Record setting pace for first week of March with 87 species

Cackling Goose, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Cackling Goose, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Canada Goose with pale body, Coolidge Bridge, Hadley, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Canada Goose with neck band, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Greater White fronted Geese, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 7, 2025

Fox Sparrow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 7, 2025

I typically do not do so many posts here within a few days anymore but I want to make just one more quick post as the first week of March has now come to an end.  Despite very windy conditions today I added several new species for the month plus two more for the year in the Hampshire County (new year species being American Woodcock and Gadwall).  This was best start to March ever here with 87 species so far (breaking my previous first week of March back in 2022 when I had 77 species).  I also stand at 118 species for the year so far in the county which is my highest YTD total for the end of the first week of March.  A lot of the good numbers are thanks to a great showing of waterfowl this month with a number of rarities around plus a few early arriving species.  For today I started near home and then visited a number of spots along both sides of the river with continued large numbers of geese including a few unusual species (Greater White fronted Geese and Cackling Goose) as well as the Greenland banded Canada Goose.  The concentrations of geese continue to be impressive with several thousand Canada Geese in the area with other waterfowl showing also with a total of 20 species so far for the month.  The ice on the river is rapidly disappearing and open water is slowly starting to show in other areas.

More unusual species around over the last several days and a near record setting pace for the new year

Swamp Sparrow, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Jan 8, 2023

Green winged Teal, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 8, 2023

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 8, 2023

The second week of January started off as the first week had ended with above normal temperatures and a total lack of snow.  I spent a lot of the morning on the 8th checking various areas for any rarities and/or lingering species with a focus on warblers (I turned up none of those unfortunately as I checked new areas for them).  I did have my first White crowned Sparrow of the year in Hadley as well as a flyby longspur that may have been the Smith's Longspur but I never saw the bird.  Arcadia turned up a Green winged Teal and loads of Common Mergansers but nothing else unusual.  The campus pond at UMASS had well over a thousand Canada Geese with more arriving as I left and I then explored the nearby stadium marsh (which produced two Swamp Sparrows).  Winsor Dam had a flyby pair of Bufflehead, a merganser that may have been a Red breasted Merganser and two Common Loons.  I also relocated the continued Short eared Owl in the East Meadows I first found there in late December.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2023

Greater White fronted Goose, Mt Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2023

After getting out of work on Tuesday morning I headed across the river in a successful quest to relocate a Yellow rumped Warbler in Hadley I last saw in mid December.  Although not the best looks I was happy to see it still hanging around.  I then headed south in search of a continued Greater White fronted Goose that I always seem to have just missed.  I tried a couple spots with no luck but then found the bird at the pond at Mt. Holyoke College feeding right next to the road with a group of Canada Geese and the resident domestic goose.  

Common Mergansers, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 13, 2023

Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 13, 2023

I had to work on Wednesday so no birding and then with light snow and complete lack of sleep for Thursday I headed right home with just a couple of brief stops without finding anything too noteworthy.  On Friday the 13th, after a good night sleep, I headed over to Arcadia and arrived there around sunrise and stayed for about two and half hours covering a few different areas looking for new species for the year and finding a few.  The warm weather resulted in several areas of open water with a decent selection of waterfowl but nothing extremely unusual.  Among the notable species for the morning was a Hermit Thrush, a Field Sparrow and a flyby Yellow rumped Warbler (my first one in the immediate area which is surprising as they have overwintered in the area of Arcadia for a few years).  The on and off rain made photography tough and not pleasant to be outside but nonetheless it was a good morning.  I made a few other quick stops on the way home and yet again found the Smith's Longspur in Hadley.  With the second week of the new year almost complete I have so far found a total of 91 species in Hampshire County with lots of unusual species around.  I'm just a little behind my best January ever (2021) when I had 92 species at this point and ended the month with my first ever 100+ species January here with a total of 105 species.  Not sure I will break the 100 mark as I'm off to warmer climes for a bit but there is a decent chance...I will be back looking again once I get back home.

A record setting November comes to an end

Redhead, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Nov 21, 2022

Palm Warbler 'western', Hadley, MA, Nov 20, 2022

Greater White fronted Goose, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 20, 2022

Cackling Goose, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Nov 19, 2022

Black legged Kittiwake,Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 10, 2022

Common Eider (with Black Scoters), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 9, 2022

Sandhill Cranes, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 9, 2022

Orange crowned Warbler, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 7, 2022

Golden Eagle, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2022

Ruddy Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2022

Eastern Phoebe, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 1, 2022

November has now almost come to an end and it was a very active month here with a total of 124 species in Hampshire County for me.  This beats my previous best November in 2020 when I had 122 species.  The average over the last ten years is about 95 species for the month but I have exceeded 100 for the last five years.  The high count is thanks to a number of rarities, a few lingering species and some irruptive species.  The rarities included Red Phalarope, Yellow headed Blackbird, Golden Eagle, Sandhill Cranes, Common Eider (county species #304 for me), Black legged Kittiwake and a Redhead.  Waterfowl figured prominently in the total for the month with 32 species (geese, ducks, loons, grebes, etc) but I did miss some species I would typically find in November (like Red necked Grebe).  Irruptive species that have shown up so far included Evening Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills and Pine Siskins.  If the finch forecast pans out as predicted this winter will be very good for a large variety of irruptives...time will tell.  I found a total of five species of warblers for the month, a decent count for the month but not my best November ever.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 8, 2022

