A record early Magnolia Warbler for me today plus a few other new arrivals despite lackluster migration conditions

Magnolia Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Merlin, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Wild Turkey, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Barred Owl, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 25, 2026

Although I didn't expect to get a whole lot this morning given the ongoing poor migration conditions the bird gods shined down on me a bit for my birthday with a record early Magnolia Warbler at Quabbin Park.  Before going to Quabbin Park I took a walk at Gate 5.  The weather was a bit cool with temps in the upper 30's with a slight north wind...at least it was sunny.  Nothing too unusual at Gate 5 although always fun to see turkeys displaying and have Blue Jays going crazy due to a Barred Owl showing itself.  Once I made it to the park I started adding species and had some decent counts of a variety of species including Yellow bellied Sapsuckers, Purple Finches (lots around the last several days), Eastern Towhees and Pine Warblers.  I had the pair of Merlins that are likely going to nest again in the area.  I then started getting some warbler variety as I continued walking with a Northern Yellow Warbler and then the Magnolia Warbler.  I was not expecting to find the species today but I heard it sing and immediately recognized it and knew it was very early so got some recordings and eventually some photos.  The species usually starts arriving in the area in early May and to get one this early is very unusual, especially with poor migration conditions.  My previous early date for the species in the county was April 29th back in 2011...a long standing record for me.  It was my best day for warbler diversity in the area so far this year with eight species total.  

Huge numbers of Horned Grebes today plus loads of other stuff put down by the weather

Red necked Grebes, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

Long tailed Ducks, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

Horned Grebes, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

Red breatsed Mergasners, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

View toward Quabbin tower, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

After a dusting of snow overnight I had hopes that the precipitation that came in overnight might have put down some migrant waterfowl (and perhaps others) so I headed to Winsor Dam at first light and started scanning the water.  I came across three Long tailed Ducks right away as well as a smattering of other species including dozens of birds that were just too far away to ID.  I decided to leave the dam and head to Gate 5 and see if I could get a better look at some of the birds from there.  I made the walk down to the water as quick as I could and started scanning and immediately started coming across noteworthy birds with many highlights including my highest count ever in the county for Horned Grebes with an amazing 114 individuals, blowing away my previous high count of 26 that I set back in December 2009.  I also had at least eight Red necked Grebes, two Ruddy Ducks, two White winged Scoters and 62 Long tailed Ducks as well as other more common species.  After about an hour at gate 5 I returned to Winsor Dam and could view some of the species from there although the numbers and diversity continued to drop as the day brightened up a bit and the precipitation lifted.  

Horned Grebes, Ware, MA, Apr 11, 2025

Red necked Grebes, Ware, MA, Apr 11, 2025

I tried a few other nearby areas for waterfowl and a small lake in Ware produced another ten Horned Grebes and four Red necked Grebes.  A really spectacular day for both species and not one I'm likely to repeat again.  I ended the morning with an impressive 18 species of waterfowl.

At least 18 Arctic Terns at Quabbin today!

Arctic Terns, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Arctic Terns, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Arctic Tern, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Arctic Tern, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Arctic Terns, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Although I figured the migration conditions would be fantastic last night which would result in an epic morning of birding I was wrong and the morning was overall a bit lackluster but given that it is mid May it was still good.  I spent a few hours hunting down warblers in the Hadley and Amherst area and then headed home to take Wilson for a walk.  While I was almost done with the walk I got a text from Marshall regarding a couple likely Arctic Terns in Berkshire County and at least one inland in Connecticut so I quickly made my way to Winsor Dam (Marshall had mentioned a few days ago the possibility of Arctic Terns turning up inland following a large number of the species being displaced into the mid Atlantic due to several days of strong northeast winds).  Initially I didn't see anything at the dam but a final look before I left turned up some very distant terns.  They were too far out to identify but I figured a look from Gate 5 might produce better views.  I quickly made my way there and as I hurried down to the water I got more reports of Arctic Terns with up to 26 reported inland in  Connecticut!  Once I was down at the waters edge at Gate 5 I started scanning and quickly turned up first 8, then 13 and then 14 Arctic Terns!  Amazing when you remember there are only a few previous Hampshire County records ever with the most notable being a long staying individual at the Holyoke Dam in 1999.  I got the message out to as wide an audience as I could and updated as time allowed.  The birds were mainly feeding actively over the water and showing their very long tails and acrobatic flight.  A Common Tern was with them for a bit but overall the show was Arctic Terns.  Occasionally the group would land on the water before taking to the the air again to hunt.  I noticed a few new individuals join the initial group and I maxed my count at 18 Arctic Terns!  Really amazing to witness.  At this point most of the birds drifted off to the north, moving up the west arm of the reservoir.  Thankfully a couple birders arrived in time to see the few remaining birds before they also disappeared off to the north.  More and more birders arrived but the birds did not return while I was there.  Thankfully a few birds did return eventually and more birders got to see the terns.  There were numerous other reports of inland Arctic Terns the rest of the day and it will be interesting on the final tally from this very unusual occurrence of inland Arctic Terns (extra amazing as the weather was not rainy and windy as is usually the case with terns inland in the area).  The terns were extra special as they were a new Hampshire County species for me (#303)...not something that happens too often for me.   It is certainly worth keeping an eye out over the next few days to see if any more show up.  Friday the 13th was not unlucky for me today.

