Third week of May

Northern Parula, Quabbin Park, MA, May 21, 2025

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Quabbin Park, MA, May 21, 2025

Cerulean Warbler with leg bands, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, May 20, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 19, 2025

Eastern Wood Pewee, Quabbin Park, MA, May 19, 2025

Magnolia Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, May 19, 2025

Orchard Oriole, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 18, 2025

Prairie Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, May 17, 2025

I have not had much time to update things here during what is always a hectic month (and perhaps even a bit more hectic this year).  Migration is now slowing down and the weather conditions to end the third week have been very uncooperative for late season migrants to move through with cool conditions and unfavorable winds.  I have gotten out as much as circumstance allow for the third week of the month and have concentrated on warblers.  I have had a few notable warbler encounters including a Hooded Warbler that turned up at UMASS on the 16th, a number of hybrid warblers and a couple color banded Cerulean Warblers.  There have been a few new arrivals of late season migrants but I suspect there will be at least one more good push once the migration conditions improve..perhaps by the end of the weekend?  We shall see.

American Robin fledgling and Baltimore Oriole, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 20, 2025

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 19, 2025

Blackpoll Warbler, Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' and Chipping Sparrow, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 16, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler and Eastern Bluebird, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 16, 2025

American Redstart, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 16, 2025

The camera at the water feature has been capturing lots of stuff this spring and the above is but a small sample of the species that have shown up....already a dozen species of warblers plus lots of other stuff.

White eyed Vireo today

White eyed Vireo, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024

White eyed Vireo, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024

White eyed Vireo, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024

White eyed Vireo, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024

After walking up early and tossing and turning as I tried to get comfortable I finally gave up and got out of bed a bit after four and then headed out.  The overnight looked to feature a good influx of migrants and I set out trying mainly to track down warblers.  I had some decent luck with them with my highest species total for the season so far with 25 species (plus a few hybrids).  However the species of the day was not a warbler but a vireo.  As I was walking a road in Hadley I came across a mixed flock of warblers and as I tried to get a Tennessee Warbler I came across a White eyed Vireo that was in the flock.  It initially was silent as I took pictures to document the rarity.  It then started to sing a bit and I got some recordings.  The species is not annual and is always a great one to run across.  I got the word out and a few others were able to catch up with it.  It was a nice day to be out and once the morning low clouds burned off (late morning) it warmed up quickly to around 80.  The fairly strong southwest wind made viewing tough at times but the day was productive with 122 species overall with three new species for the year here bringing that total to 197.  I really wish I felt up to making it into more inaccessible areas as I certainly could have easily added to the total.

Wood Thrush, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024

Yellow Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024

Wood Duck with ducklings, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 14, 2024

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 14, 2024

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2024

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2024

Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2024

A small selection of the other species for the day featured above.

The first week of June

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 1, 2023

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 1, 2023

Lawrence's Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 1, 2023

Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 1, 2023

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2023

Louisiana Waterthrush fledgling, Hadley, MA, Jun 5, 2023

Winsor Dam with wildfire smoke, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 6, 2023

Eastern Towhee, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 6, 2023

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 6, 2023

Olive sided Flycatcher, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jun 6, 2023

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jun 6, 2023

American Redstarts at nest, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 7, 2023

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 7, 2023

Eastern Towhee, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 7, 2023

Gray Catbird, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jun 7, 2023

Hooded Merganser, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jun 7, 2023

American Robin building nest, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jun 7, 2023

Blackburnian Warbler, Cadwell Memorial Forest, Pelham, MA, Jun 7, 2023

The first week of June has now come to a close and although there are still a few species moving through to points further north, most birds around now are breeders.  I'm certainly still trying to track down late migrants and have had some luck with a few late moving warblers and flycatchers (much more on warblers for the first week of June at the following link).  As the breeding season arrives I will be spending even more time tracking down breeding species and conducting a variety of breeding bird surveys.  I have already completed my two Eastern Whip Poor Will surveys and will soon be doing some field surveys on Prescott plus conducting my annual Breeding Bird Survey from Belchertown down to the Connecticut line as well as other surveys.  It is a fun time of year and not nearly as hectic as May when every day brings lots of new potential and I'm usually out the door well before the sun comes up.  There certainly is the chance of rarities to still show up but chances are a bit less and I'm not out looking as hard for them as most birds around now are here to breed.  The weather has been a bit more unsettled and cooler than normal and we continue to get smoke from wildfires in Canada which at times has cut visibility way down.  Nonetheless there are lots of birds to see and it well worth getting out to look and listen as much as you can.

Wilson getting belly rubs, Home, Jun 6, 2023

Wilson enjoying a walk a few years ago

Tomorrow my buddy Wilson goes in for his surgery and we are all hopefully it goes smooth with no complications and he will be back to getting around without difficulty after several weeks of healing.  I miss our walks and can't wait to get back to doing them again.

End of the first week of May

Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 7, 2023

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 7, 2023

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 6, 2023

Pileated Woodpecker, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 6, 2023

Red winged Blackbird, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 6, 2023

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2023

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2023

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2023

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2023

Pine Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, May 5, 2023

Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 4, 2023

Palm Warbler 'western', Quabbin Park, MA, May 4, 2023

White throated Sparrow, Quabbin Park, MA, May 4, 2023

The weather pattern has finally broken as the first week of May comes to an end.  Yesterday was the first genuinely nice day we have had in a couple weeks with sun all day (once the morning fog burned off) and today was a repeat with a cool start and a warm finish.  Although the overall diversity and numbers are still down from a typical first week of May that looks to slowly be changing.  I had my first hundred plus species day today (113 species) and my first day with 20 warbler species in the county this spring.

Highlights the last few days have included quite a few new species for the year for me in the county.  New species since the 2nd have included the following numbers by date:  May 3 (2 species), May 4 (7 species), May 5 (5 species), May 6 (none) and May 7 (6 species).  Nothing too unusual for me since the Dunlin on the second of May beyond a 'western' Palm Warbler and a Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid.  There have been some rarities around including a Swallow tailed Kite that was seen and photographed in Southampton yesterday.  I didn't figure it would be found again but I was wrong.  While out birding this morning I got a text from Mary letting me know she relocated the Swallow tailed Kite.  This morning it was in Northampton and last seen heading north along the area of the Connecticut River.  I looked for a bit from Hadley but had no luck as did a number of others.  Worth keeping an eye to the sky anywhere in the valley as it could stick around for a few more days.