Mountain Bluebird in Turners Falls!

Mountain Bluebird, Turners Falls Airport, Turners Falls, MA, Nov 15, 2016

Mountain Bluebird, Turners Falls Airport, Turners Falls, MA, Nov 15, 2016

Mountain Bluebird, Turners Falls Airport, Turners Falls, MA, Nov 15, 2016

Canada Goose with additional white on face, Barton's Cove, Turners Falls, MA, Nov 15, 2016

I had to take a class in Franklin County this morning so I left a bit early to head up to Turners Falls to try my luck in catching up with a Mountain Bluebird found by James Smith a couple days ago at the Turners Falls Airport.  It had shown well the last couple sunny days but I didn't have a chance to try for it until this morning due to work and other commitments.  I was not sure if the bird would show itself due to the cloudy weather with occasional drizzle.  The previous day it showed around 6:45 in the morning and I arrived there just before seven this morning and a quick scan didn't turn up the bird but by the time I made my second scan just after seven the bird was sitting on one of the airport signs fairly close to the viewing area.  I watched it for a bit as it occasionally would drop down to feed or fly to a new perch.  The bird was not only a county and state record for me but was actually a life bird, becoming species #1208.  I really wish the bird had decided to turn up in Hampshire County but perhaps the next one will continue a bit further south for me.  Mountain Bluebird has only been recorded eight times before in the state with the records split evenly between spring and late fall/early winter with the bird in Turners Falls being a first county record.  As the bluebird showed so quickly for me I still had a little extra time so I cruised by Barton's Cove which held just Mute Swans (a dozen) and three Canada Geese including one individual with some extra white on the face.  The power canal was also very quiet with just a couple pairs of Mallards, five Common Goldeneyes and six Common Mergansers.

First snow storm of the season and a bit about the Yellow legged Gull at Barton's Cove

Snowy morning, Belchertown, MA, Feb 5, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 5, 2016

Wilson in the snow, Ware, MA, Feb 5, 2016

Wilson in the snow, Ware, MA, Feb 5, 2016

We got our first real snow storm today (which of course was not forecast to be as bad as it was).  We ended up with at least 6" of snow and although I hated it, Wilson loved it!  We went for a few walks around the neighborhood before the snow let up and then made a quick ride over to the Swift River to take a short walk later in the day.

I had hoped the snow would let up early enough in the day to make a drive up to Turner's Falls to try for the probable Yellow legged Gull there but it was just too slippery so I stayed home with Wilson instead.  I won't get another chance to try for it until maybe early next week so hopefully it sticks around.  More about that bird below.

Ring billed Gulls floating by on piece of ice, Barton's Cove, Turners Falls, MA, Feb 4, 2016

Canada Goose with odd markings on neck, Barton's Cove, Turners Falls, MA, Feb 4, 2016

Canada Goose with odd markings on neck, Barton's Cove, Turners Falls, MA, Feb 4, 2016

Bufflehead, Barton's Cove, Turners Falls, MA, Feb 4, 2016

Herring Gull (clean looking individual that had me thinking yellow legged gull for a second), Barton's Cove, Turners Falls, MA, Feb 4, 2016

Merlin, Barton's Cove, Turners Falls, MA, Feb 4, 2016

I had to head north yesterday to pick Wilson after his ordeal at the hospital (more about that below) so I had just a few minutes to try to catch up with what appears to be a Yellow legged Gull that was found by James Smith a few days ago.  Trying to identify a true member of this species vs. a hybrid Lesser Black backed Gull x Herring Gull is very difficult but the consensus from gull experts both from this side of the pond as well as those from Europe seems to be pointing toward it being a genuine Yellow legged Gull.  There were at least fifty birders there looking for the gull to arrive to roost on the rapidly dwindling ice.  I had no luck with finding the bird while I was there but did manage a couple of unusual species including a male Bufflehead and a Merlin.  I had to leave to get Wilson and of course the bird came in about ten minutes after I left but I couldn't head back...oh well!
More about the bird can be found on James blog:
http://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2016/02/ma-interesting-yellow-legged-type-gull.html

Wilson resting after getting home from the hospital, Feb 4, 2016

Poor Wilson had to spend about a day and a half up at the animal hospital to get some tests done to try to figure out the root of his GI issues.  he also had to go without eating for two days.  We felt so bad for him so it was great to pick him up and bring him home....he slept like a rock!

