Quabbin birding and beyond: cooper hawk

Showing posts with label cooper hawk. Show all posts

Monday, November 11, 2013

KING EIDER AT QUABBIN! Amazing first Hampshire County record found this morning...

King Eider, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 11, 2013

All I can really say about today is WOW! Any day where you can add a first county record to the Hampshire County list is memorable given the long ornithological history of the area and all the spectacular birders that have called Hampshire County home. Finding a female King Eider at Winsor Dam at Quabbin was not really what I expected but it is indeed what I found. The day started off well for me when I had a couple Bonaparte's Gulls and a Red breasted Merganser among the other more typical stuff at Winsor Dam at first light. I then headed through Quabbin Park and found a couple Horned Grebes and seven Common Loons plus a couple Black Ducks and a Wood Duck. I then headed back to Winsor Dam to do a little stationary watching to see what I might find. I arrived around 7:20 and found a Common Loon and a Long tailed Duck out on the water but no sign of the merganser or the unusual gulls from earlier. As I watched the Long tailed Duck it flushed and the culprit turned out to be a White tailed Deer! I have to say I have never had a Long tailed Duck get flushed by a swimming deer before! After hearing a few Snow Buntings I decided to walk across the dam in hopes of finding them but no luck. A distant goose flock had me head back to the car to scope them out. After viewing the goose flock (all Canada Geese sadly) I noticed two birds moving northwest somewhat close to each other but fairly far out. One bird was a Mallard that continued on but the second bird turned southwest toward the dam and then headed toward me in front of the administration building. My first thought was the bird looked wrong for a Black Duck and my mind went to other possibilities including eider. As the bird continued toward me I grabbed the camera and took a few in flight photos before it settled on the water just a few hundred feet away. I then got the scope on the bird and expected to find a Common Eider (very rare inland) but instead the bird looked wrong for that species. I had a few thoughts on the bird but all would be exceedingly rare. I snapped a few photos in case the bird took off (which I fully expected it to do). I looked at the bird for a minute or so and then quick sent a text and photo off to Ian and then checked my field guide and my thoughts were confirmed that it was something very rare inland...a King Eider. I then called Ian and he confirmed my thoughts on the bird being a female King Eider! The look of the bird was quite unique with the bill shape and facial patterns giving it the appearance of grinning (which I was doing quite a lot of at the time too!) Given the rarity of the bird inland I decided to get the word out to those who might want to try to see it. I threw out a quick post to the local facebook page and then started making phone calls as I continued to take photos of the bird. I knew Tom was out of town in Texas so I called Scott who turned out to be on the cape! I then called Steve and he called Bob Z. I then called Bob B. and Devin but just got their voicemail. I continued watching the bird for about 25 minutes before it took flight and headed west. I thought it was gone for good but it settled back on the water. A birder (forgot his name) that moved here last year from Australia walked over and asked me what I was looking at so I was able to show him the eider (and later showed him a Long tailed Duck giving him two 'ticks for the day). A little while later Steve and Bob Z showed up as well as Michelle. Dave S. arrived a bit later with a few others including Greg Miller of "The Big Year" fame who was in the area to give a talk about the book and movie by the same name to the Athol Bird and Nature Club. Everyone got great looks at the bird as it floated back and forth in front of the admin building and occasionally moved in closer to the far end of the dam. I stayed with Steve and Bob Z until just after 11 when we left and the bird was still present. This King Eider not only became species #234 for my Hampshire County year list but it was a life bird for me (#782). This bird became the second first Hampshire county record I have found with the first being a White tailed Tropicbird during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene a couple years ago...also found at Winsor Dam! Another very memorable sighting and a truly spectacular bird at Quabbin. The King Eider was one of the species I mentioned in an earlier post to be on the lookout for...now to just find the others!