A great explanation of what produced the large incursion of Arctic Terns can be found within Marshall's eBird report from Gooseberry Neck.  

Link to a Flickr album with more distant photos as well as multiple videos: Arctic Terns -May 13

The last week or so around here plus an update on an upcoming hurricane

Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 31, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 31, 2020

To finish out the month of July I stuck close to home with visits to Lake Wallace and a couple spots at Quabbin.  Nothing unusual but quite a few young birds around still being fed by adults.  We finally broke out of the multi day heat wave today with temps that only made it to the 80's. 

The tropics continue to be active and there is now a hurricane (Hurricane Isaias) near the Turks and Caicos Islands and moving northwest toward the Bahamas.  It is forecast to move just offshore of Florida before then moving northeast with impacts along the Carolina coast and then possibly into the northeast.  There are still more questions then answers with this storm and the latest guidance keeps the storm just offshore of New England (as a tropical storm) but we almost certainly get some rain and perhaps some wind out of the storm with impacts starting on Tuesday and continuing into Wednesday.  The uncertainty with the track is large enough at this point that the storm could have a much bigger impact here but the picture on that will become clearer over the next couple days as the storm moves closer.  I will update as needed if the storm looks to hit the area.

Great Egret, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jul 30, 2020

Great Blue Heron, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jul 30, 2020

I had a few minutes on my way to work on Wednesday morning and made brief stops at Lake Warner (looking for a Black crowned Nigh Heron) and then over to the Honey Pot.  No luck finding anything unusual but I didn't have a lot of time to look around.  After getting out of work on Thursday morning I made my way down to Arcadia again before yet another stop over to Lake Warner.

Great Blue Great Blue Heron, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jul 28, 2020

Great Blue Heron, Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, Jul 28, 2020

On Monday before work I stopped at Lake Warner searching for a reported juvenile Black crowned Night Heron but I didn't manage to find it.  Always a tough to find this species there without a boat or kayak as there are only limited areas that can be viewed from publicly accessible areas.
After work on Tuesday I had to run some errands in Chicopee and on the way I stopped off at Arcadia and then down to the Holyoke Dam.  Nothing too unusual at either spot but always worth a check as birds start dispersing after breeding.

Green Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 26, 2020

Green Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 26, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 26, 2020

I took advantage of some cooler temperatures in the morning on Sunday before the next heat wave began with temps eventually reaching the low 90's.  I didn't have a lot of time so decided to make a brief stop at Winsor Dam before heading over to the rail trail to try again to catch up with the Least Bitterns (no luck with the bitterns despite looking in several areas).  I did have some very cooperative Green Herons as well as other expected species.

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

I was not sure where to head out on Saturday morning but I got an email from a couple of birders that wanted to join me for a morning at Lake Wallace to try and find some species they had not yet seen so I decided to head there early in the morning to meet them and we had great luck finding them the species they were after as well as some mammals.  We then made the short drive over to Gate 5 at Quabbin and we added some more species for them.  Always fun to get some lifers for people.

Belted Kingfisher, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 24, 2020

Belted Kingfisher, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 24, 2020

Last Friday morning I hit a few spots including Lake Wallace and Gate 5.  Nothing too unusual around but I got some great looks at a variety of species including an unusually cooperative Belted Kingfisher that had just caught a fish.  Video of the kingfisher with fish attached below:
Belted Kingfisher video 

Spotted Sandpiper, Hatfield, MA, Jul 23, 2020

After some thunderstorms overnight into Thursday the 23rd I had hopes of finding some downed shorebirds up in Hatfield but unfortunately the river was just too high to have any mudflats exposed and all the farm fields were still filled with crops.  The best I could turn up were some Spotted Sandpipers.  I also checked a variety of spot along the river all the way down to the Holyoke Dam without anything too unusual beyond at least three Osprey and the continued large gathering of Chimney Swifts around the dam.

