Cold weekend of birding

American Kestrel, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 11, 2015

Rough legged Hawk (dark phase), Arcadia meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 11, 2015

Rough legged Hawk (dark phase), Arcadia meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 11, 2015

Lapland Longspurs (middle right and middle left), Arcadia meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 11, 2015

Lapland Longspur, Arcadia meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 11, 2015

Today was yet another cold day in a string of cold days with a low temperature this morning at -6.  I headed over to the Connecticut River in South Hadley and then worked my way north along the river finally ending at the Honey Pot.  The open waters below the Holyoke Dam featured some very cold looking waterfowl including 827 Canada Geese, two Mute Swans, five Black Ducks, 69 Mallards, 37 Common Goldeneye (no barrows found despite a lot of looking), a Hooded Merganser and 11 Common Mergansers.  Other notable species there included a Sharpshinned Hawk harassing a vocal Cooper's Hawk, a Peregrine Falcon sitting on a lightpole on the bridge and at least one Fish Crow mixed in with the American Crows leaving their morning roost.  I then headed north along the largely frozen Connecticut River and ended up at the Aracdia meadows looking for the dark phase Rough legged Hawk that has been reported there the last few days.  I found the striking individual fairly quickly as it was perched along the road as I arrived.  Rough legged Hawks are always a fun bird to catch up with in winter around here and having a cooperative dark phase bird makes it even better.  Probably the best looks I have had of this color phase in years.  In the same area of the hawk was a large flock (240+) of Horned Larks.  Mixed in with the large flock of larks were at least four Lapland Longspurs as well as a couple Snow Buntings.  Once I finished scanning through the flock and checking out the groups of nearby sparrows, I headed over to the East Meadows to check the river for waterfowl.  I only managed to turn up 160 Canada Geese, 43 Mallards and a pair Hooded Mergansers in the open water areas.  The couple of Bald Eagles as well as a Peregrine Falcon kept the birds on edge as the raptors moved around.  My final stop over at the Honey Pot turned up my first of the year American Kestrel as well as 80+ Horned Larks, a Snow Bunting with the larks, half a dozen Savannah Sparrows among the other more typical sparrows.  Overall a very good morning for raptors as well as other species despite the frigid temperatures.  I added three more species for the month this morning: Fish Crow, Rough legged Hawk and American Kestrel bringing my total for the month in Hampshire County to a respectable 77.

Horned Lark, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2015

Horned Lark, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2015

Song Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2015

Low hanging fog, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2015

Morning frost, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2015

I woke up well before dawn yesterday so thought I would use my time before sunrise to try to catch up with some owls along the river in Hadley. It was a frosty 8 degrees when I left the house but clear with moonlit skies. As I arrived at the Honey Pot the temperature dropped down to zero and there was a narrow layer of fog covering the fields. It was an odd sight as the layer varied between hugging the ground and being just above the ground. I scanned below the fog where I could and checked the few open areas but no luck finding a long eared or short eared owl hunting the fields. My efforts to get a screech owl calling back to me also failed so no luck with any owls at all. I even tried a few spots to find roosting owls but none were found. The fog lifted rapidly just before dawn but left behind a thick layer of frost on all the weeds, trees and grasses. I did manage to find some flocks of larks as well as groups of sparrows but did not turn up the Vesper Sparrow seen there yesterday. Highlights during the two hours there included 120+ Horned Larks, a single Lapland Longspur (with larks), a single Snow Bunting, half a dozen Savannah Sparrows and numbers of American Tree Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White throated Sparrows and juncos. The river was largely frozen but there were still open areas with the only waterfowl there being a few Common Mergansers. Raptors were oddly low in number with just a single Sharpshinned Hawk and a Red tailed Hawk but the sharpie was a new species for the year. The area near the Coolidge Bridge produced a few more Common Mergansers plus around 35 Mallards. Without too much activity happening along the river I decided to head toward Quabbin to see if any birds were taking advantage of the largely open water there. On my way over there I stopped along South Maple St at Flavors Farm and found a Brown headed Cowbird mixed in with hundreds of starlings. With the cowbird I made it to 74 species for the first ten days in Hampshire County.

Black Ducks and Mallards, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 10, 2015

I then made a few stops at Quabbin Park with the most productive being at Hank's Meadow where I had 24 Black Ducks, 13 Mallards, six Common Mergansers and half a dozen Horned Grebes. A stop at Winsor Dam produced 12 Hooded Mergansers. The reservoir is still mainly open with just coves and shallow areas beginning to ice up. With the continued cold weather I would expect large areas to freeze up over the next week or so.

