The end of June

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 30, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jun 30, 2025

American Redstart, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jun 30, 2025

Gray Catbird, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jun 30, 2025

American Redstart with unusual plumage, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 29, 2025

Pileated Woodpecker, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 29, 2025

Eastern Kingbird, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Jun 28, 2025

Muskrat, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Jun 28, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Jun 27, 2025

Red winged Blackbirds, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Jun 27, 2025

Green Heron, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Jun 27, 2025

Black Bear, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Jun 27, 2025

Bank Swallow juveniles, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jun 26, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 25, 2025

Yet another month has come to an end (they go faster and faster...at least when it is warm out!).  It was a great month for birding when I could get out as the weather was mainly cooperative (although record setting hot at times) with just the annoying insects making it less pleasant.  Lots of breeding activity throughout the month and I conducted all of my breeding bird work from Eastern Whip Poor Will surveys to my Breeding Bird Survey and field surveys on the Prescott Peninsula.  Bird song continued through the end of the month although it has started to trail off with some species going quiet.  July is always a fairly quiet time for birding here although some post breeding dispersals can add some excitement.  For me this July marks my last month of work in my fire and EMS career as I will be retiring after 33 years in the field.  I'm certainly ready for it! 

More Purple Martins in Hadley

Purple Martins (three in view at once), Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 27, 2021

Purple Martins (three in view at once), Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 27, 2021

Purple Martins, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 27, 2021

Purple Martin, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 27, 2021

Purple Martin, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 27, 2021

Barn Swallow and Bank Swallow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jun 27, 2021

Black Vultures, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 27, 2021

Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 27, 2021

Brown Thrasher on nest, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jun 27, 2021

I headed out this morning before the extreme heat arrived with the beginning of our second heat wave of the year.  We have had fairly strong southerly winds for a couple days and the temperatures have started to respond with highs today in the low 90's with increasingly high humidity.  The highs for the next few days loom to reach the mid 90's with high indexes in the 105 degree range.  My morning started off around dawn at Lake Wallace (which was fairly quiet...I think mainly due to the drawdown on the water levels this season).  I'm forever hopeful that someday Black bellied Whistling Ducks will make an appearance at Lake Wallace but today was not the day.  I then made my way down to the Holyoke Dam which held a few dozen vultures including at least four Black Vultures.  The Chimney Swift count was down a bit from just a couple days ago when it peaked at over 400.  As I had some errands to run in Hadley I headed north next with stops at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River and the Honey Pot.  I was stopping at Silvio Conte NWR mainly to check on the ongoing pair of Purple Martins that first showed up in mid June.  I arrived to find one sitting outside the gourd the pair has been favoring the last couple weeks.  As I was watching the single bird I heard some martins calling and noticed the bird sitting on the gourd was looking skyward.  Within a few moments two more Purple Martins arrived!  At this point the individual sitting outside the gourd quickly entered the gourd and I didn't see it leave.  I thought I heard another martin calling but could not be sure.  There are now at least three (and possibly four) Purple Martins present.  One of the remaining martins started investigating one of the other gourds.  Really amazing to have even one Purple Martin around but to have more than that is crazy given how rare the species is in the western part of the state.  My stop at the Honey Pot was mainly to try to find the ongoing (but sporadically seen) Blue Grosbeaks.  There were a few other birders present and despite our best efforts we struck out on the grosbeaks.  Nonetheless we still had some good birds with nesting Brown Thrasher and Northern Mockingbird as well as a flyover Northern Harrier (unusual in the county in June).

Heat wave breaks and an update on the tropics

Bank Swallows, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2018

 House Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 8, 2018

 Chestnut sided Warbler (iPhone photo through binoculars), Jabish Canal, Belchertown, MA, Sep 8, 2018

Philadelphia Vireo (iPhone photo through binoculars), Jabish Canal, Belchertown, MA, Sep 8, 2018

The latest heat wave finally broke on Friday after we had four more days above 90 with high humidity adding to a long string of hot days for the summer (26 days above 90 so far).  The cooler temperatures brought in via more northerly winds also brought in more migrants but not quite as many as I expected given the conditions.  Nonetheless I managed to add two new species to my county list this morning with a flyover American Golden Plover at the Honey Pot and a Philadelphia Vireo along the Jabish Canal in Belchertown.  No luck finding a Connecticut Warbler this morning but I'm certain I will turn up one (or more) soon.  Other notables the last few days have included a large gathering of hundreds of swallows at the Honey Pot with most being Bank and Barn Swallows.

Tropical Storm Florence projected path as of 11AM, Sep 8, 2018 (courtesy of National Hurricane Center)

Active tropical systems in the Atlantic as if midday Sep 8, 2018 (courtesy of National Hurricane Center)

Now for a bit of a discussion on the tropics and how it may impact the local area.  The remnants of Hurricane Gorden should pass through the area on Monday bringing some potentially heavy rain but likely little else.  There is always the chance that the rain could force some migrants down so it will be worth checking a few spots on Monday.  The big potential player from the tropics is Florence (a former major hurricane that is now a tropical storm).  I have been watching the storm the past several days as it has made its way across the Atlantic.  The storm has surprised on several occasions already as it has fought through less than ideal conditions and became a major hurricane and has followed a somewhat unusual path.  The storm is unusual in having formed so far north and east and then track in a manner that it becomes a possible threat to the U.S. east coast.  The current forecast calls for the storm to regain strength and become a major hurricane (category 3+) over the next few days. It appears more and more likely that a major hurricane will strike somewhere on the east coast of the United States somewhere between northern Florida and possibly as far north as New England (although the chances of a direct strike here are relative low).  The exact track is certainly still up in the air but the track should become more clear over the next few days.  As far as what possible impact the storm will have here in relation to birds remains to be seen but I will post more about it over the next few days.  Beyond Florence there are two more potential storms to come as the tropics really start heating up as the peak of hurricane season rapidly approaches.  In the meantime I have a post from a few years ago regarding tropical systems that might be of interest.

