My 50,000th complete eBird list today

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 18, 2024

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 18, 2024

Screenshot from eBird, Jun 18, 2024

While out birding this morning on what is forecast to be the start of a several day heat wave, I hit a big milestone when it comes to eBird when I submitted my 50,000th complete list (I have also submitted several hundred more incidental/incomplete lists).  My milestone list turned out to be an early morning stop at Winsor Dam, a place I bird quite a bit and a spot that has produced many rare birds for me over the years including three first Hampshire County records that I found including White tailed Tropicbird, King Eider and Pacific Loon.  Very happy to have the list be from one of my favorite birding spots.  

Sunbittern, Species #2000 for me, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 6, 2024

Common Redshank, Life bird #1500, By The Lighthouse Lodging, Vogar, Iceland, Jul 1, 2019

Beautiful Jay, life bird #1000, Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador, Nov 18, 2015

During this time I have seen or heard a total of 2002 species in a total of 27 countries plus several other dependencies and territories (with species #2000 on a trip to Costa Rica in March of this year, species, species #1500 in Iceland in July 2019 and species #1000 on a trip to Ecuador in Nov 2015). I have submitted photos for 1315 species and recordings of 385 species.  I have submitted lists from as far south as southern Brazil, as far north as Iceland, as far west as Alaska and as far east as Austria.  I look forward to continuing on this journey as long as possible.

My 40,000th complete eBird list

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 27, 2022

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 27, 2022

On my way to work yesterday morning I stopped off again at Lake Wallace and the stop produced my 40,000th complete eBird list (I have additional entered another 700+ incomplete lists).  The lake continues to produce great sightings of Virginia Rails (with at least five present during my brief stop).  I also had a flyover juvenile Black crowned Night Heron but was unable to get photos of it.  This is only the second time I have seen the species at the lake, with the first sighting in mid August last year.  Looking at my total of 40,000 complete lists it appears that ranks me at 13th in the world for checklists into eBird among nearly 800,000 users...I guess that means I bird a bit more than most.  The list span around 25 countries but with the vast majority of my lists from Hampshire County.  I would highly encourage everyone to enter their sightings into eBird as it adds to the scientific database and is a great way to keep track of the birds you see.

Snow in May!??!!?

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 9, 2020

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 9, 2020

Least Flycatcher, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 9, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2020

Snow, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 9, 2020

The weird weather just keeps getting weirder.  The forecast for some overnight snow unfortunately turned out to be correct and we had a light dusting to start the day (areas not too far away had a few inches of snow).  The temperature started out around freezing and climbed to a whopping 43 degrees for a high with a strong northwest wind giving us a wind chill into the teens at times.  It felt and looked a lot more like November than May.  Today was also the eBird global big day and I normally would have been birding all day and wracking up loads of species but today was a bit different.  I tried to make the best of it and headed out at dawn to make a brief stop at Winsor Dam to see if the overnight rain/snow grounded any migrants (it did not).  Ted was already there and he also didn't have much luck and I didn't stick around too long.  With the winds forecast to get progressively stronger during the morning I decided to head over to Hadley to try to catch up with an Orange crowned Warbler that Joe found in the same spot he had one back in late April (apparently the area offers something to Orange crowned Warbler as the same general area held one late last year).  I arrived and started looking and had no luck until after a little over 25 minutes of looking.  I saw the bird very briefly before one of the Yellow rumped Warblers dove on it and chased it to an unknown location.  Not long after that sighting I had a Great Egret heading upriver with a Great Blue Heron but they were gone before I could get a photo.  I then spent the another 30+ minutes looking for Orange crowned Warbler and actually heard it sing four times over the course of that time but never got a recording and never got another look...a super frustrating bird to be sure.  I finally called it quits after about an hour and then headed briefly through the Honey Pot before going to UMASS.  I walked a bit there but the wind was really blowing by that time so I called it quits and headed for home.  The rest of the day featured sun and clouds with occasional flurries and cold temperatures.  I managed just a paltry 77 species...very low for May 9 but given the conditions I guess not too bad.

Oregon trip July 15-22, Part 2- Oregon coast

Looking north toward Cape Lookout, Tierra Del Mar, OR, July 18, 2017

Looking south toward Haystack Rock, Tierra Del Mar, OR, July 18, 2017

We finally arrived out on the coast north of Pacific City in the late afternoon on Tuesday after a long drive over the coastal range. We arrived at our beach house and after dropping our stuff off we made a beeline to the nearly deserted beach to stretch out legs. Not much in the way of bird diversity there but it was nice to see a vast stretch of nearly empty beach in the USA...not something I have seen outside of Costa Rica!

