November review and birding this morning

Rough legged Hawk, Hadley, MA, Nov 25, 2018

Northern Shrike, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2018

Cattle Egret, Rt 116, Hadley, MA, Nov 12, 2018

Cattle Egrets, Barstow's Farm, Hadley, MA, Nov 3, 2018

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 28, 2018

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2018

Rusty Blackbirds, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Now that November has come to an end I'll take a quick look at what birds the month produced.  I had a total of 110 species for the month in the Hampshire County, which fell just short of my best November ever (record is last year with 113 species).  Among the species were three new species for my Hampshire County year list (Common Redpoll, Northern Shrike and Rough legged Hawk).  The Rough legged Hawk broke my previous best year in the county becoming species #239 for the year.  The month started off with the biggest arrival of Cattle Egrets I have ever had with at least half a dozen noted starting on the 3rd and some continuing until at least the 12th.  There were a number of lingering species including Brown Thrasher, Ruby crowned Kinglet and multiple warblers (more on warblers for the month at the following link). The month was overall colder than normal with multiple record breaking cold days plus multiple bouts of snow and lots of rain (a record setting month for precipitation).

Common Redpoll, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 30, 2018

Common Redpolls, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 30, 2018

Northern Shrike, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 30, 2018

To end the month I went out birding with Devin primarily in search of any species that would put Devin up over the 200 mark for the year in Hampshire County.  We had several possibilities to reach that goal with the first being a continuing Northern Shrike at Arcadia.  We arrived there just before dawn and after a bit of walking along the hedgerows we found the shrike perched on some telephone lines overlooking a bunch of sparrows.  We didn't want to bother the shrike too much as looked intent on hunting so we did not approach it too closely and instead took some shots from a distance.  The next two plus hours spent at Arcadia also proved quite productive with 38 species total seen or heard.  I'm sure if the forecast for a sunny day ever came to fruition we could have added a few more but we were both happy to see the stuff we did see.  We then headed back across the river to Hadley in search of the Rough legged Hawk seen hunting the fields south of the mall a few days ago.  No luck with that hawk but there were a number of other raptors around.  As we still had some time left we stopped over to Silvio Conte NWR where we got great looks at a flock of ten Common Redpolls feeding happily, adding another species to Devin's list for the year.  Overall a productive end to the month.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 16, 2018

The camera set up continues to capture a number of species including multiple leg banded Black capped Chickadees.

Rough legged Hawk becomes species #239 for the year in Hampshire County and breaks my previous record for a year in the county

Rough legged Hawk, Hadley, MA, Nov 25, 2018

Rough legged Hawk, Hadley, MA, Nov 25, 2018

Rough legged Hawk, Hadley, MA, Nov 25, 2018

Although the forecast called for heavy rain this morning it had all moved out to the east before daybreak so I was able to get a little birding in after work.  I started out at the East Meadows in the hopes of finding a Rough legged Hawk seen there yesterday.  It is a species I have not yet seen this year in Hampshire County and if I could find one it would push me past my old record for species seen in the county in a year.  I scanned for a bit and found some Red tailed Hawks but no Rough legged Hawks.  There were also swirling groups of Horned Larks and Snow Buntings plus a few Lapland Longspurs mixed in.  I didn't venture too far into the meadows as it was quite muddy and I certainly didn't want to get stuck.  I decided to try my luck across the river in Hadley and drove through various open areas/fields.  I noticed a decent movement of geese heading north from the area of Moody Bridge Road so headed north to see if I could find where they had settled down to feed.  As I got to Mill Valley Road and South Maple Street I noticed a raptor hovering over the fields...a dark morph Rough legged Hawk!  I managed to make a quick stop and set up the scope and get a few digiscoped shots with my phone before the bird continued to drift off to the south.  I posted about the bird and I know several people were able to follow up on it and relocate it in the same general area including at least one person who had never seen the species before.  The Rough legged Hawk became species #239 for me in the county for the year and surpasses my previous best year back in 2016 when I had 238.  My previous attempts at big years for the county topped out at 237 in 2014 and 2015.  With just over a month left in the year there is still a chance for another species or two but it will have to be an irruptive species or a rarity as I have found all the expected species at this point.

Canada Goose with white markings on neck and head, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Nov 25, 2018

After seeing the Rough legged Hawk I continued north to look for geese (and run a few errands).  The biggest group of geese I found were on the partially frozen campus pond at UMASS where there were well over 500 Canada Geese including one individual with white markings on the neck and head.  A return run past the area of South Maple Street turned up four late Turkey Vultures together as well as an American Kestrel but no sign of the Rough legged Hawk.

