Northern Lights

Northern lights, Northampton, MA, Oct 10, 2024

After a big eruption from the sun that caused a severe geomagnetic storm a large portion of the country was treated to an incredible northern lights show last night.  Although I was at work and far from a really dark location the show was still impressive with pinks and greens with pillars that stretched over most of the sky.  It was the best show of northern lights I have seen since I lived in the Berkshires.  As we are in the midst of solar maximum the chances of future storms are still fairly high.  

White throated Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Oct 11, 2024

White throated Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Oct 11, 2024

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Oct 11, 2024

Savannah Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Oct 11, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Oct 11, 2024

I did get out birding for a bit on a chilly morning after work and spent about an hour and a half at Great Pond before heading home.  Great Pond featured a few notable species as well as a great shows of sparrow numbers.  The most unusual species was an adult male Yellow headed Blackbird that flew off to the north as the hordes of blackbirds, grackles, starlings and cowbirds were leaving their overnight roost.  I also had a slightly late Brown Thrasher among a total of 48 species.  I also made a brief stop at Winsor Dam where I saw an early Common Goldeneye female...there is a chance this is the same individual that stayed in the area of the dam through spring and into summer with the last sighting in mid August.  Very interesting for sure.

A few late month species for me today after a return from vacation

Great Egret, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Mar 29, 2023

American Wigeons, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Mar 29, 2023

Returned home last night after a trip down south (much more on that in upcoming posts) arriving home around 1:30AM after some flight delays.  I was itching to get out a bit this morning to catch up on the new arrivals and hopefully see the long staying Eurasian Wigeon.  Unfortunately it looks like the wigeon has moved on as it has not been reported in a couple days and I did not see it this morning although it could still be in the area.  Nonetheless it was still a productive morning and added three new species for the year in the county with an early Great Egret, a Blue winged Teal female and a flyover Greater Yellowlegs plus a great variety of waterfowl.

Eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2023

I also checked the duck boxes at the house and box#2 that had one egg right before I left for vacation now looks to have a full clutch.  The other two boxes look like they have been visited but no eggs yet.

Common Gallinule to start November

 

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Dawn, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

I began the first day of November at Great Pond in Hatfield in search of a Common Gallinule found the day before by Steve and Leslie.  I had other commitments yesterday so was not able to make it over to see it but thankfully many others saw it throughout the day which gave me hope it would be there today.  The forecast for the today called for a mix of sun and clouds and a strong westerly wind.  I arrived before dawn at Great Pond and it was relatively calm.  There appeared to be no waterfowl hunters in the area which was a good sign the bird may show again.  As I waited in the darkness I had a Great Horned Owl calling as well as an American Woodcock displaying.  The Red winged Blackbirds started singing predawn and as it got lighter the sound got louder and louder as thousands of blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds and starlings became vocal (the roost here contained thousands of birds with most leaving between 7:15-7:30).  I had the gallinule vocalize once before dawn but then it remained quiet.  I then spent nearly an hour trying to get looks at the bird.  Eventually it came out into the open to feed and I got some photos and video (lots of those in the eBird list above).  The Common Gallinule became species #248 for Hampshire County for me this year, which ties me for my best year ever in the county (which I set last year).  The wind had really started to pick up out of the west by the time the sun came up and it stayed strong most of the day.  Common Gallinule is a fairly rare species in the county with years between sightings sometimes but they have become more common the last several years.  I had my first in the county back in 2005 along the rail trail in Amherst.  I didn't see another until 2015 when I had a single along the rail trail and a pair at Lake Wallace (which stayed for awhile and may have tried to breed).  I then had another at Lake Wallace in 2016 for a single day in May.  A very surprising one turned up at Great Pond in December in 2018 and another was found there in April of 2019.  2019 also produced one at Fitzgerald Lake in mid October.  Last year one showed for a couple days in May along the rail trail once again.

Ring necked Duck, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Turkey Vulture, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Herman Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Nov 1, 2021

The rest of the morning I stopped at a variety of spots tracking down new species for the month.  Unfortunately the wind made finding some passerines a bit difficult although it did produce a number of raptor species.  Among the highlights for the day were ten species of waterfowl, seven species of raptors, a late Eastern Phoebe and a late Palm Warbler among some 64 species (my best first day of November I have ever had in the county).  Tomorrow looks a little cooler but less windy so I will be out trying to track down passerines with warblers high on the list.

