Ruddy Ducks and a Red throated Loon today in the rain brought north by Hurricane Matthew

Ruddy Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 9, 2016

Ruddy Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 9, 2016

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 9, 2016

Red tailed Hawk, Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 9, 2016

Merlin, Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 9, 2016

Blue winged Teal and Green winged Teal, Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 9, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 9, 2016

Although the forecast called for rain late in the day the day turned out to be rainy the entire time with the rain getting harder as the day wore on.  The wind out of the northeast continued to pick up as well.  The moisture stream from Hurricane Matthew made it a little further than predicted yesterday which led to the conditions here today.  The weather resulted in a number of notable sightings over the course of the day for myself as well as others.  I stayed around the south Quabbin area with a few visits to Winsor Dam, Beaver Lake and Lake Wallace early in the AM.  Beaver Lake was quiet but Lake Wallace had some decent stuff including a dozen plus Green winged Teal and a single Blue winged Teal as well as a late Green Heron still hanging around.  A few raptors around there as well including a Merlin.  Initially Winsor Dam didn't have much but a visit a little later in the morning (around 8:15) turned up three Ruddy Ducks (a species that is oddly quite tough to find in the county) and the Ruddy Ducks became species #226 for Hampshire County for the year. I returned home as the weather deteriorated further.

Red necked Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 9, 2016

Red necked Grebes, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 9, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 9, 2016

After doing some work around the house I checked to see what other people were seeing around in the rainy weather and quickly saw some reports of unusual waterfowl (including Surf Scoters, White winged Scoters, Lesser Scaup, Horned Grebe and Pied billed Grebe in the Berkshires and Surf Scoters at Gate 35 at Quabbin) so I headed back over to Winsor Dam early in the afternoon where I found the three Ruddy Ducks still present as well as three Red necked Grebes and half a dozen Common Loons.  As I watched the grebes a loon flew into view and I immediately knew it was not a Common Loon.  Smaller overall with a white face and neck and slight build compared to a Common Loon....a Red throated Loon!  Another new species for the county this year...#227.  I was able to watch it fly around in front of the dam before disappearing off to the southeast and it was too quickly past and the rain was coming down too heavy to get any photos.  I also checked the area of Goodnough Dike and turned up a single Horned Grebe but not much else.  I then returned to Winsor Dam a few more times during the rest of the afternoon and eventually ended up with a high count of at least seven Red necked Grebes after the rain stopped.  Other notable species that showed up in the general area included 11 Common Terns in Pittsfield, which is very unusual for fall.  It should clear out overnight with a north wind which will continue all day tomorrow so I suspect more waterfowl will arrive with scoters one of many possibilities (I have yet to see any this year so far.)


Elsewhere a few more hurricane related birds have made appearances including an inland Brown Booby and Leach's Storm Petrel at a lake in Georgia and a number of tropical terns (Sooty and Bridled Terns) along the coast in Georgia and South Carolina.

Foggy morning in Hadley and the latest update on Hurricane Matthew

Common Yellowthroat, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 8, 2016

Savannah Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 8, 2016

Palm Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 8, 2016

Lincoln's Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 8, 2016

Chipping Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 8, 2016

Hermit Thrush, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 8, 2016

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 8, 2016

I spent a foggy morning at the Honey Pot and although I didn't find anything too unusual there were lots of sparrows around as well as some warblers (among other stuff).  It actually looked like the fog might burn off not long after the sun came up but then the fog just got thicker and thicker and was still not burned off when I left around 9:30.  I also hung up a hummingbird feeder at 'That's a Plenty Farm' (with the owners permission) that hopefully will keep a vagrant hummer that shows up there...hopefully. Full list from the morning here:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31946338

Black and White Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 8, 2016

Black and White Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 8, 2016

A walk with Wilson along the land trust trail in Belchertown turned up a somewhat late Black and White Warbler among the other more expected species.  I was pleasantly surprised that I got some decent shots of the bird with my new phone through my binoculars. I have actually managed to find ten species of warbler in the last two days which I'm quite happy with.

As expected the reports of hurricane related birds from down in the southeast continue to increase today with the landfall of Hurricane Matthew in South Carolina.  I have not been able to come across much from that area as of now but the latest Florida reports include a well photographed Black capped Petrel on a lake near Gainesville today (providing a second county record there) and a possible Caribbean Martin in the keys.  I'm sure something else unusual will show up in the carolinas and I will post when I hear about anything else.