Morning stops the last several days, the remnants of Patricia moving through with southerly winds, a report of a Green tailed Towhee in Hatfield and the prospects of another Snowy Owl incursion

Common Goldeneye, power canal, Turner's Falls, MA, Oct 27, 2015

Lesser Scaup with Mallard, power canal, Turner's Falls, MA, Oct 27, 2015

Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 26, 2015

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2015

Red breasted Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 24, 2015

A whole variety of topics to cover so here it goes. First of all a wrap up of some quick birding stops during the last several days. This past weekend into Tuesday I made brief stops at Quabbin Park primarily in search of waterfowl but overall it was quiet. Some areas continued to be closed off due to the ongoing filming of the movie "Super Troopers 2" (yes...really). Highlights from my stops at Quabbin included two Red breasted Mergansers at Winsor Dam on Saturday, a somewhat late Common Yellowthroat at Gate 5 on Sunday, a number (42+) of Black Ducks on a few different days and two Black Scoters at Winsor Dam on Monday. I stopped at Arcadia on Tuesday and found just the typical waterfowl (Canada Geese, Mallards and Wood Ducks). An evening stop before class to the power canal in Turners Falls turned up nearly six hundred Canada Geese, a Black Duck, 43 Mallards, a Lesser Scaup, two male Common Goldeneye and a Hooded Merganser. An even shorter stop at Baron's Cove produced four Bufflehead, a couple Double crested Cormorants and a Greater Yellowlegs along with the expected species there.


The upcoming few days of weather could feature some interesting conditions that may have some birding impacts. The remnants of Hurricane Patricia along with some other moisture from the gulf region continue to move up toward us with rain beginning today and then really ramping up overnight with heavy rain and increasingly windy conditions. The winds will switch from southeast to southwest and has the potential to bring in some southerly species such as Cave Swallow, Ash throated Flycatcher, unusual gulls (such as Franklin's Gull) or any of a number of other possibilities as the fetch of wind stretches down to Texas. Will anything show up with these conditions? Who knows but it will be worth keeping your eyes open. The heavy rain may also force down some migrant waterfowl or late shorebirds so worth looking for them too.


This morning I noticed an email from David Pritchard about a probable Green tailed Towhee he had along the dike in Hatfield. This western species is very rare out east and has never been seen in the county as far as I know. There are no eBird records for this species anywhere in the east so far this year so the sighting is exceptionally unusual. David's description in his email sounded very good for this species so I tried my luck briefly in finding it this morning but no luck. There were lots of other birds in the general area of thick scrub where he saw the bird but no towhee. It could be gone already but hopefully it is still around but not showing itself well. This species is a real skulker and can be tough to get good views of. There is lots of good habitat for it to hide in but hopefully it will eventually show itself again. Below is the description submitted to eBird by David:

"Hopped out from some brush into the open about 15 yards away. Thought is was going to be an American tree sparrow because of the red cap, but through the binoculars recognized it immediately as a green-tail: bright rufous cap, bright white throat and face stripe separated by black moustachial, clear breast, slim look overall, and bright yellow-green on wings and tail. The light was good and the bird in plain sight, out in the open for maybe 5 or 6 seconds. Couldn't get my camera out in time, but I'm familiar with green-tails from birding in the West and this was unmistakably a green-tail. A distinctive bird with strong markings, unlike anything else around here, especially for the strong facial markings and bright green in tail and wings. Stayed for half an hour hoping for a photo, but it didn't show again."


