New Years Day is always a fun day to get out and bird as an annual count resets on January 1. Despite cold, snow and wind to start off the new year I headed out to try to track down species to kick off 2026 before we headed south to warmer temps. My main focus was warblers and more on those can be found at the following link: New Year's Day warblers. I was out the door before dawn to try to track down owls before the arrival of a cold front with gusty winds and snow squalls. I hit a variety of areas from Quabbin Park to Hadley before dawn and had the four typically occurring owl species here. The snow squalls arrived a bit before dawn but the Eastern Screech Owls didn't seem to mind and were calling even during the snow. Once it was light enough to see I started looking for warblers and found both the continued Audubon's as well as at least five Myrtle's, extending my consecutive streak of at least one warbler species in Hampshire County to 105 months. During my search for the warblers I found a number of other notables along the river in Hadley over the course of an hour and a half including all the expected species of woodpeckers, a Ruby crowned Kinglet and Hermit Thrush. As I was leaving the winds were really picking up so I knew it would be tough to track down passerines so decided to head to the East Meadows to see if any of the Snowy Owls were still around. It was very tundra like there with strong winds and blowing snow and loads of Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and a couple Lapland Longspurs plus at least one Snowy Owl. I didn't stay too long in the meadows before heading out with a brief stop near the Coolidge Bridge that produced multiple species of waterfowl including two male Ring necked Ducks. I then headed to Hickory Ridge Conservation Area where I added multiple species of sparrows including at least two Field Sparrows and a Swamp Sparrow. I then headed home and picked up Wilson for a walk and we added a few more species for the year. The rest of the day was mainly spent cleaning up the snow and finishing up packing for our long trip south. By the end of the day I had found 66 species to start the year...not too bad considering the conditions and my lack of time. Now for a long drive south.