Continued rarities the last couple days

Blue Grosbeak, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Aug 2, 2020

Great Egret, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Aug 3, 2020

Wood Duck, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Aug 3, 2020

Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2020

Green Herons, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2020

I have caught with a few more the lingering rarities that have been around for weeks including at least two Blue Grosbeaks in the Honey Pot on Sunday morning and then a Least Bittern and Marsh Wren at Great Pond this morning.  The numbers and variety of waders continues to increase with lots of post breeding bird but so far nothing too out of the ordinary although there have been several Little Blue Herons just to the south in Hampden County.  Perhaps the upcoming tropical system will entice them to come just a little further north.  The storm (Isaias is currently a strong tropical storm but is forecast to become a hurricane once again before making landfall in the carolinas and then continuing northeastward through the mid Atlantic and then into the northeast with the storm forecast to be just to our west tracking through far western Massachusetts late Tuesday into Wednesday.  The worst of the storm looks to arrive overnight Tuesday around here and may indeed bring in some unusual birds but I would not expect lots of pelagic birds as it will be tracking mainly overland after making landfall in the carolinas.  There is certainly the chance of pelagic birds but the more likely species would including migrating shorebirds forced down or near shore species such as gulls and terns getting pushed inland.

New arrivals for the beginning of April

Hooded Merganser, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Ring necked Ducks, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2020

I spent a decent portion of the morning covering a variety of locations in search of newly arrived migrants and I had some good luck with five new species for the year.  It was nice to be out again now that I'm feeling a bit better and the weather was a bit warmer.  I started the morning at Arcadia but I had to limit myself to the areas of the sanctuary that could be birded from public roads as Arcadia itself is now closed to the public due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic.  Nonetheless I had some good stuff there including my first Double crested Cormorants and Palm Warbler of the season plus half a dozen Yellow rumped Warblers (almost certainly part of the group that overwintered in the area and not newly arrived migrants).  I then drove north to Great Pond where I had several species of waterfowl, my first Osprey and a calling Eastern Screech Owl.  I was going to hit some other spots nearby but the weather turned to crap with rain so I headed back east to Winsor Dam where I had some waterfowl way out on the reservoir including a female Ruddy Duck (new for the year and a tough species to get in Hampshire County) with a small group of Black Ducks.  I tried to get some digiscoped photos but the distant was just too much.  I then headed over to nearby Lake Wallace where I had a selection of expected waterfowl plus half a dozen Palm Warblers.  I then headed back home to do some stuff around the house but still added some good birds for the day including my first Barn Swallow (in among a group of Tree Swallows and a single Northern Rough winged Swallow).  More on the three species of warbler for the day at the following link.

Black capped Chickadees with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 2, 2020

Eastern Bluebird, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 2, 2020

Dark eyed Juncos, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 4, 2020

The cameras at the house have continued to catch my banded Black capped Chickadees (among other species) plus the water feature has started attracting species with five species of bird so far (plus Gray Squirrel and Black Bear).

More unusual stuff today including Common Gallinule and Marsh Wren

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Apr 16, 2019

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Apr 16, 2019

Blue winged Teal, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Apr 16, 2019

Blue winged Teal, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Apr 16, 2019

Canada Goose with extensive white on neck, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Apr 16, 2019

After the last few days of great stuff I didn't think today would turn up many more but it did.  I saw a post late in the evening yesterday about a Common Gallinule seen late in the day at Great Pond.  With the rain yesterday and the flooding associated with it I was not sure it would be worth a trip over there as access can be tough when it is wet and muddy.  However with strong northwest winds overnight and into today I hoped the area would be dry enough to access so I gave it a try.  The area near Great Pond was flooded but accessible on foot so I hiked my way in and found the Common Gallinule fairly quickly and it showed well for several minutes before it disappeared into the phragmites.  Common Gallinule is quite rare around here and I have had only a handful of records including another seen at Great Pond in December last year) As the gallinule disappeared I noticed a group of four Blue winged Teal (three males and a female)...a species that can be tough to find around here sometimes but this spring has been a good one for them.  There was a smattering of other waterfowl around including a Canada Goose with extensive white on its neck.  I headed back toward home after my time in Hatfield and stopped at a number of flooded fields in search of waterfowl and shorebirds but I didn't find too much.  The wind was a bit too strong to try to turn up many passerines so I didn't try too hard. 

Marsh Wren, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Apr 16, 2019

Marsh Wren, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Apr 16, 2019

Marsh Wren, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Apr 16, 2019

After getting home and doing stuff around the house I got a text from Jonathan about a Marsh Wren he found in a small marsh area at UMASS (the exact same spot I had one on September 30th last year).  I had to run a few errands over in Hadley so I decided to swing by UMASS on my way through and had the Marsh Wren right away.  Marsh Wren is a fairly uncommon species in the Hampshire County with most records from late summer into fall..in fact this is my first spring record ever in the county.

