American Coot and decent numbers of various species of waterfowl today

 

American Coot, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Mar 12, 2023

American Coot, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Ring necked Ducks, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Today was a good day for waterfowl with a total of 14 species over the course of the morning for me.  I decided to start the morning at Fitzgerald Lake in the hopes of relocating the American Coot that Mary found the day before.  I arrived before dawn and was rewarded quite quickly with views of the American Coot swimming through the fog on the opposite shore.  I also had couple other noteworthy species including a slightly early Virginia Rail calling a few times early plus two Swamp Sparrows.  Overall a half a dozen species of waterfowl were present during my time there.

Northern Pintails, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Next I went down to Arcadia and checked both the Oxbow and nearby marsh.  The Oxbow was much quieter compared to previous days (no sign of the Canvasback seen there recently) with just a handful of Mallards and Common Mergansers (perhaps due to boat traffic?).  The marsh was a bit more active with female Gadwall in among a flock of at least 27 Northern Pintails (it has been a great spring migration season for pintails so far in the area).  

Eastern Phoebe, Hadley, MA, Mar 12, 2023

I initially was going to go up through Hatfield checking fields for geese and then on to Great Pond but instead I decided to head across the river and check along the river in Hadley and then check fields in Hadley and Amherst.  I didn't find much for waterfowl along the river but did see and hear the overwintering Eastern Phoebe.  

Snow Goose, Hadley, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Snow Goose, Hadley, MA, Mar 12, 2023

The fields in Hadley and Amherst turned up some decent numbers of Canada Geese in multiple large flocks plus a single each of Snow Goose and Cackling Goose.  The Snow Goose was with a few hundred Canada Geese in the same general area it was reported yesterday.  The Cackling Goose was in with a 1100+ Canada Geese flock in North Hadley in a large farm field that could only be viewed from a distance with a scope.  The Cackling Goose was not very cooperative and stayed hidden most of the time and I failed to get any identifiable photos despite lots of attempts. I would not be surprised to see more unusual geese show up over the next several days as geese continue moving north (unless our predicted big storm halts migration progress for a bit).

Mallard, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Mallard, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Mallard, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Hooded Merganser, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Green winged Teal, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

My last stops for waterfowl for the morning included Winsor Dam and Lake Wallace.  The dam was fairly quiet beyond a pair of Bufflehead.  Lake Wallace was a bit busier with five species with some in quite close allowing for some decent digiscoped shots.  I'm sure I could have added a few more species with a few more stops but I wanted to get home to walk Wilson.

The predictions call for a large snow storm starting later on Monday and continuing through Tuesday with the chance of a foot plus here and even more in nearby hills with strong winds.  There is still a chance of some mixing with rain at lower elevations but there is a good chance this will end up being the biggest storm of the entire winter just as spring is really starting to ramp up.

Golden Eagle and some late warblers to end the first week of November

Golden Eagle, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2022

Golden Eagle, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2022

Golden Eagle, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2022

Turkey Vultures, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2022

Orange crowned Warbler, Hatfield, MA, Nov 7, 2022

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Hatfield, MA, Nov 7, 2022

Black capped Chickadee, Hatfield, MA, Nov 7, 2022

Northern Cardinal, Hatfield, MA, Nov 7, 2022

I had a banner day for rare and linerging species on what would be the last of four record setting warm days in November with highs that made it to the low to mid 70's each day.  The lows for the last couple of mornings were in the low 60's (well above the typical highs in the low 50's).  I started my morning after work up in Hatfield looking for and finding two lingering species of warblers (Orange crowned Warbler and Nashville Warbler).  I had the Orange crowned Warbler fairly quickly but it took awhile to finally get brief looks at the Nashville Warbler and neither species was very photogenic.  The Nashville Warbler was the rarer of the two as it is getting very late for the species to still be around.  Besides the warblers I had a late Gray Catbird that was in a dense thicket and never allowed a chance for photos.  Once I had the warblers I headed across the river and decided on a stop at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River.  I sighted a few Turkey Vultures on my way in and after I parked and started scanning I eventually turned up at least a dozen.  As I was picking through the Turkey Vultures I noticed a single Black Vulture among them and as I was getting ready to some photos of the bird I noticed another large dark raptor heading southeast away from the vultures that looked interesting.  I quickly brought up my binoculars and quickly identified the bird as a juvenile Golden Eagle...not a species I was expected on a day with strong southerly winds.  I eventually got some distant photos of the bird before I lost track of it as it continued moving off in a southerly direction (others saw what was almost certainly the same individual in Hatfield a bit before I saw it in Hadley).  Golden Eagle can be a tough species to come across and some years I do not find one...the species is much more likely on cold days when the north winds are really blowing or sometime in the middle of winter so it was a pleasure to find one on a warm day as I walked around outside in a t-shirt. 

