Sanderling at Holyoke Dam

Sanderling, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jul 25, 2024

Sanderling, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jul 25, 2024

Sanderling, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jul 25, 2024

I got a message from Brian Z. this morning regarding a shorebird he had at the Holyoke Dam in South Hadley that he suspected was a Sanderling (a fairly rare shorebird inland).  After looking at a couple of photos he sent the Sanderling was confirmed and a number of birders made their way down to the dam and got the bird.  I was stuck at work until late morning and was not able to get down to the dam until after eleven but thankfully the bird stuck around.  Unfortunately it stayed somewhat hidden very close to the wall of the dam and the accessible vantage point.  After a fair amount of waiting it popped out briefly before once again going out of view.  Although my shots didn't capture it the bird retained some rufous breeding colors (not a plumage we get to see too often inland in western Mass.).  I eventually got some photos of the bird as it was seen from nearly directly overhead...an odd look at shorebirds for sure.  Sanderling is a less than annual visitor to the county.

Birds to end the third week of July

Peregrine Falcon, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 21, 2024

Worm eating Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 21, 2024

Chestnut sided Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 21, 2024

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 21, 2024

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 20, 2024

Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 20, 2024

Song Sparrow, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 20, 2024

House Wren, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 20, 2024

Bonaparte's Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 20, 2024

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 19, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Ware, MA, Jul 18, 2024

Yellow Warbler, Ware, MA, Jul 18, 2024

Indigo Bunting, Ware, MA, Jul 18, 2024

Common Goldeneye, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 18, 2024

With a break in our high levels of heat and humidity I got out a bit the last few days and turned up some decent birds in what is typically a rather dull part of the year.  Highlights the last few days included a reappearance of the female Common Goldeneye at Winsor Dam (she has been around since spring and is assumed to be unable to fly) and a breeding plumaged Bonaparte's Gull (also at Winsor Dam).  I have also spent time tracking down warblers with the best being a Worm eating Warbler away from any known breeding location so also certainly a post breeding dispersal bird.  Shorebirds have slowly been trickling in as their migration ramps up.

Mid July birds during continued heat wave

Belted Kingfisher, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 17, 2024

Purple Martins, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 17, 2024

Purple Martin, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 17, 2024

Barn Swallows, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 17, 2024

Yellow Warblers, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Jul 15, 2024

Alder Flycatcher, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Jul 15, 2024

Killdeer, Pilgrim Airport, Hatfield, MA, Jul 15, 2024

Sora, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 13, 2024

Eastern Kingbirds, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 13, 2024

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 13, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 12, 2024

Black and White Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 12, 2024

Blue winged Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 12, 2024

Chestnut sided Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 12, 2024

As we continue to suffer through yet another heat wave I have managed to get out and bird a bit but this time of year is typically quite slow and it has been tough to get motivated to brave the heat and humidity and all the mosquitoes.  Nonetheless I have gotten out a bit and mainly concentrated on following up on breeding success and a little on checking for early migrating shorebirds.  The weather looks to break for a little while after a front moves through today (almost certainly with more severe storms).

Lots of breeding activity noted, including some rare breeders

Osprey at nest, Hadley, MA, Jul 11, 2024

Osprey at nest, Hadley, MA, Jul 11, 2024

Wood Ducks, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 11, 2024

Great Blue Herons at nest, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 11, 2024

Ovenbird, Cadwell Memorial Forest, Pelham, MA, Jul 10, 2024

Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 10, 2024

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 10, 2024

Killdeer fledgling, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 8, 2024

Least Sandpipers, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 8, 2024

Purple Martin, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 7, 2024

Our latest heat wave continued into its fifth day today with temps in the 90's and high humidity.  It has had a real tropical feel around here since we returned on July 4th from our trip to Canada and it does not look to be changing any time soon.  Due to the heat, work and other commitments I have not been out as much as I would have liked but I still got out as much as I could.  Although the amount of song has decreased substantially the evidence of breeding for the season is most everywhere you look, including some unusual breeders in the county including Osprey, Purple Martin and Blue Grosbeak.  The first shorebirds heading south have also started showing up but the lack of suitable habitat for them to use makes tracking them down tough.

Also an update on what looks to be a very active hurricane season.  The predictions going into the season called for a much above average season due to record high sea temps and the disappearance of the strong El Nino and a change to La Nina conditions.  There also looks to be an increase in the number of tropical waves coming off of Africa due to an above average monsoon season there.  All of these factors taken together just about guarantees an above average hurricane season in the Atlantic.  As predicted the season has already gotten off to a quick and deadly start with three named storms already and one, Beryl, becoming a Cat 5 hurricane which set a number of records including the earliest Cat 4 and Cat 5 hurricane ever in the Atlantic.  It also formed in an area off the coast of Africa that usually doesn't start kicking off tropical systems until later in the season.  Beryl made multiple landfalls as a hurricane (several small islands off Grenada and St Vincent), the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and the mid Texas coast before running up through the middle of the US and actually bringing us a little rain yesterday.  It is certainly a bad sign that the predictions for a rough season look to be correct.  

Vancouver Island, Canada -June 28-July 3

Mountains from beach, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 28, 2024 

Mule Deer, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 28, 2024 

This post is a continuation of our trip to Canada with the first part of the trip covered in the previous post: Canadian Rockies.  Friday was a travel day with a morning flight from Calgary to Victoria on Vancouver Island. I once again had a great selection of waterfowl on the pond near the hotel before we left for the nearby airport. Thankfully our flight went smoothly and we arrived on time and picked up our rental car (yet again a threatened strike was averted). Before leaving the airport in Victoria I was able to bag a local specialty with an Eurasian Skylark, an established introduced species in the area. Not as good as seeing it in its native habitat in Europe and Asia but I’ll take it. We then went to Butchart Gardens for awhile before starting the long drive to Qualicum Beach, about a third of the way up the east side of the island. Traffic was bad due to the holiday weekend in Canada and it took us longer than planned to make the trip. Nonetheless we eventually made it and settled in to our Airbnb for the next five nights.  