Another morning at Arcadia produces two Dickcissel and lots of other good stuff plus the latest on Hurricane Irma

Dickcissel, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 4, 2017

Dickcissel and Bobolink, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 4, 2017

Bobolinks and Cooper's Hawk, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 4, 2017

Yellow Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 4, 2017

Chimney Swift, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 4, 2017

Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow and Bank Swallow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 4, 2017

Willow Flycatcher, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 4, 2017

After a dismal day yesterday with cool temps and rain most of the day (compliments of the remnants of Harvey) today was much improved with mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures (eventually). Yesterday I mainly caught up on stuff around the house although I did make a few checks around the local area to see if the rain forced any migrants (such as shorebirds or terns) down but no luck for me. Today I birded with Keenan for a few hours at Arcadia starting off at dawn. Quite a few good birds around including at least two Dickcissel, a Willow Flycatcher, 600+ Bobolinks and good numbers of Indigo Buntings and Song Sparrows among the 63 species tallied. Full list from the morning here: Arcadia

Black Vultures, Hadley, MA, Sep 4, 2017

Black Vultures, Hadley, MA, Sep 4, 2017

On my way home I turned up three Black Vultures along Moody Bridge Road flying around among the more numerous Turkey Vultures. My walk with Wilson along the Jabish Canal turned up a mixed species flock that included my first Bay breasted Warbler of the fall. Tomorrow looks to be a warm and humid day before we get some rain showers from Wednesday into Thursday before a return to sunny but cooler temps on Friday. The next big push of migrants looks to occur then so I be out seeing what I can find then.

Projected path Hurricane Irma as of 5PM, Sep 4, 2017

Hurricane Irma continues to gain strength and became a Category 4 storm today with winds at 130 MPH.   The forecast models have continued to trend  to the south and west compared to earlier predictions. It now looks to impact some of the northern Lesser Antilles directly and get very close to Puerto Rico before heading into the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. A hit on Hispaniola and/or Cuba can also not be ruled out at this point. The chances of a hit here have diminished a bit but a landfall somewhere in the US seems to be very likely. Different models are pointing to different locations but a landfall somewhere between Florida and the Carolina's seems quite possible. There are still several weather systems out there that will have an impact on the future of the storm and there are still many questions yet to be answered....stay tuned.

Birding east of the CT river

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Peregrine Falcon with leg bands, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Wood Ducks (and a beaver-right middle), Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Although the sky looked threatening most of the morning I managed to avoid any rain as I hit a variety of areas through mid morning. My focus today was to try to find some unusual herons (yet again with this mission and yet again, no luck). I started off before dawn at Lake Wallace where the waterfowl numbers continue to build with 94 Wood Ducks, 24 Canada Geese, 22 Mallards and a few Hooded Mergansers. Almost as soon as I arrived I noticed a Peregrine Falcon perched in one of the tallest trees devouring a fresh kill. I got the scope on the bird and noticed it was banded. I got quite a few photos but I was never able to read the bands completely.  The falcon had a silver band on its right leg and two bands (black over green) on its left leg. Without seeing the entire band I will probably have no chance of finding out where the bird was banded but I reported what I did see to the government banding site.  ****update*** I finally heard about the banded falcon in December of this year...it was banded in Massachusetts by the state fish and wildlife service as a nestling at an unspecified location.   As far as herons go just a few Great Blue and Green Herons around.

Tree and Bank Swallows, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Tree, Bank and Barn Swallows, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Aug 3, 2014

I then decided to head west over to the rail trail in Amherst walking in from Mill Lane down to Hop Brook. The only heron at Hop Brook was a single Great Blue Heron. I did have a nice showing of swallows with hundreds around with most being Tree and Bank Swallows plus some Barn Swallows.

Turkey Vultures at roost (18 in view), Hadley, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Turkey Vultures at roost, Hadley, MA, Aug 3, 2014

Turkey Vultures at roost, Hadley, MA, Aug 3, 2014

After my first stop at the rail trail I decided to head over to Hadley Cove to check out the water levels. On my way there I drove down Moody Bridge Road and noticed a few vultures roosting in the trees so I stopped to check them out in hopes of finding a Black Vulture (no luck today but I have had them in this exact spot before). I managed to count a total of 18 TUVU's which I thought was a fairly decent number. Hadley Cove was quiet but the access and viewing was largely blocked by the summers growth of brush. I considered heading over to Arcadia but I decided I would rather stay on this side of the river for the morning so I headed back east and stopped back at Moody Bridge to check on the roosting vultures. This time I managed to find 31 Turkey Vultures (but still no Black Vultures). This is by far my biggest count for Turkey Vultures I have ever had at a roost in the valley. As I was counting the vultures I had a single Least Sandpiper fly by quite close, calling over and over again....the only migrant shorebird I had all morning....I really wish there was a spot for shorebirds to stop around here in August but sadly there is not. I decided to try my luck once more at the rail trail heading in from the Station Road entrance. Beyond the expected species I also ran across a Cliff Swallow in among the other swallows.