Record setting pace to end the first week of December

Pine Siskin (with American Goldfinches), Quabbin Park, MA, Dec 7, 2025

Pileated Woodpecker eating poison ivy berries, Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Dec 6, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Dec 6, 2025

Snow Geese, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Dec 6, 2025

Snow Geese, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Dec 6, 2025

Snow Geese (white morph adult and juvenile blue morph), East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Dec 6, 2025

Northern Shovelers, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, Dec 6, 2025

Northern Pintails, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, Dec 6, 2025

Black Vultures, Lower Mill Pond, Easthampton, MA, Dec 6, 2025

White winged Scoters, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Dec 6, 2025

Looking west from Gate 52, Quabbin Park, MA, Dec 5, 2025

Yellow bellied Sapsucker, Hadley, MA, Dec 4, 2025

American Tree Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 4, 2025

Wilson killing another ball, Home, Belchertown, MA, Dec 3, 2025

Dark eyed Junco, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Dec 3, 2025

Eastern Phoebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Dec 3, 2025

River Otter, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Dec 3, 2025

The first week of December has featured mainly mid winter like conditions with a few bouts of snow, cold mornings and cold days with some highs not reaching the freezing mark.  Nonetheless I have managed to set myself on a record setting pace for the month with 90 species so far.  Some mornings I had to stay fairly close to home for Wilson and a few others I was able to explore a bit more afield.  I'll cover each day since the second below with the highlights for each day.

Today I stayed around the south Quabbin area with a predawn start looking for owls on a calm morning and found three species.  I then spent some time looking for waterfowl (and finding little) and some other species I had not yet had for the month.  

Yesterday I awoke to find it had snowed a bit overnight and continued to flurry a bit.  I was initially going to stay in the Quabbin area but decided to head east to try to get out of the snow and headed down to the Holyoke Dam to add Mute Swan for the month.  I not only had the swans but also a group of White winged Scoters just above the dam.  I then headed over the mountain and stopped at Lower Mill Pond for Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail and Black Vulture before heading to a small part of Arcadia where I found a couple more overwintering Yellow rumped Warblers.  I was having a great morning so hoped to extend that with a stop in the East Meadows and I had good luck there too with a Lapland Longspur, Rough legged Hawk and a large group of Snow Geese (with a great selection of plumages including adults and juveniles of both color morphs plus a number of oxide stained birds).  I made a few more stops for the morning and by the end had added nine new species for the month.

On Friday the 5th I stayed around the Quabbin area and froze my butt off with very cold temps.  I added a few species of waterfowl as well as a flyover Evening Grosbeak.

I had some time on the 4th to head over to Great Pond where I found the pond nearly totally frozen solid.  Although waterfowl was in short supply I added a number of sparrows as well as others..unfortunately no luck relocating the Common Yellowthroat I had there at the end of November.  

The third found me staying close to home with the most productive stop being Lake Wallace where I had the continued Eastern Phoebe, flyover Red Crossbills and a very inquisitive River Otter.

Black headed Gull at Winsor Dam this morning

Bonaparte's Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

Gadwall (right) with American Black Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

Gadwall (right) with American Black Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

Northern Pintails and Mallards, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

Northern Pintails and Mallards, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

Red breasted Merganser and White winged Scoter, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

