My second best August in the county ends with phalarope and Sanderlings

Hermit Thrush, Belchertown, MA, Aug 31, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 31, 2025

Red eyed Vireo, Belchertown, MA, Aug 31, 2025

Red breasted Nuthatch, Belchertown, MA, Aug 31, 2025

Raccoon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 31, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 30, 2025

Eastern Towhee, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 30, 2025

Nashville Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2025

Common Nighthawk, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2025

Magnolia Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2025

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2025

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2025

Olive sided Flycatcher, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 28, 2025

Gray Catbird, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 28, 2025

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 28, 2025

As August comes I managed to find a total of  165 species in Hampshire County, which puts me in the number two spot for the most species I have ever had for the month in the county (just one species behind my best total in 2023, when I had 166 species).  I have been concentrating hard on warblers (as one would expect) and I have found a number of early arrivals for the month with an especially good showing of Bay breasted Warblers and Cape May Warblers.  I managed a total of 26 species of warblers for the month.  Beyond warblers the last few days of the month have had a few rarities including a couple of Sanderlings at the Holyoke Dam yesterday and a extremely distant phalarope at Winsor Dam today plus an very early Red necked Grebe.  In addition there seems to be a bit of an incursion of Red breasted Nuthatches ongoing as well as slowly increasing numbers of Red Crossbills and Purple Finches...hopefully the beginning of a good season of irruptives to come.  The end of August (the 28th to be exact)  brought the 14th anniversary of the arrival of Hurricane Irene into the area and with it some of the most epic birding ever.  The tropics are quiet right now but we are rapidly approaching the peak of hurricane season and perhaps this year a tropical system will once again impact the area...we shall see.  The models are hinting at some activity coming up.

More early arrivals (including a Purple Martin) with great migration conditions

 

 Purple Martin, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Apr 23, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 23, 2025

Green Heron, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Apr 24, 2025

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 24, 2025

White throated Sparrow, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 25, 2025

The last few days have featured great migration conditions and the birds have responded with a decent influx of early arrivals.  This is certainly reflected in my totals for the month up until this point with a total of 144 species as of today (which is ten species ahead of my previous highest total at this point in the month).  I'm also well ahead of average for the year at this point with 167 species (my previous highest ytd total at this point was 159 in 2022).  All of this despite the fact that I have not been out as much as I would like to be due to some commitments at home.  It just shows how good the migration conditions have been lately.  Migration has slowed a bit today with rain and will be slow tomorrow as we have strong winds out of the north with cool temps.  After that we should see some better migration conditions to end the month and with any luck I will top my highest species count ever for April in the county (set last year with 156 species).  I had hoped that the rain that moved in overnight today would put down migrants but I had no luck tracking down any (although a Caspian Tern and some Brant did show up in Franklin County).  I also came across a continued banded Black capped Chickadee in the yard yesterday that I have not seen in weeks and was certainly happy to see it still around.  The chickadee was banded in 2021 and has lost the color band it had on its right leg so not 100% certain if it was banded in June or July of that year but I think it is the one banded in June (from what I can make out on the federal aluminum band).  No matter it is great to see it surviving in the yard for years.

Raccoon, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 24, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' and Chipping Sparrow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 24, 2025

Opossum, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 23, 2025

Gray Fox, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 23, 2025

Eastern Coyote, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 23, 2025

Wild Turkeys, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 4, 2025

The various game cameras around the yard continue to capture a variety of mammals and birds including Gray Fox, Eastern Coyote, Opossum, Raccoon and my first warbler of the year.

The third week of August comes to an end

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2024

Wilson's Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2024

Tennessee Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2024

Bay breasted Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2024

Gray Catbird, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 21, 2024

I ended the third week of August by guiding a birder (Bindhu) from India for the morning.  With the passage of a cold front and northerly winds I had high hopes migration would be good for some early fall migrants.  The morning started off quite cool with lows in the upper 40's (giving it a very fall like feel).  We started the morning checking for some shorebirds in Hadley and got a lifer for her there with some Semipalmated Plovers.  We didn't have any luck with the Blue Grosbeaks there but we didn't spend much time looking as I wanted to get Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River as the sun started warming things up.  Although it started off a bit slow there the warming temps started increasing activity as the morning wore on and we had some nice mixed flocks which included eleven species of warblers including multiple early arriving species including yet another Tennessee Warbler, a couple Bay breasted Warblers travelling together and a Wilson's Warbler.  We also had several raptor species, a variety of flycatchers, at least one of the continued Sedge Wrens, tons of Gray Catbirds and many Ruby throated Hummingbirds and Rose breasted Grosbeaks among a total of 64 species.  I added another Tennessee Warbler when I was for a walk with Wilson once I got home.

Gray Catbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 20, 2024

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Rail Trail, Ware, MA, Aug 20, 2024

Ovenbird, Rail Trail, Ware, MA, Aug 20, 2024

Canada Warbler, Rail Trail, Ware, MA, Aug 20, 2024

Yesterday I had a morning free from work and other commitments and spent it mainly in Ware and then Belchertown before heading home.  It was a fairly productive morning although once the wind picked up mid morning it became increasingly difficult to track down birds.  

Common Nighthawks, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 19, 2024

Common Nighthawks, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 19, 2024

Common Nighthawks, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 19, 2024

After getting home from an overtime shift on Monday I had a nice movement on Common Nighthawks lazily moving past as the cold front and associated thunderstorms arrived.  I had at least 165 in about ten minutes and there were likely many more that I missed before I headed outside to see if any nighthawks were moving.  Link to eBird list:  eBird list

Eastern Coyote, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 17, 2024

Black Bear, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 14, 2024

Raccoons, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 13, 2024

I also checked the camera along the Jabish Brook at the house and captured a number of mammals including a family of Raccoons on multiple occasions plus a Black Bear and an Eastern Coyote.  I got video of all of them and have attached them below.

Raccoons video: Raccoons

Black Bear video: Bear

Eastern Coyote video: Coyote

Say's Phoebe and others the last several days as I fight a cold

Say's Phoebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 25, 2024

Eggs in  duck box #1, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2024

Hooded Merganser eggs in  duck box #3, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2024

Eastern Phoebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 20, 2024

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Tufted Titmouse and Dark eyed Junco, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 19, 2024

Raccoon, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 19, 2024

Pine Siskin, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 17, 2024

After coming down with a cold almost a week and a half ago the symptoms have faded a bit still not back to normal.  The weather lately has not been really great for birding with mainly cool temps, breezy conditions (mainly out of the north) and some heavy rain.  I have gotten a little birding in at times but mainly I have been staying home.  Nonetheless I have still had some good stuff including the long staying Say's Phoebe continuing through today and lots of Eastern Phoebes.  The camera at the water feature continues to capture birds and mammals.  A check of the duck boxes today found a Hooded Merganser on eggs in duck box #3 and a full clutch of eggs in duck box #1 (still unknown on the species but I suspect another Hooded Merganser nest).  Oddly still no eggs in duck box #2, which is the first time since I put the boxes up that I have not had eggs in that box.  The rest of the month looks to feature less than great migration conditions but I will try to get out to find stuff when work and weather allows.