LAUGHING GULLS today and CASPIAN TERNS yesterday with some cruddy weather

Laughing Gulls with Bonaparte's Gulls, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2026

Laughing Gulls with Bonaparte's Gulls, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2026

Laughing Gulls with Bonaparte's Gulls and Ring billed Gulls, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2026

Bufflehead, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2026

Red breasted Merganser, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2026

Bonaparte's Gulls, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2026

Sunrise, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2026

Fox Sparrow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Apr 5, 2026

Blue winged Teal, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Apr 5, 2026

Common Goldeneyes, Ware, MA, Apr 5, 2026

Lesser Scaup, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 5, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 5, 2026

Although the last couple days have featured cooler than usual conditions with rain and wind yesterday,  the amount of good birds have been impressive with a number of rarities around.  To start out yesterday before the heavier rain arrived I went to the East Meadows and relocated an early Dunlin Theresa found the previous day as well as over 130 Green winged Teal.  I then stopped briefly at Arcadia where I had a couple Bonaparte's Gulls and a few species of waterfowl.  I made a few more stops on the way home before picking up Wilson for a walk.  After seeing some reports of Caspian Terns in the Berkshires I decided to try my luck at Winsor Dam and this produced a brief look at a Caspian Tern that was rapidly lost in the fog and ever increasing rain.  I tried a few other local ponds and found even more waterfowl likely put down by the weather.  A return trip to Winsor Dam found the visibility improved and I was able to watch two distant Caspian Terns actively feeding and got some videos.  Late in the day I heard from Mary that she had a bunch of waterfowl at Gate 5 so that is where I figured I would head this morning.  Today I walked down to Gate 5 and started scanning the water and turned up a few scattered groups of Bufflehead and Common Mergansers.  I then ran across a group of gulls on the water and although the rising sun was rapidly making viewing tough I noticed the group were all black headed type gulls and I certainly was expecting a group of Bonaparte's Gull but was then surprised to see two larger individuals with darker gray backs on the right side of the group and immediately knew it had to be something good.  I snapped off a few photos and videos and then continued until the sun made viewing near impossible.  I got word out about the gulls and was still trying to figure out if the birds were Laughing Gulls or Franklin's Gulls.  The conditions for viewing improved a bit when some clouds blocked out the sun.  After watching for several minutes the bird flew up and circled around for a bit before heading north.  The birds in flight quickly cinched the identification to Laughing Gulls.  After perhaps ten minutes I caught sight of one of Laughing Gulls heading back south.  It seemed like the gull wanted to settle with the slowly growing flock of Bonaparte's Gull it only circled a few times before continuing off the southwest.  Although Laughing Gulls are quite common on the coast it is not a species that wanders far from the coast and any record inland in the state is noteworthy.  This is only my third record for the species in Hampshire County and the first time I had more than one at a time.  My earlier records for the species include one seen on August 4, 2020 during the remnants of Tropical Storm Isaias moving through and another on September 11, 2020.  With all the unusual species the last few days I have already topped the 100 species point for the month.

Black capped Chickadee, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 1, 2026

I also opened up the water feature to kick off April and have already had eight species of birds and three species of mammals.  The first capture of the year was a Black capped Chickadee.  Hopefully it will be another good year of birds at the water feature.

Second week in Florida

Summer Tanager, Ward Park, Orlando, FL, Jan 12, 2026

Northern Parula, Ward Park, Orlando, FL, Jan 12, 2026

Palm Warbler 'western', Ward Park, Orlando, FL, Jan 12, 2026

Pileated Woodpecker, Ward Park, Orlando, FL, Jan 12, 2026

Baltimore Oriole, Ward Park, Orlando, FL, Jan 12, 2026

Barred Owl, Ward Park, Orlando, FL, Jan 12, 2026

To kick off the second week in Florida I headed down to a city park in Orlando (Ward Park) to look for a rare Western Tanager.  The weather had changed a bit with a cool down and some wind that started the day before and continued into Monday.  I arrived before dawn and started looking and after about 45 minutes I had brief looks at the Western Tanager but never got a photo.  The park was quite birdy for such a small spot in the city and I managed over 50 species in about two and a half hours.  Besides the Western Tanager I had two Summer Tanagers in the same area so added two new species to my Florida list for the effort.

Purple Sandpiper, Lighthouse Point Park, Ponce Inlet, FL, Jan 13, 2025

Purple Sandpiper, Lighthouse Point Park, Ponce Inlet, FL, Jan 13, 2025

Ruddy Turnstone, Lighthouse Point Park, Ponce Inlet, FL, Jan 13, 2025

Sanderling, Lighthouse Point Park, Ponce Inlet, FL, Jan 13, 2025

Laughing Gulls, Port Orange Causeway Park, Port Orange, FL, Jan 13, 2025

Laughing Gulls, Port Orange Causeway Park, Port Orange, FL, Jan 13, 2025

American Oystercatchers, Port Orange Causeway Park, Port Orange, FL, Jan 13, 2025

On Tuesday I decided to make my way out to the coast for the first time and decided on taking the most direct route as I didn't have tons of time.  I went out to the Ponce Inlet/Port Orange area and arrived there just before dawn.  I checked a few beach access points and added some birds but the beaches were largely empty (besides some people) so I eventually decided on heading as far south as I could in Ponce Inlet down to the lighthouse.  This area was much better for birds with a selection of shorebirds and gulls.  The highlights included my first Red Knots for my Florida list plus an unusual for the area Purple Sandpiper.  With still some time available I started my way off the barrier island and made a stop at Port Orange Causeway Park and this proved to be a great stop with a large gathering of birds on some exposed mudflats including more new species for the year and a huge gathering of Laughing Gulls.

