A hot July comes to an end with a Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 31, 2025

Glossy Ibis, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 31, 2025

Glossy Ibis, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 31, 2025

Solitary Sandpiper, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 31, 2025

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 31, 2025

Double crested Cormorant, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jul 31, 2025

The hot and humid month of July has now come to an end.  July is usually a fairly slow month for birds overall but it did have some big highlights for me including two new species for me in the county with a Stilt Sandpiper and a White Ibis bringing my Hampshire County total to 309 and then added a Glossy Ibis this morning (becoming likely the first person to ever get two ibis species in Hampshire County in a single month).  I'm actually at my highest total ever in the county YTD with a total of 225 species as of today...I have not really chased any rarities either but perhaps I should now and possible top my best year ever in the county.  I also retired last week and now can devote all my time to birding, travel and hanging out with Wilson.  There was also some sad news with the passing of long time valley birder Tom Gagnon in the early part of the month.  

Worked my last shift and now retired

Group photo on my last shift, Northampton, MA, Jul 27, 2025

  

Last shift at work, Northampton, MA, Jul 27, 2025

I seldom post anything besides birds, wildlife and Wilson here but I will make a rare exception in this case given what a big milestone it is for me.  Yesterday was my last shift on the fire department and ends a 33 year career in the fire and EMS field.  I'm sure it will all hit me in a few weeks that I will never go into work another shift.  It has been quite a journey and I have worked with a lot of great people over the years.  Now I will be spending all my time birding, traveling and spoiling Wilson.  

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 28, 2025

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 27, 2025

  

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 27, 2025

I did get in some brief birding on my way to work and on my way home after my last shift.  Lots of Green Herons, some Virginia Rails and my first Grasshopper Sparrow of the year.

WHITE IBIS at Lake Wallace adds a new species to my Hampshire County list

White Ibis, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

White Ibis, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

White Ibis, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

White Ibis and Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

White Ibis, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

White Ibis, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

White Ibis, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

  

White Ibis, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

 

White Ibis, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

 

White Ibis, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

On my way to work yesterday I found a juvenile White Ibis at nearby Lake Wallace and added another new species to my Hampshire County list, which now stands at 309 species.  My sighting became the second well documented record for the species in Hampshire County with the first being in late October of 2017....there are at least three other records ever for the county with little documentation but most are probably correct in the identification  White Ibis was a species I was expecting to make another appearance in the area as the breeding population has greatly increased in New Jersey in the last several years with hundreds of breeding pairs now present there.  I had discussed the possibility of finding the species here with several birders the past few weeks and I correctly predicted one would show up...nice to be right on that!  I had the species, as well as other waders in mind, when I decided to make a quick stop at Lake Wallace although the chances of actually finding one was quite small.  I made it to the lake a little before 6AM and started scanning the area despite the annoyance of a number of insects.  On my first scan through with binoculars I was about halfway across the marsh when I spotted the ibis feeding among a number of other species.  Nothing like finding a rare bird to add some excitement to a birding stop.  I quickly got the bird in the scope and took some photos to get some documentation.  I watched it for a few minutes and got additional photos and some video.  I then started texting a number of people to let them know about the bird.  After several minutes of watching the bird it flew up and around the pond once in the company of Green Herons before it settled back down once again.  I continued to watch the bird until I had to pack up everything to head to work.  A number of others arrived after I left and a few were lucky enough to catch a few glimpses of it before it flew up and away to parts unknown.  I'm sure it is still in the area but with so much suitable habitat it will be a bit of a chore to find where it settled.

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

Besides the ibis show the number of Green Herons continued to grow at the location and I had at least 21 individuals present.  Lake Wallace is always a great spot for the species, especially mid to late summer.

 

Some Least Bitterns yesterday during a walk with Devin and a new Hampshire County species for me today with a Stilt Sandpiper

Least Bittern, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Least Bittern, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Least Bittern, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Least Bittern, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Least Bittern, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Least Bitterns, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Green Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Great Blue Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Eastern Coyote, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 21, 2025

Yesterday morning I caught up with former valley resident Devin who was in the area for some music work.  We decided on meeting at the rail trail in Amherst where we would try to turn up a Least Bittern (which would be a county bird for Devin).  I arrived a little early and walked by the marsh where a Least Bittern has been heard or seen very sporadically for a few months and had no luck.  The species has gone largely silent by this point in the year so didn't have much faith in finding one.  Once Devin arrived we started a walk along the trail and after watching a number of Green Herons flying around we approached the area where the Least Bittern has been and had one fly out of the reeds and then land in a reeds out of view.  We looked for a bit and I saw just the head of the bird showing and got Devin on the bird.  It then flew out to a more exposed perch and allowed for some great views and photos.  As we watched the bittern a second one flew out to join the initial bird.  The two of them flew around a bit for several minutes, occasionally landing in open.  The best looks I have had of the species this year by far.  Having two around certain points toward the potential for nesting once again.  We had great looks at a number of other species of birds plus had a brown colored Eastern Coyote in a freshly cut field.  It was nearly the exact same color as a White tailed Deer...a cool looking coyote.

