SAGE THRASHER in Hatfield!

 

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Sage Thrasher feeding, Hatfield, MA, Dec 14, 2020

Last evening I got a message from another birder regarding the identification of an species she saw earlier that day that she identified in the field as a Hermit Thrush but once she got home and started looking at the photos she took she knew it was something else but didn't know what.  She sent me the photos and one look at them showed a Sage Thrasher...an incredible rarity for anywhere in the east.  This was quickly followed by a few messages from others regarding the report as her photos were also posted to a bird identification site.  The ID was made rapidly on that site as well and several people posted links to the photos to multiple birding sites on Facebook.  The observer started getting messages regarding the bird in regards to its exact location.  She was nervous about releasing the exact location as the area is private and would not be able to handle a large influx of people.  She reached out to a few local birders (myself included) to follow up on the sighting and guidance on what course of action to take if the bird was relocated.  

I arrived before dawn and was quickly joined by several others and we started looking around the area for the bird.  There were many hedgerows and thickets to check and all looked like good spots for a Sage Thrasher to hang out in.  The forecasted snow started up in earnest a bit before eight and continued moderately for a period quickly dusting the ground.  I initially had to leave around 8:30 to get home to meet a contractor but just as I was set to leave he emailed me and cancelled the work for the day due to the snow so I was able to stay a bit longer looking.  Just as one bout of snow was ending around nine the bird was seen briefly once we all spread out covering more areas.  It disappeared before others could get on it but that observer got some photos. The bird was then seen briefly as it flew to another thicket and then disappeared once again.  A few other birders left after more fruitless searching and the snow picked up once again.  I was just about to give up on it and was heading for my car when the bird was relocated by a couple birders nearby and the bird stayed teed up for a few minutes before diving down into one of the thickets and started eating berries.  Overall the bird seems quite skittish and only seemed to appear once there were almost no people around its favored area.  The observers present agreed the bird seemed stressed by even the small amount of activity of just a few birders.  It was great to finally catch up with it after hours of searching.   I have to say I would never had guessed that I would be looking at a Sage Thrasher in Hampshire County in the middle of December!  Not only is the bird a first Hampshire County record it is the first inland Massachusetts record and only the fifth Massachusetts record...a true rarity!  It becomes species #301 for me in Hampshire County.  There was another report of this species in eastern New York that showed up in early November and then disappeared around the 18th of that month so not sure if it is the same individual or not.

The worst part of this sighting was trying to decide if the report should be broadcast out to the general birding population.  There were several items to consider.  The first and foremost would be the health of the bird and this is no small consideration.  The individual is already stressed to some degree being in this area in December so the additional stress from loads of birders crowding it would not bode well for the bird.  As mentioned earlier the bird seemed to stay away from its preferred feeding location when anyone was nearby.  In addition the entire area is private (although the farm road may indeed be an unmaintained public way).  On the other hand it is a mega rarity for the area and many would love to see it.  The original observer was nervous about a lot of people leading to issues from the start.   I told her we would first see if the bird was still around today and then I would poll several birders for their thoughts on what to do with the report.  Everyone I asked came to the same conclusion that it is not an easy decision and most agreed the final say would rest with the original observer.  There is history with rarities turning into fiascos with birders and photographers being less than ethical and not abiding by rules set by those releasing specific directions to the bird.  There is also some history of birders behaving and allowing many people to see a rare bird so a true conundrum.   In the end we all were glad it was not up to us to make the final decision.  After much back and forth between the original observer and input from several other birders we left it up to her and she decided to keep the report quiet to avoid issues.  I know some people will not be happy about it but I for one will support her decision.  The possibility of an upcoming large snow storm followed by very cold temps may make all the discussion regarding access a moot point.  

