Friday, March 30, 2018

More waterfowl (and others) arriving overnight for the end of March


Northern Shoveler, Oxbow, Easthampton, MA, Mar 30, 2018
Green winged Teal, Oxbow, Easthampton, MA, Mar 30, 2018
Great Blue Heron, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 30, 2018
 Eastern Phoebe, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 30, 2018
I got out of work this morning and figured I would hit a few spots on my way home in the hopes of finding a few migrants that came in over night and were put down by the rainy weather.  I was going to go to Arcadia initially but decided instead to check out the river in Hadley, which was rather quiet.  When I was there I got a text from Keenan letting me know he had a pair of Northern Shovelers at the Oxbow so I headed over to take a look.  I got the pair fairly quickly as well as at 26 Black Ducks and at least 22 Green winged Teal in the oxbow.  I figured the marsh at Arcadia might be productive as well so I stopped there and through the low fog observed ten species of waterfowl including 34 Wood Ducks, a female Blue winged Teal, 44 Black Ducks and 82 Green winged Teal.  There may have been ever more stuff hidden from view in the fog.  I also had a few Great Blue Herons, a couple Eastern Phoebes, half a dozen Tree Swallows and a Yellow rumped Warbler.
Snow Geese, Route 47, Hadley, MA, Mar 30, 2018
Snow Geese, Route 47, Hadley, MA, Mar 30, 2018
Snow Geese, North Hadley, MA, Mar 30, 2018
As the morning was looking to be quite productive for waterfowl I decided to head across the river and check out a few fields in Hadley and Amherst on my way home.  I ran across some good stuff fairly quickly with ten Snow Geese in among a group of Canada Geese along Route 47 and another group of 32 Snow Geese further north.  The fields there also produced several Killdeer as well as a flock of 50+ Horned Larks.  A few other birders were able to stop and take a look at the Snow Goose flocks while I was there.
Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 30, 2018
Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 30, 2018
Lesser Scaup and possible Greater Scaup (left), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 30, 2018
Green winged Teal, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 30, 2018
Lesser Scaup and Ring necked Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 30, 2018
Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 30, 2018
After I ran a few errands I made my way over to Winsor Dam where I had half a dozen Green winged Teal, half a dozen Lesser Scaup (or possibly five Lesser and a Greater...in the field one bird looked a little bigger) and a flyby Red breasted Merganser in with a flock of Common Mergansers heading north as well as an Osprey.  I also stopped at Lake Wallace where I found 20+ Tree Swallows but didn't have any luck finding the Palm Warbler I have had there a few times in the last week.  Overall the morning was quite productive with a total of 15 species of waterfowl in among a total of 56 species.

The month has been my most productive March ever in Hampshire County breaking a hundred species with a total of 102 species seen so far...surpassing my previous best of 94 back in 2014.  I was able to do this even while being gone for a week to Florida and sick for another week.  Notables this month have included  Cackling Goose, seven species of woodpecker, Black Vulture, Ruby crowned Kinglet, an early Pine Warbler and Palm Warbler.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Migrants continue to trickle in the last several days including an early Palm Warbler and a intergrade Green winged Teal

Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 27, 2018
Ring necked Ducks', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 27, 2018
Mink, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 27, 2018
Mink, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 27, 2018
Mink, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 27, 2018
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 27, 2018
Canada Geese (large and small), Tri Town beach, Whately, MA, Mar 27, 2018
Intergrade Green winged Teal (Eurasian x American Green winged Teal hybrid), Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2018
Intergrade Green winged Teal (Eurasian x American Green winged Teal hybrid), Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2018
Belted Kingfisher, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 24, 2018
Greater White fronted Goose, UMASS campus Pond, Amherst, MA, Mar 2018
I have been down somewhat the last several days sick but I finally felt good enough this morning to spend a bit more than just a short time outside.  I was rewarded with several good birds this morning including my first Eastern Phoebe and Tree Swallows (at Arcadia and Lake Wallace respectively).  Other notables this morning included at least five Yellow rumped Warblers at Arcadia and the continued Palm Warbler at Lake Wallace (more on the initial sighting of that bird here: Palm Warbler).  In the afternoon I had to head out for an appointment but I managed to make a quick stop along the river in Hadley on my way to Deerfield and turned up a female Gadwall as well as an intergrade Green winged Teal (a hybrid of American Green winged Teal x Eurasian Green winged Teal aka Common Teal).  I have never had this hybrid before and have only had pure Eurasian Green winged Teal twice before in western mass...once in Hampshire County along Aqua Vitae Road back in April 2011 and once in Hampden County at Fannie Stebbins in March 2012.  I also stopped briefly at Tri Town beach in Whately to check out the geese and had just Canada Geese although one was quite small but just didn't look right for Cackling Goose.  The last several days have also turned up a few other new birds for the year including Belted Kingfisher (finally), Greater White fronted Goose and Wilson's Snipe.  Besides the birds today I had a close encounter with a Mink at Lake Wallace which provided some photo opportunities.  This March is shaping up to be my most productive ever in the county with a total of 97 species so far (already a few ahead of my previous best March) and there are still a few days of the month left.  Hopefully some more southerly winds the next few days will be productive.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Florida trip to the Melbourne area from March 17-22