MacGillivray's Warbler, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Western Tanager, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Orange crowned Warbler, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Wilson's Warbler, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Northern Flicker, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Spotted Towhee, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

Pacific Wren, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jun 29, 2024

On Saturday morning I was up before dawn and headed to the nearby Lighthouse Country Regional Trail where I spent three hours exploring the myriad of trails in the area. It was overcast the entire time but the birds were active with lots of song and I got plenty of recordings as well as some photos. I headed back to our lodging after my walk and not long after some light rain started and it continued at varying intensity through the remainder of the morning. By late morning we decided to head north to check out a few wineries and possibly a short walk (if we could get a dry break). We managed to get to two wineries and got a short walk in at Nymph Falls before the rain drove us back to the car. The rain finally quit early in the evening and we took a walk down to the beach. I got a number of species on the water but some were just too far out to ID…a scope would have been great to have. By the end of the day I had 49 species. 

Hutton's Vireo, McColl Rd, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Song Sparrow, McColl Rd, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Black throated Gray Warbler, McColl Rd, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Glaucous winged Gull, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Orange crowned Warbler, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Chestnut backed Chickadee, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Rufous Hummingbird, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Barred Owl, Parksville Wetlands, Parksville, BC, Canada, Jun 30, 2024

Thankfully Sunday was a much better day weather wise with a mix of sun and clouds throughout the day. I once again was out before dawn and this time I headed just a few minutes north to McCall Road and spent just under three hours walking the road. Initially it was a bit quieter than the trails I was on the day before but eventually it got more active. I had a few very active pockets of birds with other areas not having much activity at all. Lots more recordings and some photos for the morning. Around 8:30 I got back to our lodging and then we headed out to Rathtrevor Beach where we walked on the beach for a bit and then I walked some of the more wooded trails just inland. It got busy quick with people as it was the weekend but there were still some birds to be found for sure. We stayed there until late morning and then took a walk at the Parksville Wetlands to finish out the morning. We then worked our way back to our lodging with a few brief stops along the way. The rest of the afternoon was spent around the lodging. A total of 66 species for the day while covering a variety of different habitats. 

Humpback Whales, Offshore Campbell River, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Humpback Whale, Offshore Campbell River, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Mitlenatch Island, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Pelagic Cormorant, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Pigeon Guillemot, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Double crested Cormorant nests, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Pelagic Cormorant nests, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Marbled Murrelet, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Steller's Sealions, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Harlequin Ducks, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Rhinoceros Auklets, Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Bald Eagle, Quadra Island, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Pigeon Guillemot, Quadra Island, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

Warbling Vireo, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jul 1, 2024

We spent Canada Day making the hour drive up to Campbell River to take a four hour whale watch tour. I got out a little before dawn to some areas nearby to start adding some species for the new month of July. I went back to the Lighthouse Country Regional Trail once again and had a decent selection of species. After just under two hours I headed back to our lodging and then we headed up to Campbell River. The whale watch started at nine and after a slight engine issue we were out exploring for whales and other wildlife. We had a few Humpback Whales plus some Dall’s Porpoises as well as seals and sea-lions. There were a few pockets of birds with the majority around the nesting island of Mitlenatch Island. This area held several nesting species including Pigeon Guillemot, Glaucous winged Gull, Pelagic Cormorant and Double crested Cormorant. Other notables around the island included Harlequin Ducks, Rhinoceros Auklets and Marbled Murrelets. We made it back into port around 1:30 and then had to fight some Canada Day traffic in the big city of Campbell River as we made our way to a winery for the afternoon. Overall it was a sunny and warm day with fairly calm conditions throughout and I managed a respectable 55 species for the day. 

MacGillivray's Warbler, Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

Chestnut backed Chickadee, Nile Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

White crowned Sparrow, Nile Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's', McCall Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

View from beach, Qualicum Bay, BC, Canada, Jul 2, 2024

After a fair bit of travel on the first to get up to Campbell River and then back through Canada Day traffic we decided to stay local for our last full day on the island.  I was out early once again with several stops in nearby Bowser before heading back to the lodging for a short break and then another walk along the Lighthouse Country Regional Trail.  The remainder of the day was spent relaxing before we had to leave the following day.

Steller's Jay, McColl Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

MacGillivray's Warbler, McColl Road, Bowser, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

Olive sided Flycatcher, Dudley Marsh, Coombs, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Hamilton Marsh, Coombs, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

Common Nighthawk, Hamilton Marsh, Coombs, BC, Canada, Jul 3, 2024

The third of July would be a travel day back toward home with a ferry trip from Vancouver Island over to the mainland and then on to Vancouver Airport with a red eye flight back to Boston. Before leaving our lodging in Qualicum Bay I hit a few spots nearby in the early morning including Hamilton Marsh, Dudley Marsh and McCall’s Road. Typical species were around at each location and I captured a few more photos and recordings before heading back to pack up. We started the trip home with an hour drive to Nanaimo where we got on the ferry to Vancouver.  There was not too much bird activity during the ferry trip.  During our time on Vancouver Island I found a total of 95 species. 

Overall for the entire trip I had 153 species in Canada with 113 being new for me in Canada and bringing my Canada total up to 193 species. I got three life birds with Gray crowned Rosy Finch, Dusky Grouse and Eurasian Skylark and my life list now stands at 2005.  I also managed to get recordings of 17 new species and got my 400th recorded species with a Varied Thrush.

Full post on warblers from the entire trip at the following link: warblers on trip to western Canada