Southerly winds bring in lots of early migrants

Common Goldeneyes, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Apr 3, 2015

With the southerly winds overnight into today I expected to see a nice influx of early migrants (waterfowl and others) and I was not disappointed.  I started off predawn at Sweet Alice Conservation Area in Amherst and quickly had 3 American Woodcocks peenting away.  I then headed over to the Connecticut River south of the Coolidge Bridge and had a total of  2 Cackling Geese, 904 Canada Geese (a reduction by over 2/3 from yesterday morning), 49 Wood Ducks, 21 Black Ducks, 231 Mallards, 10 Green winged Teal, 32 Ring necked Ducks plus a few each of Hooded and Common Mergansers.  I noticed the crew boats heading out so I decided to try to check a few other spots before they scared everything away.

Ring necked Ducks, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Apr 3, 2014

Black Ducks, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Apr 3, 2014

Lesser Scaup, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Apr 3, 2014

Lesser Scaup (with crew boats bearing down on them), North Lane, Hadley, MA, Apr 3, 2014

American Wigeon and a Green winged Teal, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Apr 3, 2014

Tree Swallows, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Apr 3, 2014

I then went over to North Lane with the intention of making a quick stop before the crew boats arrived but once I got there the action was too much to walk away from so I stayed there for over an hour and a half.  I was loads of fun watching tons of birds moving past...some real migration in action!  Highlights included 3920 Canada Geese, 28 Wood Ducks, 7 American Wigeon, 48 Black Ducks, 124 Mallards, 5 Northern Pintails, 18 Green winged Teal, 94 Ring necked Ducks, 6 Lesser Scaup, 8 Bufflehead, 12 Common Goldeneyes, 23 Hooded Mergansers, 24 Common Mergansers, a Northern Rough winged Swallow, a couple Eastern Phoebes, 132 Tree Swallows and 720+ American Robins.

Common Mergansers and Ring necked Ducks, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Apr 3, 2014

I then continued north checking fields and other spots along the way and managed to find the following highlights: 

Lake Warner - 2 Mute Swans, 4 Wood Ducks, half a dozen Ring necked Ducks and 14 Common Mergansers plus a few Tree Swallows and another phoebe.

Connecticut River (off Huntington rd in Hadley)- 390 Canada Geese, 17 Wood Ducks, 41 Ring necked Ducks, a Bufflehead, 7 Common Goldeneye

Meadow St Fields, Hadley/Amherst- 450+ Canada Geese, 8 Killdeer, 4 Wilson's Snipe

Many other stops produced small groups of geese and mixed blackbird flocks. A total of 61 species for the day...spring is certainly here now.  A total of 15 species of waterfowl today (best day so far this season) and 17 waterfowl species this month so far.  I also added my first warbler of the season at home when I had a Pine Warbler show up.

Ross's Goose and lots of other waterfowl

Canada Goose with neck tag, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Apr 1, 2015

Great Blue Heron, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Apr 1, 2015

Connecticut River at dawn, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Apr 1, 2015

April has begun with a continued push of waterfowl and I have managed to get out before and after work the last couple days and have found some good stuff.  Yesterday morning I made a couple stops with my first being to the Connecticut River in Hadley where I found the neck tagged goose that was present there the day before still around among the 344 Canada Geese plus 8 Wood Ducks, 9 Black Ducks, 56 Mallards and two each of Green winged Teal and Common Merganser. The only other notable species there was a Great Blue Heron. My other stop yesterday morning was over to North Lane in Hadley where I had half a dozen Wood Ducks, 39 Black Ducks, 36 Mallards and 4 Common Mergansers. During the day I got a call from Jacob telling me he had a Ross’s Goose at the UMASS campus pond (a very nice showing of unusual geese there this year). I unfortunately was not be able to go to try to see it until later in the day and by the time I did the bird had apparently moved out north with a group of geese. I checked a variety of areas but had no luck finding the goose. The best spots I could find for geese included Mitch’s Way that held 220 Canada Geese plus a Common Goldeneye and a handful of Black Ducks and Mallards. The campus pond held 650+ geese but nothing unusual among them. Mill Valley Road started to have one group after another of geese coming in to feed in the fields with the numbering growing to 530 before a Bald Eagle flew by and flushed them all. Other notables there included 18 Turkey Vultures and 110+ American Crows. 

