Quabbin Park this morning and an update on Hurricane Dorian

House Wren, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 30, 2019

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 30, 2019

 Common Yellowthroat (with attached tick), Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 30, 2019

 Eastern Towhee, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 30, 2019

I spent the early morning poking around Quabbin Park and had a number of noteworthy sightings among 60 species for the morning including at least two Eastern Whip Poor Wills, an Olive sided Flycatcher and an early Swainson's Thrush.  Most species have stopped singing by now but a few were still going strong including Eastern Wood Pewee and Red eyed Vireo.  Oddly I only had seven species of warblers around with no really good mixed flocks with most birds spread out across the landscape. 

Hurricane Dorian projected track as of 11AM, Aug 30, 2019 (courtesy of the NHC)

Although the hurricane season started off a bit slow it has heated up recently with the formation of a few storms with the most impressive being Hurricane Dorian.  It started off as a small storm well out in the Atlantic that made a pass through the Lesser Antilles before brushing past Puerto Rico and hitting the Virgin Islands as a Cat 1 hurricane.  The storm has defied some early predictions of it being wiped out by interactions with some of the larger islands of the Greater Antilles.  It has now made it into an area to the east of the Bahamas that is quite favorable for potentially rapid intensification.  As of midday today it is just below Cat 3 strength and is forecast to become a Cat 4 with winds of 140 MPH before landfall into both the northern Bahamas and Florida.  The storm is also forecast to slow down quite a bit which could be potentially catastrophic for some of the areas mentioned above with extreme damage from sustained strong winds and major flooding from both rain and storm surge.  The islands of the Bahamas are home to a number of endemics and near endemics that would suffer greatly if a storm of Cat 4 strength lingers in the area.  There is still some unknowns as far as exact track but it is almost a certainty that some area in the southeast US is going to get hit hard.  Beyond the potential damage to the bird populations on the islands the storm has great potential to displace a number of species to inland locations in the southeast US.  Will any of those birds make it this far?  Unlikely as the track after landfall looks to move up the coast a bit before getting kicked out to sea in the mid Atlantic states somewhere but the track is far from certain at this point.  I will update as the days go on.  The anniversary of the most recent productive (bird wise) tropical system to hit the area back in 2011 occurred on August 28 and resulted in an epic day of birding here...link to the birds of Hurricane Irene link.

Cerulean Warbler today

Cerulean Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 27, 2019

Cerulean Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 27, 2019

Yellow Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 27, 2019

American Redstart, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Aug 27, 2019

A great morning out despite a little bit of fog and cool temperatures (47 degrees to start).  Today I started out my morning at UMASS but it was fairly slow so I decided to try my luck at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River.  The best bird by far was a Cerulean Warbler that was in a small mixed flock, a very rare fall migrant here.  A full story on the Cerulean Warbler can be found at the follow link.

Snowy Egret and Greater Scaup yesterday and warblers today

Snowy Egret, Paradise Pond, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Aug 25, 2019

Snowy Egret, Paradise Pond, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Aug 25, 2019

Snowy Egret, Paradise Pond, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Aug 25, 2019

Greater Scaup, Paradise Pond, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Aug 25, 2019

Common Mergansers, Paradise Pond, Smith College, Northampton, MA, Aug 25, 2019

I followed up yesterday on a report of a Snowy Egret that showed up at Paradise Pond at Smith College on Saturday but I could not try for due to work. Thankfully the bird stayed overnight and was feeding well first thing in the morning on Sunday when I checked on my way back to work. The species is fairly rare in the Hampshire County and this is perhaps my sixth record in the county so far with the majority coming in mid-late summer or early fall. In addition to the egret, the rare for summer Greater Scaup also continued at the pond and showed quite well (present all month). Always nice to have a couple rarities within view of each other in an easily accessible location.

Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 26, 2019

Chestnut sided Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 26, 2019

Blue winged Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 26, 2019

Yellow Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 26, 2019

Northern Waterthrush, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 26, 2019

Great crested Flycatcher, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 26, 2019

After getting out of work this morning I made a stop at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River to see what might have shown up overnight.  The weather had an early fall feel with low humidity, clear conditions and temperatures starting off around 50.  I made a circuit around the main trail and then along some edges and turned up a couple mixed flocks with the highlight among the nine species of warbler being a singing Northern Parula. I also ran across Ted on his way out and he mentioned having a Wilson's Warbler as well as a Worm eating Warbler (a very unusual species away from known breeding spots and late to still be around).