'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow and other unusual sparrows in Hadley

 

'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow (right center) with Song Sparrow and typical Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

During my travels this morning after getting out of work I found an 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrowalong Aqua Vitae Road in Hadley, which is a subspecies that is rarely found inland with just a handful of records (I have had just one previously in the county back in January of 2016 in the East Meadows).  I decided to stop by Aqua Vitae Road to check for some White crowned Sparrows that have been hanging out in the area.  The first bird I took a look at turned out to be a White crowned Sparrow (more on that below).  After getting a few photos of the White crowned Sparrow I noticed a Lincoln's Sparrow and then a very light looking sparrow that almost glowed in the early morning light.  This bird turned out to be the 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow and I immediately got a few photos for documentation.  The bird then showed on and off the remainder of the time I was there and was usually in the company of typical Savannah Sparrows offering a nice comparison of the size and coloration differences..  'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrows is a very unique subspecies of Savannah Sparrow (and was once considered a distinct species) that breeds on Sable Island and winters on the immediate Atlantic coast and is seldom found elsewhere.  Sable Island is a small island over a hundred miles from Nova Scotia out in the Atlantic and renowned for being the graveyard for many ships over the years.  If anyone goes looking for the bird remember that all the land in the area is private and you can only bird from the road and should not park in a way that blocks access for anyone to their property or anyone else using the road...in other words don't be an ass.

White crowned Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

Lincoln's Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

Savannah Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

Song Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

Swamp Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

American Tree Sparrow, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

Dark eyed Junco, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 11, 2020

In addition the the 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow there were a number of other unusual sparrows around plus decent numbers of more common sparrow species.  One of the more unusual was a Lincoln's Sparrow that popped up briefly and then was not seen again.  I also found at least four White crowned Sparrows all of which were juveniles plus at least three Swamp Sparrows.  Other sparrows around included American Tree Sparrows, White throated Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows (of the typical subspecies seen around here) and Song Sparrows plus Dark eyed Juncos.  I also thought I heard a Common Yellowthroat call but I heard it just once and was never able to get a visual so can't be certain of it.  

BARNACLE GOOSE at Winsor Dam this morning

Barnacle Goose with Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 23, 2020

Barnacle Goose (middle) with Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 23, 2020

Barnacle Goose with Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 23, 2020

Barnacle Goose (middle left) with Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 23, 2020

Barnacle Goose (far right middle) with Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 23, 2020

Bonaparte's Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 23, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 23, 2020

Today dawned rainy and foggy with limited visibility but I tried my luck at Winsor Dam at dawn nonetheless.  The visibility was just too poor at first light so I left to run some errands and then returned to the dam around 7:30 in the hopes of finding something interesting.  The rain was even heavier than earlier but I decided to wait a bit and see if a break in the rain developed.  After about thirty minutes the rain let up a bit, the fog lifted slightly and I was able to start scanning the nearly calm waters.  I turned up a dozen Common Loons scattered around the reservoir as well as a Bonaparte's Gull.  In addition there were a few notable flyby species including a slightly late Yellow rumped Warbler and at least three Evening Grosbeaks.  As I was scanning I noticed a group of Canada Geese flying in from the north and got the scope on them right away in the hopes of perhaps turning up a Snow Goose or even a Greater White fronted Goose in the mix.  Much to my surprise I found an odd goose in among the flock but not one of the two mentioned above.  Instead it was a much, much rarer Barnacle Goose!  I got fantastic looks of the bird through the scope quickly noting the various field marks eliminating any other species.  I immediately knew I had to try to get some documentation photos of this incredible rarity but my good camera was not quickly accessible and I didn't want to take my eyes off the bird so I took out my iPhone and snapped off as many shots as I could before the flock disappeared off to the southwest.  Trying to get photos of moving birds in bad light with just the scope and phone can be a bit of a challenge and you just hope a few come out well enough to identify the species.  I came away with a few shots that showed the overall build of the bird with the white face, black neck and chest and overall grayish remainder of the body.  After this group disappeared a few more small flocks of Canada Geese came through following roughly the same flight line and then the weather closed back in again and the visibility dropped.  I quickly reviewed a few of the photos and it looked like I got a few that at least were good enough to show the field marks.  Barnacle Goose is a very rare bird to the northeast (but steadily increasing as the Greenland population of the species has continued to increase).  The species is on the review list for the state.  This record is the third in Hampshire County (with one in Amherst in 2008 and another this year in Northampton when an adult and four hybrids were present) and I have managed to see two of the three records (becoming my 299th species in the county when I saw the one in Northampton earlier this year).  In addition this species becomes the 251st species I have seen at Quabbin overall and my 212th species just at Winsor Dam.  I made a few more stops over the course of the day as a front moved in and the winds switched to the northwest.  There were lots of Bald Eagles around but unfortunately no hoped for Golden Eagles.  The Bonaparte's Gull continued and looked to be quite comfortable sitting on the water.  Full album of photos of the Barnacle Goose at the following link.

