The remnants of one tropical storm and an upcoming hurricane

Least Sandpipers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Aug 20, 2021

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 20, 2021

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 19, 2021

The tropics have certainly gotten much more active and there appears to be a high likelihood that a hurricane will have a direct impact on New England within the next few days (more on that below).  First I will take a look at the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred that moved through the area yesterday with the main impact being heavy rain and some wind (lost a few trees at home and spent today cutting those up). I was able to get out to check a few spots before an overtime shift yesterday morning but came up empty for unusual birds at both Winsor Dam and some farm fields in Hadley. I didn't see reports yesterday from anyone else of unusual species or numbers beyond a decent showing of Least Sandpipers (with at least 92 present) at the drained Watershops Pond in Springfield.  I had a little better luck after getting out of work this morning.  The weather continued to be very tropical like with high humidity and intermittent showers and drizzle.  I found a few species of shorebirds during my few stops on the way home with the best being a single Black bellied Plover that was flushed from its hiding place by a young Peregrine Falcon.  Other shorebirds around included Least Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs and Killdeer.

Track forecast of Henri as of 2PM, Aug 20, 2021 (image courtesy of NOAA)

Now on to the main focus of this post which is Henri. It is currently a strong tropical storm located about halfway between the mainland US and Bermuda moving slowly west, northwest. There is currently some wind shear that is keeping the storm capped in strength a bit but this is forecast to weaken and the storm will almost certainly gain hurricane status as it takes a turn to the north and heads toward New England (possibly Category 2 for a time). There are many atmospheric variables at play here but it is looking more and more likely that the storm will landfall into southern New England as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday and then slowly move through southern New England before turning east into the Gulf of Maine with another landfall in Nova Scotia. It is quite unusual for a hurricane to hit New England with the last landfalling hurricane about 30 years ago.  How does this impact the western Massachusetts area? It will certainly bring heavy rain (especially if the track remains off to our east). Wind could certainly be a major issue if the storm tracks further west with the eye closer to us. 

Now to the impact on birds for the area. Without question any tropical system can bring with it the chance for birds very seldom seen in the area with pelagic species of many types being the main focus. The storm began near Bermuda and has slowly moved southwest and then west and is now over the Gulf Stream. There are a wide variety of species that could be caught up in the storm and be transported inland as the storm moves north. Typically the most productive location for finding unusual species is just to the east of the eye (which at this point will be east of us here in western Massachusetts). With that said unusual stuff can still show up to the west of the track and it would be well worth the effort to get out and see what one can find and the track can still shift more to the west.

The question is always where do you put yourself for the storm?  There are many spots that could be productive from large lakes and reservoirs to multiple locations along the Connecticut River.  It is best to pick a spot that you can spend some time at and is somewhat close to your home so you have a higher likelihood of being able to get to the location (and then back home!) if the storm starts causing road closures due to downed trees, wires, etc.  Even small ponds and lakes could be productive during these types of storms.  Timing on the storm could produce birds from Sunday through Tuesday.  There are many variables to consider when picking a spot but always keep your safety in mind so a spot closer to home is sometimes the best choice.  I would highly encourage everyone to check nearby bodies of water, flooded fields and even just overhead as the storm moves through.  There are many possible unusual birds that could show up in a storm like this from pelagic birds that are seldom seen from shore to coastal birds pushed inland to migrants (like shorebirds) grounded by the storm.  Many times the birds offer just fleeting glimpses in less than ideal viewing conditions but if you can get any photos it can help with ID and documentation and I encourage people to post there sightings to the Facebook group and enter their sightings into eBird.

I have an older post that may assist people in what to expect with the upcoming storm including an overview of tropical systems in western Massachusetts as well as an eBird list from an epic day of birding here ten years ago during Irene.  I will post additional information as I can both here and on Facebook.