A cold morning with some good birds along the river

Red eyed Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

Magnolia Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

House Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

'Traill's' Flycatcher, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

White tailed Deer, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

Dawn, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

Blue winged Teal, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2014

With the calm (and cold...low 40's) conditions last night and the radar quite lively early on I figured there would be a decent movement of migrants (with hopefully some shorebirds among them).  I decided I would once again maximize my chances of finding interesting species by heading over along the river.  I started out at Arcadia where the marsh finally featured some exposed mudflat but sadly, no shorebirds feeding on them.  I had to be content to pick up a Blue winged Teal in among the other typical waterfowl.  I then spent a few hours in the Arcadia meadows and although I didn't have anythng too unusual I had some good species with decent numbers.  The sparrow numbers are already impressive...I can't wait to see what October will bring! I have included the full list below:

Arcadia

Canada Goose  4
Wood Duck  8
American Black Duck  1
Mallard  11
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid)  1
Blue-winged Teal  1     with other waterfowl at marsh
Great Blue Heron  2
Green Heron  1
Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  2
Mourning Dove  3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  3
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  1
Pileated Woodpecker  2
American Kestrel  1
Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher)  1     Seen along trolley line, perhaps slight eye ring but not bold, silent bird, photographed
Eastern Phoebe  4
Blue-headed Vireo  2     singing
Red-eyed Vireo  6
Blue Jay  24
American Crow  9
Black-capped Chickadee  15
Tufted Titmouse  3
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
House Wren  9
Winter Wren  1
Carolina Wren  2
Eastern Bluebird  2
American Robin  2
Gray Catbird  31
Northern Mockingbird  1
Cedar Waxwing  14
Common Yellowthroat  15
American Redstart  4
Magnolia Warbler  2
Blackpoll Warbler  1
Black-throated Green Warbler  1
warbler sp.  4     flight calls
Eastern Towhee  1
Savannah Sparrow  17
Song Sparrow  74
Lincoln's Sparrow  7     nice showing of this species for mid september
White-throated Sparrow  1     singing partial song
Northern Cardinal  10
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  3
Indigo Bunting  9
Bobolink  22
Red-winged Blackbird  33
Common Grackle  1
Baltimore Oriole  2
American Goldfinch  6

Indigo Bunting, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 15, 2014

After Arcadia I made a brief visit to the Honey Pot scanning from the dike and then just a couple other fields.  No shorebirds around at all despite some decent looking fields.  A stop by the nearby Connecticut River turned up just a few shorebirds of three species (Spotted, Solitary and Least).  My final stop before heading home was to the Silvio Conte NWR but it too was fairly quiet with just a few pockets of birds.

Snapping Turtle, Jabish Canal, Belchertown, MA, Sep 15, 2014

Wilson pointing out another Snapping Turtle, Jabish Canal, Belchertown, MA, Sep 15, 2014

Wilson and I then went for a walk along the Jabish Canal where we found a group of recently hatched Snapping Turtles which Wilson seemed quite interested in and pointed out each new one to me.  We also had occasional small groups of Broad winged Hawks moving past, most quite high....probably another good day to be at a hawk watch site.

Tonight's forecast is for some rain to move in very late but before daybreak and continue through the early morning.  There is a chance of this rain grounding some migrant birds, especially shorebirds but this is far from certain....it will at least be worth a look in the morning.

UMASS and some spots in Hadley finds a few migrants

Northern Parula, Orchard Hill, UMASS Amherst, MA, Sep 14, 2014

Northern Parula, Orchard Hill, UMASS Amherst, MA, Sep 14, 2014

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Orchard Hill, UMASS Amherst, MA, Sep 14, 2014

Scarlet Tanager, Orchard Hill, UMASS Amherst, MA, Sep 14, 2014

House Wren, Orchard Hill, UMASS Amherst, MA, Sep 14, 2014

American Redstart, Orchard Hill, UMASS Amherst, MA, Sep 14, 2014

I spent this cold morning (mid 40's at dawn) birding Orchard Hill at UMASS with Ian and then the Honey Pot and the Connecticut River in Hadley by myself...it was like old times back up on O Hill and despite the cool temps we had some decent birds. Highlights on the hill included a dozen Ruby throated Hummingbirds, a couple Wood Thrushes, ten Northern Parula (including some individuals still singing), two Yellow Warblers, a Bay breasted Warbler, a couple White throated Sparrows, 17 Scarlet Tanagers, seven Rose breasted Grosbeaks and a couple flyby Purple Finches among 43 species (including nine species of warbler).

