After getting out of work this morning and birding a bit around Hampshire County (more on that in a later post) I decided to head north to try to catch up with two rare birds that have been seen in Athol and Montague. I headed to Athol first to try to see a Tennessee Warbler that has been coming into feeders at a private residence in Athol. I had the bird almost as soon as I arrived and it seemed very bold in coming into feed on sunflower hearts, crickets and bananas and defended its food quite well. I also had a talk with one of the homeowners about the bird...many thanks to the homeowners for allowing visitors and providing for the warbler. More on the warbler can be found at the follow link: Tennessee Warbler in Athol.
After having some great luck with the warbler I headed west to the area where the Miller's River empties into the Connecticut River (just downstream from the French King Bridge) in search of the Harlequin Duck. I arrived and started scanning the water from the bridge but had no luck. The bird had been fairly reliable in the area for several days now but it did head downstream to Barton's Cove a couple days before so I was nervous it had moved on again. I decided to try my luck a little further upstream on the Miller's River in an area of the river that looked much more like the habitat I would expect to find a Harlequin Duck using (fast flowing water). After a short walk upstream I scanned some rocks on the far side of the river and saw the bird standing on a rock in the middle of the river. I snapped off a number of photos but the bird was hundreds of feet away in less than ideal light. I decided to head back to the car to get my scope and then return to get some better looks and some digiscoped shots. By the time I got back with the scope the bird had settled down on the rock and had its head tucked in. I watched it for a bit before heading back to the car to start the drive back home. As I was getting ready to leave I noticed someone on the nearby bridge with binoculars and I walked over to see if she was looking for the duck and she was so I pointed her in the right direction to see it. Harlequin Ducks are incredibly rare inland in Massachusetts with no records prior to this in western Massachusetts at all. I always thought the area below the Holyoke Dam would be a perfect spot for one to show up but no luck yet. Perhaps this one will get tired of its spot in Franklin County and wander down a bit further south into Hampshire County.
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