Lapland Longspur, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Nov 23, 2018

Lapland Longspur, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Nov 23, 2018

Savannah Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Nov 23, 2018

I ventured down to the East Meadows on Friday on yet another very cold and frosty morning and turned up at least five Lapland Longspurs among the flocks of larks.  There were also a few pockets of sparrows including a number of Savannah Sparrows as well as a single adult White crowned Sparrow.

Snow and winter like conditions continue with the coldest air of the season arriving for Thanksgiving

American Pipit, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 17, 2018

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 16, 2018

Red necked Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 18, 2018

Dawn at the Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 18, 2018

Wilson dressed for fall but feeling like winter, Belchertown, MA, Nov 17, 2018

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 19, 2018

Our mid winter like weather continues and is forecast to get worse.  Last Thursday night into Friday we got our first real bout of snow and the accumulations ended up being much higher than predicted with at least 8-10" compared to the predicted 3-5".  I made a stop at Silvio Conte NWR after work but didn't find too much in the way of activity but some close looks at American Pipits in a muddy area free of snow was nice.  Another dusting of snow occurred Sunday night into Monday and then it changed to some cold rain and Monday stayed raw throughout the day.  Tuesday dawned to find a mix of rain and snow coming down once again but only amounted to a slushy dusting.  I had hopes that the rainy weather might ground some late migrants on the water at Quabbin or other nearby areas but multiple stops didn't produce anything unusual.  James had great luck up in Turners Falls with at least nine Red throated Loons and a Black legged Kittiwake!  More on that at his blog.  I made it out again this morning and checked a few areas at Quabbin but all spots were quiet with the best bird being a late Ruby crowned Kinglet.  I then took advantage of some relatively nice weather this morning before the arctic front moved through by walking a bit at the rail trail in Amherst and then checking a variety of open field areas for waterfowl and raptors.  Several hundred geese were present in various areas but nothing besides Canada Geese.  Tomorrow looks to be absolutely brutal cold with highs not making it to 20 and wind chills below zero with lows overnight getting to near zero...record setting cold and probably the coldest Thanksgiving on record around here.  Not great weather to keep lingering migrants around for early winter.

A morning at Arcadia as mid winter like conditions settle in plus some banded birds at home

Northern Shrike, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2018

Northern Shrike, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2018

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2018

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2018

Fox Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2018

Dusting of snow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2018

It appears that conditions more like mid winter have arrived and it is forecast to just get worse.  Although it was suppose to be sunny all day I awoke to find some light snow showers coming down that increased in intensity as I arrived at Arcadia with enough snow coming down to leave a dusting.  The temperatures today never climbed out of the low to mid 30's and the strong northwest winds had wind chills in the teens all day.  The core of the cold will arrive tonight with lows in the teens to single digits possible in some areas with highs tomorrow barely breaking the freezing mark..record setting cold for sure.  On top of it all we will get a bout of snow that will likely accumulate several inches from Thursday night into Friday morning.  Despite the less than ideal conditions the couple of hours I had available in the morning proved quite productive at Arcadia.  After much searching I finally got better looks at the Northern Shrike that has been present for several days down there.  I had seen it briefly and distantly a few days ago so it was nice to see it for a longer period and much closer.  I also tried to locate another Northern Shrike along the rail trail a couple days ago but failed to turn that one back up.  Besides the shrike there were other notables around today including three late Ruby crowned Kinglets, half a dozen Yellow rumped Warblers as well as some waterfowl and raptors moving.  All and all a good morning despite the cold temperatures with 48 species tallied during my time at Arcadia.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands and Tufted Titmouse, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 14, 2018

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands and Tufted Titmouse, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 14, 2018

With the arrival of the cold I decided to try putting some feeders out (hopefully the bears won't be back).  In just a day I managed to capture two of my banded birds (both chickadees) on the cameras I have trained on the feeders.  Both the the birds were banded this season as part of the Neighborhood Nestwatch program.