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2013/10/waterfowl-and-others-to-be-on-lookout.html

Later in the afternoon I made a return trip over to Winsor Dam and found Scott and Bob B there and the eider was indeed still present although quite distant at first. It flew around again before settling on the water a bit closer. A number of other birders also arrived and got looks at the bird. When I left about 3:45 the bird was still present as was the Long tailed Duck and a group of four Bufflehead.

Additional King Eider photos can be found here...if you are not sick of seeing it yet!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/sets/72157637564632853/

Other photos from this morning can be found below:

Red tailed Hawk, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 11, 2013

Turkey Vulture, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 11, 2013

Wild Turkeys, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 11, 2013

Red breasted Merganser (R) with gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 11, 2013

White tailed Deer buck swimming across reservoir with Common Loon in foreground, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 11, 2013

Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 11, 2013

A cold front moving in late today will shift the winds around to the northwest and cool the temperatures down to below average with highs only in the 30's the next couple days and give us snow showers overnight into the morning. Certainly some chances for more waterfowl to move in or perhaps find another Golden Eagle. It will be interesting to see if the King Eider moves out tonight and heads to the coast or if it sticks overnight and waits until tomorrow morning to move on. I will be there checking at first light unless it is snowing and impossible to see.

Cooper's Hawk, Quabbin Park, Nov 10, 2013

Horned Grebe with fish, Quabbin Park, Nov 10, 2013

Red breasted Merganser, Quabbin Park, Nov 10, 2013

River Otters, Quabbin Park, Nov 10, 2013

I spent the first part of yesterday morning hitting various spots along the Connecticut River in a fruitless search for unusual geese. I started at Hadley Cove at sunrise and had 74 Mallards and five Canada Geese plus a hooting Great Horned Owl. I next stopped at a few spots along the Connecticut River and found nothing noteworthy so I moved on to Lake Warner. Lake Warner produced 62 Canada Geese, three Mute Swans and a couple Mallards plus a Great Blue Heron. A ride through the various farm fields of North Hadley and Amherst didn't produce any geese at all. A brief stop at the UMASS campus pond found 29 Canada Geese, a Black Duck and 82 Mallards plus a Peregrine Falcon atop the library. Without having much luck along the Connecticut River I headed back east to Quabbin Park. Waterfowl at Quabbin Park included a Red breasted Merganser, three Hooded Mergansers, four Black Ducks, a single Mallard, eight Common Loons and 11 Horned Grebes. Other birds around the park included four Bald Eagles (with an adult pair at the nest near Winsor Dam), two kingfishers, a couple Winter Wrens, a Snow Bunting and a Yellow rumped Warbler. Overall a quiet morning but given the lack of any real precipitation and southerly winds it is not surprising I didn't come up with anything too unusual.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Birding after the storms

Bank Swallow, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Killdeer, East Meadows, Sep 13, 2013

After a lot of rain and storms overnight I headed toward the various fields along the Connecticut River in the hopes of finding shorebirds in the flooded fields. I started at the East Meadows before dawn and checked the areas that were accessible and found only a few shorebirds including two American Golden Plovers, a Solitary Sandpiper and eight Killdeer. Perhaps there was just too much storminess and the birds never got a chance to move to then be put down by the weather.

Barn Swallow, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Bank Swallow, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Palm Warbler, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Cooper's Hawk, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Great Egrets, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Barn Swallows and Palm Warbler, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Barn Swallow, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Indigo Bunting, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Bobolinks, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

