Tuesday, May 14, 2024

White eyed Vireo today

White eyed Vireo, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024
White eyed Vireo, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024
White eyed Vireo, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024
White eyed Vireo, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024

After walking up early and tossing and turning as I tried to get comfortable I finally gave up and got out of bed a bit after four and then headed out.  The overnight looked to feature a good influx of migrants and I set out trying mainly to track down warblers.  I had some decent luck with them with my highest species total for the season so far with 25 species (plus a few hybrids).  However the species of the day was not a warbler but a vireo.  As I was walking a road in Hadley I came across a mixed flock of warblers and as I tried to get a Tennessee Warbler I came across a White eyed Vireo that was in the flock.  It initially was silent as I took pictures to document the rarity.  It then started to sing a bit and I got some recordings.  The species is not annual and is always a great one to run across.  I got the word out and a few others were able to catch up with it.  It was a nice day to be out and once the morning low clouds burned off (late morning) it warmed up quickly to around 80.  The fairly strong southwest wind made viewing tough at times but the day was productive with 122 species overall with three new species for the year here bringing that total to 197.  I really wish I felt up to making it into more inaccessible areas as I certainly could have easily added to the total.

Wood Thrush, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024
Yellow Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024
Wood Duck with ducklings, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024
Common Yellowthroat, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 14, 2024
Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 14, 2024
Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2024
American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2024
Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2024

A small selection of the other species for the day featured above.

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