Ross's Goose, Connecticut River, Northampton, MA, Apr 2, 2015

Ross's Goose, Connecticut River, Northampton, MA, Apr 2, 2015

Canada Geese with yellow neck tags, Connecticut River, Northampton, MA, Apr 2, 2015

Connecticut River at dawn, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Apr 2, 2015

Cackling Geese, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Apr 2, 2015

Cackling Goose, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Apr 2, 2015

Cackling Goose, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Apr 2, 2015

I was out early again today and decided the most likely spot to find the Ross’s Goose (or anything else unusual) would be at roost in the river (before the crew boats made it out for the morning). I stopped to view the Connecticut River from both the Hadley and Northampton side and found a large group of waterfowl. The group included a Snow Goose, a Ross’s Goose (likely the same one discovered by Jacob yesterday), two (possibly three) Cackling Geese, 3255+ Canada Geese (including two birds with yellow neck tags that were just too far away to read the numbers on), 21 Wood Ducks, a pair of American Wigeon, 36 Black Ducks, 112 Mallards, 5 Green winged Teal, 38 Ring necked Ducks, 4 Bufflehead, 8 Hooded Mergansers and 7 Common Mergansers. Many of the geese were distant but it was interesting to have a Snow Goose and Ross’s Goose in the same general area to compare sizes and appearance. I managed some distant photos of many of the geese. Most of the geese (and others) were flushed up by the crew teams training on the river and most headed either east or north. A total of thirteen species of waterfowl this morning was quite respectable. The other species of note along the river was my first Eastern Phoebe of the season.

 

Although the warmer temperatures today (into the low 60's) and the southerly winds will probably keep the birds moving north, you never know. Tomorrow I will have some time to check other areas in more detail and perhaps turn up something else noteworthy. There have been five species of geese in the valley in the last few days (I have only missed the Greater White fronted Geese). There is a chance to find a sixth or seventh species (Barnacle or Pink footed, but both are very rare).

Another morning along the river and elsewhere

Wood Ducks, North Lane Conservation Area, Hadley, MA, Mar 15, 2014

Red necked Grebe, Hadley Falls Canal Park, South Hadley, MA, Mar 15, 2014

I spent another morning along the Connecticut River in search of waterfowl and other migrants.  Although I didn't have nearly the show of oddities showing up to the north at Barton's Cove (Redhead, Canvasback, Long tailed Duck, Red breasted Merganser, both scaup, etc...oh...if only Quabbin where not a huge block of ice!) I still found some good stuff including my 100th species for Hampshire County this year (an Eastern Phoebe) which puts he back ahead of last years record setting year (This year turns out to be the quickest I have ever made it to a hundred species in Hampshire County....just barely as last year I reached 100 on March 16...thank you eBird for keeping track of all this info).  I started predawn in Hadley trying to turn up a woodcock (or Short eared Owl) but had no luck again.  I then made several stop along the river and I have included the waterfowl totals below as well as other highlights.

North Lane Conservation Area:  25 Canada Geese, 53 Wood Duck, 14 Mallard, 28 Ring necked Duck, 6 Common Goldeneye, 5 Hooded Merganser, 7 Common Merganser plus a Killdeer.

Honey Pot:  2 Wood Duck, 21 Mallard, 2 Hooded Merganser and 4 Common Merganser.

Coolidge Bridge area: 133 Canada Geese, 13 Wood Duck, a male Gadwall, 4 Black Duck, 312 Mallard, 4 Northern Pintail, 2 Ring necked Duck, 3 Hooded Merganser, 4 Common Merganser, a Winter Wren and an Eastern Phoebe.

Farm Lane-Hadley:  785+ Canada Geese (first large group of geese I have had in any of the fields along the river).  Checked other fields up through North Hadley and only had a handful more geese.

Mitch's Way: 3 Common Goldeneye

Hadley Falls Canal Park:  2 Mute Swan, 20 Wood Duck, 4 Black Duck, 3 Mallard, 12 Ring necked Duck, 11 Hooded Merganser, a Common Merganser, a Red necked Grebe and a Turkey Vulture.

Holyoke Dam:  2 Mallard, 6 Bufflehead, 2 Common Goldeneye, 2 Hooded Merganser and a Fish Crow.


As you can see from the numbers above there has been an increase in the numbers of several species of waterfowl since yesterday.  The numbers of Red winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles also continue to build with both species present at several stops.

Red shouldered Hawk, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 15, 2014

Red shouldered Hawk, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 15, 2014

Red tailed Hawk, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 15, 2014

Red tailed Hawk, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 15, 2014

Bald Eagle with deer carcass, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 15, 2014

I stopped over at Winsor Dam late in the morning to see if anything remained of the deer carcass from yesterday.  Luckily the coyotes did not destroy the carcass and an occasional Bald Eagle, raven or crow would stop to dine on the deer.  With the southwest winds and somewhat warm temperatures I decided to stay awhile doing a stationary count and had some obvious migration taking place.  I hoped for a Black Vulture but no luck today.  I did have the following highlights during an hour and a half at the dam: seven Canada Geese flying by (a highlight only because with the reservoir totally frozen waterfowl have been nearly nonexistent here), a Turkey Vulture, a couple Cooper's Hawks, four Bald Eagles, three Red shouldered Hawks (a very good count for here), at least ten Red tailed Hawks, a flyby calling Killdeer, at least 278 American Crows (almost all moving northeast), eight Red winged Blackbirds, 14 Common Grackles and a cowbird.

Sadly it looks like our brief warm up will quickly come to an end with temperatures tomorrow getting just above freezing with a strong northwest wind...winter is being a real bastard this year.