Record numbers of warblers for February and other sightings for the last couple days

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle' (four in view), East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Red winged Blackbirds, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Red winged Blackbirds, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Black Ducks, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Pine Warbler, Granby, MA, Feb 23, 2020

I took advantage of a sunny and calm (but a bit cold) morning to get out and try to find some late wintering species (mainly warblers) and any early migrants I could find.  My morning began at Arcadia where I arrived before sunrise and had a couple Yellow rumped Warblers before I even made it out of the parking lot.  I checked the Mill River and although mostly still frozen there was some open water which featured some good numbers of waterfowl but not too much variety.  I made it down to the Oxbow and then back to the area near the visitor center where I once again had Yellow rumped Warblers (with at least three and possibly four present).  The areas I checked also featured at least four Northern Flickers and multiple singing Red winged Blackbirds.  I then checked another nearby area and came across another group of Yellow rumped Warblers with this group containing at least 7 birds bringing my total for Arcadia up to at least ten!   My next stop for the morning was over to the East Meadows where I made it into and out of before it warmed up too much and made the place a mud pit.  I had even more luck with warblers there with at least eleven Yellow rumped Warblers present, bringing my total Yellow rumped Warblers for the morning up to 21!  Besides the warblers I had other notables including 34 Black Ducks, a Ruby crowned Kinglet, at least 215 Red winged Blackbirds and three Rusty Blackbirds.  With my time to bird rapidly running out for the morning I decided to make a stop by the private residence in Granby that has had a Pine Warbler visiting for several weeks and it once again showed up after a short wait, adding another warbler for the day (a thank you to the homeowner for once again allowing me to stop by).  I also stopped by Winsor Dam briefly where I had three Common Loons and a few Common Mergansers.  Not as much variety in waterfowl as I hoped for but I really didn't spend as much time looking for them as I did looking for warblers.  I expect to see an uptick in waterfowl as southern winds continue for a few days and temperatures make it into the 50's and more water becomes ice free. A more detailed post about warblers for the day can be found at the following link.

I have caught up with a number of other notable species the last few days including an Iceland Gull (among several hundred gulls) at Winsor Dam yesterday, one of the continued Red headed Woodpeckers along Bachelor Brook in South Hadley on Friday morning and the continued Vesper Sparrow at the Honey Pot in Hadley on Thursday morning on my way to work.  I have also run across multiple Turkey Vultures the last few days.

Red breasted Nuthatch, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 21, 2020

Red bellied Woodpecker, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 20, 2020

Eastern Bluebirds and Downy Woodpecker, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 19, 2020

The cameras at the house have captured a few interesting species the last several days but nothing too unusual.