A record setting June comes to a very hot end

House Wren with leg bands feeding young at nest box, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 29, 2021

Purple Martin, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 29, 2021

Peregrine Falcon juvenile, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jun 29, 2021

Killdeer juveniles, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jun 28, 2021

Eastern Meadowlark, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jun 28, 2021

A record setting June for me in Hampshire County is now almost over and it has ended on a very hot note with the arrival of our second heat wave of the season with highs topping out in the mid to upper 90's for multiple days with high humidity.  I ended the month with a total of 145 species, easily beating my previous high of 136 (set in both 2019 and 2020).  There were a number of rarities around in addition to the peak of breeding season.  Among the rarities were Blue Grosbeaks, Purple Martins, a Northern Harrier late in the month, Least Bittern and Marsh Wren.  As the month comes to an end there are more and more recently fledged birds around as well as some species starting their second broods.