Several unusual species to start December

Marsh Wren, Pines Edge Conservation Area, Northampton, MA, Dec 3, 2020

Swamp Sparrow, Pines Edge Conservation Area, Northampton, MA, Dec 3, 2020

Canada Goose with white on neck, Meadow St, Amherst, MA, Dec 3, 2020

Canada Goose with dark body, Meadow St, Amherst, MA, Dec 3, 2020

Cackling Goose, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Dec 3, 2020

Cackling Goose, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Dec 3, 2020

Long tailed Duck, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Dec 3, 2020

    

Bonaparte's Gull with Ring billed Gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Dec 3, 2020

Golden Eagle (top) with Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Dec 3, 2020

Golden Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Dec 3, 2020

After getting out of work this morning I took advantage of the sunny (but cool to start) weather and headed back over to the Pines Edge Conservation Area where I had at least one Marsh Wren during a brief stop the previous morning.  I made the walk into the wildlife blind which looks over a moderately sized cattail marsh and I located two Marsh Wrens fairly quickly (but it took some time to get any looks and even longer to get any photos).  I also had some flyover Red Crossbills as I searched a few other access points of the marsh trying to turn up a late Common Yellowthroat without success.  I then headed across the river and checked a few fields in Hadley and Amherst looking for geese before stopping at UMASS where at least 1800 Canada Geese were loudly taking up temporary residence.  A field along Meadow Street held several hundred geese including a very dark bodied bird and another with extensive white on the neck.  Among the thousands of geese at UMASS was a single Cackling Goose (possibly Richardson subspecies).  This is the largest group of geese I have had so far this fall.  My final stop at Winsor Dam proved to be another great stop with a continued Bonaparte's Gull, a female Long tailed Duck and best of all, an adult Golden Eagle.  I caught sight of the bird through the scope and slowly watched it drift south, interacting with an adult Bald Eagle along the way.  I tried to get digiscoped shots of the bird but the results were less than stellar but given the great distance I was lucky to get anything at all for photos.  The Golden Eagle becomes species #247 for the year in Hampshire County.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 1, 2020

American Tree Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 1, 2020

On the first on the month I headed over to Arcadia primarily trying to locate some late warblers and any other lingering species I could find.  After a bit of walking I located two Yellow rumped Warblers (marking 44 consecutive months of finding at least one warbler in Hampshire County...more on that at the following link)