The sighting of the day was not a bird but a mammal when I had a close encounter with a Fisher at Gate 8 at Quabbin. I decided to take a long walk at Gate 8 mainly looking for irruptives with the hopes of additional crossbills and perhaps a Boreal Chickadee. I was about a mile in getting some recordings of Red Crossbills when I heard some rustling in the woods and figured it was some deer moving through. I finished up the recording and then heard more rustling that sounded like it was getting closer and closer. I then caught sight of a dark mammal moving rapidly toward my vicinity and it briefly disappeared behind a tree and then popped up on top of a stonewall about 20 feet away. It stayed there for just a few seconds before turning around and quickly heading back into the woods. Easily the best looks I have ever had of an adult Fisher. As far as birds go I had a few flyover White winged Crossbills as well as several Red Crossbills including my first Type 2's plus the expected Type 10's. No luck finding a Boreal Chickadee but I hope some will show up at some point this winter.
Before heading to Gate 8 I decided to try my luck in relocating a juvenile Northern Shrike that Ted found in a series of fields near the rail trail in Amherst. I arrived before dawn and spent some time listening for owls and I had a few Great Horned Owls as well as another unidentified call that may have been a Long eared Owl but I heard it just once and it could have been an odd call from a juvenile Great Horned Owl. Once it started to get light enough to see the Northern Shrike started to show along one of the hedgerows and I snapped off a few photos from a distance before leaving the shrike to let it do some early morning hunting. The shrike became species #246 for the year for me in Hampshire County...a recording setting year that just keeps adding species.
On Saturday I spent some time around Quabbin Park and Winsor Dam mainly looking for irruptives and finding several including Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbill (all Type 10), Pine Siskins and Red breasted Nuthatches. I also came across an oddly plumaged American Robin with white on its wings.
A short walk after work on Friday along the rail trail in Easthampton turned up a late Gray Catbird. I searched a few areas in the vicinity for lingering warblers but came up empty.
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