In yet another topic of interest (at least to me) is the early incursion of Snowy Owls into the US which appears to be quite extensive (especially for so early in the season). One was seen on Cape Cod yesterday so it does indeed appear that Snowy Owls could be making their way towards us for the third year in a row. Will the incursion be as extensive as the winter of 2013-2014? Tough to say but the early arrival of so many owls does point in that direction. Here is a link to a post regarding this from eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/snowy1015/

Loads of sparrows at Arcadia yesterday (plus some warblers) and south Quabbin today

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 8, 2015

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 8, 2015

Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 8, 2015

Savannah Sparrows, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 8, 2015

White throated Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 8, 2015

White crowned Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 8, 2015

Northern Harrier, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 8, 2015

Yesterday morning I decided to use a little vacation time in the morning and spend a bit of time down at Arcadia trying to catch up with some of the migrants moving through.  I arrived there before dawn and flushed a couple American Woodcocks before heading out briefly to the marsh which featured just the expected species (plus a bit of fog) plus a somewhat late Wood Thrush giving its 'popping' call.  I then headed over to the meadows where I spent the next couple hours exploring around the Ibis Pool and the roadside up to the trolley line.  Really large numbers of sparrows and others were in evidence even before the sun came up.  There were hundreds of individuals of eight species of sparrows around including a dozen White crowned Sparrows (with a few singing), five Chipping Sparrows, a Field Sparrow, 28 White throated Sparrows, 107 Savannah Sparrows, 64 Song Sparrows, 5 Lincoln's Sparrows and 46 Swamp Sparrows.  All of these numbers are minimums with only a small amount of the habitat covered...really makes me wonder about the total number of sparrows down there.  Unfortunately I was not able to find a reported Nelson's Sparrows down there but it could certainly still be around.  On the upside I did catch up with an Orange crowned Warbler along the roadside with Palm Warblers between the Ibis Pool and the trolley line.  This brings my county total for the year to 231 so far.  Another notable species down there were Palm Warblers which numbered at least seventy.  I have included the full list below (lots more details and photos):http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25340939

Cackling Goose, Barton's Cove, Gill, MA, Oct 8, 2015

I once again had to go Greenfield in the evening so I made a swing by Barton's Cove where I had the continued Cackling Goose once again but not too much else. 

Horned Grebe, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 9, 2015

Wood Duck, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 9, 2015

Today I stayed around the south Quabbin area hitting a number of locations before the arrival of the forecasted rain.  I hit Beaver Lake, Quabbin Park and Winsor Dam plus Lake Wallace.  Overall waterfowl numbers were quite low but I did find my first Horned Grebe of the season (at Hank's Meadow) and 33 Wood Ducks and a dozen Wood Ducks at the Route 9 marsh.  Quabbin itself held no other waterfowl at all besides the grebe.  There were a few dozen Yellow rumped Warblers moving southwest early in the morning despite the less than optimal migration conditions.  The southerly winds were not conducive for making birds move but a change in the wind direction overnight to west and then northwest should get some stuff moving tomorrow...time will tell.  I heard about a Yellow breasted Chat that was caught and released by a researcher at UMASS but by the time I heard about it the weather conditions had deteriorated with fairly strong winds and then rain so not great conditions to go chasing the chat.  I may try for it at some point this weekend but trying to refind a skulking species like a chat can be tough to say the least.

After some heavy rain during the afternoon and evening I made a brief stop over at Winsor Dam to see if any birds were forced down by the rain and I was rewarded with two Ruddy Ducks which are quite unusual at Quabbin (for some odd reason).  I attempted some photos but the distance was just too far and the light too low to get much.  Ruddy Duck adds another new species to the county list for the year which now stands at 232.


As I mentioned in an earlier post the remnants of Hurricane Joaquin look to be getting ready to impact Europe (Portugal and Spain mainly) and the chance is certainly there for something from the new world to make it over there.  It will be interesting to see what turns up there once the storm arrives.  An eBird article posted today gives some updated information on the potential impact (link here:  http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/joaquineurope/ ).  Always nice to see our epic lists from Hurricane Irene mentioned in the article.

North winds bring in some birds including a Blue Grosbeak at Arcadia and geese to Barton's Cove (including a Cackling Goose and a Greater White fronted Goose)

 

Cackling Goose (front) and Greater White fronted Goose (rear), Barton's Cove, Gill, MA, Oct 6, 2015

Greater White fronted Goose, Barton's Cove, Gill, MA, Oct 6, 2015

Greater White fronted Goose, Barton's Cove, Gill, MA, Oct 6, 2015

Cackling Goose, Barton's Cove, Gill, MA, Oct 6, 2015

Cackling Goose, Barton's Cove, Gill, MA, Oct 6, 2015

Cackling Goose, Barton's Cove, Gill, MA, Oct 6, 2015

 

