A big warm up and multiple nights of good migration conditions

Purple Martin and Tree Swallows, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Purple Martin, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Northern Cardinal with nest material, Bachelor Brook Conservation Area, South Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Mourning Warbler, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Gray cheeked Thrush, Belchertown, MA, May 19, 2026

Raccoon swimming, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Quabbin Park, MA, May 18, 2026

Lawrence's Warbler, Hardwick, MA, May 18, 2026

Gray Catbird, Ware, MA, May 18, 2026

Butterfly species, Quabbin Park, MA, May 18, 2026

Blue gray Gnatcatcher constructing nest, Quabbin Park, MA, May 17, 2026

Rainbow Scarab, Quabbin Park, MA, May 17, 2026

Solitary Sandpiper, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 17, 2026

Magnolia Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 17, 2026

Tree Swallow with nest material, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 17, 2026

Bay breasted Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 17, 2026

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 17, 2026

Blackpoll Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 17, 2026

Hooded Merganser eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 17, 2026

We have had multiple nights of great migration conditions thanks to southerly winds that also ushered in record setting temps in the 90's.  As expected I have been out as much as I can each morning before returning to take the Wilson for his required walk.  Even with some species still moving through to points to the north breeding activity around here is in full swing with the first waterfowl young out and about and many species collecting nesting material and building nests.  I have added several new species for the year in the county as well as some rarities.  The highlights included Purple Martin, Gray cheeked Thrush, Yellow breasted Chat, two new species of warbler for the year as part of my warbler big year in the US and a Lawrence's Warbler.  Migration has now peaked at this point and now we begin the downhill slide of another spring migration.  

A record early Magnolia Warbler for me today plus a few other new arrivals despite lackluster migration conditions

Magnolia Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Merlin, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Wild Turkey, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Barred Owl, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Although I didn't expect to get a whole lot this morning given the ongoing poor migration conditions the bird gods shined down on me a bit for my birthday with a record early Magnolia Warbler at Quabbin Park.  Before going to Quabbin Park I took a walk at Gate 5.  The weather was a bit cool with temps in the upper 30's with a slight north wind...at least it was sunny.  Nothing too unusual at Gate 5 although always fun to see turkeys displaying and have Blue Jays going crazy due to a Barred Owl showing itself.  Once I made it to the park I started adding species and had some decent counts of a variety of species including Yellow bellied Sapsuckers, Purple Finches (lots around the last several days), Eastern Towhees and Pine Warblers.  I had the pair of Merlins that are likely going to nest again in the area.  I then started getting some warbler variety as I continued walking with a Northern Yellow Warbler and then the Magnolia Warbler.  I was not expecting to find the species today but I heard it sing and immediately recognized it and knew it was very early so got some recordings and eventually some photos.  The species usually starts arriving in the area in early May and to get one this early is very unusual, especially with poor migration conditions.  My previous early date for the species in the county was April 29th back in 2011...a long standing record for me.  It was my best day for warbler diversity in the area so far this year with eight species total.  

Texas hill county and Big Bend National Park -April 8-10

Golden cheeked Warbler, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2026

Golden cheeked Warbler, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2026

Golden cheeked Warbler habitat, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2026

A week long, whirlwind trip down to Texas and then over to Arizona via New Mexico began with an early morning flight out of Hartford down to Dallas/Fort Worth which meant a wake up call at just after 3AM. The trip was specifically planned to add a number of species of warblers for my big warbler year in the US. The two main targets for the Texas portion of the trip were Golden cheeked Warbler and Colima Warbler. The targets in Arizona (and perhaps New Mexico) included Virginia’s Warbler, Lucy’s Warbler, Grace’s Warbler and Red faced Warbler. I also had the chance to turn up a couple of western species that would be just starting to move through including Hermit Warbler and MacGillivray’s Warbler although neither would be critical to miss as I should be able to get them later in the year when we stop in Oregon on our way home from Alaska in July. Besides the target warblers I would be looking for whatever else I may come across and exploring some new areas.  Thankfully the very early flight down to Dallas was on time and after getting through the airport and then a shuttle to the rental car center (no airport should have a shuttle for rental cars and I usually avoid any airports that have them but no choice this time). Eventually I got on the road around 10AM and then made the three and a half hour drive down to the area where I would be spending the night (an Airbnb in Liberty Hill to the northwest of Austin). Before going to the store for supplies and making it to the Airbnb I wanted to try to get some birding in. My main focus for this portion of the trip was Golden cheeked Warbler…an endangered species that only breeds in the area of central Texas. I was last down in the area back in 2017 (link to hill country post and Big Bend NP) and I remember having good luck at the appropriately named Warbler Vista area of Balcones Canyonlands NWR so that is where I headed. Trying to track down birds on a sunny afternoon with temps around 80 usually doesn’t produce much as the birds get much quieter compared to the morning. Nonetheless I managed to get a Golden cheeked Warbler fairly quickly and got a few photos and recordings. I heard a few others singing although trying to get more photos proved to be a fruitless endeavor for me. The only other species of warbler in the area (and the most abundant) were Orange crowned Warbler. I also tried briefly at Doeskin Ranch (another area of the Balcones Canyonland NWR) for additional Golden cheeked Warblers without any luck. By this time it was getting late afternoon and I still needed to drive a bit to get to my lodging so I headed out. 

