Monday, September 30, 2019

September wrap up

Connecticut Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 28, 2019
Marsh Wren, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 28, 2019
Eastern Wood Pewee, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 28, 2019
Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
Least Flycatcher, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
Snowy Egret with Great Egrets, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 22, 2019
Gray Fox, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Sep 21, 2019
Prairie Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 16, 2019
Yellow billed Cuckoo, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Sep 15, 2019
Clay colored Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2019
Now that September has come to an end I will take a quick look at what the month brought in.  Overall migration was good but did not feature as much variety or numbers as I expected but with so many days (and nights) of great migration conditions I think a lot of birds just moved past rapidly.  I found a total of 155 species for the month which just slightly above average but nine short of the record set last year when I had 164.  There were a number of highlights for the month including continued numbers of Great Egrets, a Snowy Egret, a number of late lingering flycatchers, a couple Marsh Wrens, an early Clay colored Sparrow (among ten species of sparrows), a Worm eating Warbler and seven Connecticut Warblers among 27 warbler species for the month and a Blue Grosbeak.  A more detailed look at warblers for the month (with loads of photos) can be found at September warblers.
Bobcat, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2019
Bobcat, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2019
White tailed Deer, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 23, 2019
Blackpoll Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2019
I also continue to catch both Bobcat and White tailed Deer on the game cameras at home.  The camera on the water feature has been very quiet for most of the month but did have a Blackpoll Warbler make a stop yesterday.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Morning stop at Arcadia

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
House Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
Palm Warbler 'western', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
Gray Catbird, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
Least Flycatcher, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
Scarlet Tanager, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
Eastern Wood Pewee, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
White crowned Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2019
After getting out of work this morning I headed over to Arcadia where I spent the next couple hours scouring a few different areas and turned up 69 species (not bad for late September!).  Although it started off cool and a bit foggy the sun quickly burned through and the temperatures rapidly rose.  As we near the end of September the numbers of sparrow continue to increase with my first White crowned Sparrow of the season as well as larger numbers of a few other sparrows.  At the same time the number of warblers continue to drop but I still managed to find a dozen species of them including a brief look at a Connecticut Warbler and a late Yellow Warbler plus my first small groups of Yellow rumped Warblers.  The morning also included a few unusual flycatchers with a Least Flycatcher, two Eastern Wood Pewees and a Alder/Willow Flycatcher plus lots of Eastern Phoebes.  Other notables included seven Great Egrets continuing (no sign of the Snowy Egret), a Merlin hunting along the hedgerows, nearly 30 Gray Catbirds, at least three Scarlet Tanagers and decent numbers of Indigo Buntings.  The fruit field trees around the small field near the Old Orchard turned up several of the birds mentioned above and it really looks prime to turn up something late or lingering this fall...time will tell.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Small heron mystery solved...finally

Snowy Egret and Great Egret, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 22, 2019
Snowy Egret, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 22, 2019
Snowy Egret and Great Egrets, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 22, 2019
Great Egret and Great Blue Heron, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 22, 2019
Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 22, 2019
Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 22, 2019
Ovenbird, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 22, 2019
The mystery of the exact species of the small heron species I have seen flyover around dawn at Arcadia on a few mornings over the last week has finally been solved. I went there again this morning specifically looking for the bird but the dense fog made seeing it seem far from likely. Nonetheless as I walked down one of the roads the small heron appeared out of the fog in the company of nine Great Egrets (a noteworthy number for this species in September). The entire group appeared to have settled down in the area of Ned’s Ditch once again. I noticed Derek was also in the area so I messaged him and we went in search of the group. Our first few spots we tried produced just some Great Blue Herons and Green Herons but we finally caught up with the group in a small pool where we finally identified the small heron...a Snowy Egret...a four heron/egret morning for us! The fog that was suppose to burn off early never did so until late in the morning but the birds were still spectacular with lots of other notable sightings including a singing Warbling Vireo, a noticeable increase sparrows with the most abundant being Savannah, Song and Lincoln’s Sparrows (nearly 20 Lincoln’s Sparrows was great), 13 species of warblers, three Scarlet Tanagers and a female Blue Grosbeak mixed in among the large numbers of Indigo Buntings. The morning produced at least 75 species just at Arcadia which is great for the third week of September.  We have also enjoyed a nice late summer/early fall warm up with temperatures into the mid 80's for the last couple days and another warm day forecast for tomorrow...probably the last string of 80+ degrees day around here for awhile.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The third week of September