Nelson's Sparrow at Arcadia and a late Ruby throated Hummingbird in Granby...who says the 13th is unlucky?!?!?

Nelson's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 13, 2014

Nelson's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 13, 2014

Nelson's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 13, 2014

Nelson's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 13, 2014

Nelson's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 13, 2014

I went out this morning with Jacob looking to find the Nelson's Sparrow we missed yesterday at Arcadia and despite the thick fog we found it fairly quickly and the bird cooperated nicely for us giving great views and allowing us to get some photos.  We were able to relocate the bird again a little later in the morning and get better photos.  A great bird and only my second county record of the species (the other one was also found at Arcadia). There may actually have been more than one individual around but we have not confirmed that yet. The Nelson's Sparrow becomes species #231 for Hampshire County this year, bringing me closer and closer to breaking my previous record of 236.  Besides the Nelson's Sparrow there were hundreds of other sparrows around as well as many other species. I have included the full list below from Arcadia. After a productive few hours at Arcadia we headed over to the Honey Pot briefly were we had lots more sparrows including a Vesper Sparrow bringing our total number of sparrow species for the morning up to ten plus towhee and junco....a sparrowpalozza day!
Arcadia

Canada Goose  38
Wood Duck  12
Mallard  4
Double-crested Cormorant  3
Northern Harrier  2
Sharp-shinned Hawk  2
Red-shouldered Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Killdeer  1
Ring-billed Gull  19
Mourning Dove  3
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
Downy Woodpecker  4
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  3
Pileated Woodpecker  2
Eastern Phoebe  1
Blue-headed Vireo  1
Blue Jay  14
American Crow  6
Black-capped Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  3
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
Carolina Wren  1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  5
Eastern Bluebird  6
American Robin  13
Gray Catbird  3
Northern Mockingbird  2
American Pipit  4
Cedar Waxwing  4
Common Yellowthroat  3
Palm Warbler (Western)  1
Palm Warbler (Yellow)  6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  4
Eastern Towhee  1
Chipping Sparrow  5
Field Sparrow  5
Savannah Sparrow  59
Nelson's Sparrow  1     Rare, found yesterday byJeremy Coleman, many photos
Song Sparrow  147
Lincoln's Sparrow  9
Swamp Sparrow  57
White-throated Sparrow  60
White-crowned Sparrow (Eastern)  16
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)  3
Northern Cardinal  6
Indigo Bunting  1
Red-winged Blackbird  135
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
Purple Finch  3
Pine Siskin  10
American Goldfinch  8

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Granby, MA, Oct 13, 2014

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Granby, MA, Oct 13, 2014

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Granby, MA, Oct 13, 2014

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Granby, MA, Oct 13, 2014

Jabish Canal marsh with loads of winterberry, Belchertown, MA, Oct 13, 2014

Once I got home I took Wilson for a walk along the Jabish Canal where we found even more sparrows and other good stuff but nothing extreme. Once we got home I heard about a hummingbird at a private residence in Granby and after a few messages I was on my way to to get some photos and determine the species (if possible). I arrived around 1:30 and the bird showed up fairly quickly and I got photos through the window and then went outside to get more photos. The bird would come into feed every ten minutes or so but never perch. It appears to be a late male Ruby throated Hummingbird. Oddly the same residence hosted another late season hummingbird a couple years ago on almost the same date (that one was a female RTHU that stayed for about two weeks before flying off as Hurricane Sandy approached)

Quabbin Park this morning and a fruitless search for a Nelson's Sparrow at Arcadia this afternoon

Osprey, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 12, 2014

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 12, 2014

Pine Siskins, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 12, 2014

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 12, 2014

Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 12, 2014

With the clear conditions and light northerly winds forecast for today I planned on spending a good portion of the morning at Winsor Dam watching migrants move by.  However the fog made me modify my plans and I spent a portion of the morning at Winsor Dam and the remainder in Quabbin Park itself (with a couple unproductive side trips to Beaver Lake).  I stayed out until almost eleven and by that time the hordes of people just made it less than enjoyable to be out.  Overall there certainly was some migration taking place with some geese moving as well as a few other species of waterfowl but the big numbers of migrants came from the groups of Pine Siskins moving by with a total nearing 200 with my first big groups of the year.  Certainly shaping up to be a big influx of siskins this year...the question is what other northern species will follow them?  I managed to find a total of nine species of waterfowl at Quabbin with highlights being 70 Black Ducks, two Green winged Teal, six White winged Scoters (all males flying by Goodnough Dike), eight Common Loons, a Pied billed Grebe and eight Horned Grebes.  Other notable birds included a Ruffed Grouse feeding in a tree, several Purple Finches and a few dozen Yellow rumped Warblers (likely many more than I actually counted).  A total of fifty species for the morning at Quabbin Park.

