Gray Catbird and Bohemian Waxwings at the end of the month

Gray Catbird, northwest campus,  UMASS, Amherst, MA, Jan 30, 2015

Gray Catbird, northwest campus, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Jan 30, 2015

Gray Catbird, northwest campus, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Jan 30, 2015

Black capped Chickadee, northwest campus, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Jan 30, 2015

Black capped Chickadee, northwest campus, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Jan 30, 2015

American Robins (and a starling), UMASS, Amherst, MA, Jan 30, 2015

Thankfully the predicted 2-4" of snow never materialized and we ended up with just around an inch or so for the day.  After spending the morning around the house and the nearby area (more on that below) I got a call from Keenan telling me he rediscovered a Gray Catbird originally found yesterday at UMASS plus he had some flyover Bohemian Waxwings.  I was thinking of heading that way already and these reports just made the decision easier to make.  I made it over there a bit before 11:30 and found the Gray Catbird fairly quickly but it only showed well for a short time before disappearing back into the tangles.  The last catbird I saw was down in Costa Rica in December...the one at UMASS is certainly a tough bird but maybe not the smartest one.  The smart ones are all way south of here right now.  After spending about forty minutes around the northwest side of campus where the catbird was I had a group of four Bohemian Waxwings flyover heading northeast.  I tried to get some photos but the distance, the overcast and the continued snow didn't make for great photography conditions and I only ended up with a few blurry shots.  I spent the next 45 minutes or so with Jacob and Keenan trying to find where the waxwings set down to feed but we only managed to find Cedar Waxwings and loads of American Robins.  I also checked a few other spots in the area that have attracted waxwings in the past but no luck.  Lots of fruiting trees around so hopefully I will eventually catch up with them feeding.  The Gray Catbird and Bohemian Waxwings became species #88 and 89 respectively for Hampshire County this month which breaks my previous record January (and there is still one more bitter cold and windy day left!).  I got species #87 yesterday morning along the Connecticut River in Hatfield when I ran across an Eastern Screech Owl (and managed to get my car stuck in the snow but that is a long tale I will not tell at this point).

Wilson on the run, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Jan 30, 2015

Wilson, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Jan 30, 2015

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 30, 2015

Before heading to UMASS late morning Wilson and I enjoyed some time at Covey WMA during the snow and we both ended up totally snow covered.  I think he enjoyed it a bit more than I did!  The Swift River was nearly totally frozen over with only a few open pools which held 13 Hooded Mergansers and a dozen Mallards but nothing else.  Quabbin is now nearly completely frozen over and given the forecast will be frozen solid by this weekend and will likely remain that way through the rest of winter unless we get a lot of rain and warm temperatures (which seems unlikely at this point).  The only silver lining may be that a Golden Eagle could show up to feast on a less than sure footed deer that expires on the ice.

The less than historic storm

Common Redpoll (with American Goldfinch and Dark eyed Junco), Home, Belchertown, MA, Jan 27, 2015

Common Redpoll (with American Goldfinch and Dark eyed Junco), Home, Belchertown, MA, Jan 27, 2015

 

American Goldfinch, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jan 27, 2015

The latest much hyped snow storm certainly did not live up to the predictions here but not really surprised.  We ended up with about 8-10" of snow (about 1/2 to a 1/3 of predictions).  The wind was a bit strong early on but not too bad at the house.  Areas to the east certainly got hit much harder than we did so no real complaints from me.  The feeders were quite active with highlights being a Common Redpoll, 50+ American Goldfinches and a Carolina Wren.

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 27, 2015

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 27, 2015

The storm fizzled out by late morning and by early afternoon I was able to make it over to Winsor Dam to quick check the area for the long shot chance of a storm blown bird.  The conditions at Winsor Dam were impressively windy with large snow drifts.  Despite some looking among the waves I only managed to turn up a handful of Ring billed Gulls and a single crow.

Snow Geese in Hadley this morning and another snow storm tonight through tomorrow

 

Snow Geese, Connecticut River at the Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 26, 2015

Snow Geese, Connecticut River at the Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 26, 2015

Snow Geese, Connecticut River at the Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 26, 2015

Snow Geese, Connecticut River at the Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 26, 2015

After missing the Snow Geese yesterday I decided to try my luck finding them on my way to work this morning. I stopped by the Coolidge Bridge but only found the usual species there (Canada Geese, Mallards, a couple Black Ducks and a few Common Mergansers). Without a lot of other areas of open water around I thought I would give the river near the Honey Pot a try and sure enough I found two adult Snow Geese roosting on the ice along with Canada Geese. I watched them for a short time and snapped a few pictures before taking off to work. Glad to see they are still around as they are quite uncommon in winter here. The Snow Geese became species #86 for Hampshire County this year, besting my previous best January back in 2013. This may be the last new species I get this month as we are forecast to get a large snowstorm.