Another morning visit to Arcadia and the Honey Pot and the latest on Hurricane Matthew

Savannah Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 7, 2016

Field Sparrow, Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 7, 2016

White crowned Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 7, 2016

Northern Harrier, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 7, 2016

Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 7, 2016

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 7, 2016

Bobolink, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 7, 2016

I birded a bit after getting out of work this morning and although it once again started out a bit cool (40's) and foggy it eventually turned sunny and warmed up into the mid 70's...very nice for early October to be sure.  I started off at Arcadia and the best bird by far was a Connecticut Warbler along the trolley line and in the same spot I also had a couple Northern Parula.  Still decent sparrow numbers and diversity but the total numbers were down from a few days ago.  My next stop over at the Honey Pot also produced good numbers and diversity of sparrow but nothing too unusual.  A total of ten species of sparrows and five species of warbler for the morning.  Full lists with lots more photos attached below.

Arcadia:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31930640

Honey Pot:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31930642

Hurricane Matthew projected path, Oct 7, 2016 (NHC)

Hurricane Matthew continues its trek up along the Florida coast after striking the Bahamas as a category 4 storm and likely causing some major damage.  I hope everyone (bird, animal and human) in the path makes it through without any major difficulty.  As far as hurricane related birds so far the best report I have heard so far was a Mangrove Swallow spotted in Florida (Curry Hammock SP in the keys) by a couple very experienced birdes.  I'm certain additional unusual birds will be reported from the southeast over the coming days as the storm works up to South Carolina and then goes out to sea and continues to weaken.

Hurricane Matthew looks to completely miss the northeast and a morning visit to Arcadia and the Honey Pot

Hurricane Matthew projected path as of 5PM, Oct 5, 2016 (courtesy of NHC)

Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti and Cuba directly as a slow moving category 4 hurricane yesterday and is now in the southern Bahamas as a category 3 storm. The forecast has trended on bringing the storm northwest through the Bahamas and very close to and possibly into the southeast coast. Yesterday the forecast looked as if it would then skirt the coast and possibly have an impact on the northeast late Saturday into Sunday but the latest forecast now shows the storm going out to sea well south of the northeast and then perhaps even head back toward Florida. This is always subject to change over the next several days but it is very unlikely we will see any impact here.

Palm Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 5, 2016

Swamp Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 5, 2016

Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 5, 2016

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 5, 2016

Chipping Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 5, 2016

I stopped by Arcadia on my way home from work today to once again check for anything noteworthy.  The place was really hopping with sparrows with some great numbers and variety.  Nothing unusual among them but my counts are on the conservative side.  The fog never lifted the entire time I was there but I still got some great looks at some of the birds.  I also ran into James and Susannah as I was leaving as they arrived to search for a Connecticut Warbler (which they eventually found along the old trolley line).  I then headed across the river to the Honey Pot and while I was there the fog finally lifted and it warmed up from the early morning temps in the 40's well into the 60's.

Full lists from my morning stops below.

Arcadia:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31901174

Honey Pot:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31902066

The sun finally comes out here and the latest update of Hurricane Matthew

Yellow Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 3, 2016

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 3, 2016

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 3, 2016

Savannah Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 3, 2016

Yellow Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2016

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 3, 2016

Eastern Comma, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 3, 2016

The cloudy, cool, damp weather finally broke late this morning when the sun finally made an appearance and the temperatures responded, quickly rising through the 60's into the low 70's (warm enough for a number of butterflies to be out and about).  The early part of the day (most of the time I was outside) was foggy and damp but it was at least a bit warmer.  Yesterday I was still out despite some early rain showers and I covered a fair amount of territory looking in vain for downed shorebirds...just managed to find some Killdeer.  I also made a brief stop at Conte NWR at midday while running errands in Hadley and the place was hopping with birds including a Clay colored Sparrow.  Today I hit a few more areas for sparrows and other migrants and had some luck during my time at Arcadia, the Honey Pot and Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River (although the last stop was quiet with nothing compared to the activity of yesterday).  Highlights included continued numbers of Common Yellowthroats and House Wrens, Yellow Warblers at both Arcadia and the Honey Pot and ever increasing sparrow numbers.  While out for a walk with Wilson at Lake Wallace we found a Green Heron still hanging around.  Full lists with more photos below.

Arcadia:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31872468

Honey Pot:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31872486

Silvio Conte NWR:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31872217

Hurricane Matthew projected path at 2PM, Oct 3, 2016 (image courtesy of NHC)

Model tracks as of Oct 3, 2016 (image courtesy Tropical Tidbits)

Hurricane Matthew continues to move north and continues to be a dangerous major hurricane with 140 MPH winds (Cat 4).  It is or will be impacting Hispaniola, Jamaica and Cuba today into Wednesday and then it will be back over open water again the Bahamas where it will likely regain some of the strength it lost during interactions with the large islands.  It is still not entirely clear what the storm will do then.  There are many possibilities ranging from a direct impact into the carolinas, a near pass of the entire east coast, a direct impact in the northeast or out to sea...or some variation of any of those!  It is really too tough to call at this point.  The latest trends today is for a more westerly track which means a more likely impact somewhere in the US.  If the storm were to impact here (either directly or a close pass) the time frame would be over the weekend.  As before it bears watching and I will update as the week progresses and the exact track and potential impact here becomes a little clearer...not getting too excited about it yet but the potential is there.

