Another Common Tern to end June

Common Tern, Oxbow, Northampton, MA, Jun 30, 2020

Common Tern, Oxbow, Northampton, MA, Jun 30, 2020

Common Tern, Oxbow, Northampton, MA, Jun 30, 2020

Common Tern, Oxbow, Northampton, MA, Jun 30, 2020

While I was at work yesterday I checked my phone and had multiple text messages, phone messages and emails regarding a tern at the Oxbow in Northampton that was being identified as a Forster's Tern (a species I have seen only once before in Hampshire County).  Any sterna type tern this late in the season certainly needs to be studied closely to figure out the exact species.  I was limited to looking at a handful of photos on the small screen of my phone so it was tough to determine too much as far as identification.  Multiple people made it by to see the bird and most agreed with the original identification but the possibility of a Common Tern as the correct ID was also raised and better photos pointed in the direction of that as the correct species.  Terns around here typically do not stay around for multiple days so I was not too hopeful in catching up with it this morning after I got out of work but I figured I would try nonetheless.  With our continued on and off showery and stormy weather I did at least hold out a slim amount of hope that it would hang around into the morning.  I arrived in the area with a slight drizzle coming down and a few birders present who reported it was indeed still around but was last seen flying around and was now out of view.  I checked a couple other viewpoints along the shore of the Oxbow and after about 15 minutes it flew into view and headed back to the same barrel it sat on most of the day yesterday.  In flight it appeared to be a Common Tern but once it was on the barrel and I could get better scope views the grayish belly seemed to be gone and it appeared overall white but after studying it for awhile I felt the reflection off the barrel washed out the color making it appear all white.  I also got to look at a multitude of in flight shots as well as perched shots taken by others and felt comfortable with calling it a Common Tern.  A couple others took a look at the handful of photos attached to eBird lists and the consensus was Common Tern.  This makes a total of three Common Terns in Hampshire County this month with one on June 5th (along with a Black Tern) and another on June 9th..both of the others at Winsor Dam.  Overall the month was quite productive in the county with a total of 136 species (which tied last years recording setting total for June).

Black Bear, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 23, 2020

White tailed Deer, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 16, 2020

A check of the cameras at the house turned up a few mammals passing through the yard including a mid afternoon Black Bear and multiple White tailed Deer.

More breeding activity for the end of the month

Pied billed Grebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 26, 2020

Pied billed Grebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 28, 2020

Pied billed Grebes, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 28, 2020

Baltimore Oriole fledgling, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 28, 2020

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 28, 2020

Lawrence's Warbler, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 26, 2020

Muskrat, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 26, 2020

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 24, 2020

Chimney Swifts, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 25, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 25, 2020

Breeding activity is peaking now as the month of June comes to an end. Waterfowl that fledged weeks ago are now nearly adult size and starting to lose their juvenile plumage while some later hatching Wood Ducks are fresh out of the nest.  Songbirds fledglings are everywhere and some species are onto a second brood. I have spent some time keeping tabs on a couple of continuing rarities (Lawrence's Warbler and the fledgling Pied billed Grebes) over the last several days as well as exploring some new areas I have never been before in the county. I found some interesting areas that may prove productive either this fall or more likely next spring.

All of the nests I have been monitoring at the house have now fledged with the House Wrens leaving their box today.

Lots of nesting activity to begin the fourth week of June

Eastern Kingbird at nest with young, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jun 23, 2020

Eastern Kingbird at nest with young, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jun 23, 2020

Eastern Kingbird at nest with young, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jun 23, 2020

Eastern Kingbird, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jun 23, 2020

Eastern Kingbird nest with young, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jun 23, 2020

I spent a couple hours kayaking around Lake Warner in Hadley searching in vain for a Black crowned Night Heron that was seen and photographed there a couple days ago.  The bird may still be somewhere in the area as the area around the lake features lots of great habitat and there are lots of places for the bird to hide.  Despite striking out on the night heron it was still nice to be out on the water enjoying the seclusion and relatively cool morning conditions in the midst of our first heat wave of the season.  I also had some other interesting sightings including a Barred Owl early on and an Eastern Kingbird nest with some freshly hatched nestlings. 

House Wren at nestbox, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 23, 2020

House Wrens at nestbox, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 23, 2020

House Wren at nest box, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 23, 2020

American Robin fledgling, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 22, 2020

Lots of breeding activity around the house with both House Wrens and Tree Swallows feeding young in nest boxes and several American Robin fledglings around (plus others). 

Breeding Bird Survey this morning

American Redstart, Ware, MA, Jun 14, 2020

Killdeer, Monson, MA, Jun 14, 2020

This morning I conducted my annual breeding bird survey route that runs from Belchertown south to the Connecticut (more on the breeding bird survey at the following link).  The survey consists of 50 stops at half mile intervals with each stop lasting 3 minutes (which doesn't allow much time for any photography but I got a couple shots nonetheless).  The surveys were initially cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic but then I heard that if the survey could be safely completed then the route should be completed so that is exactly what I did.  This is the 11th year I have completed the route and I found a total of 76 species with 1353 individuals which is around average but a bit off my record setting total of 83 last year.  Below are the totals for species for each year I have conducted the survey.

year                 # of species

2010                 71

2011                 64

2012                 56

2013                 67

2014                 70

2015                 75

2016                 78

2017                 73

2018                 71

2019                 83

2020                 76

Highlights for species this year included multiples of both species of cuckoo (less than previous years but thankfully the gypsy moths that have fed them are much reduced so not too surprising the number of cuckoos are down slightly), an American Woodcock, all four expected species of vireo, Bank Swallows, a Swamp Sparrow and a dozen species of warbler.  The Bank Swallows and Swamp Sparrow were new species for the route during the years I have conducted it and these two bring the total number of species I have had on the route up to 107.