Wilson's Warbler, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 19, 2017

Wilson's Warbler, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 19, 2017

Double crested Cormorant, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 19, 2017

Chestnut sided Chickadee, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 19, 2017

Looking south toward Haystack Rock from Cape Lookout, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 19, 2017

Looking south at dawn, Tierra Del Mar, OR, July 19, 2017

Our first full day on the coast was spent exploring a few areas north of our beach house. We started off with a long hike out to the end of Cape Lookout which provided some spectacular views and some great birds. The full list from our stop there can be found here: After a break for lunch we headed back up north to Cape Mears and a few stops around the area of Tillimook. A bit too late in the day and too many people around to turn up much in the way of bird life but it was interesting seeing the large nesting cliffs at Cape Mears again.

White crowned Sparrow, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 20, 2017

Song Sparrow, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 20, 2017

Orange crowned Warbler, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 20, 2017

Orange crowned Warbler (showing its orange crown), Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 20, 2017

White crowned Sparrow, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 20, 2017

The original plan for Thursday was to go out on a whale watch out of Depoe Bay but the forecast called for a clouds and a chance not rain so we put off the whale watch until Friday. The day did indeed begin a bit showery but it didn't last too long and the sun was already poking through the clouds by 7AM. I went out first thing despite the rain but stayed close to the car during a stop at Whalen Island which featured a nice showing of herons and egrets feeding on the mudflats. Once the weather had improved a little we took a long walk along the sand spit at Cape Lookout before making a couple more stops late morning into the early afternoon at various stops including Cape Kiawanda and Nestucca Bay NWR.

Common Murre, Depoe Bay, OR, July 21, 2017

Pelagic Cormorant, Depoe Bay, OR, July 21, 2017

Gray Whale, Depoe Bay, OR, July 21, 2017

Pigeon Guillemot, Depoe Bay, OR, July 21, 2017

Common Murre, Depoe Bay, OR, July 21, 2017

Gray Whale, Depoe Bay, OR, July 21, 2017

Harbor Seals, Depoe Bay, OR, July 21, 2017

Savannah Sparrow, Siletz Bay NWR, OR, July 21, 2017

On our last full day we headed south down to Depoe Bay to go on a whale watch. Before we made it to Depoe Bay we stopped off briefly at Siletz Bay NWR which was quite active, especially with passerines...I just wish I had more time to explore the area but we had to make it down to the whale watch by 9:30. We arrived and immediately headed out of the small harbor aboard a small zodiac which provided some nice close to the water views (and photos) of the whales, seals and birds. It was nice to not have to go too far offshore to get the whales (in fact you could probably see them fairly well from shore)...certainly much different then the typical whale watch at home.

Overall for the trip I managed to find a total of 107 species for the week, which was fairly decent for a non birding focused trip.  No new species for me but I have been out to this area of the country several times so not a whole lot of new potentials.

Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, April 30, 2016

I also had one of my photos (a Blue winged Warbler) featured in the latest article from eBird/Cornell on the eBird homepage....link to article:  eBird article

Global Big Day

Common Nighthawk, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2016

Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2016

Brown headed Cowbirds, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 14, 2016

Tennessee Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 14, 2016

Chipping Sparrow, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2016

Ovenbird, Belchertown,  MA, May 14, 2016

Today was the eBird Global Big Day as well as International Migratory Bird Day and the Mass Audubon's Birdathon. I didn't have any particular plans before the day began beyond starting my day at Winsor Dam and then seeing where the day would take me. I had lots of good luck at Winsor Dam early on including the continued Lesser Scaup plus the expected whip poor wills. A quick ride over to the route 9 marsh produced a Virginia Rail and a Common Nighthawk (#197) flying over the marsh in and out of the fog. I returned to Winsor Dam and found more good stuff including a female Red breasted Merganser and a male Cerulean Warbler. As this point I gave Devin a call to let him know the unusual stuff I came across so his team could hopefully catch up with them for Birdathon (I was acting more as a scout for them as the rules of Birdathon require you to bird with someone else which just seems silly for a fundraising event but that is how it is). With my day going quite well so far I decided to see how much I could find over the course of the morning and early afternoon. I headed for UMASS hitting both Orchard Hill and the northwest campus area. I managed to find 19 species of warblers there including my first Blackpoll Warbler (#198) plus a Tennessee Warbler, Canada Warblers and a Wilson's Warbler. I then headed over to the rail trail to look for shorebirds and found three species out on the mud at Hop Brook. My original plan was to go from the rail trail over to Silvio Conte NWR and then to Skinner SP but a phone call from Devin telling me they had an Orange crowned Warbler at Gate 5 (a very rare spring migrant here...I only had one previous spring record). I immediately headed for Gate 5 and after a quick walk down to near the waters edge I had it calling in the woods. I tried and tried to get a look at it until finally I saw it (and got one horrible photo) before it was chased off by a Black throated Green Warbler. It stopped singing at that point and I was unable to relocate it. The Orange crowned Warbler became species #199 for the county this year. As I was looking for the warbler I got another call from the Birdathon group saying they had a male Green winged Teal at Lake Wallace (unusual this time of year). After getting my fill at Gate 5 I headed over to Lake Wallace but could not find the teal but there was a lot of activity on the nearby fields so I'm sure the bird just went deeper into the reeds. I then headed home to get Wilson to go for a walk along the Jabish Canal where we found some more new species for the day. After dropping Wilson off I headed out for a brief series of visits to a few spots around the south Quabbin area but most areas were quite busy with people so I called it a day. I spent the remainder of the day around the house watching on and off for new stuff. I found a total of 116 species for the day (24 of those being warbler) without an extreme effort.

