Record setting March ends

Pied billed Grebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2026

Hooded Mergansers, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 31, 2026

Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2026

Egg in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2026

Black capped Chickadee, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 29, 2026

Common Merganser, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 29, 2026

Rusty Blackbird, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 28, 2026

Red breasted Nuthatch, Ware, MA, Mar 26, 2026

March came to an end with some warm temperatures and that certainly brought in some new birds.  The warmer air arrived on Monday with highs that made it to near 70 with southerly winds.  More birds certainly arrived that day with Eastern Phoebes seeming to be everywhere plus a few Pine Warblers.  It was a nice reprieve from the ongoing cold.  The warmth continued along with some rain early on Tuesday and even more birds arrived with multiple new species for me.  

By the end of the month I had a total of 113 species which eclipsed my previous highest total ever in the county for March, with the old record being 109 (set last year).  I had a number of unusual species for the month including Greater White fronted Goose, Cackling Goose, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Barrow's Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck, Sandhill Crane, both species of yellowlegs, Snowy Owl, Barn Swallow, Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbill and Yellow rumped Warbler (plus others).  A really decent spring for waterfowl (even with few rare geese) with 28 species.  I also got the first egg in my duck boxes at home.

Warm weather brings in early season migrants and starts melting the tons of snow

Lesser Yellowlegs, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Cackling Goose, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Cackling Goose, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Snow Goose, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Killdeer, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Ring necked Ducks, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Green winged Teal, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Canada Geese, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Canada Geese, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Canada Geese, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 11, 2026

Green winged Teal, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Mar 10, 2026

Wood Ducks, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Mar 10, 2026

Red breasted Merganser, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Mar 10, 2026

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 9, 2026

Hooded Mergansers, Swift River, Ware, MA, Mar 9, 2026

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Banded in the summer of 2021, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 9, 2026

Wilson eating snow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 9, 2026

The last three days (especially the last two) have featured well above normal temps with highs in the low 60's today and in the low 70's yesterday which has resulted in lots of snow melt (except in the yard!) and has induced a number of species to move in with waterfowl leading the way.  I stayed in the Ware/Belchertown area on Monday and added a couple new species for the year with Rusty Blackbird and American Woodcock.  I also got photos of a surviving banded Black capped Chickadee that was banded as an adult in the summer of 2021...a very hardy chickadee when the average life span is 2-3 years!  With the major warm up on Tuesday I started my morning at the Holyoke Dam and had ten species of waterfowl including my first Green winged Teal, Red breasted Merganser and Great Black backed Gull for the year in the county.  I briefly stopped along the river at Mitch's Way and could hear what sounded like many geese in the East Meadows so I headed there and had to walk in on the muddy and icy farm roads to get a look at the geese enjoying the newly uncovered cornfields.  I had a few thousand Canada Geese as well as single Snow Goose plus my first Wilson's Snipe and American Pipits (the Wilson's Snipe became species #100 for the year in the county).  With continued warm temps thanks to southerly winds I headed back to the East Meadows before dawn today and once again walked in and could hear geese as I walked as well as a number of Killdeer and at least one Wilson's Snipe and an American Woodcock.  I got down past the four corners area and as it became light enough to see I started scanning the fields and turned up tons of Canada Geese, multiple species of ducks and a single Snow Goose.  More and more geese began to arrive from every direction and the numbers quickly climbed into the thousands with many stopping the the fields (many dropping out of views in the various flooded swales). I estimated at least 13,700 Canada Geese and I know this is an undercount.  I scanned through the flocks over and over, both on the ground and as groups dropped in and I eventually found at least two Cackling Geese (one very pale individual), a single Greater White fronted Goose and two Snow Geese.  I tried to find some neck tagged Canada Geese without having any luck.  I also had a very early Lesser Yellowlegs fly in and stop for a bit in one of the pools...easily my earliest record for the species and the earliest record ever for western mass (at least in eBird).  A four shorebird species day here on March 11th is noteworthy for sure!  Other notables included at least 650 Horned Larks, more American Pipits, at least none Fish Crows and a swan that was almost certainly either a Tundra or Trumpeter Swan.  As I reached my car to head out just before ten I heard a roaring noise that turned out to be all the geese taking flight...an amazing sight and sound.  I also added an Eastern Phoebe at the house in the afternoon.  By the end of the day I had reached 105 species for the year in the county.