Palm Warbler (yellow), Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 12, 2014

Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 12, 2014

Purple Finch, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 12, 2014

After I got home for lunch after walking Wilson I noticed a post about a Nelson's Sparrow at Arcadia.  This species is a great bird for the valley but also exceedingly difficult to relocate.  I was going to just wait until tomorrow to try but then I got a text from Jacob and decided we would go try for it.  No luck with it despite a couple hours of effort.  Lots and lots of other sparrow species around even in the middle of the afternoon.  We will give it hell tomorrow and see what we can find!

Meanwhile the tropics have finally started to heat back up with two named storms in the Atlantic at this time.  Hurricane Fay is brushing past Bermuda now and then heading out to sea.  Tropical Storm Gonzalo is near the Lesser Antilles and expected to move through Puerto Rico and then head north. It is expected to reach hurricane strength after a few more days.  Neither system poises any real danger to the mainland U.S. but I thought it worth mentioning the activity as it has been so quiet lately.

Brief birding stops this week

Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 9, 2014

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 9, 2014

Gray Catbird, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 9, 2014

I have had little time this week to get out but I have made a few brief stops at various locations including a swing through the East Meadows this morning before stopping over to the Ibis Pool near Arcadia.  The East Meadows looked great to host some shorebirds but I could not find any at all.  Good numbers of sparrows (especially Savannah Sparrows) plus double digit counts of American Pipits but no shorebirds.  My stop at Arcadia found the place crawling with sparrows.  I managed to find dozens and dozens of seven species just around the small area I checked.  I also managed to find the Dickcissel discovered there a few days ago plus flyover Pine Siskins among the nearly 45 species.  Really wish I had more time to check in more detail as I'm certain other rarities are there just waiting to be found.

I have also made a few stops at Winsor Dam in search of waterfowl but didn't manage to find anything beyond the expected species.  All of the southern winds lately certainly didn't help to entice many ducks or geese to move south.

Arcadia this morning and a few other quick stops

Indigo Bunting, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2014

Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2014

Bobolink, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2014

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2014

Wilson's Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2014

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2014

White crowned Sparrow with Field Sparrow in background, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2014

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2014

I spent a foggy morning exploring Arcadia and came away with nearly sixty species.  After watching the radar last night and listening to flight calls overhead I figured there would be a nice influx of birds and I was right.  I started out checking the marsh where I had a few species of waterfowl (including a single Green winged Teal) plus a Great Egret.  No shorebirds at all on the mudflats in the marsh.  I then spent the remainder of my time exploring the meadows starting off near the Ibis Pool and walking several weedy edges and fields.  Certainly good numbers of sparrows with hundreds of individuals present.  Lesser numbers of warblers and only a single vireo.  Lots of other species around and I have included the full list below. 

Arcadia

Canada Goose 16
Wood Duck 22
Mallard 17
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid) 1
Green-winged Teal (American) 1
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Cooper's Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Killdeer 2
Mourning Dove 5
Belted Kingfisher 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 8
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 8
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 22
American Crow 52
Horned Lark 1 Flyover
Black-capped Chickadee 20
Tufted Titmouse 8
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
House Wren 1
Carolina Wren 2
Eastern Bluebird 12
American Robin 128
Gray Catbird 21
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 8
American Pipit 3
Cedar Waxwing 18
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 15 Minimum
American Redstart 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 3
Palm Warbler (Yellow) 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 6
Wilson's Warbler 1
Field Sparrow 3
Savannah Sparrow 94
Song Sparrow 131 Minimum
Lincoln's Sparrow 12
Swamp Sparrow 44
White-throated Sparrow 36
White-crowned Sparrow 2 one singing
Northern Cardinal 6
Indigo Bunting 11 A few still singing
Bobolink 3
Red-winged Blackbird 120
House Finch 3
Pine Siskin 2 Flyovers
American Goldfinch 14
House Sparrow 1

Spotted Sandpiper, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Oct 3, 2014

I stopped briefly along the Connecticut River before heading home and had two Spotted Sandpipers along the muddy edge but not much else.  A brief stop at Winsor Dam didn't produce anything noteworthy.

A walk with Wilson along the Jabish Canal held a few pockets of birds including a few warblers, various sparrow species and a flyover Pine Siskin.