Laddder backed Woodpecker, South Llano River SP, Junction, TX, Apr 9, 2026

Black capped Vireo, South Llano River SP, Junction, TX, Apr 9, 2026

My first full day in Texas would be filled with even more driving as I made the long trek out to Big Bend NP. The total trip took over six and a half hours…Big Bend is really in the middle of nowhere! I was out the door early and headed for South Llano River SP in Junction, about two hours away to break the trip up a bit. Not long before I arrived I ran into a few light rain showers and I had to deal with a little drizzle once I arrived. I explored the area for about two and a half hours before hitting the road again. Nothing really rare was found during my time there but it was great to get good looks at quite a few birds including Black capped Vireo. Eventually the sun came out as I travelled further west into more desert like habitat. I made it to my lodging in Terlingua in mid afternoon and settled in to prep for the big hike the following day. 

Colima Warbler, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Rufous crowned Sparrow, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Spotted Towhee, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Townsend's Warbler, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Bushtit, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Sunrise in the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Friday was the day for a long hike at Big Bend NP to try my luck in finding a Colima Warbler. The species nest mainly in Mexico and only comes across the border to the US in the upper elevations of the Chisos Mountains within the park. The species usually starts to arrive around mid April with a few making it in around the date of my arrival. This year there were no reports so far so I was worried I would miss the species. I arrived in Chisos Basin to start my hike in the dark around 5:20AM and picked the steep Pinnacles Trail to get me into the habitat as soon as possible. I had a few Mexican Whip Poor Wills singing as I walked up making it to the pass right at sunrise. I then walked down Boot Canyon toward Boot Spring. As I picked up various species as they started singing I heard a Colima Warbler singing too. I made it down to the area where I could hear it better and started looking for it. I got a few recordings as I waited to catch a glimpse and eventually I got looks and some marginal photos…very happy to have found my main target and add one of the toughest to get species of warblers in the US for three year. After that everything would be much less stressful as missing the species would have ended my chance of seeing all the warblers in the US for the year. I possibly could have tried the following day if I missed it but that would be a tough proposition with having to drive down to the park again, hike up and back down, spend time looking for the warbler and then make the long drive to New Mexico. I had hopes of finding some more Colima Warblers so I continued on to Boot Spring (which was very quiet) and then started my long descent down via the Colima Trail and then Laguna Meadow Trail. I remembered well from my previous trip to the park that although that route is a bit less steep it is much longer in distance. I continued to add species on the way down and eventually ran out of water near the end. The biggest struggle was my right leg which started hurting not long as the trip down started and got worse the further I went. If I stopped to try to rest it it would stiffen up so I just kept pressing on and finally arrived back at the car around a bit after noon time. I had thoughts of making another few stops but my leg was hurting too much and I was done with walking after 10 plus miles with all of it on mountain trails with no flat areas. A full list from my time in Chisos Basin can be found at the following link: Big Bend trip report.

Total species for the Texas portion of the trip came to 78 species with nine of those species new for me in the state bringing my Texas state total to 279.  Full trip list from Texas at the following link.

More detailed info on warblers for the Texas portion of the trip can be found here: Texas warblers.

A record breaking April comes to an end

 

Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 27, 2025

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 28, 2025

Orchard Oriole, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Apr 29, 2025

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 29, 2025

Swamp Sparrow, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 30, 2025

April has now come to an end and I reached my highest total ever for species in the county for the month with an impressive 163 which shattered my old April record high that I reached last year with 156 species.  The later half of the month featured a lot of good migration conditions which resulted in an early arrival of a number of species and I reached this high total with just a handful of rarities...it was almost all due to early arrivals.  I would have been able to add to the impressive total if I was able to get out more but for a variety of other commitments I could not.  Now onto May and the peak of spring migration.

Trip to southern Florida -Jan 20-27

Prairie Warbler with leg band, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 26, 2024

After my time in the Bahamas I took a short flight over to Miami to meet up with Sherri and continue the vacation with a few days in the Florida Keys followed by a few more days on Key Biscayne. After leaving from one of the smallest airports I have ever flown out of I had one of the shortest flights on a jet I have ever had with just a little over a half hour of flying time. After meeting up in Miami, getting some food and driving south we made it to Tavernier and our lodging for the next four nights. On the way down a stop off for food south of Miami proved fruitful with the sighting of three Mitred Parakeets, an established exotic and a new life species for me, number 1996. Not much birding otherwise as we got settled in on a warm, breezy day. 