More scouting for the Northampton Christmas Bird Count

Barred Owl, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2018

Snow Goose, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2018

Snow Goose, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2018

White throated Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2018

White throated Sparrows, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2018

Black Ducks, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2018

Canada Goose with extensive white on neck, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2018

Common Goldeneyes, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2018

Eastern Coyote, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2018

I spent a majority of the morning today continuing to scout for the upcoming Northampton Christmas Bird Count (CBC) that takes place this coming Sunday.  It was a pleasant morning checking the northern portion of the area (Great Pond and areas north along the river in Hatfield) assigned to our group.  I started off along the river before dawn where I had some small groups of waterfowl along the river but little in the way of land birds although I did have a day hunting Barred Owl on my way out of the area.  My next stop was over to Great Pond trying to catch back up with the Common Gallinule I found there about a week ago (no luck despite much effort).  I did have a nice selection of waterfowl including a Snow Goose in among the few hundred Canada Geese (one of which had extensive white on the neck), at least 122 Black Ducks (my highest count ever for a single location in the county), hundreds of Mallards, a Green winged Teal and a Northern Pintail.  I also had a few pockets of birds along the shore including dozens of White throated Sparrows. After a few hours in the area of the pond I headed back along the river where I picked up even more waterfowl including an impressive 79 Common Goldeneyes.  Overall for the morning I had 37 species within our CBC area.  Tough to say what will turn up on Sunday but hopefully some of the birds from this morning will stick around and if not some can become count week species for our area. The Snow Goose became species #90 for Hampshire County in December...a total I have not reached before and one I should be able to add to before the month comes to an end...I'm going to try for a hundred but it will be tough to get there.  Full eBird lists from the morning below:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50654663
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50654667
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50655480
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50656163
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50656158

Snow Goose, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Dec 14, 2018

Canada Goose hybrid, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Dec 14, 2018

I made a brief stop by UMASS where I found a Snow Goose and the hybrid Canada Goose among the hundreds of Canada Geese on the fields and in the campus pond.  I ran out of time to scan through the flock on the pond completely to see if the Cackling Goose was still there.

Common Gallinule in Hatfield in December...adding yet another species to my year total for Hampshire County!

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

Northern Pintails, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

Mallards, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

Canada Goose with extensive white on neck, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

White throated Sparrows, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

Northern Mockingbird, Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

White crowned Sparrow, Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

White throated Sparrow, Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, MA, Dec 6, 2018

I headed out before dawn this morning with my destination being the area of the Northampton Christmas Bird Count I will be covering with the Griffith's this year (area 35).  Although the count is still a week and a half away I wanted to see where the main pockets of birds were and to see if I could find anything unusual.  I started off along the Connecticut River where I found a few species of waterfowl but little in the way of passerines.  I then headed over to Great Pond to walk along the edge being warmed by the sun to see what might pop up.  I ran across a few pockets of birds including a large group of White throated Sparrows plus a few other sparrow species.  During my walk along the edge I finally managed to find a warbler for the month after quite a bit of looking when I had a Yellow rumped Warbler flyover.  With this sighting I have now seen at least one warbler every month this year in Hampshire County, something I have never been able to accomplish before.  As I continued my walk I could hear some waterfowl at the southern end of the pond and I eventually could see quite a few in the area of open water including lots of Canada Geese (including one with extensive white on neck) and lots of Mallards.  The more I looked, the more I turned up with several unusual species in among the Mallards including 8 Wood Ducks, a female Gadwall, two American Wigeon, 58 Black Ducks, four Northern Pintails and a Green winged Teal.  All the ducks were great but the best bird of the day by far turned up as I scanned the waterfowl and discovered a juvenile Common Gallinule!  Not a species I was expected to find today and one that was not really even on my radar to find.  I managed a few marginal shots before it disappeared, swimming into the marsh.  The gallinule is rare any time of the year around here but especially so in December.  I could not find any records in eBird of the species anywhere in western Massachusetts during the entire winter season (December-February).  There was a juvenile Common Gallinule that was up at Tritown Beach last seen about a month ago but tough to say if it is the same bird or not.  The gallinule pushes by year total for Hampshire County up by yet another species, bringing my total up to 241...pushing further and further past my best previous year.  With still a few weeks left in the year there is still a chance to push it up even further.  While I was in the area I walked a part of Cow Bridge Road and turned up another large group of White throated Sparrows as well as a juvenile White crowned Sparrow.  A really productive morning for sure.