The ten most abundant species this year are listed in the table below (% of sightings for all stops)

American Robin                         76%
Red eyed Vireo                           72%
Ovenbird                                     64%
Northern Cardinal                       64%
Gray Catbird                               60%
Chipping Sparrow                      58%
American Crow                          58%
Black capped Chickadee            52%
Common Yellowthroat               52%
Tufted Titmouse                         50%

My first Prescott field surveys of the year plus a Hooded Warbler today

Baltimore Oriole, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Purple Finch, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Gray Catbird, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Chestnut sided Warbler, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Black Bear, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Dawn over the Waugh fields, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 7, 2020

I finally made it into the restricted access Prescott Peninsula this morning to conduct a few field surveys.  Unfortunately the weather turned out to be a bit breezy to begin with and got windier as the morning continued.  Nonetheless I got a few surveys done and although I didn't find anything too unusual it was nice to be back on the Prescott again (I did conduct a whip poor will survey there a few days ago but more on those surveys in a future post).  Lots of birds on territory at this point with no obvious migrants for the morning.  Although I didn't find any Moose (which is almost a given on the peninsula)  I did have a large Black Bear amble across one of the roads there and I got a blurry photo through the windshield.  As the winds continued to increase I cut my time on the peninsula short and headed back toward home.

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Among the few stops I made before going home I checked up on the Lawrence's Warbler that I first discovered on May 5th at a location in Belchertown.  The bird was still present today and this is the only time I have had this hybrid stick around for more than a couple days.  No obvious signs that it has found a mate but I will continue to follow up on it.

Hooded Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Hooded Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Hooded Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 7, 2020

Hooded Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 7, 2020

 After getting home and then taking Wilson for a walk I was getting ready to do some yard work when I noticed a post from Ted saying he had a Hooded Warbler in Hadley.  I had yet to catch up with this species for the spring in the county so I decided to head over that way and see if I could find it.  Following Ted's perfect directions I quickly located the bird that was singing quite a bit in what looked to be perfect breeding habitat.  There were a few others there and all got some good looks as it played hide and seek among the foliage.  The windy conditions made finding the bird a bit tough at times but with patience good looks could be had.  The Hooded Warbler became warbler species #30 for the year in Hampshire County.

More on warblers for the day can be found at the following link.

Common Tern and Black Tern at Winsor Dam

 Common Tern, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 5, 2020

Common Tern, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 5, 2020

Common Tern, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 5, 2020

Common Tern, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 5, 2020

Common Tern, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 5, 2020

Common Tern and Double crested Cormorants, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 5, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 5, 2020

Although getting a bit late for many migrants at this point, the weather set up overnight into this morning held some promise with southerly winds and rain showers and possibly storms forecast to arrive before dawn. I got up and headed over to Winsor Dam at dawn with some light rain still falling down. Unfortunately the low clouds and fog made viewing anything on the water impossible. I decided to try a couple nearby spots before returning to the the dam once the viewing conditions improved. The rain stopped a little after six and I made it back to the dam around 6:20. The fog was still hanging in but some areas of the water could be seen and almost immediately I noticed a bird sitting on the orange buoy (few birds ever sit on this small buoy so I was hopeful for something good). I set up the scope and found the bird to be a sterna species tern (either a Common Tern, Arctic Tern or Forster’s Tern). I quickly eliminated Forster’s Tern but the viewing conditions made it tough to pin down the ID initially. This late in the migration season the chances of either of the two remaining species showing up is about the same. I have personally had just one previous record of Common Tern in June in Hampshire County and that was at the Oxbow in Northampton in 2013.  As I was studying the bird I was leaning toward an ID of Common Tern but still wanted to see the bird a bit better (and hopefully in flight). As I was scanning around the rest of the water I noticed another tern in flight which I quickly identified as a Black Tern...another great tern for the county. I watched it for a bit as it worked north and eventually went out of sight. I tried for a photo though the scope but the distance and fog was just too much to overcome for anything beyond a smudge. I returned to watching the other tern still sitting on the buoy and watched as a couple of Double crested Cormorants cruised by. The tern didn’t seem bothered by them when they swam by initially but when they returned back close to the buoy the tern flushed and started flying north. The tern continued north and out of view but after ten minutes or so it returned and at this point I was able to get some better in flight views as well as photos. Review of the photos looked to place this clearly in the Common Tern category and others that took a look at the photos agreed. Yet another great morning at Winsor Dam with two unusual tern species in one morning...not something that occurs too often around here (except for perhaps when a hurricane rolls through)

On the subjects of hurricanes, this season is off to a record setting start with three named storms already with Tropical Storm Cristobal moving back into the Gulf of Mexico today with a landfall likely this weekend in Louisiana likely as a tropical storm. The hurricane season is predicted to be active with an above normal number of storms. Time will tell if any of those storms will impact this area but I will certainly be watching intently.

More details on hurricane related birds in the area can be found at the following link:
History of tropical storm related birds in western Massachusetts