Now for more information on the upcoming snow storm that will begin tonight and last through the entire day tomorrow into Wednesday. The hype machine is in full operation at this point with each news outlet trying to top the other with the how bad they can make the storm sound. Just a sampling of the descriptions for the storm include ‘historic’, ‘unprecedented ‘, ‘crippling’, ‘life threatening’ and ‘deadly’. It is tough to take the descriptions seriously as they roll out the same terms several times over the course of a typical winter and the storms seldom live up to the hype. We shall see what happens with this one but the potential certainly is there given the weather set up that appears to be playing out at this point. If the forecasts holds true then blizzard conditions with 2-3’ of snow could occur with high snowfall rates (2-3” per hour) overnight into tomorrow morning.

I’m sure the birds will hunker down during the worst of it and the feeders will get a lot of action tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if the strong northeast winds push any unusual birds close to shore tomorrow along the coast. Very unlikely anything will get moved all the way into western Massachusetts but always a remote possibility.  There is always an exceedingly slim chance of an alcid (Dovekie, Thick billed Murre) or some other pelagic bird (perhaps a Northern Gannet?) getting blown all the way inland to this area.  Much more likely will be a vagrant being forced by the weather to seek food at a feeder...time will tell.

Birding after the snow storm

Savannah Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 25, 2015

Savannah Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 25, 2015

Horned Lark, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 25, 2015

Horned Larks, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 25, 2015

Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, MA, Jan 25, 2015

Horned Lark, Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, MA, Jan 25, 2015

Peregrine Falcon eating Black Duck, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Jan 25, 2015

After being stuck at home yesterday during the snow it was nice to get out for a bit this morning despite the less than ideal road conditions early on.  It was still snowing a little this morning at home when I got up but eventually the skies cleared and the wind picked up.  I met up with Jacob just before dawn and we hit several spots including the Honey Pot, the Coolidge Bridge, Aqua Vitae Road and Mill Valley Road.  Nothing extreme this morning but still some good stuff around.  Highlights as follows for the following locations:

Honey Pot-  80 Horned Larks, a Snow Bunting and a number of sparrows including a Savannah Sparrow.

Coolidge Bridge- 283 Canada Geese, 4 Black Ducks (technically 4.5 as the Peregrine had only consumed 1/2 the bird when we saw it), 89 Mallards, two Common Mergansers, a Peregrine Falcon dining on a Black Duck

Aqua Vitae Road- 58 Horned Larks, a Lapland Longspur, at least a dozen Savannah Sparrows,

Mill Valley Road- 310+ Horned Larks

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 25, 2015

After dropping Jacob off I headed toward home with a brief stop at Winsor Dam which was very windy and quiet.  The ice continues to cover more and more area and soon there will be no open water left but that is hopefully still a week or more away.

Late morning I heard of a report from Scott Surner of three Snow Geese and a Turkey Vulture along Mill Valley Road in Hadley.  Both of these species are quite unusual around here in January and would have been great to catch up with but I had other plans through the early afternoon.  I eventually made my way over that way when I ran some errands in the early afternoon but the birds were gone but the fields along Mill Valley Road still produced impressive numbers of Horned Larks with at least 200 still flying around.  I also checked some nearby fields for the geese as well as making a stop at the US Fish and Wildlife HQ looking for waxwings but no luck with either.  I then worked south along South Maple Street and made a stop at the Silvio Conte NWR where I scanned the skies for awhile, finally turning up a first of the year Red Shouldered Hawk soaring distantly to the west (species #85 for the county this year...so far).  I was running out of time so headed for home despite my initially inclination to head over to the river to try to find the geese.  I should have made the detour to the river as someone reported two Snow Geese mixed in with the Canada Geese below the Coolidge Bridge later in the afternoon...oh well!  Hopefully they will still be there tomorrow when I make it over that way again.

Tree Swallow nest with unhatched eggs, home, Belchertown, MA, Jan 25, 2015

I spent the late afternoon cleaning out the various nest boxes around the yard and one of them contained a Tree Swallow nest with four unhatched eggs.  I thought the box had fledged birds this year but it appears that they were not successful.  Tree Swallow nests are always cool to see as they use lots of feathers in their nests, especially Ruffed Grouse feathers.

The predictions are calling for a massive storm starting tomorrow evening...more about that later.

Wilson in the snow, Jan 24, 2015

Wilson in the snow, Jan 24, 2015

Wilson in the snow, Jan 24, 2015

With the snow during the day yesterday (around 6-8" or so of heavy, wet snow) I spent time around the house cleaning up and playing with Wilson.  The feeders were really jumping during the storm with a total of a dozen species including a Common Redpoll, a Pine Siskin, 40+ American Goldfinches and a Carolina Wren.  Also had a couple of Great Horned Owls hooting early this morning despite the heavy snow coming down.

