Black Vultures, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 15, 2021
Turkey Vultures, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 15, 2021
Turkey Vultures, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 15, 2021
Double crested Cormorants, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 15, 2021
Osprey, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 15, 2021
Northern Flicker, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Jun 15, 2021
Purple Martins and Tree Swallow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 15, 2021
Purple Martins, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 15, 2021
Purple Martin, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 15, 2021
After a long shift at work I got out this morning and after a couple quick errands I headed over to check on the Purple Martins in Hadley. I arrived to find one sitting at the entrance of one of the martin houses and after watching for it for several minutes the female came out of the house and then they flew off together. They returned with the female carrying some nest material and she quickly entered one of the houses and then emerged and sat and preened. A couple Tree Swallows harassed the martins for a bit before they left them alone. It will be very interesting to see if they have success in nesting.
Without any rain on the immediate horizon I decided to take advantage and make a few more stops with my next stop down to Mitch's Way. The mosquitos were bad but the breeding birds were good. Nothing too unusual but there were a few fledglings out and about (no sign of the Mourning Warbler that was present for a few weeks).
My next stop was down to the Holyoke Dam where I turned up a number of notable species (mainly for the number of individuals). The vultures were a highlight with at least 78 Turkey Vultures and three Black Vultures. I also had at least 55 Chimney Swifts, a dozen Double crested Cormorants and an Osprey. There were also quite a few swallows around with five species present. With these swallows and the Purple Martins earlier I had a half a dozen species of swallows and martins in the county in a single day...something I have never done before. With a few new species today I made it to 137 species in Hampshire County for the month which tops my previous best June totals of 136 in 2019 and 2020 with half the month still to go. I'm also well ahead of where I usually stand for totals in the county YTD with 224 species so far (previous best year being 218 at this point...I have no idea if this means another record breaking year but time will tell).
Purple Martins in Western Mass and possibly breeding, that's unheard of
ReplyDeleteI know! Hopefully they have some success.
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