Black throated Green Warbler, Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Park, Key Largo, FL, Jan 21, 2024

Yellow throated Vireo, Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Park, Key Largo, FL, Jan 21, 2024

Red breasted Merganser, Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 21, 2024

Magnolia Warbler, Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 21, 2024

Blue headed Vireo, Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 21, 2024

Sunday was another breezy day and quite cool to start (mid 50’s so not terrible and a whole lot better than home where the temps were in the single digits with a strong wind). I drove north and arrived before sunrise at Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical SP.   Although the area had lots of reports of good birds and the habitat looked great and was extensive, the bird activity was very low. I spent over two hours in the hopes I would eventually find some birds with very little luck. I then decided to head back south to check out a very small park in Tavernier called Old Settlers Park. Although a tiny place it proved to have much more activity and I had about the same number of species there as I had at my first stop and covered just a fraction of the same amount of territory. I had seven species of warblers (including a Magnolia Warbler), a couple vireo species and others. Always amazing what small parks can hold for birds. By late morning we decided to try John Pennekamp Coral Reef SP and this place was even more devoid of birds than my morning stop at the location just north. Perhaps the lateness of the visit and the crowds kept activity low. I had just eight species in an hour! The remainder of the day was spent outside at our lodging enjoying the warm weather. 

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 22, 2024

Julia, Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Park, Key Largo, FL, Jan 22, 2024

On Monday I headed a short distance south to a small park in Islamorada called Plantation Hammock Preserve. Again some decent habitat and again nearly devoid of birds. The continued windy conditions certainly didn’t help. After nearly an hour there I left there and headed back to Old Settlers Park that was fairly productive the day before. It was certainly less active than the day before but there were still some birds around. I then headed back to our lodging for a short time and then we headed up to Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Park and walked a variety of trails and found the park to be very quiet once again. By midday we headed back to our lodging to head out onto Florida Bay with kayaks. 

Little Blue Heron, Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, Tavernier, FL, Jan 23, 2024

White Ibis, Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, Tavernier, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Palm Warbler 'western', Old Settlers Park, Tavernier, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Royal Tern, Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Little Blue Heron, Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Yellow crowned Night Heron, Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Prairie Warbler, Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Great Crested Flycatcher, Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Dragonfly species, Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

Beach, Long Key SP, Layton, FL, Jan 23, 2024

The rinse and repeat days of windy weather continued on Tuesday albeit with a bit warmer temps. I headed out before dawn trying a few nearby spots without finding anything too noteworthy. We then headed further south to Long Key SP which was also fairly quiet but did feature a few pockets of birds with a few new species for the trip. 

Northern Cardinal, Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Park, Key Largo, FL, Jan 24, 2024

Piping Plovers, Virginia Key Ecosystem Restoration Area, Miami, FL, Jan 24, 2024

Wednesday was our day to leave the keys and travel north to stay on the peninsula of Key Biscayne (near Miami) for three nights. It was yet another windy day pretty much from start to finish although it seemed to be slightly less strong. I had a few hours available in the morning and made a few stops including Plantation Hammock Preserve, Old Settlers Park and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Park. The first two were quiet with nothing too noteworthy. The last stop was a little more productive when I had a decent mixed flock containing at least seven species of warblers, including my first Yellow Warbler I have actually had in Florida. I then headed back to pack up and start the drive north. We made one stop along the way to walk and we chose Navy Wells Pineland Preserve where we walked for about half an hour and had some typical species. As we made the long stop and go trip through the greater Miami area I was actually able to add a life bird with a Red whiskered Bulbul (another established exotic in the area)….species number 1997. We also made a short stop at Virginia Key Beach after going over the causeway where I added a few more species for the trip. 

Orange crowned Warbler, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Gray Catbird, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Yellow throated Warbler, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Prairie Warbler, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

Great Crested Flycatcher, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 25, 2024

On Thursday the 25th I spent most of the day at Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP which was a just down the street from our Airbnb. Unfortunately the gates don’t open until 8AM so I had to try to find other locations to bird and had little luck finding any that were open. Once the gates opened I headed out on the trails and ran across a number of mixed species flocks. Blue gray Gnatcatchers were around in good numbers with nearly thirty present. I also had eight species of warblers including my first Orange crowned Warbler of the trip. I walked several miles between my morning stop and my afternoon stop and had nearly thirty species overall. The wind was a bit less once one got away from the beach. 

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 26, 2024

Palm Warbler 'western', Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP, Key Biscayne, FL, Jan 26, 2024

Sunrise, Crandon Park, FL, Jan 26, 2024

On the last full day I once again headed to Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP after I caught the sunrise at Crandon Park. I had a distant look at a shearwater from the beach at Crandon Park that was almost certainly an Audubon’s Shearwater. Once in Bill Baggs there was less warbler diversity during my morning trip but more species overall including a couple new ones for the trip. After a break for lunch we headed back to the park in the heat of the day to take another walk. As expected the activity was quite a bit lower so nothing unusual. Total of 86 species in Florida for the trip which is rather low.  I added three new Florida species on the trip, bringing my total to 240.  

More on the warblers of the trip at the following link.