Arizona list that now stands at 221.  More details on warblers for the trip at the following link: Arizona warblers.