Vesper Sparrow, Honeypot, Sep 13, 2013

I next headed back across the river to the Honeypot area looking for shorebirds where I found only a few Killdeer. With the shorebirding appearing to be a bust I decided to spend some time poking around areas of the Honeypot to find some other stuff. Yet again the area produced some good birds including three Vesper Sparrows, a Lincoln's Sparrow, at least 20 Indigo Buntings, 70+ Bobolinks, two Great Egrets and a few warblers including two Palm Warblers, a Prairie Warbler and a Yellow Warbler. The swallow show also continued with at least 150 swallows around with many feeding distantly over the fields and river. I did manage to identify quite a few with an amazing 18 Bank Swallows, 35+ Barn Swallows and at least ten Tree Swallows. With so many swallows (of different species) around in mid September I looked closely to try to pick out something even more unusual or rare but no luck today. The raptors (including Merlin, Peregrine Falcon and Cooper's Hawk) kept the birds moving around and at least one bird was not quick enough as I watched a Cooper's Hawk flying into a distant tree with a kill. Among the Indigo Bunting was another bird that I'm still trying to come to some conclusion on. It was viewed distantly through the scope as I scanned through the various weedy edges. A very blue overall bird which may have been just a Indigo Bunting but some of the field marks have me wondering on it. Still reviewing photos of the bird at this point.

My next stop on my way home was over to East Hadley Road where I had a few more Killdeer but nothing else of note.

Olive sided Flycatcher, Jabish canal, Sep 13, 2013

Wilson enjoying a stick, Jabish canal, Sep 13, 2013

Picked up Wilson and headed to Jabish Canal where we had an Olive sided Flycatcher hunting the large meadow/swamp area which I managed to get a marginal photo of with my phone through my binoculars This area has always been a great spot to find this species.

At home today I had a couple Ruby throated Hummingbirds still around plus a group of 13 Turkey Vultures and a Common Nighthawks right around 3pm right as a heavy rain shower was hitting.

Yesterday I spent the morning around the local area with stops at Lake Wallace, Covey WMA, Quabbin Park and the land trust trail before the showers and storms moved in. Lake Wallace produced a handful of Wood Ducks and Mallards plus a couple each of Great Egrets and Green Herons and a hooting Great Horned Owl. Covey WMA held a Red shouldered Hawk, a couple Chimney Swifts and a mixed species flock that contained ten species of warbler including yet another Tennessee Warbler and a Cape May Warbler. Also had a flock of 36 Cedar Waxwings moving by. I only made a couple stops at Quabbin Park including Hank's Meadow and Winsor Dam. Overall fairly quiet but did have a Canada Warbler, almost 120 Mallards at the dam, a sapsucker and a few other warblers. The land trust trail was also fairly quiet.

Monday, September 9, 2013

A somewhat slow day at UMASS

White throated Sparrow, UMASS Amherst, Sep 9, 2013

Bobolink, UMASS Amherst, Sep 9, 2013

Cooper's Hawk, UMASS Amherst, Sep 9, 2013

Dawn at Orchard Hill, Sep 9, 2013

Despite a lot of promise given the action on the radar overnight and the flight calls I heard, the morning was actually quite quiet. I listened a bit predawn at home and heard a few Veerys and a Swainson's Thrush plus several unidentified zeep calls plus a Barred Owl that started calling around 5am. I then headed over to Orchard Hill to meet up with Ian, Keenan and Ben. Arriving before dawn I had a few birds calling flying overhead including a Green Heron and a Solitary Sandpiper as well as several Wood Thrushes bubbling from the woods. Certainly another cool morning with temperatures in the low 40's but clear so it warmed up nicely with the sun. Once the sun started hitting the trees the activity started picking up a bit with a couple Tennessee Warblers and a Philadelphia Vireo. As we made our way over to check an active section all the birds seemed to disappear and after a few minutes it became apparent why. A Sharpshinned Hawk came buzzing through and nearly got a Red bellied Woodpecker. With the activity brought to an early end on the hill itself we walked around other parts of Orchard Hill (which were also quiet but did produce a Lincoln's Sparrow) before hitting the hill again in the hopes that the birds came back. No luck on the second trip as a Cooper's Hawk had joined the Sharpshinned Hawk in staking out the hill. The only notable bird was one that got away as a small grayish wren darted out of the grass and into a tangle never to be seen again...likely a Sedge or Marsh Wren...oh well! We decided to cut our losses on the hill and head over to the Sylvan woods and fields. We hit a little pocket of birds in the woods but didn't find anything too unusual (we did add a sapsucker which made for six woodpecker species for the morning). The field that has been converted to a small scale farming operation looks primed to produce some good stuff and we had some luck there this morning. We had several Killdeer in a small plowed field plus a flyby American Golden Plover. The weedy fields and nearby edges produced a few Bobolinks, several sparrows including an early White throated Sparrow plus a Yellow Warbler, a flyby Bay breasted Warbler and an unidentified empid that worked the edge silently.