Wild Turkeys, Northampton, MA, Nov 19, 2020

White throated Sparrow, Amherst, MA, Nov 20, 2020

Wilson enjoying a rare warm day, Belchertown, MA, Nov 20, 2020

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 21, 2020

 Hermit Thrush, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 21, 2020

The last few days have been relatively quiet without too much in the way of unusual stuff as late fall as truly arrived with continued cooling temperatures (with a slight reprieve for a couple days) and less and less in the way of species diversity although the ongoing irruption of a variety of species have kept things interesting.  

FRANKLIN'S GULL in Northampton today

Franklin's Gull, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 26, 2020

Franklin's Gull and Dunlin, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 26, 2020

Franklin's Gull, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 26, 2020

Franklin's Gull, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 26, 2020

Franklin's Gull, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 26, 2020

Franklin's Gull, Oxbow, Northampton, MA, Oct 26, 2020

With rain moving in overnight and continuing into the morning I left work and headed over to Winsor Dam looking for birds downed by the rain (more on my time at the dam below).  I checked my phone while at the dam and noticed a message from Aaron that he had a Franklin's Gull on the small (but productive) sandbar in the Oxbow in Northampton.  I immediately headed back across the river and right to the marina where I set up the scope in the moderate rain and quickly picked out the Franklin's Gull in among the Ring billed Gulls and a single Herring Gull.  I thought the viewing conditions might be better from the area of Arcadia so I left the marina and made my way over.  There were a number of other birders present and all were getting great looks at the gull.  Indeed the viewing conditions were better from the area of the water ski club and everyone was staying behind the no trespassing signs at the club.  The gulls were occasionally flushed by some of the local eagles but would quickly settle back down at least until they flushed around 9:30 and the Franklin's Gull didn't return to the sandbar.  It could have landed in one of the large grassy fields near the marina (which the gulls often do after getting flushed by eagles or boats) or it could have headed to the main part of the Connecticut River.  Given the raining, misty conditions with low clouds and fog the bird probably didn't go too far.  Franklin's Gull is very rare in Hampshire County (or anywhere in the state really as it is a review species for the state...link to the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee).  I have only had Franklin's Gull once before and that was during a large incursion of the species into the area back in November 2015.  I initially found two on the morning of November 13th and then found singles on the mornings of the 14th and 15th.  Prior to the incursion of 2015 there is just one prior Hampshire County record from September 1986 in Amherst.  Other western mass records prior to 2015 include one in Longmeadow in  September 1986, one in Pittsfield in June 1997 and multiple reports from Turners Falls in November 2005 following the passage of Hurricane Wilma.  If anyone tries to relocate the bird from today your best course of action would be to scan the various viewpoints of the Oxbow from the Arcadia side and perhaps look along the river in the area of the Northampton/Easthampton line.