Indigo Bunting, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 14, 2014

Indigo Bunting, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 14, 2014

Cooper's Hawk, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 14, 2014

Bobolinks, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 14, 2014

Once I parted ways with Ian I headed over to the Honey Pot and made a stop at the dike to scan for shorebirds. No luck with shorebirds but the Broad winged Hawks were already forming small kettles in every direction at 9 AM with at least 200 birds in view. Certainly looked like a good day to be looking for hawks with a nice breeze out of the north and northwest. Other notable birds here included a total of seven raptor species, half a dozen Barn Swallows, a Lincoln's Sparrow, eight Indigo Buntings and sixteen Bobolinks.  Not as active as I had hoped for but with all the raptors around not too surprising.

Solitary Sandpipers, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Sep 14, 2014

The Connecticut River was down fairly low exposing some mud flats which contained a Spotted Sandpiper, five Solitary Sandpipers and nine Least Sandpipers plus a Great Egret.

Yellow breasted Chat yesterday (and fruitless search for it today)

Merlin, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 10, 2014

Merlin, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 10, 2014

Merlin, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 10, 2014

Great Egret, Hadley, MA, Sep 10, 2014

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Sep 10, 2014

Despite the forecast for sunny skies and temperatures in the 70's it remained cloudy and cool through midday today but I still managed to find some good stuff (not even close to as good as yesterday but more on that later). My intentions today where to stay close to home but when I arrived at Winsor Dam it was quite breezy out of the northeast which makes some of my favored spots at Quabbin tough to bird so I decided to head over to Lake Wallace which is sheltered from the wind. The lake was fairly quiet with just under fifty Mallards and 17 Wood Ducks (13 of which were acting more like geese as the waddled up into the middle of one of the soccer fields to feed). With it being quiet around the local area I decided (once again) to try my luck along the river looking for shorebirds (among other species). The river in Hadley produced a Spotted Sandpiper, a Solitary Sandpiper, a Lesser Yellowlegs with an injured right leg (video link here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/15197895421/)  and ten Least Sandpipers plus 47 Mallards and a Great Egret. I then wandered up to the Honey pot in the area of the dike and scanned the fields but all was quiet except for a Merlin sitting on top of a telephone pole devouring a fresh kill. (video links below).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/15198008381/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/15200995985/in/photostream/
Figuring the Merlin had scared most everything in the surrounding area away I then decided to head across the river to Arcadia in hopes of catching up with my great find of yesterday morning and perhaps some shorebirds or a Connecticut Warbler. Yet again no luck with shorebirds as the water levels remain just a little too high. Despite much effort looking in the same area as yesterday the best birds I could find included a Philadelphia Vireo, four Scarlet Tanagers and five Ruby throated hummingbirds feeding and harassing each other in a patch of jewelweed. Oddly I only had three species of warbler all day today...very odd considering the date...there should be a big influx of them soon (perhaps Friday or Saturday?).

Wilson chasing a grasshopper

Sometimes the grasshoppers end up on the wrong side of the fence (there is a life lesson here I'm sure!)

Late in the morning Wilson and I spent some time out along the land trust trail.  Not too many birds but a couple of small pockets kept it interesting.  Lots of time spent playing with a stick and then some grasshopper round up.