American Coots, Hatfield, MA, Nov 6, 2022

On my way to work yesterday I took advantage of the earlier sunrise to try my luck in relocating the Yellow headed Blackbird I found in Hatfield on Thursday as it left a large roost of blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds and starlings.  Unfortunately I did not have any luck finding the Yellow headed Blackbirds but the number of birds using the roost appeared to have dropped substantially from several thousand to perhaps a bit over a thousand and many of the birds did not head due south as had been the case a few days before.   The one highlight during my short time out included a high count of American Coots. 

Yellow headed Blackbird, American Coots and other waterfowl for the last two days

American Coots, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 3, 2022

American Coots, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 3, 2022

Blackbirds leaving roost, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 3, 2022

Black capped Chickadee without a tail (AKA Chickadee Antpitta), Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 3, 2022

Rusty Blackbird, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 3, 2022

Song Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 3, 2022

Fox Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 3, 2022

House Finch, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 3, 2022

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 3, 2022

I headed over to Hatfield before dawn to check some areas in the area of Great Pond in the hopes of finding some lingering warblers once things warmed up.  I made a few stops along the river and turned up several Eastern Screech Owls plus a Snow Bunting flying around and calling before the sun came up.  I then spent the next few hours at Great Pond looking for late warblers and other lingering species.  Thankfully there were no hunters around for the morning and it was a pleasure to be outside, even if it was a bit chilly early on before the sun started warming things up a bit.  I turned up a nice high count of American Coots among the limited diversity of waterfowl.  I could hear lots of calling from blackbirds and grackles that were roosting at the pond and eventually the hordes took off in mass over the course of about ten minutes when thousands of birds streamed out to the south.  I was scanning through the masses and as a group of a thousand plus Common Grackles flew by low I picked out a lone male Yellow headed Blackbird among them.  The birds were gone before I had a chance to try to get the camera for a photo.  I got the word out about the bird as quick as I could and amazingly Cory turned up what was almost certainly the same bird flying south and calling along the river in Hadley perhaps ten minutes after I saw it in Hatfield.  I suspect the bird will return to roost at Great Pond again so hopefully others will get to see it.  Yellow headed Blackbird is a fairly rare species here and I have had six records of the species ever in Hampshire County with all but one being in fall and the other being in February this year.  The post about the one I had in October of last year has more links to other sightings over the years.  Always a fun species to turn up among the hordes of blackbirds and grackles.  Besides the species mentioned above there were lots of other stuff among the 51 species present including loads of House Finches and American Goldfinches and eight species of sparrows but just one species of warbler.

Turkey Vulture, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 3, 2022

Red breasted Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 3, 2022

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 3, 2022

After my time at Great Pond I started my way toward home but did stop for a short visit to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River looking for warblers but finding none at all.  It was not a totally unproductive stop as I had three Turkey Vultures and three Evening Grosbeaks that flew by calling and headed off to the southeast...the grosbeaks look to be staging an incursion into the area that is just beginning and hopefully lots more will follow.  I also made a brief stop at a dead calm Winsor Dam where I had nine species of waterfowl including a couple Red breasted Mergansers and a distant Red throated Loon.

Ruddy Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2022

Ruddy Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2022

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2022

On the second I headed out mainly in search of lingering warblers and despite hitting a number of spots in Hadley and Amherst I only managed to find some Yellow rumped Warblers.   While I was out I heard about ten Ruddy Ducks at Winsor Dam and eventually I made my way over there and the ducks were still present.  Ten is a great count for this species that can be tough to find in the county for some reason.  I also had a high count of 22 Long tailed Ducks plus a couple Greater Yellowlegs.  It was a nice and warm day eventually with highs that hit 70.

