Brown Creeper, Podick/Katherine Cole/Szala Conservation Areas, Amherst, MA, Mar 29, 2024
Barn Swallow, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2024
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2024
Tree Swallows, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2024
Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2024
Eastern Phoebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2024
March has now come to an end and although there was some warmth early on in the month the last week and a half has been either average or cooler than normal with a few bouts of rain. Waterfowl migration was lackluster to say the least but given that the fall waterfowl migration was also very slow it is not too surprising. Now that my cold symptoms have almost totally gone away I have been out the last few days of the month trying to catch up on more early season migrants. On Friday I headed out on an overcast morning that eventually turned more sunny and quite windy. I took a walk along the rail trail in the hopes of finding an early Palm Warbler but failed on finding one there (or any other spots I checked for the day). I did have some Fox Sparrows singing both there and other spots for the day (a good spring for them this year). I then checked some fields in Amherst and Hadley and had no geese at all. The most notable species were a couple American Pipits that got flushed up by a harrier. After running a few errands I stopped at Lake Wallace where I had some good stuff including an early Barn Swallow among 20+ Tree Swallows, a Great Blue Heron that might be starting to build a nest, at least nine Eastern Phoebes and a couple Yellow rumped Warblers (with some singing a bit).
Eastern Bluebird, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2024
Barn Swallow, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2024
Tree Swallow, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2024
Canada Goose building nest, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2024
Ring necked Duck, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2024
Black capped Chickadee, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2024
Dark eyed Junco, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2024
Eastern Phoebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2024
Saturday I headed out early with a brief stop at Winsor Dam which was just too windy to see too much. I then went to nearby Lake Wallace where I once again failed to find an early Palm Warbler. I did relocate the early Barn Swallow I found yesterday. The wind and cool early morning temps were not too conducive to finding early warblers. I then headed south with a stop in Granby and South Hadley near some wetlands but both areas were fairly quiet. I then returned to Lake Wallace and yet again found the Barn Swallow in among at least 16 Tree Swallows plus had a Canada Goose building a nest and half a dozen Eastern Phoebes.
White throated Sparrow, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2024
Song Sparrow, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2024
Barn Swallow, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2024
Say's Phoebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 31, 2024
Say's Phoebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 31, 2024
Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 31, 2024Hooded Merganser eggs in duck box #1, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2024
To end out the month today I started my morning before dawn in a successful look for some owls before dawn at Quabbin. I then made an hour and a half stop at Lake Wallace in a fruitless search for a Palm Warbler (I'm sure they will show up tomorrow once April starts). It was a productive stop nonetheless with several Tree Swallows, the continued Barn Swallow, loads of White throated Sparrows and a Yellow rumped Warbler among some 42 species. My next stop was over to Winsor Dam where I once again found the long staying Say's Phoebe contently hunting for insects. The dam also featured my first Red necked Grebe of the year plus a flyover Red Crossbill. A check of the duck boxes once I got home confirmed the second active nest to also be a Hooded Merganser (I didn't check the box I confirmed as Hooded Merganser a few days ago...want to keep her as undisturbed as possible).
Moose, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 9, 2024
Bobcat, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 8, 2024
Eastern Coyote, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 14, 2024
Raccoon, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 20, 2024
I finally got around to checking the camera at the house that sits along Jabish Brook and I was rewarded with the capture of my first Moose. Lots of other stuff captured too over the last several weeks including Bobcat, Eastern Coyote, Beaver and lots of Raccoons and Gray Squirrels.
I ended the month with 101 species in the county, which is a bit above average even with being away in Costa Rica in the middle of the month and then being down with a cold to end out the month. April will bring more and more spring migrants (and hopefully warmer temps).
