Epic day produces 29 species of warbler among many migrants

Cape May Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018

Cape May Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018

Northern Parula, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018

Black throated Blue Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018

Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018

Yellow bellied Flycatcher, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018

Bay breasted Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018

Magnolia Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 16, 2018

Cape May Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 16, 2018

Wilson's Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 16, 2018

An epic day of birding today with an amazing total of 29 species of warbler including my first Mourning Warbler of the season plus two even more unusual species with a rare Hooded Warbler and a rare in spring Orange crowned Warbler (it is a banner day when Mourning Warbler is the third best warbler species!).  Besides the warblers there were other migrants around including a singing Lincoln's Sparrow and a couple Green Herons chasing each other around.  After a couple hours at UMASS I then headed over to Quabbin Park in search of more migrants.  A few hours at Quabbin Park added a number of other species including my first Olive sided Flycatcher and Yellow bellied Flycatcher plus lots of other migrants.  The most impressive sighting for me was watching a group of three Cape May Warblers feeding at the top of oaks for several minutes and when I took a break and lowered my binoculars I saw first two, then three and then four male Cape May Warblers at near eye level!  I snapped away a number of photos and then just took in the spectacle of having this species so close.  The one area held an amazing seven Cape May Warblers (this is more then I see most seasons!)  The number of Cape May Warblers, Tennessee Warblers and Bay breasted Warblers continue to impress (I'll post more about this later in the season).  As the morning came to an end I decided I would make the trip over to Skinner SP to add two more warbler species to the list for the day bringing my total for the day up to 29 species...an amazing day...no need to travel very far to get good variety and numbers.  A more in depth review of the day in regards to warblers can be found at the following link: Warblers on May 16th

Cerulean Warbler building nest, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 15, 2018

Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 15, 2018

Black throated Green Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 15, 2018

Ruby throated Humming Bird, Quabbin Park, MA, May 15, 2018

Wilson's Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 15, 2018

Blackpoll Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 15, 2018

Yesterday I spent the morning with Devin and Aidan in a successful attempt to get them a single day total in the county topping 100 species (without doing a lot of driving).  We started before dawn and covered Quabbin Park for several hours were we racked up 90 species with many highlights including a brief look at Eastern Whip Poor Wills, a Ruby throated Hummingbird building a nest, a Swainson's Thrush singing, 24 species of warbler including multiple Bay breasted, Cape May and Tennessee Warblers and lots of other stuff with a number of species collecting nesting material or building nests.  Although I think we could have surpassed the century mark with more effort in the park we decided to try our luck at Lake Wallace before heading over to Skinner SP (to max out the warblers for the day).  Lake Wallace added a few species but nothing out of the ordinary.  Skinner SP was productive with multiple Worm eating Warblers and at least three Cerulean Warblers, including a female building a nest.  We somehow missed junco at the summit but got a few raptors.

Bay breasted Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2018

Louisiana Waterthrush, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2018

On Monday I hit a few spots in the morning and managed to find a total of 26 species of warblers during visits to Orchard Hill, Mitch's Way, Skinner SP and Quabbin Park.

Magnolia Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 15, 2018

Red Fox kit, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 14, 2018

Eastern Phoebe nest with five eggs, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 15, 2018

The Red Fox family continues to be seen around the yard and I added the 40th species to my water feature list (and the 13th warbler species there) when the camera captured a Magnolia Warbler.  Multiple species have now started nesting in the yard with some eggs noted.