Record setting heat comes to an end with several late warblers (and others) still hanging on

Tennessee Warbler, Hadley, MA, Nov 11, 2020

Fox Sparrow, Wentworth Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 11, 2020

White throated Sparrow, Wentworth Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 11, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 11, 2020

Wilson enjoying the warm weather, Belchertown, MA, Nov 11, 2020

Today marked the end of our long stretch of record setting high temperatures with yet another day above 70 degrees.  High temperature records were broken for six days in a row which is incredible in November.  My first stop after getting out of work was to an area near the malls in Hadley where Mike has had a few late warblers the last few day.  I only stopped briefly and didn't find anything.  I then headed to Wentworth Farm Conservation Area in search of some lingering species or irruptives.  Overall the area was fairly quiet with nothing too unusual.  I then headed home to take Wilson for a walk and after almost completing our walk I heard from Mike that he and Scott had found a few other late warblers in the spot near the mall.  I decided to try my luck once again and this time the stop was much more productive and found at least three Tennessee Warblers, a very late Wilson's Warbler and a Gray Catbird.  Really amazing to find such an odd selection of species in such a small area with lots of 'development' all around.  These warblers were very late and somewhat unexpected this far into November.  More on late warblers for the last few days at the following link.  The month has been very productive in Hampshire County with 115 species so far, which is already a couple species ahead of my best previous November back in 2017.

November 11th has been an extremely productive date for me in Hampshire County with this date producing two of the four first Hampshire County records I have found (King Eider in 2013 and Pacific Loon in 2015).  I made a brief stop by the Winsor Dam (where the records above occurred) but with strong southerly winds the waters at the dam where mainly empty with no unusual waterfowl around.  Perhaps with the cold front coming in tonight and northerly winds and cold temperatures for the foreseeable future something else noteworthy will show up.

American Coot, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 10, 2020

I had just a few minutes on my way to work on Tuesday morning and I decided to spend that time at Arcadia, primarily around the marsh in the hopes of finding some unusual waterfowl.  The best I could find was an American Coot (presumed to be the same individual that has been in the area for awhile but who knows).

Magnolia Warbler, Wentworth Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 9, 2020

Common Redpolls, Wentworth Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 9, 2020

Common Redpolls, Wentworth Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 9, 2020

Eastern Bluebird, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Nov 9, 2020

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Nov 9, 2020

After work Monday morning I headed over to the rail trail in Amherst to follow up on a few late warblers (and a very late Least Flycatcher) that Ted had there the day before.  I walked all around the same areas he visited but came up empty on his sightings but I did have some interesting birds around including a color banded Black capped Chickadee.  I next went to nearby Wentworth Farm Conservation Area and had better luck there with a very late Magnolia Warbler (more on warbler the last few days at the following link) and a flock of 80+ Common Redpolls.  

The tropics continue to produce storms with Tropical Storm Eta expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida tonight and then head out into the Atlantic.  Tropical Storm Theta will slowly dissipate as it moves eastward toward Europe way out in the Atlantic.  This season has already set the record for the most named storms in the Atlantic for any hurricane season and there is a decent chance of yet another storm forming in the western Caribbean in the next few days.  

A big warm up and more irruptive species to end the first week of November

White throated Sparrow, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2020

American Tree Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2020

Belted Kingfisher, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 7, 2020

 Fog over fields, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 7, 2020

My original plan was to spend another sunny morning at Arcadia but after having a rather slow morning there yesterday I changed my plans and went elsewhere.  I started off before dawn at a rather chilly (42 degrees) Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where I had at least four woodcocks displaying plus three species of owls.  I added a decent count of Winter Wrens (three) as well as Fox Sparrows (at least half a dozen).  I then headed over to the Honey Pot where I hoped to catch up with some open area species and perhaps a late warbler.  I was lucky to run into a late Palm Warbler not long after I arrived (more on warblers for the week at the following link).  I also had a large flock of Snow Buntings (at least 73 in a single high flying group) plus one of many groups of Evening Grosbeaks for the day.  I hit a few other spots in Hadley before making my way toward Quabbin with a stop at Winsor Dam and small section of Quabbin Park before heading home.  Winsor Dam was fairly slow but the view was fantastic with near glass like conditions on the water (there was a very cooperative Belted Kingfisher that stayed in the same spot during almost my entire time there).  My last stop at Quabbin Park was more productive with a couple of White winged Crossbills that flew over calling and landed in a pine across a marsh from me.  I was able to watch them in flight and they landed in a pine but despite much effort to find them again in the tree I failed (as did an attempt at a distant recording).  Hopefully just the first of what will be many of this newest irruptive species to arrive (there have been other recent reports in both Hampshire County and further west in the Berkshires).  The White winged Crossbill brings me to a record breaking 243 species in Hampshire County for the year with several weeks to go (my old record was 241 set back in 2018.  With all the irruptives around and some lingering species I have had the best start to a November I have ever had with 111 species so far in Hampshire County...this is amazingly just a couple species shy of my best ever total for the whole month in the county (113 species in 2017).  The next few days are forecast to continue to be sunny with more record setting warmth.  

