Third week of August ends with some cooler conditions and a small influx of migrants

Prairie Warbler, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Aug 21, 2025

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Aug 21, 2025

Olive sided Flycatcher, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Aug 21, 2025

Northern House Wren, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2025

American Goldfinch, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2025

Eastern Meadowlarks, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2025

Pied billed Grebe, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2025

Veery, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2025

 Lesser Yellowlegs, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Aug 21, 2025

Dawn, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Aug 21, 2025

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 20, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Ware, MA, Aug 19, 2025

Pine Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 19, 2025

Cedar Waxwing on nest, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 19, 2025

Eastern Kingbird, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 19, 2025

Dawn, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 19, 2025

The third week of August snuck up on my fast so will mainly let the photos speak for themselves.  We had a bit of rain yesterday (over an inch) with north winds overnight into this morning.  The winds increased throughout the day as Hurricane Erin made it closest approach.  The last week has featured some decent birding conditions although not much in the way of obvious migrants.  Today was a different story with multiple species of obvious migrants around including an early Philadelphia Vireo, a Mourning Warbler and a Pied billed Grebe plus my second Olive sided Flycatcher of the fall migration season.  I'm currently it at 154 species for the month in the county (tied for my highest total for August at this point) and 228 species for the year (two ahead of my best year ever in the county YTD).  We shall see what the rest of fall into winter holds for me before we head off to warmer climates for the winter.

Little Blue Heron and others for the middle of August

Little Blue Heron, Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, Northampton, MA, Aug 15, 2024

Great Egret, Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, Northampton, MA, Aug 16, 2024

Great Blue Heron, Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, Northampton, MA, Aug 16, 2024

Tennessee Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 16, 2024

Yellow throated Vireo, Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Aug 14, 2024

Scarlet Tanager, Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Aug 14, 2024

Green Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Aug 14, 2024

Prairie Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Aug 13, 2024

Eastern Bluebird, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Aug 13, 2024

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 13, 2024

Red eyed Vireo, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 13, 2024

Indigo Bunting, Ware, MA, Aug 13, 2024

American Goldfinch, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 13, 2024

Despite being stuck at work quite a bit the last few days I still got out a bit and turned up some good stuff including a Little Blue Heron in Northampton.  I have also found a variety of warblers the last few days including another early Tennessee Warbler.  At this point in August I sit at 144 species for Hampshire County, which is my second highest total ever at this point in August for the county (only last year was better when I had 148 species at this point...last year turned out to be my best August ever with 166 species by the end of the month).  I doubt I will break my record from last year unless a hurricane hits the area and brings lots of rarities with it.

Remnants of Hurricane Debby moving through and then sunny, dry conditions

Prairie Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Aug 13, 2024

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 13, 2024

Chestnut sided Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 13, 2024

American Goldfinch, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 13, 2024

Red eyed Vireo, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 11, 2024

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 11, 2024

Veery, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 11, 2024

Great Egrets, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 11, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Ware, MA, Aug 11, 2024

House Wren nestlings, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 10, 2024

Tennessee Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 8, 2024

Sedge Wren, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 8, 2024

Purple Martins, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 8, 2024

Common Goldeneye, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 7, 2024

We finally got a break in our long duration weather of hot and humid conditions that has lasted most of July and more intermittently into the early part of August.  Although I love the tropical feel, without the hordes of tropical birds to go with it, it is a bit harder to take.  The break came after the remnants of Hurricane Debby moved through.  Although we were a bit too far off the track of the remnants we still got some decent rain and some wind.  The storm was over land since its second landfall in the carolinas so true storm birds although I did have a decent selection of shorebirds as the rain grounded a few migrants including a little early Black bellied Plover among a total of eight species of shorebirds during the Friday to Saturday time frame.  Sunday featured low humidity and mainly sunny conditions and a feel of the real start of passerine migration.  Nothing too rare but certainly some migrants moving through.  Today I enjoyed a day off and stuck close to home with my time spent around the Ware and south Quabbin area.

A dark American Goldfinch at a feeder and a look at the Northampton Christmas Bird Count

Dark American Goldfinch, Northampton, MA, Dec 20, 2022

Dark American Goldfinch, Northampton, MA, Dec 20, 2022

Dark American Goldfinch, Northampton, MA, Dec 20, 2022

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Northampton, MA, Dec 20, 2022

I spent a few days at a private residence trying to catch up with a Pine Warbler that has shown up very sporadically after being seen for the first time by the homeowner during a snowstorm on Friday the 16th and then seen one more day (about an hour after I left and was almost home) on the 17th.  I spent about 45 minutes at the location on Saturday and nearly an hour on the 20th.  Despite missing on the hoped for Pine Warbler I had some other good birds as I watched the feeders.  I had at least one flyover Red Crossbill on Saturday and a Pine Siskin on Tuesday.  A banded Black capped Chickadee showed up both days (the homeowner is taking part in the same study being conducted by a PhD candidate that I take part in at home).  The big highlight was an unusually plumaged American Goldfinch that showed up on Tuesday.  It was the darkest American Goldfinch I have ever seen and I assume it is some type of melanistic individual (like a melanistic Black and White Warbler I found back in 2020 in Amherst).  I have reached out to a couple finch experts to see if they have ever seen anything like and so far the consensus is it is new to them too.

Dawn, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Dec 18, 2022

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Hadley, MA, Dec 15, 2022

Gray Catbird, Hadley, MA, Dec 15, 2022

Smith's Longspur, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Dec 15, 2022

Common Grackles, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 19, 2022

Savannah Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Dec 20, 2022

Common Grackles, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Dec 21, 2022

The Northampton Christmas Bird Count (CBC) occurred on Sunday December 18th and yet again I missed the day due to work with my only contribution for the count day being a brief stop before work at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where I turned up a few owls and then a couple Fish Crows during the day at work.  The preliminary total for the count day stands at 88 species, which is a great count and just a few species off a record high count for species for the count.   I was able to be out some on the days to either side of the count day which make up count week (three days to either side of the count day).  I added some unusual species in the days leading up to the count (including Yellow rumped Warbler, Gray Catbird and the continued Smith's Longspur).  In the three days after the count I added another species with a group of 13 Green winged Teal in the Connecticut River at dawn.  I have run across big flocks of Red winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles during my travels before and after the count and both species shattered records for the count with thousands of each around.  Here is a link to all the information you ever wanted to know about the Northampton CBC found on the Hampshire Bird Club site: Northampton CBC. The count next year is scheduled for Sunday Dec 17th and I will actually have the day off which almost guarantees there will be a blizzard that day!