A near record setting August comes to an end

Philadelphia Vireo, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Aug 30, 2024

Black billed Cuckoo, Reed Conservation Area,  Belchertown, MA, Aug 30, 2024

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Gate 8, Pelham, MA, Aug 30, 2024

Ovenbird, Reed Conservation Area,  Belchertown, MA, Aug 30, 2024

Black throated Green Warbler, Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2024

Northern Parula, Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2024

Wood Thrush, Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2024

Indigo Bunting, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 29, 2024

August has now about come to an end and I managed to get my second highest species count ever for the month in Hampshire County with 159 species.  My only better August ever was last year with an amazing 166 species!  Although I didn't set an August record for species overall I did have my highest count of warblers ever for the month with 26 species.  The last couple days have felt more like fall with cool temps in the morning that warmed up thanks to ample sunshine.  Today marked the last of three mornings that I guided for Bindhu, a birder visiting the area from India.  With just a few hours on three different mornings we managed to find 94 species and got her quite a few lifers...not too bad at all.  Now comes September and the peak of fall migration and always the chance of a tropical system bringing something rare into the area (this year marks the 13th anniversary of Hurricane Irene hitting the area and I have attached the eBird list from that epic day).

The last few days with the arrival of a strong cold front today plus a look at the tropics

Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2022

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 22, 2022

I have not been able to get out as much as I wanted the last few days due to work and the weather but I did get out at least a little.  We had a few bouts of heavy rain and thunderstorms associated with a strong cold front today.  Just before the storms arrived I was able to make it over to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River after work and I was able to turn up at least one (possibly two) Marsh Wrens that have been at the location for a few days.  I was unable to get any photos but did get a recording of the bird(s) singing.  The skies then opened up and that ended birding for most of the morning.  I did make a brief stop at Winsor Dam to look for any storm dropped birds but didn't find any.  The rain had a brief lull late in the morning before returning until mid afternoon.  The next couple days look to feature the coldest air of the year so far and windy conditions out of the northwest thanks to the cold front and the winds from Hurricane Fiona well off to the east (more on tropical systems at the end of the post).  I suspect some unusual species will show up but trying to find them with all the winds the next couple days will be tough but I will try.  On my way to work yesterday I made a brief stop around dawn in the East Meadows but didn't find too much in the limited time I had available.

Northern Mockingbird, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Red eyed Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Scarlet Tanager, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Yellow Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

American Redstart, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Bay breasted Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Philadelphia Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2022

Once I got out of work on Tuesday morning I headed down to Arcadia where I spent a couple hours scouring the area in search of migrants.  I mainly ran across single birds here and there but eventually ran across a somewhat decent mixed flock not long before I left that contained half a dozen species of warblers and other migrants.  Highlights for the morning there included a Least Flycatcher, a Veery, three Swainson's Thrushes, a slightly late Yellow Warbler among 13 species of warblers and three Scarlet Tanagers.  I also had a family group of Northern Mockingbirds that included some fairly recently fledged young.  

Now on to the tropical season.  After a bit of a slow start to the hurricane season (at least compared to the last few years) the conditions have changed with multiple systems occurring and more likely to form in the near future.  The main feature right now is Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4 storm that looks to make a fairly close approach to Bermuda tomorrow morning before accelerating rapidly north for a landfall in Nova Scotia as a strong extra tropical storm (the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane at landfall most likely).  The storm already hit Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos with lots of damage mainly due to flooding.  The strong cold front coming through today is keeping the storm out of the northeast US and helping to funnel the storm into southeast Canada.  I'm certain some rare birds will show up in Canada this weekend with the arrival of the storm.  There is also Tropical Storm Gaston in the far North Atlantic that will impact the Azores (a fairly unusual location for a tropical system).  There is another tropical wave coming off Africa that will likely develop and impact the Cape Verde Islands.  The final system (currently labeled as 98L) is off the north coast of South America and heading west.  It is almost certain to develop into a storm within the next couple days.  Where it actual develops will determine where it eventually ends up as a storm (likely a hurricane).  Some models move it north and into Cuba and Florida and others into the Gulf of Mexico and others as far south as the Yucatan.  It is sure to be a major impact somewhere down south but the exact location is far from certain.  There is certainly a chance we will eventually see the remnants of the storm in the local area at some point.  I have a post from several years ago that looks at tropical systems in the area and has lots of links to info on hurricanes...the post is linked here.