Prairie Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 16, 2019
Lincoln's Sparrow, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 16, 2019
The last several days have featured cool nights (in the low to mid 30's the last couple mornings) and days in the upper 60's to 70's with sunny conditions and low humidity...perfect conditions to be outside and great migration conditions.  I have had a number of decent sightings as the third week of September comes to an end.  The next few days are forecast to be warmer with highs into the 80's before another cold front comes through Monday.  Each morning I picked a new spot to explore and none disappointed although at times the early morning fog made viewing a bit tough.  I started the week at Quabbin Park on Monday where I had two Eastern Whip Poor Wills still singing, a Northern Saw Whet Owl, a late Eastern Kingbird, a couple Philadelphia Vireos, a late Veery and decent numbers of a number of other migrants.
Small heron species with Great Blue Herons, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2019
Small heron species with Great Blue Herons, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2019
Indigo Bunting, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2019
Least Flycatcher, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2019
Rose breasted Grosbeak, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2019
On Tuesday on went to Arcadia where I had a flyby small heron species moving in from their roost location.  The light was terrible and the fog made following up on where the heron came down impossible for quite awhile.  Among the 72 species for the morning I had a Least Flycatcher, another late Veery and a flyover Dickcissel.
Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 18, 2019
American Dagger Moth caterpillar, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 18, 2019
In the middle of the week I went Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where I had a frustratingly brief view of a first year Connecticut Warbler as well as a few groups of migrants but it was overall fairly quiet but it was foggy until quite late.  As the fog was lifted and I was leaving I noticed several kettles of Broad winged Hawks starting to form up as thermals got active.
Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 19, 2019
Black throated Green Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 19, 2019
Wood Ducks, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 19, 2019
Green winged Teal, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 19, 2019
Indigo Bunting, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 19, 2019
Small heron species with Great Blue Herons, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 19, 2019
Small heron species with Great Blue Herons, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 19, 2019
On Thursday I made a return to Arcadia in an attempt to relocate the small heron species and I once again had the bird flying in with a group of Great Blue Herons.  The light was slightly better but still sub par but it appeared the bird was lighter than the Great Blue Herons pointing to either a Snowy Egret or immature Little Blue Heron.  The entire group settled into the area of Ned's Ditch but my attempts to find them in there proved fruitless...the area is just too impenetrable.  Perhaps it is the Snowy Egret that had been hanging around at Paradise Pond a few weeks ago?    Other notables included a selection of waterfowl (including my first Green winged Teal of the fall), a continuing Least Flycatcher as well as a Willow/Alder Flycatcher, more sparrows than on my previous visit with at least eight Lincoln's Sparrows around, at least three Scarlet Tanagers and other species feeding on some large fruiting trees near the old orchard (looks prime to attract rarities and lingerers) and at least 20 Indigo Buntings.
Black and White Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2019
Palm Warbler 'western', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2019
Turkey Vulture, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2019
Palm Warbler 'yellow', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2019
Lincoln's Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2019
Barn Swallow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2019
This morning I headed back over to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River in the hopes of finding another Connecticut Warbler but no luck on that front (I have not had a stellar year for them so far with just two for certain).  The fog that looked like it might lift not long after I arrived instead settled in and just got thicker.  After a couple of hours and not a ton of activity I left and headed over to the Honey Pot where I checked a few fields for shorebirds...nothing unusual but a decent number of Killdeer and lots of freshly plowed and harvested fields that look great to attract shorebirds.  With That's a Plenty Farm still closed due to an on going bee study I had to be content with roadside birding which still produced some good stuff including my first American Pipit of the fall, at least three Barn Swallows still hanging around and both subspecies of Palm Warblers and a few small groups of sparrows.

Today also marked an international climate strike led primarily by young people.  One does hope it will eventually lead to a more robust response to the climate change crisis that may already be too late to change but at least major changes could help mitigate the problem.  There just needs to be the political will but with most politicians bought and paid for by those who stand to make money by ignoring the problem I don't have a lot of hope.  A study just released yesterday shows that one in four birds have been lost in North America since 1970 (that's three billion birds) and the decline will certainly not be helped by a changing climate with all the issues that go along with it.  You can read more on the study at the follow link.