Great Blue Heron, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 9, 2014

Arcadia meadows at dawn with the 'super' moon, Northampton, MA, Sep 9, 2014

Now for the story of yesterday morning birding....After watching the water levels in the Connecticut River continue to slowly drop I decided to try my luck with shorebirds at the mudflats at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary.  As I made my way there around dawn I noticed the river appeared to be up a bit and after walking down to marsh I was sorely disappointed to find the river was up high enough to cover all the mudflats completely…the only shorebird I had there was a Solitary Sandpiper that seemed even more upset then I was of the lack of mud as it flew around the marsh repeatedly calling but never landing.  I did have all three species of expected egrets/herons (Green and Great Blue Heron and Great Egret) but that was about the best I could find.  With about an hour left before work I decided to try my luck in finding a Connecticut Warbler in the meadows area of Arcadia.  I walked into an area I have had this species before and there was a bit of activity with numerous species around.  After a couple of Common Yellowthroats popped up I noticed a larger, long tailed, bright yellow chested bird fly from one brushy area to another that immediately had me thinking chat but the view was brief.  I then tried for several minutes to try to get the bird to show itself again and eventually I got a better look at the bird in the brush for a few seconds and now I was certain of the species…Yellow breasted Chat!  A very good bird for this area and only my second county record ever (oddly my only other record was also from the same area, less than a ¼ mile away back in later September of 2005).  It dropped down again and stayed out of view for several more minutes despite more attempts to coax it out. I got one final (and best) look at it as it popped up briefly showing its bright yellow chest and belly and white spectacles. It stayed in view for about five seconds and then dropped back out of view not to be seen again.  I attempted a photo with phone through binos but I was not quick enough and just ended up with a photo of brush!  Although I missed out on shorebirds and couldn’t find a Connecticut Warbler I was more than happy to find a Yellow breasted Chat instead.

The Yellow breasted Chat becomes species #226 for Hampshire County this year and puts me within ten of tying my record of last year. I had no intentions of doing another county big year when the year started but I have had so much good luck with birds this year I felt a need to at least try hard to get as many species as I could and now that the record is almost within reach I will really try to beat my record of 236.  To have a shot at it I will need a few more shorebirds, a few more rarities, a couple more expected species and a lot of luck. A tropical storm would also certainly help put me over but the chances of that this year seem rather low at this point but you never know.  More about all this a little later. 

 

Buff breasted Sandpiper and Upland Sandpiper!

Buff breasted Sandpiper, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Buff breasted Sandpiper, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Buff breasted Sandpiper, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Buff breasted Sandpiper, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Upland Sandpiper, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Upland Sandpiper, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Upland Sandpiper, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Upland Sandpiper, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Cooper's Hawk, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

I spent the morning birding with Jacob and what a great morning we had.  It started out a bit slow as we worked our way through the East Meadows.  We had high hopes with the rain of yesterday and good migration conditions overnight that we would find some good stuff with the focus being on shorebirds.  We scanned though several fields in the East Meadows but all we could come up with were three Killdeer in the field they have been in my last few stops down there.  Several hundred swallows moving through including loads of Tree Swallows and lesser numbers of Bank and Barn.  Without much luck so far we had to decide where to go next to try to find some shorebirds so we decided on the Honeypot, which turned out to be a great decision!  We checked a few fields when we arrived there with much luck until I picked out a Buff breasted Sandpiper in a field close to the dike.  We got great looks at this bird as it fed out in the open and occasionally stopping and crouching down when a raptor (and a cormorant!) came by.  After scanning around and watching the bird for some time we headed deeper into the Honeypot but not before getting an early flyby American Pipit that was calling (Jacob managed some shots of the bird).  We then came across our next great bird of the day when we heard an odd call that we could not identify.  A few minutes the call repeated and then we saw a bird in the air.  First impressions were of a large shorebird with a small bill, small head, large body and long tail.  I thought 'Upland Sandpiper' but I had never heard the call before.  The bird headed south and then east calling the entire time.  We managed lots of distant shots but nothing great.  We puzzled over the bird for a few minutes until listening to the flight call of an Upland Sandpiper...dead on match!  Only my second county record of this species and the first in seven years.  A very unusual species in western Massachusetts away from its breeding area at Westover ARB to our south.  We searched for the Upland Sandpiper in several fields to the east but could not find it again.  The Buff breasted Sandpiper remained in the area we had seen it in earlier and some other birders arrived and we were able to get them on it (a life bird for some).  The one individual was joined by a second Buff breasted Sandpiper after we left the area.  I managed to add two new species for Hampshire County this year with our stop at the Honeypot...Buff Breasted Sandpiper (#224) and Upland Sandpiper (#225).