Another birding program completed, closing of the water feature, a dangerous storm in the Caribbean and some late species

Black throated Green Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 24, 2025

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Oct 23, 2025

White throated Sparrow, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Oct 23, 2025

Swamp Sparrow, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Oct 23, 2025

Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, MA, Oct 23, 2025

Common Mergansers, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 22, 2025

Common Loons, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 22, 2025

White throated Sparrow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2025

Nothing too noteworthy for species the last few days as we continue into the fourth week of October and the weather continues to cool down (although I have had a few late species).  I did complete my second presentation to a birding group in the last two weeks with a program for the bird club at Smith College last night on "Birding in the late fall and winter in the valley".  This follows my program at the Hampshire Bird Club (Endemic Warblers of the Caribbean) on the 14th.  I have actually really enjoyed putting together programs and presenting them.  They have been well received and well attended and I look forward to doing more in the future. 

The forecast shows northerly winds for the next few days with cooling temps before the arrival of some rain to end out the month of October and I suspect this will push in some late fall waterfowl. Elsewhere in the world a tropical system (currently a TS named Melissa) sits in the Caribbean south of Jamaica and is likely to strengthen into a major hurricane but move very little for days and will be devastating to Jamacia, Haiti and likely Cuba with high winds, extremely heavy rain and storm surge.  Not a good scenario for wildlife or people in the above mentioned areas. 

I also closed up the water feature at the house today as winter closes in.  The last capture on the camera was a White throated Sparrow which seems an appropriate species to end with.

Snow followed by brutal cold

American Kestrel, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 20, 2025

Savannah Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 20, 2025

Horned Larks, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 20, 2025

Dickcissel, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Jan 20, 2025

Northern Harrier, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Jan 20, 2025

Red winged Blackbird with orange face, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Jan 20, 2025

Wilson tasting the snow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jan 20, 2025

After getting our biggest storm to date with 6" of snow I headed out in a failed attempt to relocate a record setting late Palm Warbler that turned back up in some farm fields in Hadley after not being seen since New Years Eve.  I managed to make it over to the area in mid morning and had sunny and cold conditions with a lighter than expected wind.  Although I missed out on the warbler I did find several notable species including species #100 for me in Hampshire County with a Vesper Sparrow.  I have only reached 100 species in the county in January once before and that was in 2021 and that year ended with my highest total in January with 105 species.  I also got my first prolonged look (and photos) of the overwintering Dickcissel in Hadley as well as an oddly plumaged Red winged Blackbird that had an orange face.

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 21, 2025

Greater Scaup with Common Goldeneyes, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 21, 2025

Greater Scaup with Common Goldeneyes, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 21, 2025

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 21, 2025

Last night was brutally cold with a low of -9 and not surprisingly most open water froze up with just a few spots along some rivers open and the main water at Winsor Dam being open.  Conditions like this can produce some decent birds as the waterfowl that remain gets forced to come into the little open water available.  I tried to check the dam early but the cold temps kept the view obscured with low fog over the water.  I returned again to Winsor Dam a bit before ten and the views were much better and I immediately turned up some good species with a Greater Scaup hanging with a group of Common Goldeneyes and a Long tailed Duck actively fishing.  As I was getting some video of the distant Long tailed Duck a female Red breasted Merganser flashed past and I was able to follow it in the scope as it disappeared off to the north.  I continued scanning and as I was watching a small group of Hooded Mergansers a female Ruddy Duck flew in and dropped in among the mergansers for perhaps 10 seconds before it lifted back off and flew off to the southwest.  Ruddy Duck is tough to find any time in the county (for some odd reason) so this was the bird of the day for sure.  Certainly worth keeping an eye on the area of the dam as our weather is going to remain bitter cold for multiple days.

Birds before the storm

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 19, 2025

Bald Eagle, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Jan 19, 2025

Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers, Mallards and American Black Ducks, Swift River, Ware, MA, Jan 19, 2025

Ring necked Ducks, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 18, 2025

Hanks Meadow at dawn, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 18, 2025

Pine Warbler, Turners Falls Power Canal, Turners Falls, MA, Jan 17, 2025

American Tree Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 17, 2025

Yellow bellied Sapsucker, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 17, 2025

Eastern Phoebe, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Jan 17, 2025

Our biggest snowstorm of the season so far looks to arrive overnight with up to 8" of snow predicted followed by multiple days of cold, windy weather with highs perhaps in the teens and lows near zero.  I have been able to get out and bird a bit the last couple days enjoying mainly sunny conditions with temps above freezing.  I continue to chip away at species for the year and now stand at 99 species for Hampshire County, which continues to be my highest total year to date ever.  I also made a rare foray out of Hampshire County up to Franklin County to see a Pine Warbler along the canal in Turners Falls.  I will just add a collection of photos from the last few days.  On a sad note multiple geese in the area have tested positive for avian flu and I have seen a few dead waterfowl around.  It seems to be hitting waterfowl and raptors hard and it is highly contagious and spreads like wildfire through bird populations.