Dawn, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 6, 2015

With the strong northeast flow finally coming to an end and the wind coming more out of the north and northeast more birds seemed to have arrived. Although quite cold every morning the days have warmed into the 60's and 70's.  On Tuesday I made it over to Arcadia where I quick checked the marsh and had five species of waterfowl including at least 38 Wood Ducks plus half a dozen Great Blue Herons. I then headed over to the meadows where I spent the next hour of so exploring the roadside of the Ibis Pool and then up the road and down a part of the trolley line. The place was packed with birds including at least 22 Palm Warblers, a probable Orange crowned Warbler (fleeting glimpse as it disappeared into a hedgerow not to be seen again), eight species of sparrows including five Chipping Sparrows, a couple Field Sparrows, 11 White crowned Sparrows (with at least one singing), 29 White throated Sparrows, 60+ Savannah Sparrows, 84 Song Sparrows, four Lincoln's Sparrows and 33 Swamp Sparrows (all the counts of sparrows are conservative...likely many, many more). The best bird turned out to be a 1st winter Blue Grosbeak that was at the end of the Ibis Pool. An overall brownish bird that I got great looks at before it too disappeared not to be seen again. The grosbeak added another species to the county list for the year bringing my total to 230. I really wished I had more time to spend down there as I'm sure other oddities were there just waiting to be found but I just couldn't stay.  Later in the day others located two Orange crowned Warblers down there so I'm sure that is what I had but I could not be 100% sure so I will have to try back another day for it (no one else had any luck finding the grosbeak again). I also got a call from Bob Z. midday telling me he had a Nelson's Sparrow at Wentworth Farm Conservation Area in Amherst...another species I would like to catch up with. In the evening I had to head back up to Greenfield for a class so I made a quick stop at Barton's Cove where I quickly found a Cackling Goose and a Greater White fronted Goose in among around 475 Canada Geese (I thought perhaps one of these would be a new species for Franklin County but I have seen them all before...in fact I have seen more goose species in Franklin County then anywhere else with a total of eight species...one better than my Hampshire County total where I have not yet had a Barnacle Goose). The only other waterfowl at Barton's Cove were nine Mute Swans, a few Mallards and one each of Pied billed Grebe and Double crested Cormorant. A very brief stop on my way by at the power canal found the canal still drained with lots of exposed mud flats that look prime to attract a late shorebird. No luck with any shorebirds (but I had no time to scan the area very well) but I did have half a dozen species of waterfowl in the remaining water.

Although I had gotten very little sleep after a late night class I planned to try my luck in catching up with an Orange crowned Warbler over at Arcadia on Wednesday morning...instead I ended up with a flat tire and a jack that broke so those plans went right out the window. I'm hopeful to give it another try tomorrow.

Hurricane Joaquin headed out to sea but sustained period of northeast winds continue



Hurricane Joaquin projected path as of 2PM Oct 2, 2015 (courtesy NHC)

It now appear that Hurricane Joaquin will not hit anywhere on the east coast and instead will curve out to sea.  The storm continues to be intense, reaching Catagory 4 status yesterday.  The Bahamas continue to suffer the worst effects of the storm with severe damage there almost certain.  It has been interesting to watch the development and progress of the storm as well as the nearly hourly changes in the projected path.  The only forecast model that got the 'out to sea' path right days ago was the European model.  Most every other forecast model called for an impact somewhere on the east coast but once again the European model got it right.  Although we will have no direct impact from the storm the entire area will continue to be under the influence of sustained northeast winds that have already been in place for several days and will continue for a few more.  There are many potentially unusual birds that could show up inland from conditions like this (not as many as a tropical system would bring in but still some stuff).  One possibility would be Northern Wheatears being blown back to the east as they migrate from far northern Canada out over the Atlantic to Africa.  In fact one showed up just to our east in Worcester County at Wachusetts Reservoir yesterday and continued today.  Other possibilities would include a number of near shore pelagics such as Black legged Kittiwakes, unusual gulls, phalaropes and others (including storm petrels...which also have shown up in Worcester County with a Leach's Storm Petrel today).  Any additional rain we get could also ground other migrants including but not limited to waterfowl and shorebirds.