An update on the hurricane season as the peak part of the season rapidly approaches. Although the season is still forecast to be an average season it has started out fairly slow with only the third named system (Chantel) forming out in the northern Atlantic just last week and dissipating quickly. It was quickly followed by Dorian which formed on August 23 southeast of Barbados. This storm looks to track northwest and impact the Lesser Antilles.  The storm could hold together as a minimal hurricane after that but will be fighting some less than ideal conditions for storm strengthening....time will tell what happens.

A few sightings from the last several days

Common Yellowthroat, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Aug 22, 2019

Song Sparrow, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Aug 22, 2019

Eastern Cottontail, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Aug 22, 2019

I headed out bright and early this morning into a foggy morning that never cleared out while I was birding.  I tried for shorebirds in some Hadley fields but the fog made viewing difficult and I only managed to find some Killdeer.  I then headed north with a stop at Lake Warner where I briefly relocated the Black crowned Night Heron that was originally found by Scott several days ago.  It was half hidden when I first saw it but it was then flushed by a cow coming down into the water at which point it flew up and landed briefly in a dead tree before flying east across the pond and disappeared into the fog.  The rest of my time out for the morning was spent around UMASS where I had the typical stuff one would expect for the end of August.  The biggest mystery for the day was a loud call I heard twice while at UMASS that I could not identify.  It was coming from a thicket and despite a lot of looking I never was able to find the bird.  It only called twice and the calls were separated by several minutes so no recording. 

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 19, 2019

Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 19, 2019

Dawn, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 21, 2019

I made numerous stops at Lake Wallace first thing in the morning over the last several days with the highlights including at least 17 Green Herons on a couple days and a calling Virginia Rail multiple times.

White M Hairstreak, Cadwell Memorial Forest, Pelham, MA, Aug 20, 2019

White M Hairstreak, Cadwell Memorial Forest, Pelham, MA, Aug 20, 2019

On Tuesday I found a new butterfly species for me as I came across a White M Hairstreak while out walking with Wilson in the Cadwell Memorial Forest in Pelham.  The species is at the northern end of its range here in Massachusetts but has become more numerous as the climate warms (along with other species of butterflies).

Bobcat, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 14, 2019

Raccoons, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 6, 2019

Wild Turkey, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 6, 2019

The cameras at home continue to capture some good stuff including a Bobcat in the late afternoon, a family of Raccoons and a Wild Turkey.

Trip to the Finger Lakes

Sunset over Seneca Lake, Burdett, NY, Aug 12, 2019

Watkins Glen SP, Watkins Glen, NY, Aug 13, 2019

Bird mural, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, Aug 14, 2019

Fuller Wetland, Sapsucker Woods, Ithaca, NY, Aug 14, 2019

Back from a trip out to the Finger Lakes region of New York with a few bird sightings but not too many as this was not a birding trip. We headed out on Sunday and stayed at the southern end of Seneca Lake for three nights. Most of the time was spent visiting various wineries but I did manage to get out a little on a couple mornings plus made a stop at Sapsucker Woods at Cornell on the way home. Added a few new species to my New York list (Fish Crow, Hermit Thrush, Louisiana Waterthrush and Chestnut sided Warbler) as well as added some new county species for me in the state. My New York list now stands at 144 with at least one species seen in 26 counties.

The first week brings in some waders and shorebirds

Great Egret, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 5, 2019

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 5, 2019

Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 5, 2019

Great Egrets, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Aug 3, 2019

Solitary Sandpiper, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, Aug 6, 2019

With the beginning of August comes the dispersal of a number of waders and the beginning of shorebird migration and with them the chance for unusual species to show up.  The number of Green Herons at Lake Wallace continues to increase, reaching a high of 14 on Monday.  Great Egrets have started showing up right on time with numbers continuing to increase (with a high so far of nine at the Oxbow at Arcadia on Saturday morning).  Oddly I hit a number of spots today looking for unusual waders and could not even turn up a single Great Egret!  Shorebirds are starting to trickle in with my first Solitary Sandpipers of the season this morning at Lower Mill Pond plus the expected Spotted Sandpipers and Killdeer at a few locations.