I didn't have time to hit other areas so I headed home to pick up Wilson and go on a few walks including the Jabish Canal where we ran across a mixed species flock which contained several warbler species including my first Blackpoll Warbler of the fall. I had a brief look at another interesting warbler that may have been a Connecticut but it was silent and I only had a brief view of a yellow bird as it disappeared into the ferns. We also had a calling Broad winged Hawk flying around the woods.
The weather over the next several days features southerly winds through the end of Thursday with a slight chance of rain showers tomorrow night and a better chance of rain Wednesday night into very early Friday with the heaviest overnight on Thursday into Friday. If this forecast pans out (a big if several days out) then Friday morning could be good for shorebirds and other migrants. With all the southerly winds there is also a chance of a vagrant being pushed north.

Sunday, September 1, 2013

September starts with two new species for the county this year...#220 and #221

Cooper's Hawk, Honeypot, Sep 1, 2013

American Golden Plover, Honeypot, Sep 1, 2013

Following thunderstorms that lasted most of the night and kept me up (and Wilson very nervous) I got a bit of a late start (for me anyway) heading out this morning. I made it over to Winsor Dam for a brief look around 6 AM and found 77 Mallards and a single Common Loon but nothing else noteworthy. I then headed over to Hadley with my first stop along the Connecticut River where I found a Greater Yellowlegs, two Lesser Yellowlegs, a Solitary Sandpiper and a couple Spotted Sandpipers despite the river level being up a few feet due to the rain. Certainly a decline in the species and numbers present when more mudflats were exposed just a couple days ago. I then got a call from Steve about a flyby American Golden Plover at the Honeypot. As I was already planning on heading over that way eventually anyway I cut my time short along the river and headed to the Honeypot to try to find the bird. I briefly checked the various fields on my way down to view the river. After talking briefly with Bob near 'Thats a plenty farm' I decided to work my way back out toward the east end of the Honeypot and check every field with the scope. I managed to find a Vesper Sparrow, 130+ Bobolinks, 35+ Bank Swallows, and 200+ other swallows (Tree and Barn but many too far away to ID), a Sharpshinned Hawk, a cooperative Cooper's Hawk and a singing Brown Thrasher as I worked my way through all the fields. As I was checking the last field right along the dike I finally came across some shorebirds when I found at least nine Killdeer. I then came across an American Golden Plover in among the Killdeer. This is likely the same individual seen by others in flight not too far away earlier in the morning. The American Golden Plover became species #220 for Hampshire County this year. In addition to the plover and Killdeer there were at half a dozen or so Least Sandpipers and a single flyby peep that I was unable to ID. With my lack of sleep catching up with me I headed for home. However, just before I got there I got a call from Scott about a Buff breasted Sandpiper (plus additional American Golden Plovers and a Semipalmated Plover) in the East Meadows in Northampton. I then decided that it was worth a try as I may not get another chance to see another Buff breasted this year.

Buff breasted Sandpiper, East Meadows, Northampton,MA, Sep 1, 2013

I arrived in the East Meadows to find Scott and Tom looking at the field where the Buff breasted Sandpiper HAD been (it disappeared not long before Tom and I arrived). We scanned the field several times finding Killdeer and Least Sandpipers but no Buff breasted. As the weather continued to be overcast with more and more drizzle we figured the bird was still around nearby. Tom went to check one field while I went around the opposite side of the field the bird had been in. Not long after arriving on the opposite side I found the Buff breasted Sandpiper and got myself a second new species for the year bringing my total to 221. Tom and Bob managed to come over and we all got good scope views of the bird. Other birds around the area included at least two Horned Larks, a Vesper Sparrow, 13 Killdeer and five Least Sandpipers.