Dunlin, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 26, 2020

Besides the Franklin's Gull there were a few other notable species hanging around the sandbar including a dozen Dunlin (down from a flock of 20+ that Aaron had earlier), a Pectoral Sandpiper and four Greater Yellowlegs.  The Dunlin are certainly the most unusual of the shorebirds present and a species that can be tough to find in the valley and the count of a dozen is probably 

As mentioned above I started my morning at Winsor Dam where I had a smattering of waterfowl including my first Bufflehead of the fall (a female that almost got picked off by an eagle almost as soon as it landed on the water), three Common Goldeneyes and all three scoters (one White winged Scoter, one Surf Scoter and two Black Scoters) as well as other more expected waterfowl.  With the addition of some of the waterfowl, the Franklin's Gull and the Dunlin I now stand at 154 species in Hampshire County for the month (beating my previous record of 152 species set in 2018) and 238 in the county for the year (just shy of my record of 241 species also set in 2018).  

The tropics also continue to be active with Tropical Storm Zeta near the Yucatan Peninsula and expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico and then impact the Louisiana coast mid week as a hurricane.  The remnants look to move into the local area toward the end of the week.  With the formation of Zeta the 2020 season ties 2005 for the most storms in a season with 28.

WESTERN TANAGER in Amherst!

Western Tanager, Amherst, MA, Apr 18, 2020

Western Tanager, Amherst, MA, Apr 18, 2020

Western Tanager, Amherst, MA, Apr 18, 2020

Western Tanager, Amherst, MA, Apr 18, 2020

Western Tanager, Amherst, MA, Apr 18, 2020

Western Tanager, Amherst, MA, Apr 18, 2020

After catching up with a Glossy Ibis (plus some Blue winged Teal) late in the morning yesterday in Amherst I figured the unusual species were done for day but I was wrong!  I was just about ready to start cooking dinner in the early evening on Saturday when I got a call from Scott telling me about a Western Tanager coming into some feeders at a private residence in a suburban neighborhood in Amherst.  I quickly got the specifics on the location and I was out the door.  The bird had been seen on and off for the afternoon but was not being seen when I arrived.  The homeowner stated it has been disappearing for awhile but would then return to feed.  After waiting for about twenty minutes I spotted it as it came in high in the trees where it appeared to be gleaning insects in some freshly leafing out branches.  After feeding up high for a few minutes it dropped in briefly to the feeders before disappearing for a few minutes.  It then reappeared up high in the trees once again before it dropped in to visit the feeders.  A really impressive bird to see and not what I expected to see here in mid April.  In looking up any records for the species in Hampshire County I could only find a single record in eBird (from a Bird Observer submission which is always suspect as records there are frequently wrong) plus a single record from a well known birders memory 'back in the 60's'.  This is certainly the first well documented record.  The species does show up in the state from time to time but almost always on the coast and more typically in fall so a spring record inland is a very rare occurrence.  Obviously the species was a new one for me in Hampshire County, bringing my county total up to 297.  Although I did not go back today it was seen by other birders through at least midday (I thought it would have left with the south winds and warmer temperatures but I was happy to be wrong).  More photos at my flickr album.

Northern Flickers, rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 19, 2020

American Robin, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Apr 19, 2020

White tailed Deer, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Apr 19, 2020

Killdeer, Slobody Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Apr 19, 2020

Canada Goose with first goslings of the season, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2020

 Hermit Thrush, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2020

Winsor Dam Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 19, 2020

With a sunny day and temperatures forecast to reach near 60 and southerly winds I headed out a first light today to cover a variety of locations looking for early migrants.  I headed over to Quabbin Park  and thankfully found the location back open to the public after being needlessly closed due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic.  I hoped for an early Eastern Whip Poor Will but no luck but I did find my first of the season Red breasted Merganser at Winsor Dam.  I then headed over to the rail trail in Amherst (plus the nearby Slobody Farm Conservation Area).  Nothing too unusual but certainly an influx of migrants such as Swamp Sparrows and Northern Flickers (among others).  I next headed to UMASS briefly before making my way back toward home with a stop at Lake Wallace which held my first fledgling Canada Geese of the season as well as continued numbers of Palm Warblers among the 42 species present.