Hurricane Matthew jumps to Category 5 status overnight in the southern Caribbean while October starts off cool, rainy and raw here

Hurricane Matthew forecast track, Oct 1, 2016 (11AM)

Hurricane Matthew grew to a Category 5 storm overnight with winds topping off at 160 MPH although it has now weakened slightly to a strong Cat 4 storm with winds around 150 MPH.  It is forecast to continue to fluctuate in strength but remain a very dangerous major hurricane as it continues to move through the southern Caribbean.  The forecast track still shows the storm taking a strong north turn and strike a direct or glancing blow to Jamaica, Cuba and/or Hispaniola in the next 2-3 days.  It will almost certainly hit as a very strong hurricane and then likely lose a little strength as it interacts with land but once it makes it past those islands and into the Bahamas it will likely strengthen again into a major hurricane.  As stated before the track after that is still far from certain and will likely not be clear for a few more days.  Different models bring it into a variety of locations from Florida up the entire east coast to even out to sea.  What model will be correct remains to be seen.  The NHC forecast track has shifted slightly east and has slowed the storm a bit compared to yesterday.

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2016

Swainson's Thrush, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2016

Yellow rumped Warbler, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2016

Blue winged Teal and Green winged Teal, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 1, 2016

The conditions looked good overnight into today to ground migrants (waterfowl and late shorebirds) due to a northeast wind and rain but I didn't have any luck finding anything unusual in those species categories when I checked various parts of Quabbin, Beaver Lake and Lake Wallace this morning.  The wind, rain and low clouds made viewing a bit of a challenge at times but I was able to view well enough.  Despite no grounded migrants I did manage to turn up some good stuff at Lake Wallace including at least 28 Wood Ducks, both species of teal (three Blue winged Teal and eleven Green winged Teal), a late Green Heron and a flock of 27 Rusty Blackbirds (my biggest fall flock I have ever had of the species in the county).  The unsettled conditions are forecast to continue throughout the weekend into Monday so perhaps something unusual will show up eventually.

Morning at Arcadia and the Honey Pot and an update on Hurricane Matthew (now a Category 4 storm!)

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 30, 2016

White breasted Nuthatch, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 30, 2016

Black and White Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 30, 2016

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 30, 2016

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 30, 2016

Field Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 30, 2016

Nashville Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 30, 2016

Eastern Phoebe, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 30, 2016

Swamp Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 30, 2016

I spent the morning birding a potion of the morning with Keenan and then a bit on my own in some very fall like conditions with overcast conditions, a steady breeze and temperatures starting in the 50's and not warming a whole lot.  It was a bit quiet at times due to the conditions but we still found some good stuff during our time at Arcadia including another Connecticut Warbler and an Orange crowned Warbler among eight species of warbler plus at least eight species of sparrows as well as another that may have been a Nelson's Sparrow but I was unable to confirm.  Also a decent show of raptors around which certainly kept some birds from showing themselves to us.  After Keenan had to leave I spent a bit more time at Arcadia before heading over to the Honey Pot where I found more warblers (including a late Yellow Warbler) and sparrows.  Also ran across a large gathering of Eastern Phoebes at 'That's a Plenty Farm' that I hoped to find an unusual flycatcher in but no luck today.  Full lists with more photos below:

Arcadia: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31823303
Honey Pot:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31823336

Hurricane Matthew projected path, Sep 30, 2016 (courtesy NHC)

Hurricane Matthew, Sep 30, 2016 (courtesy of NASA)

Now for the latest on what is now Hurricane Matthew spinning down in the southern Caribbean.  It reached hurricane strength yesterday and then rapidly intensified to a Cat 4 storm today with 140 MPH winds with a pressure down  to 949mb!  It strengthened much more rapidly than predicted despite some fairly strong wind shear (makes me wonder what will happen once the shear drops off a bit).  It is starting to look more and more impressive and is almost certain to have a major impact somewhere in the Caribbean.  The current forecast has the storm continuing west before making a sharp turn to the north and impacting Jamaica and Cuba as a strong Cat 3 storm.  The real question then becomes what happens to the storm after that.  It should end up in the Bahamas slightly weakened after interactions with one of the large islands but given the warm SST's there it is likely to regain strength once again and then either threaten somewhere on the east coast of the US or head out to sea.  Still a lot of variables that will have an impact on the storm over the long term but suffice it to say the storm has some great potential to impact the US somewhere, possibly even New England.