My contribution to the eBird Global Big Day

Black and White Warbler, home, Belchertown, MA, May 9, 2015

Lincoln's Sparrow with yellow at base of tail, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 9, 2015

Spotted Sandpiper, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 9, 2015

Lesser Yellowlegs (L) and Solitary Sandpiper (R), East Meadows, Northampton, MA, May 9, 2015

I spent the day taking part in eBird Global Big Day (http://ebird.org/ebird/globalbigday/) and although my original intention was to stick around the Quabbin area I had some good luck with birds early on and Quabbin was somewhat fogged in early so I headed west and had a lot of luck finding good stuff. I hit several spots in the morning including the rail trail in Amherst, the East Meadows, Mitch's Way, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Quabbin Park and the land trust trail in Belchertown. I had 60 species by 6AM and passed 100 by 9:30. My afternoon was mainly spent around the house but I did make a brief stop at Gate 5. I ended the day with 122 species in the county which is quite good considering many flycatchers are not back yet and I didn't hit several spots where certain species are known to be quite common. I bet 130 to perhaps 140 in Hampshire County is quite possible with a concerted effort...perhaps someday. Here are all the lists for the day (sorry not as many photos on these lists as the weather was a bit gloomy early on and I didn't focus on photos as much today)

Home
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23317193

Winsor Dam

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23317328

Rail trail Amherst
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23317514

East Meadows
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23317683

Coolidge Bridge

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23317708

 

Mitch's Way

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23318328

Skinner SP

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23318462

Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23318858

Quabbin Park
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23320735

Winsor Dam
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23321080

Lake Wallace
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23321398

Belchertown Land Trust trail
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23324144

Home

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23326003

Quabbin Gate 5
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23327964

 

Kennedy Rd Belchertown

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23328548

 

Home

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23338270

 

Winsor Dam

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23339871

First snow of the season and my 15,000th eBird list

Long tailed Ducks, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 14, 2014

Long tailed Ducks, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 14, 2014

Long tailed Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 14, 2014

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 14, 2014

Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 14, 2014

Road to Quabbin Tower, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 14, 2014

We got our first little taste of snow overnight and it certainly looked winter like early in the day.  Thankfully most of it melted during the day (and of course Wilson helped by eating as much of it as possible!).  I started my day at Winsor Dam, a quick stop by Beaver Lake and then through Quabbin Park and another stop at Winsor Dam before I headed over to South Hadley near the Holyoke Dam and then back to Quabbin to Gate 5.  Overall a fairly slow day as far as birds were concerned but still some decent stuff around.  Perhaps tomorrow will turn up more waterfowl?  At Winsor Dam I had a Black Scoter, seven Long tailed Ducks (four together and a group of three with the Black Scoter), four Common Loons (three in flight together) and 11 Horned Larks flying by together plus other expected species.  I also had a possible flyover redpoll but I only heard it once and it was breezy so couldn't confirm it.  Quabbin Park held just a Horned Grebe and Common Loon between Hank's Meadow and Goodnough Dike...very slow.  The marsh on Route 9 had the usual waterfowl although slightly more Canada Geese then have been there lately.  The Holyoke Dam area featured the typical fare for waterfowl with 190 Canada Geese, three Mute Swans, 25 Mallards and a Common Merganser plus 72 Ring billed Gulls and a few Herring Gulls (no unusual gulls unfortunately).  My final stop of the morning before an appointment was over to gate 5 which featured four Long tailed Ducks and a Common Loon.  Pine Siskins were once again present at several stops this morning with small groups flying past. 

This morning also featured the logging in of my 15,000th eBird list with the list taking me to this plateau occurring at Quabbin (appropriately I guess as I enter more list from Quabbin then any other area).  I once again encourage everyone to enter their birding lists to eBird...a great day to add scientific value to your birding outings and a great way to keep track of your sightings.