Green winged Teal, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 2, 2015

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 2, 2015

Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 2, 2015

Surf Scoter, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 2, 2015

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 2, 2015

Pied billed Grebe, Beaver Lake, Ware, MA, Oct 2, 2015

With the possibility of something unusual being around due to the sustained northeast winds I headed over to the south Quabbin area where I spent a large part of the morning as well as a little time in the early afternoon.  The strong winds made viewing a bit difficult but I nonetheless managed to find some decent stuff including a Surf Scoter (species #229 for Hampshire County this year), half a dozen Green winged Teal flying around at Winsor Dam, a few other species of waterfowl (including a continued Pied billed Grebe at Beaver Lake), a few raptors migrating and a number of warblers and other unidentified passerines zipping by.  I was actually expecting more waterfowl and raptors to be moving but at least I had some.  I spent a good chunk of my time at Winsor Dam but also made stops within Qabbin Park as well as down to Beaver Lake.  I tried my best to find a Northern Wheatear along either Winsor Dam or Goodnough Dike but no luck today.  I was joined for a time at Winsor Dam and a nearby sheltered area (somewhat out of the wind) of Quabbin Park by Sam from New Jersey and Stijn from Belgium.  It was nice to be out with someone who gets lifers one after another as Stijn was making his first trip to the US.  We managed to find a number of his target species (including Bald Eagle, Gray Catbird and woodpeckers) as well as many other new ones for him despite the less than ideal conditions for finding landbirds. 

Ring necked Ducks, Barton's Cove, Gill, MA, Oct 1, 2015

I had to go up to Greenfield for a class yesterday and made a brief stop at Barton's Cove where I found some waterfowl including four Ring necked Ducks as well as a Gadwall among the more expected species.  It is so much easier to view the waterfowl there as they are not as far out as many are at Quabbin.

Amherst to Turners Falls and back

Song Sparrow singing at dawn, rail trial, Amherst, MA, Mar 30, 2012

Wood Duck, rail trial, Amherst, MA, Mar 30, 2012

I spent the morning travelling from Amherst/Hadley up through Hatfield to Turners Falls and back down through Amherst.  I began at dawn on the rail trail in Amherst beginning at Station Road and going up to Hop Brook and back.  The morning started off quite cool with a slight breeze.  The best bird was a Sora that whinnied once.  Oddly in the same area was a Starling that gave a perfect imitation of the short Sora call.  I believe the actual Sora used this call once in response to the Starling...very unusual to witness!  You don't need to use playback, you just need a starling with you!  I next travelled over to Hadley Cove and had a total of 33 Green-winged Teal here plus several Wood Ducks and a few mallards.

Rusty Blackbird, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Mar 30, 2012

I then crossed the river and headed up to Great Pond in Hatfield. There was little in the way of waterfowl here (a pair each of Green-winged Teal and Wood Ducks). There were however some good birds around. One of the first birds I saw was a Yellow-rumped Warbler (the third warbler species for the month of March). Once down at the pond I started hearing Rusty Blackbirds and had a few fairly close for a short time before they flew across the pond. There were at least sixteen rusties here and almost certainly more as they moved around quite a bit and the bad light made it tough to view some areas. Glad to see there are still some around. 

I then headed north up to Turner's Falls to check Barton's Cove and the power canal.  When I arrived on the Gill side I ran into James Smith.  There was a pair of Ring-necked Ducks, a few Mallards, a couple Mute and 80+ Canada Geese including a neck tagged individual.  It was too far away to see well from the Gill side so I headed over the bridge.  The goose had a red neck tag with white writing with the code "F5C4" plus a federal leg tag I was unable to read.  I reported the bird to the federal banding website http://www.reportband.gov/  and will update when and if I get info back.  There was also a leg banded goose in the group that I could read partially.  The numbers on the aluminum band on that individual was "1078" but that was all I could see...not enough to report. 

A quick stop at the power canal produced little waterfowl but did find 49 Tree Swallows feeding low over the water.

Other brief stops on my way south produced little of note.  There were oddly no groups of geese found in any of the fields I passed during my entire morning.  I assume a large number of the geese have already moved north.