Dark eyed Junco, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 13, 2022 (last capture of the year at the water feature)

Bobcats, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 1, 2022

White tailed Deer, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 17, 2022

Gray Foxes, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 25, 2022

I continue to capture some good stuff on the camera I have at the house positioned along Jabish Brook with several mammals including paired up individuals.  I also buttoned up the water feature for the year and had lots of good stuff over the course of the season.

Third week of February

House Finch, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Feb 21, 2022

Common Merganser, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 21, 2022

Ring necked Duck, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 21, 2022

Ring billed Gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 21, 2022

I finished out the third week of February enjoying a warm day that eventually topped off with temps in the low 50's with abundant sunshine.  I started and ended my day at Winsor Dam with the highlight at dawn being a large gathering of gulls numbering in the the hundreds with almost all that could be identified being Ring billed Gulls.  I was unable to pick out anything unusual but it was worth the look nonetheless.  I then headed over to Hadley with stops at the Honey Pot and various points along the river and then to Amherst mainly looking for waterfowl and finding a few large groups of Canada Geese but nothing rare among them.  One of the fields in Hadley produced at least two American Pipits flying over and bringing me to my goal to get to a hundred species for the month in Hampshire County (with a week still left to go and more southerly winds likely to bring in a few other new species before the month ends).

Common Merganser, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 20, 2022

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 20, 2022

Yesterday was a very cold day with lows around ten and highs that never got above freezing with a breeze.  I reluctantly got out of bed and decided to try my luck back at Winsor Dam once again looking for unusual gulls.  Mary was there when I arrived and thankfully the winds were light at the time but it was still damn cold.  The gulls were around in numbers but the vast majority never came in close to try to pick out something unusual among them.  I then tried a few areas along the Swift River but didn't mind too much and some areas that had been productive had frozen back up.  At least it was sunny for most of the day.

 Eastern Meadowlark, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Feb 19, 2022

Eastern Meadowlarks, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Feb 19, 2022

Red winged Blackbird, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Feb 19, 2022

Northern Harrier, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Feb 19, 2022

Bald Eagle, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Feb 19, 2022

 Lesser Black backed Gull (the dark smudge in the middle!), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 19, 2022

 Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 19, 2022

On Saturday morning I made my way over to a very cold Winsor Dam before sunrise in the hopes of possibly finding some unusual waterfowl or gulls.  There was not much for waterfowl but I noticed a bunch of gulls around and eventually a large group settled close enough on the ice to ID them to species.  I scanned through the flock and found mainly Ring billed Gulls with a few Herring Gulls and then noticed a dark mantled gull in the group...a Lesser Black backed Gull.  I got some good looks through the scope but my attempts to get digiscoped photos in the poor light were less than successful.  The forecast called for snow showers and squalls later in the day but I knew I had the morning to enjoy some sunny weather.  I headed over to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River with my main target being an early arriving Eastern Meadowlark.  As I was walking along the road I heard one singing and then eventually had at least six individuals around...a good count for mid February.  I then checked a few fields in Hadley and Amherst as well as UMASS.  No luck finding anything too unusual but there were quite a few geese around.  With the Lesser Black backed Gull and the Eastern Meadowlarks I added species #98 and #99 for February in the county and broke my previous best February set last year.

Greater White fronted Goose, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Feb 18, 2022

Greater White fronted Goose, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Feb 18, 2022

American Wigeon, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Feb 18, 2022

Lesser Scaup, East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Feb 18, 2022

Eastern Bluebird, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 18, 2022

Bald Eagle on nest, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 18, 2022

After a long shift at work I got out on Friday morning and checked several spots on my way home without finding anything too noteworthy.  With all the warm weather on the previous day and windy conditions a lot of water bodies had lost their ice so I was hopeful some waterfowl would be moving in.  After I was back home I got some texts and messages from a few people telling me about a juvenile Greater White fronted Goose at the UMASS campus pond.  With that sighting and an earlier report of a male American Wigeon there I decided to head that way around midday and quickly got both species (new for the year and the month for me).  Before I headed back home I got a message about some Lesser Scaup on a small farm in Hadley.  As the spot was on my way home I had to make a quick stop and quickly found five on the pond...a really unusual spot for the species.

Cackling Goose, Connecticut River, Northampton, MA, Feb 16, 2022

Pale Canada Goose, Connecticut River, Northampton, MA, Feb 16, 2022

Wednesday was a cold morning and I knew there was a large roost of geese on the river so I headed there after work and found nearly 1700 Canada Geese (including the continued pale individual) as well as a single Cackling Goose.  The Cackling Goose only raised its head once when it was bothered by a Canada Goose and otherwise kept its head tucked in.