Broad necked Wood Borer, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

Striped Skunk, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 26, 2020

Blue Jay, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2020

Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 24, 2020

The cameras at the house have continued to catch a few critters plus I have found a few more on my own including a very interesting looking insect.

October ends and November begins

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2017

Long tailed Duck and Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2017

Long tailed Duck and Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2017

Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 1, 2017

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2017

The storm last weekend into Monday brought heavy rain and strong wind and knocked out power to a large area of the northeast.  Thankfully we managed to be without power for just about half a day but others to the east were not as lucky.  The power outage kept me from getting out as early and often as I hoped at the end of the storm but I still managed to find some waterfowl and other interesting stuff at Quabbin Park including a Surf Scoter, six Black Scoters and a Long tailed Duck on Sunday and a Surf Scoter, 14 Black Scoters, a Eastern Phoebe and a Snow Bunting on Monday.  The first of November 1st at south Quabbin brought in 17 Bufflehead, a Red throated Loon and a Bonaparte's Gull.  Elsewhere in the area there was a nice influx of waterfowl including impressive numbers of Brant plus a number of shorebird species.


As a follow up to my earlier post (Storm end of October) regarding a big influx of southern species into southern Nova Scotia (and elsewhere in the northeast) there is an interesting article from Birdcast explaining the occurrence in greater detail at the following link:  neotropical transport into northeastern north america.  There is another interesting article at the following link from researchers from Bon Portage Island on the southwest coast of Nova Scotia regarding the fallout of birds- Bon Portage Island.   Below are a few eBird lists that illustrate the influx quite well-
https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40188024
https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40196982
https://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40168130

The next several days will feature a roller coaster of temperatures and conditions that should push in more migrants on the days when the winds come in out of the north.  Today it warmed to around 70 with southerly winds but by tonight the winds will become gusty out of the northwest and the high tomorrow will be in the low 50's.  It will warm a bit again later into the weekend and into Monday before cooling down again on Tuesday with highs again back in the low 50's.  Waterfowl migration should be the heaviest tomorrow and again on Tuesday morning.  Hopefully something unusual shows up.

Thanksgiving and today produce Cackling Geese (plus other sightings over the last few cloudy, foggy, rainy days)

Cackling Geese, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 26, 2016

Cackling Goose, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 26, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 26, 2016

Today dawned very foggy so I decided to head over to Arcadia instead of waiting for the fog to lift at Quabbin. Despite the fog that never lifted through mid morning at Arcadia I still managed to find some good stuff including a couple Cackling Geese in among 500+ Canada Geese as well as a late Eastern Phoebe.  I didn't have any luck finding the Red headed Woodpecker that has been seen in the area sporadically. I then headed across the river checking various fields without finding too much.  I was also unable to find the Brant at the campus pond this morning but it may have been with a group of geese feeding elsewhere.  A late morning stop at Winsor Dam just as it started to rain again found a pair of White winged Scoters but not much else.

Long tailed Ducks, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 25, 2016

Long tailed Ducks, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 25, 2016

Red necked Grebe with Canada Geese, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 25, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 25, 2016

After a good nights sleep I got up at dawn on Friday and headed over to Quabbin where the weather was less than ideal with low clouds, fog and drizzle.  I spent a bit of time trying to find stuff on the water despite the limited visibility at times.  I managed to find just the expected species with nothing unusual around.  The weather didn't get any better so I headed for home.  Around midday I noticed the weather had improved slightly with increased visibility so I headed back to Winsor Dam and scanned the nearly dead calm water and noticed a diving duck way out that I could just not ID so I decided to try my luck by heading over to gate 5 and then viewing from there.  I made it over there and as I walked down toward the water I had some great looks at an Eastern Coyote.  A scan of the reservoir once I made it down to the water turned up a group of three Long tailed Ducks and a few Common Loons.  I could see the duck I had from Winsor Dam off to the south but still too far away to identify.  I then walked down the shoreline almost to gate 4 before I was able to get a good enough look to identify it as another Long tailed Duck.  On my way back out I noticed a small group of geese had come in and among them was a single Red necked Grebe.  By the time I made it back to the car the clouds and fog had dropped back in again and the drizzle started again.

Cackling Goose with Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 25, 2016

Black Scoters with Ring necked Duck (R) and Hooded Mergansers (L), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 25, 2016

I had just a little time on Thanksgiving to check anywhere as I was tired from work and didn't have the energy to spend too much time outside.  I stopped briefly at Winsor Dam and my time there was rewarded with a flyby Cackling Goose in among a small flock of Canada Geese as well as half a dozen Black Scoters, a Ring necked Duck and nine Hooded Mergansers on the water.