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 6, 2020

Yellow bellied Sapsucker, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 6, 2020

Fox Sparrows, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 6, 2020

Lesser Scaup, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Nov 6, 2020

Pectoral Sandpiper, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Nov 6, 2020

Greater Yellowlegs, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Nov 6, 2020

Friday morning I headed across the river to Arcadia arriving before dawn (with a brief detour to the Honey Pot to pick up Short eared Owl for the month).  Although it started out cloudy the sun eventually broke through and the temperatures climbed to a new record in the mid 70's.  Arcadia was a bit slower than I expected it to be with nothing too unusual beyond more Evening Grosbeaks.  A few species were around in slightly higher number than typical for this time of year but not extremely high counts.  I next  headed to the East Meadows but that area was even quieter (a slight but continuous breeze probably didn't help).  Without much activity in the meadows I stopped along the river in Hadley and added some waterfowl including two Lesser Scaup plus a Pectoral Sandpiper.  I had some errands to run a bit further south so I headed to the area around the Holyoke Dam in South Hadley where I had some vultures around (at least four Black Vultures and a couple Turkey Vultures) plus a selection of waterfowl, gulls and a Greater Yellowlegs but nothing really rare.  The rest of the day I spent at home catching up on more yard work and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Moose, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 5, 2020

Moose, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 5, 2020

Common Mergansers, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 5, 2020

Purple Finch, Piper Farm Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Nov 5, 2020

Pine Siskins, American Goldfinch and Purple Finch, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Nov 5, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 5, 2020

Red breasted Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 5, 2020

The forecast for Thursday was sunny conditions and temperatures climbing to near 70 with a strong southerly wind and the forecast was actually right!  The morning was chilly and not too breezy as I got out before dawn to check for owls (heard several Great Horned Owls).  I also checked the water at Winsor Dam and was surprised to find a nice selection of waterfowl despite the less than ideal migration conditions overnight.  The highlight was a flyby Red throated Loon that I was able to study well in the scope as it moved in from the north.  I took my eyes off it to get my camera as it looked to be about to fly overhead but once I had the camera I could not relocate it.  Other notable waterfowl included five Red breasted Mergansers in two groups, one group also held a Black Scoter.  I had some flyby Evening Grosbeaks at the dam too and ran across this irruptive species at multiple stops over the course of the morning.  With the breeze slowly picking up I headed over to nearby Gate 5 where I had a close encounter with a couple of Moose as I was walking my way to the water.  Always fun to run across this massive creature in the wild.  In addition to other irruptive species there I had a group of four Common Redpolls stop briefly before flying off to the south.  My next two stops were to Piper Farm Conservation Area and the Belchertown Land Trust Trail.  These areas featured more irruptive species as well as a late Gray Catbird.

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 4, 2020

Fox Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 4, 2020

American Coot, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 4, 2020

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 4, 2020

Pine Warbler, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, Nov 4, 2020

Eastern Phoebe, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, Nov 4, 2020

Wednesday began the warm stretch of weather (although it was still fairly chilly around dawn).  After a brief predawn stop at Winsor Dam I headed over to Arcadia where I spent a couple hours before getting a message about another rare bird (more on that below).  Arcadia featured a number of late species including a Lincoln's Sparrow and Common Yellowthroat as well as above normal counts of a few other species among a total of 62 species.  I initially planned to stay a bit longer and then perhaps go to the East Meadows but I noticed a message saying that Aaron found some Pine Grosbeaks in Williamsburg.  I was already in Northampton so I took the drive up and explored the area where he had them and I distantly heard at least one a few times but could never track them down to get a look.  Hopefully this is just the vanguard of yet another irruptive species that will push into the area.  In addition to all the other irruptives that have already arrived there was a sighting of a Boreal Chickadee by James up in New Salem...time will tell if this will be yet another species to arrive in numbers.  After my time in Williamsburg I checked out a few fields in Hadley and Amherst looking for geese but came up empty.  I did run across a large flock of Brown headed Cowbirds and European Starlings in Amherst and picked through the several hundred birds present in the hopes of finding a rarity but no luck.  I then decided to make one last stop before heading home and this stop was to some fields near Hampshire College where I had a couple more late species with the discovery of a Pine Warbler and an Eastern Phoebe.

 Pine Siskin, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 7, 2020

Wilson lounging on the deck, Nov 7, 2020

Wilson waiting for the ball to be thrown, Nov 4, 2020

The feeders finally attracted an irruptive species today with the arrival of a few Pine Siskins.  I have had multiple groups of various species flyover the last few weeks but these are the first ones I have noticed making a stop.  Wilson has been enjoying the nice weather but he wishes for more snow to eat.