Royal Tern, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 14, 2026

Royal Tern, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 14, 2026

Sandhill Cranes, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 14, 2026

Pied billed Grebe, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 14, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 14, 2026

Sedge Wren, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 14, 2026

Little Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 14, 2026

Florida Scrub Jays, Scrub Oak Preserve, DeLand, FL, Jan 14, 2026

Brown Thrasher, Scrub Oak Preserve, DeLand, FL, Jan 14, 2026

On Wednesday I headed north to Lake Woodruff NWR before dawn and walked perhaps a mile before sunrise mainly listening for rails and having some decent luck.  I then spent the next two hours exploring the area and adding multiple species for the year as well as one rarity with a Northern Yellow Warbler.  An inland Royal Tern was also around and being very vocal.  I then worked my way south with a brief stop at Painter's Pond and then onto Scrub Oak Preserve.  A very productive day overall despite the cooler conditions and occasional breeze and I ended with a total of 93 species for the day.

Turkey Vulture, Lemon Bluff Boat Ramp, Osteen, FL, Jan 15, 2026

Wood Stork, Lemon Bluff Boat Ramp, Osteen, FL, Jan 15, 2026

Palm Warbler 'western', Hickory Bluff Preserve, Osteen, FL, Jan 15, 2026

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Monroe Conservation Area, Kratzert Tract, Osteen, FL, Jan 15, 2026

Thursday dawned rainy and cool and I was not sure where to go.  A look at the radar showed the back edge of the rain was approaching so I decided to try my luck off to the southeast to areas near Osteen.  I had hoped to try for some nocturnal species but the rain never let up until it was too late to look for them.  I visited a variety of areas once it was light enough to see including D Ranch Preserve, Lemon Bluff Boat Ramp, Hickory Bluff Preserve and Lake Monroe Conservation Area with the main focus being on adding some new species to my Volusia County list.  I had some success with a half dozen new species bringing my total up to 150 for the year for the county.

Black necked Stilt, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Ring necked Ducks, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Common Gallinule, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Great Blue Heron, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Blue winged Teal, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Mottled Duck, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Black crowned Night Heron, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Anhinga with fish, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Little Blue Heron, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 16, 2026

Friday started out with record low temps with a low of 30 degrees.  I actually had to scrape the windows when I headed out before dawn.  Although I was not happy with having to wear the winter coat and hat again it was at least sunny with little wind.  I spent the first four hours of the morning at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive and then returned to the beginning of the drive late in the morning.  It was another productive morning on the drive with 85 species including large numbers of a variety of species and rarities including Ash throated Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Song Sparrow and Northern Yellow Warbler.

Piping Plover with leg bands, Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Piping Plover with leg bands, Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Wilson's Plover, Piping Plover and Semipalmated Plover, Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Semipalmated Plover, Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Ruddy Turnstones, Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Black bellied Plover, Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Piping Plover with leg bands, Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Wilson's Plover, Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Northern Parula, Shiloh Marsh Road, Merritt Island NWR, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Wilson's Snipe, Shiloh Marsh Road, Merritt Island NWR, FL, Jan 17, 2026

Dawn, Grace Barch Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL, Jan 17, 2026

I had somewhat limited time available in the morning as I had to get back earlier than usual as I had to be back for Wilson.  Given the forecast of mainly sunny weather and light winds I decided to make another quick trip out to coast with the main targets being mainly shorebirds.  I went a bit further south then my previous trip to the coast on Tuesday and I started off the morning before sunrise on New Smyrna Beach with most of my time spent at Smyrna Dunes Park.  I walked quite a bit before I finally ran across some new species including a high count of 26 Piping Plovers (two of which were color banded) plus some Wilson's Plovers....the Piping Plovers became species #200 for me for the year so far.  I actually managed to get five species of plovers during my stop.  Sadly the beach had multiple dogs off leash that harassed the shorebirds quite a bit...sad to see a federally listed species (the Piping Plovers) being given no protection on a state beach.  With my available time dwindling I headed further south to the northern most section of Merritt Island NWR.  After a brief stop I made the drive back to get Wilson to head out on a walk before it got too warm for him.

Red shouldered Hawk, Audubon Park, Deltona, FL, Jan 18, 2026

Palm Warbler 'western', Audubon Park, Deltona, FL, Jan 18, 2026

After Wilson had a tough evening yesterday I stayed with him in the morning for a bit until I was sure he was okay and then headed to a few nearby areas listening for owls and had some luck including an American Barn Owl.  Once it was light enough I took a walk at Audubon park before heading back home to get Wilson to go on a long walk at Gemini Springs Park.  The weather was decent initially but by midday it clouded up and got windy and the temps dropped into the 50's (there was actually snow on the ground in northern Florida for the morning).  Rain showers also arrived in the afternoon thanks to another cold front.  

For the week I had a total of 170 species with five new species added to my Florida list with Summer Tanager, Western Tanager, Red Knot, Ash throated Flycatcher and Common Tern.  Warblers for the week can be found here.