White winged Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

White winged Scoter, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2025

November started off on the right foot with a very rare for the area Black headed Gull this morning at Winsor Dam.  After heavy rain overnight and very windy conditions today dawned mainly clear with a strong westerly wind.  I certainly had high hopes that something good would show up at Winsor Dam so that is where I went before sunrise.  I arrived just after Ted and we immediately started scanning the water and the air.  We could see hundreds of gulls milling about way, way out with many seeming to want to head out to the southwest before mainly being blown back.  It was tough to make out much for species as they were so distant.  Eventually groups started coming in closer and most were Ring billed Gulls.  As we were sorting through one group of perhaps 35 gulls Ted said he had an interesting bird in the flock.  I was able to get on it with the scope as the birds milled around and fought the wind.  The interesting bird had a dark carpel bar on the upper side, dark tail tip and dark trailing edge which seemed right for Bonaparte's Gull but the underside of the wings showed a dark triangle and the bird was only slightly smaller than the Ring billed Gulls and seemed to be able to fight the wind as well as the Ring billed Gulls (unlike the Bonaparte's Gull we saw perhaps 15 minutes after seeing this bird).  With the field marks there was nothing else would could come up with besides a Black headed Gull...a truly rare sighting in the area.  The gulls within this group all disappeared off to the southwest and were not seen again.  As mentioned above another group of gulls arriving from the north a bit later contained a Bonaparte's Gull and the two individuals were quite different in size, plumage and behavior when compared.  This is only my third Black headed Gull I have ever had in the county with the other two records both being in spring with one in March 2013 and another in April 2015 and both in the farm fields on the Hadley/Amherst border.  Beyond the gulls we had a decent diversity of waterfowl with a total of eleven species as well as some raptors migrating.

High count of Northern Shoveler at Winsor Dam (plus other good stuff)

Northern Shovelers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 24, 2023

Northern Shovelers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 24, 2023

Northern Pintails (with two Mallards and an American Black Duck), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 24, 2023

Pine Warblers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 24, 2023

Black capped Chickadee, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 24, 2023

Tufted Titmouse, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 24, 2023

Red winged Blackbirds, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 24, 2023

Although not a blockbuster morning for diversity of waterfowl at Winsor Dam I did manage to get my largest group ever of Northern Shovelers in Hampshire County when a group of eight flew past heading south plus I also had a group of 13 Northern Pintails also flying south (with a couple of Mallards and an American Black Duck joining them).  My previous high count for Northern Shoveler was back in early April 2015, when I had six in Hadley.   I almost missed these birds as my original plan was not to spend too much time at the dam again after spending an hour there yesterday (mainly checking up on the continuing group of Pine Warblers).  I started my morning at the dam but the selection of waterfowl was quite sparse with the highlight being a dozen Common Loons scattered across the reservoir so I headed to another spot in Quabbin Park.  Without too much activity at that stop and wanting to stay local and not drive far I quickly headed back to the dam and figured I would once again concentrate on tracking down the Pine Warblers.  I quickly found at least five feeding in the tops of the cone laden Eastern White Pines, along with a number of other species enjoying the great cone crop.  I then walked around the area of the dam and admin building with a couple brief stops to scan the waters of the reservoir.  I ended up spending two hours there and was quite happy with my choice of staying close to home....although finding a Ancient Murrelet or Dovekie would have really been nice!

A fruitless search for a Stilt Sandpiper (but success with lots of other unusual shorebirds) plus my first Connecticut Warbler of the year

Connecticut Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Connecticut Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 11, 2023

American Golden Plover, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Northern Pintail, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Yellow Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Baird's Sandpiper (and Pectoral Sandpiper), Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Baird's Sandpiper (and Pectoral Sandpiper), Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 11, 2023