The calm before the storm

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 23, 2015

Although I continue to fight a cold I decided to take advantage of the calm before the upcoming snow storm and get out and check some spots (mostly from my  warm car).  I started out along the Swift River once again looking for a screech owl but only turned up a Great Horned Owl.  The Swift River featured some waterfowl with a number of Mallards plus at least 14 Hooded Mergansers and eight Common Mergansers plus a kingfisher.  I then stopped over at Winsor Dam where a majority of the water had a skim coat of ice on it.  The notables around early included two Horned Grebes and a couple flyby Pine Siskins.  With the rest of Quabbin likely frozen I decided to head east and hit the river in search of waterfowl (and others). 

Common Goldeneye, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

Common Merganser, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

Common Merganser, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

Hooded Mergansers, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

My first stop along the Connecticut River was below the Holyoke Dam where I had the following waterfowl:  83 Canada Geese, 3 Mute Swans, a Black Duck, 9 Common Goldeneyes, 11 Hooded Mergansers and 8 Common Mergansers.  I then travelled north along the mostly frozen river and made my next stop along Aqua Vitae Road which held a few highlights for the morning including 92 Horned Larks, a single Snow Bunting and 11 Savannah Sparrows.  The Connecticut River below the Coolidge Bridge had the following waterfowl:  235 Canada Geese, 2 Black Ducks, 72 Mallards, a Hooded Merganser and a couple Common Mergansers.

White crowned Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

White crowned Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

White crowned Sparrow (plus White throated Sparrow and Dark eyed Junco), Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

White crowned Sparrow (plus White throated Sparrow and Dark eyed Junco), Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

American Tree Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

Northern Flickers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

Northern Flickers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 23, 2015

My next stop along the river over at the Honey Pot was probably one of my most productive of the morning.  The notables here included four Northern Flickers feeding together in a field near 'That's a Plenty' Farm, a flyby raven, 14 Horned Larks, a Hermit Thrush feeding along the river, at least two 1st year White crowned Sparrows (there may have been a third but I only had two in view at once), a decent number of other sparrows (including American Tree, Song and White throated Sparrows) and a flyby Purple Finch.  The Purple Finch is a new species for the month here in the county bringing my total up to 84.  As I viewed the flickers and White crowned Sparrows, Dale stopped by in his search for some decent photographic subjects.  I'm sure the upcoming snow will push the birds back along the road edges allowing for better viewing and photographic opportunities.  I also ran into Jacob and Keenan who have made it back to the valley for their final semester here.

I tried to turn up some Bohemian Waxwings at the USFWS HQ building in Hadley but no waxwings at all around that spot.  I had a little better luck along Mill Valley Road with a flock of at least 142 Horned Larks feeding in the fields near the new solar power array.

Horned Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 23, 2015

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 23, 2015

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 23, 2015

I then headed back to Winsor Dam where some of the ice had melted and the more open water featured the following waterfowl:  a Black Duck, 198 Mallards, the continued female Bufflehead, a pair of Hooded Mergansers, four Common Mergansers, a Horned Grebe and a Common Loon.  No sign of the Red necked Grebe(s) today but they very well could still be around.  I'm still surprised nothing else has shown up with the large Mallard flock that has been present here for a few weeks.

It was nice to get out and enjoy the somewhat warm day before the arrival of the snow tonight which should last through the daylight hours tomorrow which will greatly curtail any birding tomorrow.  The exact amount of snow we will end up with with is tough to say at this point but the forecast is somewhere between 3-8" (and they are not too confident on those amounts as of now).

The month so far and some birding around Quabbin yesterday

A quick update of where I stand in trying to best my record from previous years for January in Hampshire County. I currently stand at 83 species as of today which puts me ahead of my best year (2013) by one at this point in the month and eight ahead of last year. I'm just three species away from my 2013 record with a week and a half left to go in the month. We shall see how it all plays out over that time. It certainly makes me get out there in the cold a little more than I normally would.  My second cold in just a few weeks make make it a bit tougher to get out enough to break the record but I will try.

Eastern Bluebird, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Jan 19, 2015

Winter Wren (staying hidden when the light was good), Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Jan 19, 2015

Winter Wren, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Jan 19, 2015

Hermit Thrush, River Road, Ware, MA, Jan 19, 2015

Ring billed Gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 19, 2015

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 19, 2015

With an extra day off yesterday due to the MLK holiday I had hopes of finding some good stuff by starting out bright and early but due to the lingering ice from the storm yesterday and the beginning of yet another cold I limited my time outside but nonetheless still had some good stuff.  Winsor Dam once again produced some decent waterfowl on several stops over the morning with 8 Black Ducks, 130 Mallards, the continued female Bufflehead, 8 Common Mergansers, two Common Loons, a Horned Grebe and a Red necked Grebe.  Also had a Sharp shinned Hawk fly past as well as a few Bald Eagles.  Other notables during the morning included at least 15 Hooded Mergansers along the Swift River, a couple Belted Kingfishers (one at Covey WMA and one at Quabbin Park), five Red breasted Nuthatch along the Swift River, three Winter Wrens (all along the Swift River) and a Hermit Thrush along River Road in Ware.