Lesser Yellowlegs, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Solitary Sandpiper, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Spotted Sandpiper, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

Least Sandpiper, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2014

We then took a quick spin through the Aqua Vitae Road area but no shorebirds due to all the fields being full of unharvested corn.  We didn't strike out completely here as we had a Dickcissel calling over and over for a couple minutes from a corn field along with Indigo Buntings and Chipping Sparrows.  Our final stop for the morning was along the Connecticut River in Hadley where we added four more species of shorebird including two Spotted Sandpipers, three Solitary Sandpipers, a Lesser Yellowlegs and a dozen Least Sandpipers.  Ended the morning with seven species of shorebirds...certainly a day of quality and not quantity...typical for the valley when it comes to shorebirds.

At home the warblers started to heat up late in the afternoon with both Bay breasted and Blackpoll Warblers in the yard.  After dark I went out to check out the migration and had quite a few flight calls as well as birds moving past the moon at a rate around 8-10 a minute.  Here are a few links to video of moon passing birds:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/15181395572/in/photostream
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14995292947/in/photostream/

World Shorebird Day birding (some shorebirds and other stuff)

Solitary Sandpiper, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Today marks World Shorebird Day http://worldshorebirdsday.wordpress.com/ and with that in mind I went looking for shorebirds and managed to find a few (but none were very photogenic).  I came across seven species of shorebirds today including a Semipalmated Plover, two Spotted Sandpipers, two Solitary Sandpipers, a Lesser Yellowlegs, ten Least Sandpipers and a Semipalmated Sandpiper along the Connecticut River in Hadley and a total of half a dozen Killdeer at the Honeypot and Moody Bridge Road.  With the rain this afternoon and into the evening with the passage of a cold front and winds from the north late perhaps tomorrow I will find even more...time will tell.

Besides the shorebirds today I had several other notable species throughout the very humid tropical like morning (temp at 5:30am was 75!).  I started the day predawn trying to find some Eastern Whip Poor Wills and actually found at least four with one calling at Covey WMA and three more calling at Winsor Dam...it certainly felt and sounded like an early morning in mid summer and not early September!  Video with (distant) audio of whip poor wills.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/15158074415/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/15135081276/in/photostream/

Great Egret, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Besides the shorebirds mentioned above the river in Hadley featured a few other birds including a Great Egret.

Merlin, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Vesper Sparrow, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Bobolink, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Bobolinks, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Bobolink, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

I then headed over to the Honeypot in Hadley and had the following highlights: a Merlin, a Peregrine Falcon, at least 32 Barn Swallows, three Vesper Sparrows, 16 Savannah Sparrows, three Indigo Buntings and 32 Bobolinks. 

A brief stop near the Yiddish Book Center at Hampshire College didn't turn up too much of interest.

Red tailed Hawk, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Red tailed Hawk, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Turkey Vultures, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Turkey Vulture, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

Turkey Vulture, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2014

A stop by Moody Bridge Road to check out the vulture roost was quite productive with a brief view of a Black Vulture as it cruised through my scope view as I was counting the Turkey Vultures.  The Black Vulture continued on through and disappeared behind a row of trees and was not seen again.  The 41 Turkey Vultures present were much more cooperative and gave great views.  A juvenile Red tailed Hawk was not very happy with all the vultures around and was quite vocal about it.

After the front moved through and the winds changed to the north I made a stop over to Winsor Dam to try to catch up with some nighthawks and I managed to find 24 (groups of 19 and 5) heading rapidly sotuh fairly high up....another day of two nighjar species realized!