Very hot start to July with a multi day heat wave

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 1, 2026

Red eyed Vireo, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 1, 2026

Scarlet Tanager, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 1, 2026

Yellow throated Vireo, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 1, 2026

Peregrine Falcons, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Common Yellowthroat during banding process, Silvio Conte NWR- Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Blackburnian Warbler fledgling, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Prairie Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Turkey Vultures, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Downy Woodpecker, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Sun through the trees on a very humid morning, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 3, 2026

White spotted Skipper, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Eastern Bluebird nest construction underway, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler fledgling, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 4, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 4, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 4, 2026

Wood Duck with ducklings, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 4, 2026

White tailed Deer, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 4, 2026

A heat wave that started on the last day of June continued into the first four days of July with highs that reached the upper 90's with high humidity on multiple days.  I started the month by tracking down all the regularly occurring warblers in Hampshire County and getting lots of other species along the way.  After a number of thunderstorms overnight into the 2nd I headed out before dawn to track down more species for the month hitting multiple spots along the Connecticut River from the Holyoke Dam north to Hadley.  On July 3rd I started in Belchertown and then over to Amherst before ending my morning in Granby.  It was incredibly humid and the low temp to start the day was 72!  Really felt like being in the tropics.  Saturday was the last day of the heat wave and for that day I went after a few nocturnal species at Quabbin Park and nearby Ware before a longer walk along the rail trail in Ware.  I then spent a few hours in Quabbin Park plus a brief stop at Lake Wallace before heading home early to get Wilson a walk.  Lots of evidence of breeding around as expected for early July.  Despite the heat the first four days of the month have been productive in the county with 123 species so far.

Another trip onto the Prescott Peninsula for surveys

Moose, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 8, 2026

Yellow throated Vireo, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 8, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 8, 2026

Cedar Waxwing, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 8, 2026

I made another morning trip up to the Prescott Peninsula to conduct more field bird surveys.  Today I was joined by four students from Smith College to conduct the surveys and show them the protocols for the surveys.  I was running a bit ahead of their arrival so I went it to get a couple quick surveys completed before we met up.  As I was headed back to the gate to meet them I ran across a pair of Moose lazily eating from maple leaves.  Always fun to see any Moose and two together is even better.  Once we all met up we spent about three hours on the peninsula.  Although we didn't see any more Moose we did see a Black Bear to add to the large mammal tally for the day.  We had some evidence of breeding at multiple stops it was overall slow in adding positive data on breeding.  Nonetheless it was a beautiful morning and we had some interesting sightings including at least one flyover Red Crossbill and a family of Ruffed Grouse right along the side of the road.  

Some birds for the first three days of May despite poor migration conditions

Brewster's Warbler, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2026

Orchard Oriole, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 3, 2026

Red winged Blackbird, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 2, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 2, 2026

Pine Warbler collecting nest material, Quabbin Park, MA, May 2, 2026

Eastern Towhee, Quabbin Park, MA, May 2, 2026

Gray Catbird, Quabbin Park, MA, May 2, 2026

Merlin, Quabbin Park, MA, May 2, 2026

Blue winged Warbler, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 1, 2026

Blue Jay, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 1, 2026

Chipping Sparrow, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 1, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 1, 2026

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 1, 2026

Wild Columbine, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 1, 2026

The first three days of May have overall been slower than usual for species with the weather being poor for migration with less than ideal winds, some bouts of rain and cool temps.  Nonetheless birds continue to push in as the desire to move north to breed can overcome some less than ideal conditions for migration.  To start off the month I headed out mainly looking for warblers and found some including my first Cerulean Warblers and Worm eating Warblers for the year.  I stayed mainly in the Hadley/Amherst area for morning and then spent the afternoon doing stuff around the yard.  Tuesday the 2nd started off rainy and I got as much birding in around Quabbin Park as the bouts of rain would allow.  Although birding conditions were tough at times, I did add one new warbler for my big warbler year in the US with a Chestnut sided Warbler that became warbler species #41 for the year.  With more north winds overnight I didn't expect to find too much this morning and was pleasantly surprised to have a number of good sightings including a Glossy Ibis I flushed out of a small pond at Silvio Conte NWR at Fort River, a Northern Harrier doing a courtship flight (also at Conte) and a Brewster's Warbler that showed up in the same spot in Amherst for a third year in a row and possibly a fourth year.  By mid morning it was getting too windy to see much and I headed home to take Wilson for a walk.  Overall not a terrible start to the month with 117 species so far for the county.

The next few nights look to feature some good migration conditions with strong southerly winds and some warm temps.  I expect a big influx of birds during the period before the weather turns less conducive for migration for multiple nights. 

Good start to September

Black and White Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 1, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 1, 2025

Yellow bellied Flycatcher, Belchertown, MA, Sep 1, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 1, 2025

Red breasted Nuthatch, Belchertown, MA, Sep 1, 2025

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Sep 1, 2025

Ring billed Gull with leg bands, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Sep 2, 2025

Ring billed Gull with leg bands, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Sep 2, 2025

American Redstart, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Sep 2, 2025

Wood Ducks, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 2, 2025

Northern Waterthrush, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 2, 2025

Red necked Phalarope (really!), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 2, 2025

Wilson sleeping, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 2, 2025

Magnolia Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 3, 2025

Red eyed Vireo, Belchertown, MA, Sep 3, 2025

Wilson's Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 3, 2025

Cedar Waxwing nest with nestlings, Rail Trail, Ware, MA, Sep 3, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Rail Trail, Ware, MA, Sep 3, 2025

Great Egret, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Sep 3, 2025

I have been able to get out quite a bit during the first few days of September and have tracked down quite a few birds, including some continued rarities as well as newly arriving migrants.  On the first I stayed around the south Quabbin and Belchertown area and among the highlights were a few Virginia Rails, Red Crossbill and a distant Red necked Phalarope at Winsor Dam.   Also had three Yellow bellied Flycatchers (a migrant that can be tough to find sometimes) plus 17 species of warblers with the most unusual being multiple Cape May Warblers.  

On the second I started off at the Holyoke Dam and had one of the two Sanderlings that have been there for several days plus a color banded Ring billed Gull.  I sent the info out to the banding lab and they got back to me right away with the details of the bird.  It was banded in June 2013 as an adult (so born in 2010 or earlier) in Varennes, Quebec just upriver from Montreal.  I then worked north with stops off at Arcadia, Silvio Conte NWR and Hickory Ridge with the highlight of these stops being a slightly late Willow Flycatcher calling and seen at Arcadia.  I added several other new species for the month but overall it was quite quiet as far as migrants were concerned.  I also made a stop at Winsor Dam and was quite happy to see a Red necked Phalarope in a bit closer than the previous day (although still quite distant).  Certainly an incursion of both Red Phalarope and Red necked Phalaropes into the area for the past few days...very cool given there were no storms forcing them down.

Today I stayed again in the Ware and Belchertown area and concentrated again on warblers with 19 species seen for the day including multiple new species for the month.  I added a few non warblers for the month as well but nothing too unusual.  So far for the month in Hampshire County I stand at 121 species which puts me well above average for the first three days of the month.