A brief warm up for the first couple days of October

Lincoln's Sparrow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 2, 2026

Brown Thrasher, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 2, 2026

Green Heron, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 2, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Oct 2, 2026

Barred Owl, Belchertown, MA, Oct 2, 2026

Nashville Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2026

Mallards, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2026

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2026

Hermit Thrush, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2026

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2026

Blackpoll Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Amherst, MA, Oct 1, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Amherst, MA, Oct 1, 2026

After many days of rain and below normal temps we finally got some warmer temps the last couple days with the low 70's yesterday and low 80's today to kick off October.  With the arrival of a new month I was out early to add species and I hit a number of areas in Amherst and Belchertown yesterday.  I had a few slightly late species yesterday including Green Heron, Common Nighthawk, Northern Yellow Warbler and Cape May Warbler as well as a few flyover Red Crossbills.  By the end of the day I had a total of 79 species...a decent start to the month.  Today I started off my day at Silvio Conte NWR in Hadley and then onto some spots in Amherst and Belchertown.  The wind today made it tough tracking down some birds.  Nonetheless I added 13 more species for the month.  Tonight the winds should switch around to the north after a cold front moves through and hopefully gets more species migrating into the area.