End of first week of October brings first frost

Tennessee Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 7, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 7, 2026

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 7, 2026

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 7, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Oct 7, 2026

White crowned Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 7, 2026

Black throated Green Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 7, 2026

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Belchertown, MA, Oct 7, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Belchertown, MA, Oct 7, 2026

Today started off cold with the first frost of the season and just a hint of the hell of winter to come.  I decided to head across the river to Arcadia to start my morning.  When I arrived it was sunny and cold (31 degrees) but then the fog moved in and kept activity somewhat subdued until in finally burned off.  There were loads of sparrows around as well as lots of Yellow rumped Warblers.  Once it warmed a little I started getting some other species with the most notable being a slightly late Black and White Warbler and at least three Tennessee Warblers. After about three hours in the cold I moved on to run a few errands and then headed toward home with another stop at a spot in Belchertown where I turned up more species for the day despite the increasing wind.  By the end of the day I had around 65 species with eight species of warblers.