Some great looks at Virginia Rails

 

Virginia Rail young, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Jun 17, 2022

Virginia Rail young, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Jun 17, 2022

Virginia Rail young, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Jun 17, 2022

Virginia Rail adult with young, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Jun 17, 2022

Virginia Rail adult with young, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Jun 17, 2022

Mallards, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Jun 17, 2022

On my way to work yesterday I made a few stops at various wetlands in the vain hope of turning up a Black bellied Whistling Duck after a first record in western Massachusetts was spotted the day before in Richmond in Berkshire County.  The species was long overdue for showing up in the area as there has been a large influx to the north of the species over the last several years.  My first stop was Lake Wallace which I have always thought would a perfect spot to turn up the species but no luck.  I then made my way across the river and over to Fitzgerald Lake in Northampton.  Although I didn't find a whistling duck I had fantastic close looks at multiple Virginia Rails including two adults and two young birds.  At times the birds were within a few feet of me as they worked through the reeds.  Always fun to see any rails, especially young ones.  I hit some of the same areas on my way home today but again no whistling ducks but I'll keep looking.

Sightings for the first week of August

Marsh Wren, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2017

Marsh Wren, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2017

Little Blue Heron, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Aug 4, 2017

Little Blue Heron, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Aug 4, 2017

The first week of August has been fairly productive with a number of newly arrived rarities as well as few continued ones.  The newly arrived rarities include a Marsh Wren singing on territory at Lake Wallace (one eBird list here: Lake Wallace) and a Little Blue Heron at Fitzgerald Lake in Northampton (Fitzgerald Lake) with both still being seen as of yesterday.

Green winged Teal, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 1, 2017

Black Vulture, Hadley, MA, Aug 5, 2017

Orchard Oriole, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Aug 6, 2017 (photo with iPhone through binoculars)

Other unusual species around have included a couple Green winged Teal at Lake Wallace, at least three Black Vultures in Hadley, at least one (possibly two) Orchard Orioles in among a number of other species enjoying some ripe blueberry bushes at the Honey Pot, a calling Eastern Whip Poor Will at Winsor Dam and at least 13 Fish Crows along King St in Northampton.  The Mourning Warblers also continue at Quabbin Park through at least August 3rd with a female seen carrying food and a male seen in the same area with that individual occasionally heard still chipping.

House Wren, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 2, 2017

House Wren nestlings, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 5, 2017

Meanwhile at home the two nests of House Wrens were filled with nestlings on the verge of fledging.

Little Blue Heron in Northampton and a Marsh Wren at Lake Wallace

Little Blue Heron, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Aug 2, 2017

Little Blue Heron, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Aug 2, 2017

Little Blue Heron, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Aug 2, 2017

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 2, 2017

Great Egret, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, Aug 2, 2017

I headed over to Fitzgerald Lake this morning to try again to find the juvenile Little Blue Heron found by David P. a few days ago.  This time I had better luck and found the bird perched in a dead tree a few hundred feet away from the boardwalk.  This is just the fourth one I have seen in the county with three of the them being juveniles in the late summer and a single adult in spring.  I checked a variety of other spots for other waders and came across a number of others but nothing besides the expected species.

It has been a fantastic year for waders in the county with the Little Blue Heron becoming the eighth species of wader so far.  Besides the always expected Great Blue Herons and Green Herons I have had American Bittern, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret and Glossy Ibis.  It will be interesting to see if any other waders show up over the next several weeks.

Marsh Wren, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 1, 2017

Marsh Wren, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 1, 2017

Common Yellowthroat, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 1, 2017

Yesterday I found a singing Marsh Wren at Lake Wallace, an oddly very unusual species for Hampshire County.  I usually can find them in migration with a bit of effort but this is the first one I have found singing on territory in the county.  A few full lists from the day located below:
Lake Wallace
Quabbin Park

House Wren, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 1, 2017

House Wren, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 1, 2017

House Wren, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 1, 2017

My two House Wren nests are still going strong and the young are getting bigger by the day and should fledge sometime in the next few days...lots of fun watching the adults come in constantly with more and more food.

Thanksgiving birding...Pine Grosbeaks, Cackling Goose and Northern Goshawk

 

Pine Grosbeak, Quabbin Park, Nov 22, 2012

 

Pine Grosbeak, Quabbin Park, Nov 22, 2012

 

Cackling Goose, Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, Northampton, MA, Nov 22, 2012



Cackling Goose, Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, Northampton, MA, Nov 22, 2012

I began this Thanksgiving by making a predawn trip over to Fitzgerald Lake in Northampton to follow up on a report of a blue morph Snow Goose seen there at dusk yesterday evening.  I figured the bird had settled in for the night and I would be able to get a look at it if I was there at first light before the geese moved out to feed elsewhere for the day.  Although there were over 800 Canada Geese on the lake there was no Snow Goose to be found.  There were a lot of shots from hunters sounding throughout the woods and it may have flushed before I could make it to its last reported spot along the dam.  I looked through every goose there and I ended up finding a nice consolation prize...a Cackling Goose!  The light was really poor for photos but the shots show the smaller size and small bill.  The color is tough to convey in the photos and the frost on its back leads it to looking a bit lighter than it should.  This species became #223 for the county this year.

Northern Goshawk, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Nov 22, 2012

There was also a very interesting accipiter that I flushed as I walked back toward the parking lot.  My first thought was that I flushed a Barred Owl but as I got a look at it it was a very large accipiter.  I managed a photo before it flew away.  The bulk, white supercilium, uneven tail bands and dark spots on undertail coverts makes me think it was a Northern Goshawk.  After forwarding the photo to a few others I'm fairly certain it is indeed a juvenile Northern Goshawk.  Certainly juvenile accipiters can be tough to ID so if anyone else has any thoughts regarding the ID please let me know.  This would make species #224 for the county this year.   Other birds of note here included several Ring necked Ducks and a Rusty Blackbird.

I then headed over to Arcadia (again) to see if I could find the Snow Goose there.  When I arrived only a handful of geese remained and all where Canada Geese.  There were 133 Mallards plus several Black Ducks and a single Green winged Teal.

I then headed back through Hadley and Amherst checking a few fields for geese and found 100+ along Huntington Road in Hadley and a few on the athletic fields at UMASS but no unusual geese with them.  There was also little activity on the campus pond so I headed back toward home. 

Pine Grosbeak, Quabbin Park, Nov 22, 2012

Pine Grosbeak, Quabbin Park, Nov 22, 2012

My next stop was at Quabbin Park, starting at Winsor Dam.  There was little waterfowl at Winsor Dam besides a few Common Loons.  The highlight here was at least four Pine Grosbeaks that were feeding in the crabapple trees near the HQ building.  They were still there when I left and headed over to Hanks Meadow and Goodnough Dike.  The only waterfowl at these spots were 13 Horned Grebes and four Common Loons. 

I then headed for home to get Wilson to take a walk along the Belchertown Land Trust trail.  It was fairly quiet until the end of the walk when I had a late Eastern Phoebe hunting one of the small marsh areas just in off Rt 181.  I tried for a iPhone shot through my binoculars but I couldn't get one to come out. 

I returned in the early afternoon to Winsor Dam and the Pine Grosbeaks had left but I did have a couple flyover White winged Crossbills.