Northern Shrike and others at Arcadia

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 11, 2018

White crowned Sparrows, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 11, 2018

White crowned Sparrows, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 11, 2018

I noticed a post yesterday from Derek about a Northern Shrike that he and Ted had down at Arcadia but I had no chance to try for it until I got out of work this morning.  I immediately headed over to the area where it was seen and found a few others looking for it.  I saw Chuck and he mentioned he had it relatively close in along the road several minutes ago but it was no longer in view.  I parked and started walking the various hedgerows and fields in search of the bird.  I was joined by Chuck for part of the time and we had a brief false alarm when we noticed a distant bird that turned out to be a Northern Mockingbird.  We did turn up a number of sparrows along the way including a number of Fox Sparrows, Field Sparrows, a Vesper Sparrow and others (finished the morning with nine species of sparrows including three late White crowned Sparrows I turned up right before I left).  After quite a bit of searching I finally got distant views of the shrike teed up in a tree out in the middle of a field in the same general area as a mockingbird.  I got the scope out and got a quick look before it dropped down out of sight.  I continued searching for it but came up empty in my continued quest to get a closer look (and a photo).  Hopefully the bird is still in the area and just moved to a different area that I did not check but as far as I can tell it was not seen again through midday.  I also made a quick search for a late Pine Warbler that Derek also had yesterday but it was nowhere to be found...I had to be content with a few Yellow rumped Warblers.  The Northern Shrike was my 238th species for Hampshire County for the year and ties my best overall year (2016) with over a month and a half left of the year.  Full list for the morning here.

Although I had seen Scott while at Arcadia and he mentioned he stopped by Winsor Dam earlier and found it quiet I just had to make a quick stop given the history of rare birds (both new Hampshire County records) I have found there on past Veteran's Days including a King Eider back in 2013 and a Pacific Loon in 2015.  Sadly no great rarities were to be found during my brief stop with the only waterfowl around being a group of four Common Mergansers flying past.

More Cattle Egrets around plus more lingering warblers and Evening Grosbeaks

Cattle Egret, Amherst, MA, Nov 9, 2018

Cattle Egret, Amherst, MA, Nov 9, 2018

Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 9, 2018

Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 9, 2018

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 9, 2018

Black capped Chickadee, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 9, 2018

White tailed Deer, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 9, 2018

White tailed Deer, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 9, 2018

After getting out of work this morning I headed over to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River once again and took advantage of some brief morning sun before the clouds moved in.  Some construction activity around the parking lot and entrance road kept that area quiet so I concentrated on areas that were a bit quieter.  During about an hour and a half of walking around I turned up a number of notable birds including a Common Yellowthroat (which appeared to be different from either of the two individuals of the same species I had in the same area several days ago), three Palm Warblers (all of the yellow subspecies), a couple flyover Evening Grosbeaks and several flyover Pine Siskins.  I also had a close encounter with a buck White tailed Deer that ran out through a grassy field right in front of me.

I next headed north a bit in search of geese and perhaps some of the lingering Cattle Egrets that have been reported in the area of North Hadley/Amherst since first arriving back on November 3rd.  I quickly found two Cattle Egrets feeding in the median of Route 116 in Amherst near UMASS (apparently the same two that originally showed up near Stockbridge Road and have been seen in various nearby locations the last several days).  I also found several hundred geese in some fields in Amherst but couldn't find anything unusual among them.

Cattle Egret, Austin's Farm, Belchertown, MA, Nov 9, 2018

Cattle Egret, Austin's Farm, Belchertown, MA, Nov 9, 2018

I saw a Facebook report of a Cattle Egret in Belchertown in the mid afternoon and since it was not too far from the house I made the quick trip down to see it.  I wonder how long this one has been around...I'm certain it is yet another bird that came in on southerly winds last weekend.  This makes at least half a dozen individuals in Hampshire County in the last several days...really unprecedented numbers. 

Another productive morning at Silvio Conte NWR

American Pipit, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Palm Warbler 'western', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Rusty Blackbirds, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Red bellied Woodpecker, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Eastern Phoebe, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

I took advantage of a rare sunny day by heading over to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River once again.  Although it started off cool it warmed up nicely by mid morning and it was comfortable to be out without a hat and gloves.  It was another banner morning there with many highlights including a single Common Redpoll (hopefully just the vanguard of many more of this irruptive species that looks to be moving in), a Black Vulure with a few Turkey Vultures, another late Eastern Phoebe and a double digit total of Palm Warblers (with both subspecies present)...more on the warblers here.  There were also a great number of Rusty Blackbirds with at least 49 individuals present, decent counts of American Pipits, continued numbers of flyover Pine Siskins and Purple Finches, a trilling Eastern Screech Owl, six species of woodpeckers and decent sparrow diversity...full list from the morning attached here.