American Golden Plover, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Our on and off again rainy weather continued overnight into the day today thanks to the stalled front that broke our heat wave.  I initially did not have plans to look for shorebirds today after having some great luck the previous few days but when I got up and looked at the radar and saw waves of rain had moved through overnight and continued through the morning I decided to try to find birds downed by the weather.  I made a brief stop at Winsor Dam without finding anything too interesting.  Looking at the radar again it looked like there was a let up in the rain to the west so I headed over to some fields in Hadley and as soon as I got there and started scanning I found an adult American Golden Plover and a Black bellied Plover before my scanning was interrupted by a text from Ted letting me know he was looking at a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper in a different field in Northampton.  I immediately headed across the river and arrived just a couple minutes too late as the Stilt Sandpiper and the Lesser Yellowlegs it was with headed off to the south through the gloom.  It was a tough miss as I have never had the species in Hampshire County before and I missed an amazing group of nine that showed up in mid August when I was working.  I stayed around the area for a bit with just a few shorebirds around and none settling down thanks to a Merlin that perched on the edge of the puddle where shorebirds have been.  I then decided to head back across the river to Hadley to scan the fields there in more detail and turned up an American Golden Plover as well as a scattering of other more expected shorebirds.  I then got another message that a Whimbrel had flown over at Arcadia and then a (the?) juvenile Stilt Sandpiper dropped in briefly before flying off again to parts unknown.  I gave some thought to going to that area but decided to head back to the original location of the sighting of the Stilt Sandpiper and spent the next hour and a half walking the muddy roads.  As I walked around I turned up some great stuff including an early Northern Pintail in small pool, a flyover Black bellied Plover and a flyover Upland Sandpiper (my second and possibly third record of this species this fall...a great fall for them for sure), a few slightly late Bank Swallows and last but certainly not least my first Connecticut Warbler of the year.  Ted mentioned he heard and saw one earlier in the morning in the same area of cornfields.  As is typical with the species it was heard chipping first and after a lot of waiting on the road I got some killer looks as it worked through the cornfield.  My best looks in awhile of this normally very cryptic species.  Lots more photos and details at the following link.  A very nice consolation prize for missing the Stilt Sandpiper.

American Coot and decent numbers of various species of waterfowl today

 

American Coot, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Mar 12, 2023

American Coot, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Ring necked Ducks, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Today was a good day for waterfowl with a total of 14 species over the course of the morning for me.  I decided to start the morning at Fitzgerald Lake in the hopes of relocating the American Coot that Mary found the day before.  I arrived before dawn and was rewarded quite quickly with views of the American Coot swimming through the fog on the opposite shore.  I also had couple other noteworthy species including a slightly early Virginia Rail calling a few times early plus two Swamp Sparrows.  Overall a half a dozen species of waterfowl were present during my time there.

Northern Pintails, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Next I went down to Arcadia and checked both the Oxbow and nearby marsh.  The Oxbow was much quieter compared to previous days (no sign of the Canvasback seen there recently) with just a handful of Mallards and Common Mergansers (perhaps due to boat traffic?).  The marsh was a bit more active with female Gadwall in among a flock of at least 27 Northern Pintails (it has been a great spring migration season for pintails so far in the area).  

Eastern Phoebe, Hadley, MA, Mar 12, 2023

I initially was going to go up through Hatfield checking fields for geese and then on to Great Pond but instead I decided to head across the river and check along the river in Hadley and then check fields in Hadley and Amherst.  I didn't find much for waterfowl along the river but did see and hear the overwintering Eastern Phoebe.  

Snow Goose, Hadley, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Snow Goose, Hadley, MA, Mar 12, 2023

The fields in Hadley and Amherst turned up some decent numbers of Canada Geese in multiple large flocks plus a single each of Snow Goose and Cackling Goose.  The Snow Goose was with a few hundred Canada Geese in the same general area it was reported yesterday.  The Cackling Goose was in with a 1100+ Canada Geese flock in North Hadley in a large farm field that could only be viewed from a distance with a scope.  The Cackling Goose was not very cooperative and stayed hidden most of the time and I failed to get any identifiable photos despite lots of attempts. I would not be surprised to see more unusual geese show up over the next several days as geese continue moving north (unless our predicted big storm halts migration progress for a bit).

Mallard, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Mallard, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Mallard, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Hooded Merganser, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

Green winged Teal, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 12, 2023

My last stops for waterfowl for the morning included Winsor Dam and Lake Wallace.  The dam was fairly quiet beyond a pair of Bufflehead.  Lake Wallace was a bit busier with five species with some in quite close allowing for some decent digiscoped shots.  I'm sure I could have added a few more species with a few more stops but I wanted to get home to walk Wilson.

The predictions call for a large snow storm starting later on Monday and continuing through Tuesday with the chance of a foot plus here and even more in nearby hills with strong winds.  There is still a chance of some mixing with rain at lower elevations but there is a good chance this will end up being the biggest storm of the entire winter just as spring is really starting to ramp up.