Spotted Sandpiper, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 22, 2025

Semipalmated Sandpiper, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 22, 2025

Least Sandpipers, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 22, 2025

Killdeer, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 22, 2025

 

Spotted Sandpiper, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 22, 2025

On my way to work this morning I decided to see if I could track down any shorebirds or waders.  A bit of north winds brought in some cool temps (low 50's) overnight and I thought some shorebirds would respond to the good early season migration conditions.  I briefly checked for waders and shorebirds in Hadley before heading to the East Meadows.  I came up to a small muddy area that had some great shorebird habitat and immediately started scanning the multiple birds present.  The first scan through produced a number of species with the most unusual among them being a rare for the area Stilt Sandpiper.  It was in the same general area as a few Solitary Sandpipers and was standing upright and seemed very nervous.  I was able to get good views for about 30 seconds and then decided to try to get the scope out to get better views and some photos.  As I was getting ready to get out of the car the bird took off and headed off to the south.  I got the scope out and started scanning through the remaining birds and hoped the Stilt Sandpiper would return, which it never did.  I was short of time and after around twenty minutes I had to head to work.  Besides the Stilt Sandpiper I had five other species of shorebirds and got some photos of those.  Stilt Sandpiper is a very rare species here and this was actually the first one I have ever had in the county!  This addition brings my Hampshire County list to 308.

Gray Fox, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 20, 2025

Opossum, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 19, 2025

Raccoon, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 19, 2025

I checked the camera at the water feature yesterday and besides a number of bird species captured I had a few mammals including Gray Fox.

Brief trip to the Finger Lakes

 

Chestnut sided Warbler feeding juvenile, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Just back from a quick trip out to the Finger Lakes in New York. Sherri had a conference to go to and I was along to help out and bird when she was in the conference. We have made several trips out to the area over the years so have gotten a lot of the possible species out that way. Nonetheless I still had a number of new species possible for my New York list with high on the list being a few warblers (more on the warblers at the following link.)                      

                             

Alder Flycatcher, Allen Wetland Preserve, Alpine, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler feeding juvenile, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Magnolia Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Hooded Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

American Redstart, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025    

Downy Woodpecker, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025 

Dark eyed Junco, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025 

Yellow billed Cuckoo, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025 

Tiger Swallowtails, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025 

Canada Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025 

Black throated Blue Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Ovenbird, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Ovenbird, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 12, 2025

 

Dragonfly species, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 12, 2025

I headed out on Saturday morning to hit a nearby spot before I had to go back to our Airbnb to pick up Sherri to get her to the conference in Ithaca. I decided Cayuta Lake to try for a few state targets and I found two new species with Canada Warbler and Hooded Warbler. I then added another species at the nearby Allen Wetland Preserve with a couple Alder Flycatchers. My next stop was to Shindagin Hallow State Forest where I spent about two and a half hours exploring the area. It was great birding with a decent showing of warblers as well as other species and I added three new New York species with Ruffed Grouse, Yellow billed Cuckoo and Mourning Warbler. I then headed a bit west to Lindsey Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, arriving around 11:30 and then spent about an hour there. There was some bird banding taking place as part of the MAPS program that looks at breeding species in a particular area. Despite the heat of the day with temps pushing 90 I did add a Prairie Warbler to my New York list. I then headed back to the house before picking up Sherri in the mid afternoon. The rest of the afternoon was spent at various wineries. It was a good day of birding with half a dozen new species for me in New York state. 

Yellow Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Blue winged Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Prairie Warbler with leg band, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Song Sparrow, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

 

Eagle Cliff Falls,  Montour Falls, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Sunday was another hot and humid day with daybreak temps already in the upper 70’s. I was up slightly earlier than the previous day and headed south to Connecticut Hill WMA just before sunrise. It was a little breezy but the bugs (especially deer flies) were bad. Nonetheless I still found birds including a state first Barred Owl for me. With a few hours free in the morning I had to decide where to go and settled on a return trip to Lindsey Parsons where I arrived around 6:30 and stayed for about an hour and a half. It was really getting warm by the end of my time there, especially when out in the sun in the open fields. Nothing too unusual but some good looks at a variety of species. I then headed back to the house to pick up Sherri and we headed down south of Watkins Glen to check out a few waterfalls. The highlight for birds was an unusual for the area Black Vulture…no good camera with me at that point so no photos.

Gray Catbird, Taughannock Falls SP, Ulysses, NY, Jul 14, 2025

Ring billed Gulls, Taughannock Falls SP, Ulysses, NY, Jul 14, 2025

 

Taughannock Falls, Taughannock Falls SP, Ulysses, NY, Jul 14, 2025

After some strong thunderstorms overnight the morning dawn mainly clear and warm. I had a couple of hours free in the morning before we would start the long drive back home. I decided to head north to Taughannock Falls SP with the main goal being to find a Peregrine Falcon there. I heard at least one not long after arriving but could never get looks at it. The fog cut down on visibility initially so not surprised I could got get eyes on the falcon. Nonetheless I added yet another New York species to my list. After a little less than an hour and a half of walking I headed back to the Airbnb to pack up and then make the long drive home. 

I ended the short getaway with 98 species with nine new for me in the state. With the additional my New York state total now stands at 165.