Ruddy Turnstone, Melbourne Beach, FL, Mar 17, 2018
Willet, Melbourne Beach, FL, Mar 17, 2018
Forester's Tern, Melbourne Beach, FL, Mar 17, 2018
Sanderling with injured right leg, Melbourne Beach, FL, Mar 17, 2018
Brown Pelican, Melbourne Beach, FL, Mar 17, 2018
We made a trip down to Florida for a few days leaving on Saturday the 17th and returning on Thursday the 22nd. We flew into Orlando midday and then made the drive east to the coast in the area of Melbourne Beach. We arrived mid afternoon and stayed around our lodging which produced some close looks at some common shorebirds as well as a few other species.
Northern Parula, Turkey Creek Sanctuary, FL, Mar 18, 2018
Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Turkey Creek Sanctuary, FL, Mar 18, 2018
Pine Warbler, St Sebastian River Preserve SP, FL, Mar 18, 2018
Brown headed Nuthatch, St Sebastian River Preserve SP, FL, Mar 18, 2018
On Sunday I headed out before dawn to go to Turkey Creek Sanctuary. I arrived before first light and was rewarded with a couple Eastern Whip Poor Wills calling. Once it got light enough to see I headed out on the numerous trails there primarily looking for some early migrants, especially warblers. The location is well known for attracting warblers (with at least 35 species seen, but usually a little later in the spring or in the fall). There was definitely some migrants moving through with the most numerous species being Northern Parula, with at least 33 individuals around including several singing. A total of seven warbler species in just a couple of hours was really just the tip of the iceberg of migrants starting to move north. Other notables around included a calling Barred Owl, several each of White eyed and Blue Headed Vireo, lots of gnatcatchers and a Painted Bunting. I could have stayed there longer but wanted to check out another new area for me at the St Sebastian River Preserve SP. The park is quite large but I concentrated on just a few spots primarily looking for Red cockaded Woodpecker and Florida Scrub Jay as well as other pine land species including Bachman's Sparrow and Brown headed Nuthatch. I found all of the species mentioned except for the scrub jays.  After a break for lunch at our lodging I made the ten minute trip south to Pelican Island NWR (the first NWR in the US, created in 1903 by Theodore Roosevelt). Due to the heat and lack of shade in the early afternoon I kept my visit relatively brief but still turned up some good stuff. A sunny and warm day overall with temperatures topping out in the mid 80's.
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Turkey Creek Sanctuary, FL, Mar 19, 2018
I had plans on Monday to hit a few new areas a bit further away but I unfortunately a sore throat I had the night before got worse by the morning. I decided to return to Turkey Creek Sanctuary before stopping by the drug store to pick up meds. The area was productive once again but there was certainly a turn over of some species with much reduced numbers of Northern Parula and Blue headed Vireos.
Little Blue Heron, Maritime Hammock Sanctuary, FL, Mar 19, 2018
American Alligator, Maritime Hammock Sanctuary, FL, Mar 19, 2018
Gulf Fritillary, Maritime Hammock Sanctuary, FL, Mar 19, 2018
After a couple hours there I headed back toward home base before setting out late morning to nearby Maritime Hammock Preserve. Although the low scrub habitat and mangroves looked great for birds the first half of our time there was nearly bird less with just a handful of species...very odd. Once we made it out to some small ponds the activity increased a bit and turned up some good stuff including a mixed flock that contained my first Northern Waterthrush and Ovenbird of the trip plus a female Painted Bunting. The hike here also produced an alligator as well as a close (but brief) look at a Bobcat that nonchalantly crossed the trail in front of us at a distance of perhaps 20 feet.
Wood Stork carrying nesting material, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 19, 2018
Lesser Scaup, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 19, 2018
Northern Shoveler, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 19, 2018
Tricolored Heron, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 19, 2018
Prairie Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 19, 2018
Palm Warbler (western), Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 19, 2018
Great Egret, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 19, 2018
After a break for lunch I headed back down to Pelican Island NWR where I checked out a new trail that included a small pond with lots of waterfowl on it. There was also a steady stream of Wood Storks flying by with nesting material heading to a small island. The rest of the day was spent sitting outside at our lodging enjoying another day of warm weather before a cold front arrived.
Bonaparte's Gull, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 20, 2018
Osprey, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 20, 2018
Red bellied Woodpecker, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 20, 2018
Yellow throated Warbler, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 20, 2018
Black and White Warbler, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 20, 2018
Tuesday was forecast to be occasionally stormy so I didn't venture too far plus I was not feeling too good.  I started the day with an early morning trip to Pelican Island NWR where I spent about an hour and a half exploring a couple different areas but didn't turn up anything too unusual. The original plan for the day was for us to make a trip up to the north to take a midday boat ride but the windy weather with potential severe weather cancelled the trip. We decided to instead head up to Coconut Point Sanctuary where we walked the roughly 3/4 of a mile trail through scrub habitat that eventually produced some impressive mixed species flocks moving through with double digit counts of Black and White Warblers as well as my first Yellow throated Warblers of the trip. A total of nine warbler species was quite decent in a just a small portion of the trail. Lots of swallows were also moving north, fighting the strong wind. Although a little early for a major movement of migrants the conditions during the last couple days had been perfect for birds leaving the Yucatan and parts of Cuba. During the rest of the windy afternoon I kept a low profile at our lodging as I continued to fight my cold. The storms never arrived in the area until dinner time and thankfully they were not as severe as they were just to our north. The cold front that caused all the storms moved through during the night setting up our last full day to be sunny but cooler with lows in the upper 40's and highs in the low 70's.
Northern Parula, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 21, 2018
Prairie Warbler, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 21, 2018
Snowy Egrets, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 21, 2018
Northern Cardinal, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 21, 2018
Eastern Towhee, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 21, 2018
Western Sandpiper, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 21, 2018
Western Sandpiper surrounded by Sanderlings, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 21, 2018
The last full day of the trip was cooler but sunny and I unfortunately spent a part of the morning at an urgent care clinic to get treatment. I did manage to get a short walk during a return trip to Coconut Point Sanctuary while I waited for my prescriptions to get filled. The location once again produced some decent variety of warblers including my first Orange crowned Warbler of the trip. The big numbers of Black and White Warblers appears to have moved on. I tried hard to turn up an early Swainson's Warbler but I didn't have any luck here (nor any other spots I stopped over the course of several days). It was just too early to get a push of them but it was still fun to try....full report and more photos of warblers at the following link: warblers.

Overall for the trip I managed to find a total of 102 species including three new species for my Florida list, Eastern Whip Poor Will, Chucks Will Widow and Lesser Black backed Gull bringing my total in the state to 216. I certainly could have added more species if I had visited more areas but my sickness during most of the trip put a damper on traveling extensively. Although a little early to produce a big variety of warblers heading north a few locations did produce some groups of migrants moving through with decent numbers of Northern Parula and Black and White Warblers. It was nice to hear some of the warblers starting to sing.  Full album with all photos from the trip at the following link:  Florida -March 2018