Once I got home I picked up Wilson for a walk along the land trust in Belchertown which quickly turned into an adventure as we got caught in a tropical like downpour. Although not the best way to end the morning we didn't melt. It was a very productive morning with two new species for the year, a total of eight species of shorebird and about 55 species overall. Thanks to all the other great birders out there today we all had a great morning. A lesson to all to always go out and bird even (or especially) when the weather is 'bad'.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Various spots along the Connecticut River in Northampton and Hadley (as well as at home)

Peregrine Falcon, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Solitary Sandpiper, Arcadia, Aug 25, 2013

Oxbow at dawn, Northampton, MA, Aug 25, 2013

I decided to spend the first part of my morning at various spots around the Connecticut River with the main focus being shorebirds. As I drove over to Northampton the fog steadily increased and I second guessed my decision to head over that way (it was totally clear at home). However, once I arrived at Arcadia the fog lifted enough to see the marsh and parts of the oxbow. The shorebirds at Arcadia included four Spotted Sandpipers, five Solitary Sandpipers, six Least Sandpipers, a Lesser Yellowlegs and three Killdeer. In addition I had three Bald Eagles making their rounds, lots of flyby Bobolinks, 14 Wild Turkeys that walked right past me and others totaling 42 species there.

Song Sparrow, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Bobolink, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Bobolinks in flight, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Indigo Bunting, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Cooper's Hawk, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Peregrine Falcon, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

I next headed back across the river to the Honeypot area of Hadley. Some of the fields there have been harvested and after checking a few I found a couple Horned Lark in among about a dozen Killdeer. The shoreline of the river held a couple Spotted Sandpipers and a Greater Yellowlegs. While viewing the river I had a flyover Dickcissel that I initially heard and then saw briefly as it moved back toward the dike area. I tried but failed to get a photo and I was never able to find the bird again despite some effort. The Dickcissel makes species #218 for Hampshire County this year. I spent some time at "that's a plenty farm" and had more good birds including nearly 100 Bobolinks, lots of Song Sparrows, a Peregrine Falcon, several hundred (probably over a thousand) swallows with most being Tree and Bank Swallows, at least three Indigo Buntings with one still singing. The area looks primed up for the arrival of sparrows in a few weeks and I'm sure something unusual will show up.

Common Yellowthroat with odd growths on face and bill, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

I also had a Common Yellowthroat there with some odd growths on its face. I'll have to see if I can figure out what they are.

Belted Kingfisher, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Semipalmated Sandpiper (center) with Least Sandpipers, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Semipalmated Sandpiper (center) with Least Sandpipers with Great Egret, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Least Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and Wood Duck, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Aug 25, 2013

With my time running out for the morning I stopped along the river in Hadley and found more shorebirds including 33 Least Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, two Solitary Sandpipers and three Lesser Yellowlegs. I also had a Great Egret and a couple Great Blue Herons as well as Wood Ducks. I had a total of seven shorebird species, three wader species and half a dozen raptor species for the day among the 65+ total species for the day.

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Belchertown, MA, Aug 25, 2013

Meanwhile at home the Ruby throated Hummingbirds seem to have made a resurgence. It had quieted down a bit the last few days but several were around today. Perhaps new arrivals from the north?

A late addition to the days list (and the year list) occurred as I was grilling up dinner and noticed a bird moving around the tops of one of the oaks in the backyard. I grabbed my binoculars and found an early Philadelphia Vireo. My earliest fall record of this species ever! I ran back inside to get my camera but when I came back out I could not find the bird again to get a photo. Oh well! With this species I brought my total for Hampshire County this year to 219! It does appear my previous record of 228 is indeed within reach of being broken. Time will tell. I also had several Common Nighthawks feeding low over the yard this evening as well.

Quabbin birding and beyond