****update on birds from Nova Scotia during and after Fiona:  The storm was one of the strongest to hit Canada (at least as far as low pressure goes with a reading 932mb!).  Those brave enough enough to get out and bird were rewarded with some fantastic birds.  Highlights included a Trindade Petrel, two Sooty Terns, a Bridled Tern and two White tailed Tropicbirds and lots of other stuff in Iona on Cape Breton and two more Trindade Petrels in East Bay (also on Cape Breton)...other reports continue to come in and I will update further as I hear of them.

****great summary link through the ABA at the following link: Hurricane Fiona report.

Four mornings at Arcadia

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

Nashville Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

Fog at dawn, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2022

The migration conditions have been great the last four nights after several days of less than stellar conditions.  I spent at least a part of the last four morning at Arcadia trying to catch up with newly arrived migrants with a big target being Connecticut Warbler.  I'll cover today here with the previous three days covered below.  I arrived at Arcadia to a little fog and cold temps in the 40's.  I had a number of American Woodcocks flying around before dawn plus calling Wood Thrushes in a few spots.  The little amount of fog present burned off quick and the day warmed up slowly.  I expected a good amount of migrants but it was a little slower than I hoped.  Nonetheless I still had some great stuff with the highlight being a Connecticut Warbler that popped up ever so briefly before disappearing back into a hedge never to be seen again despite a lot of effort.  I was happy to see it but would have loved a longer look and perhaps a few photos but not today.  Other good stuff around for the morning, among the nearly 70 species, included a couple Least Flycatchers, a lucky 13 Eastern Phoebes, small groups of Blue Jays migrating south, nearly a dozen House Wrens, a dozen Lincoln's Sparrows, my first White throated Sparrows of the fall and a total of ten species of warblers (lots more on warblers for the last week at the following link).  I was not able to cover some other spots at Arcadia as a folk fest was going on so probably missed out on some other species I could have gotten easily for the day.  I managed a total of 97 species at Arcadia over the four mornings I was there this week as fall migration reaches it peak (at least as far as passerine diversity is concerned).

Philadelphia Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2022

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2022

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 16, 2022

Although I only had a limited amount of time on Friday due to a class I had to take at 8:30 I still hoped I would find lots of birds as once again the migration conditions were great and I heard lots of flight calls early in the evening the night before.  I arrived before dawn to a very cold Arcadia with a temperature of 41 degrees!  I started off with multiple American Woodcocks flying around and calling a little.  Despite the cool temps birds started calling well before the sun was even up.  The patchy fog blocked out the sun a bit from warming things up as early as I had hoped.  The total warbler number and diversity was very disappointing with just 7 species with a few of those being just a single individual.  I did have a few highlights for the morning including two Philadelphia Vireos, at least four Wood Thrushes, my first Ruby crowned Kinglets of the fall, three Lincoln's Sparrows and at least one Dickcissel.  I wish I could have stayed longer to see if activity picked up once the sun really warmed things up.

Northern Parula, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Yellow Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Viceroy, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Least Flycatcher, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Philadelphia Vireo, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 15, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 15, 2022

With great migration conditions overnight into Thursday morning I had high hopes as I headed over to Arcadia once again but it was actually a bit slower than the day before.  I still had good stuff but I was expecting more.  It was already a little breezy when I arrived but not too bad until around 7:30 and it increased from there and eventually made seeing movement in the trees and bushes nearly impossible.  Early on I did have some good stuff but nothing too out of the ordinary but a total of 61 species considering the conditions was fairly good.

After activity at Arcadia had trailed off considerably I decided to try my luck at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River and that stop produced some good stuff despite the continued windy conditions.  Highlights included an unidentified empidonax flycatcher, a late Least Flycatcher that actually was singing a bit, at least two (possibly three) Philadelphia Vireos, ten species of warbler (with at least three Tennessee Warblers) among the nearly 35 species over the course of an hour and a half.

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Palm Warbler 'western', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Yellow Warblers, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

House Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Warbling Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

Least Flycatcher, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2022

On Wednesday morning I headed over to Arcadia for my first of four mornings and spent nearly four hours combing through the various fields and hedgerows.  The wind picked up by a little after eight and then kept increasing so it became increasingly difficult to see movement.  Even without perfect conditions throughout the morning I still came away with 70+ species there with several highlights including the following:  a slightly late Least Flycatcher, around a dozen House Wrens and 13 species of warbler (including a Mourning Warbler, five Yellow Warblers and my first Palm Warblers of the fall including one 'yellow' Palm Warbler).  