Meanwhile up in Franklin County James Smith had a flyby Say's Pheobe that he was unable to relocate....perhaps someone will turn it up in the next few days (hopefully in Hampshire County!).  Here is a link to his report on the bird: http://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2014/10/ma-says-phoebe-but-alas-no-pics.html

A late Common Nighthawk among many others at Arcadia

Common Nighthawk, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

Common Nighthawk (as found still alive along road), Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

Indigo Bunting showing rufous on wing, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

Indigo Bunting showing rufous on wing, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

Indigo Bunting showing rufous on wing, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

House Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

Red eyed Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

Dawn, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 26, 2014

With beautiful weather and a day off I decided to spend the morning at Arcadia starting there before dawn and staying over four hours during which I found some 63 species with many highlights and decent numbers of various species.  The weather was just fantastic with sunny weather, a light breeze and temperatures that quickly climbed once the sun came up...comfortable in a T-shirt by 9AM at the end of September is a good day!  I have included the full list of species below.  The highlight (or perhaps lowlight) was finding a Common Nighthawk along the roadside near the large field where the Bobolinks breed in the summer.  Sadly the nighthawk was injured and was down on the ground slowly flapping its wings as I drove up the road.  I stopped and checked the bird out and moved it from the road as I tried to figure out what to do with the it.  As I sat on the side of the road with the bird for a few minutes contemplating if a wildlife rehab could help I noticed the bird stopped moving and it died there.  A closer examination of the bird revealed that it appeared to have a broken neck, likely from a strike with a car.  The bird was otherwise in perfect condition so I thought perhaps someone could use the bird for research or education so I called Dave at Arcadia (who oddly happened to be walking up the road as I called him).  After some discussion we decided I would drop the bird off at the Arcadia visitors center.  My latest date in the fall for this species I have ever had (previous latest date was Sept 17th...and I haven't seen one this year since Sept 6th).  Hopefully some good will come out of the death of this bird.  Common Nighthawks (like all nightjars) are just fascinating to me and are such unique birds.  It was impressive to see the bird up close and actually hold it in hand...always amazing how small and light the birds are.  Tough to see such a beautiful creature meet its end (especially when almost certainly human caused) but glad I was there to witness it.

Arcadia

Canada Goose 46    
Wood Duck 27
American Black Duck 1
Mallard 13
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid) 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Northern Harrier 1    
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Ring-billed Gull 13
Mourning Dove 4
Common Nighthawk 1 Late. Seen on side of road on ground moving wings slightly. Appeared to have been hit by car. Moved bird off road where it died a couple minutes later.
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 8
Pileated Woodpecker 1
American Kestrel 1
Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher) 1 Silent bird
Eastern Phoebe 24 High count. Minimum
Blue-headed Vireo 2
Red-eyed Vireo 12    
Blue Jay 29
American Crow 12
Black-capped Chickadee 16
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 6
House Wren 3    
Winter Wren 1 Singing
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Eastern Bluebird 13
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 95
Gray Catbird 29
Brown Thrasher 1
Northern Mockingbird 2    
European Starling 11
Cedar Waxwing 3
Nashville Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 31
American Redstart 1
Northern Parula 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 6
Palm Warbler (Yellow) 3
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
warbler sp. 4 Flight calls
Chipping Sparrow 7
Field Sparrow 1 Singing
Savannah Sparrow 37    
Song Sparrow 69
Lincoln's Sparrow 7
Swamp Sparrow 15    
White-throated Sparrow 8
sparrow sp. 1
Northern Cardinal 10
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2    
Indigo Bunting 14 A few singing, one with rufous on wing that at quick glance may make you think blue grosbeak.
Bobolink 22
Red-winged Blackbird 370
American Goldfinch 14
House Sparrow 2

Jabish Canal marsh, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2014

After leaving Arcadia I stopped briefly along the Connecticut River in Hadley looking for shorebirds and found four Least Sandpipers and a couple Spotted Sandpipers.  A walk along Jabish Canal with Wilson held about twenty species with the highlight being a flock of 26 Common Ravens heading east.  Not my largest flock of this species in western Massachusetts but in the top three.

Arcadia meadows at dawn, Northampton, MA, Sep 24, 2014

I tried my luck on Wednesday morning at Arcadia too trying to catch back up with the Blue Grosbeak I saw there on Tuesday but no luck.  Not really surprising as I had my camera with me this time and that almost guarantees anything unusual will stay out of sight!  Still good stuff around the small area I covered near the Ibis Pool including a somewhat late Warbling Vireo, a Northern Waterthrush that flushed from the Ibis Pool and then perched in a tree, six species of warblers and five species of sparrow plus a few Indigo Buntings and Bobolinks still hanging around.