The first week of February is now in the books and with it I'm off to a record setting pace for the month with 78 species in the first week in Hampshire County (with a total of 81 as of today). I've made an effort to try to maximize the number of species by checking lots of places in search of both the common as well as any rarities/lingering species. Trying to maximize species by month makes you pay attention to every bird you see. My best February ever was last year when I had a total of 97 species for the month (that was mainly thanks to a number of irruptive species) but I'm going to try to beat that mark and perhaps make it to 100...we shall see. With work and freezing rain and snow on one full day I really had just four days for the first week to find most of these birds and I'm still missing a few I should be able to get with a bit more effort.
I already covered the first couple days in an earlier post so I'll delve right into the rest of the week now. On the third I tried for owls early (with some success) before heading through Amherst (where I had Rusty Blackbird) and then down to the Holyoke Dam where a female Barrow's Goldeneye continued to be seen. The constant diving of the bird plus the fog and drizzle made it impossible to get photos of the goldeneye. The rain continued to pick up from time to time but I nonetheless continued on to Hadley and had a few more Yellow rumped Warblers for the month. Once I got home Wilson and I went for a walk along the Swift River in Ware and had a Pine Siskin with a group of American Goldfinches (American Goldfinches have really increased in numbers for the month and I hope more siskins will be found with them...certainly worth keep an eye open for them). The fourth turned out to be a day at home due to freezing rain/sleet and snow as another storm moved through.
On Saturday I started my morning in the south Quabbin area covering parts of Quabbin Park as well as multiple spots along the Swift River in Ware. Among the half a dozen species of waterfowl were large numbers of Hooded Mergansers and a male Gadwall that has been in the area on and off for several days.
I was out the door early on the sixth and made it over to Hadley before dawn on another very cold morning (near zero). I had hopes to finally catch up with a Short eared Owl and had one working the fields in the Honey Pot area. There were also multiple Great Horned Owls calling in the same area. I then went across the river with my destination being Great Pond in Hatfield in the hopes of finding some Green winged Teal that have been in the area. Unfortunately there was no open water and therefore no teal. All was not lost as I found a couple Swamp Sparrows at the pond. As I was looking in vain for a Northern Shrike (where are they this year?) I got a text from Mary letting me know there was a Green winged Teal in Lower Mill Pond so I headed that way and caught up with it not long after arriving. I made a brief stop at the Oxbow but didn't find anything unusual. I then went back across the river and caught up with the continued Eastern Phoebe in Hadley (this now makes three straight years of a phoebe overwintering at the location...really amazing).
Yesterday I had to work and with the weather less than ideal with snow/freezing rain/rain throughout the day and night so it was a good day to work. I got out this morning and slip and slid my way down to Arcadia where I caught up with a couple Field Sparrows (plus a couple Rough legged Hawks). I then made it across the river and made a number of stops in Hadley with Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River being quite productive with my first of the year Northern Shrike (a species that has declined a lot over the last several years), a Gray Catbird and a couple Northern Harriers. Nearby Moody Bridge Road featured a flock of 400+ Common Grackles. A stop along the Swift River found nearly 70 Hooded Mergansers and Winsor Dam featured a pair of Bald Eagles at their nest site.