Several notable species the last few days including Connecticut Warblers, Dickcissels and multiple lingering species as migration peaks

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 18, 2021

Carolina Wren, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 18, 2021

Northern Waterthrush, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Sep 18, 2021

American Black Duck, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Sep 18, 2021

The peak of fall migration is here and with it a bunch of notable species have shown up in the last few days for me and I will cover them all below with a separate entry for each day.  Today was a bit overcast with some drizzle that eventually gave way to more sun.  I stayed local as I had some other commitments that limited my birding time.  I decided to try some new spots this morning to try to get away from the mosquitoes that have become extremely annoying at many of my stops the last couple days.  I started out before dawn at Winsor Dam and still had an Eastern Whip Poor Will singing as well as a number of flight calls from migrants.  I then went to the rail trail in Amherst where the most notable species there being at least two Marsh Wrens singing from the marsh at Hop Brook.  My final stop before heading home was to a small area of Quabbin Park which turned out to be somewhat quiet but I still turned up some birds.  If I'm right in my interpretation of the upcoming weather the next couple days should see a big influx of migrants.

Northern Parula with oddly colored head, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2021

Northern Parula with oddly colored head, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2021

Yellow Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2021

Common Yellowthroat with white spots, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2021

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2021

Dickcissel, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2021

Least Flycatcher, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 17, 2021

Friday was cloudy throughout the day with an occasional breeze.  The mosquitoes were horrendous for most of the morning at every location I birded.  Most of my time was spent at Arcadia and overall it was mainly quiet until a bit after nine when I ran across a large mixed flock.  Within the flock were a decent numbers of warblers including an oddly plumaged Northern Parula (more details and more photos at the following link).  Among the other 14 species of warblers was my first Wilson's Warbler of the fall as well as at least five Yellow Warblers.  Other notable species for the morning included a late Least Flycatcher, lots of Red eyed Vireos and House Wrens and two Dickcissels among 76 species.

Connecticut Warbler, Hadley, MA, Sep 16, 2021

Blue Grosbeak, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 16, 2021

American Golden Plover, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 16, 2021

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 16, 2021

Common Yellowthroat with leg band, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 16, 2021

Connecticut Warbler (iPhone photo through binoculars), Belchertown, MA, Sep 16, 2021

Wilson patiently waiting for me to stop looking at a Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 16, 2021

Thursday I got up to some rain coming down and the radar looked like the wet conditions would continue but as the rain was moving steadily east I headed west to get out of it sooner.  While waiting out the worst of the rain by running a few errands, I still made it to my first stop by 6:30.  Although the migration conditions were less than ideal I still knew there would be stuff to see as it is mid September and stuff is always moving this time of year.  My main goal was a Connecticut Warbler and I managed to find two for the day!  More on the Connecticut Warblers can be found at the following link: Connecticut Warblers.  In addition to the first CONW for the day at my first stop I had a couple late flycatchers including a Least Flycatcher and Great crested Flycatcher.  My next stop was to the nearby Honey Pot where I walked a bit of the road mainly in search of unusual sparrows (I found none).  Nonetheless I still had some good birds including a few flyover shorebirds including an American Golden Plover plus three Peregrine Falcons flying over (with a Solitary Sandpiper flying right near them), a 'yellow' Palm Warbler and at least four Blue Grosbeaks together.  I then made a stop at the mosquito haven (also known as Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River) where I gave a lot of blood and had some birds including some migrant raptors as well as some warblers including a banded Common Yellowthroat.

Black throated Green Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2021

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2021

Common Mergansers and Green winged Teal, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 15, 2021

On the 15th I stayed closer to home on a cloudy and humid morning.  I started before dawn at Quabbin Park.  The morning started with at least one Eastern Whip Poor Will still singing.  Once it got I bit lighter I covered a handful of areas in the park and turned up the following notables: at least 5 Wood Thrushes, lots of Eastern Towhees and a dozen species of warblers.  The conditions made finding passerines a bit of a challenge as the breeze continued to pick up as the morning moved along.

Chestnut sided Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2021

Palm Warbler 'western', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2021

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2021

Philadelphia Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2021

House Wren, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2021

Dickcissel, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 14, 2021

On Tuesday the 14th I started out my morning before dawn at Arcadia where I had an influx of Red eyed Vireos, a couple Philadelphia Vireos, at least 18 House Wrens, a dozen species of warblers and a Dickcissel among a total of 76 species over the course of a little shy of four hours.  I then made a stop in the East Meadows looking in vain for the Yellow headed Blackbird I had seen there the day before.  The most notable sighting there were two Dickcissels together (a really great fall for the species around here).