Northampton Christmas Bird Count

Song Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

American Tree Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Hooded Merganser, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

I was actually around this year and not working for the Northampton Christmas Bird Count and was able to assist Derek in area 35 in Hatfield for a few hours in the morning before I had to head back home.  The forecasted snow/sleet never really developed yesterday into this morning and instead the immediate area received a cold rain, which made the dirt farm roads a bit muddy (to say the least).  I began my morning at a portion of Great Pond and had three species of owls before sunrise including an Eastern screech Owl that flew right in front of my car (plus a couple Barred Owls and a Great Horned Owl calling).  The conditions were calm for a very short window just before the sun came up but then it got breezy for the remainder of the time I was out and there were even some flurries a few times.  Other highlights for my first stop at Great Pond included five species of waterfowl including a late Wood Duck, at least three Great Blue Herons, and at least 17 Red winged Blackbirds.  I then decided to head to the nearby river to check to see if anything interesting could be found on the water.

American Black Ducks (and a couple hybrids), Bashin Road area, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Black capped Chickadee, Boat launch area, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Black capped Chickadee, Boat launch area, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

I checked the area around the wastewater treatment plant and the river and fields to the south and found just seven Common Mergansers and a pair of Hooded Mergansers on the river (which was running fairly high for this time of year).  A small pond along the road was a little more productive with 23 American Black Ducks.  I got a brief look at another duck through the vegetation that may have been a Gadwall but when I relocated to try to get a better look I could not relocate the bird.   I was originally planning on covering more areas along the river but another part of our team was already checking the area so I decided to concentrate the remainder of the my limited time covering areas of Great Pond I did not make it to earlier.

Swamp Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Swamp Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

White throated Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Great Blue Heron, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Song Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Eastern Bluebird, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

American Tree Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Red bellied Woodpecker, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

Red winged Blackbird, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

White tailed Deer, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Dec 19, 2021

As the wind continued to keep things cool and birds a bit hunkered down, I walked a large portion of the periphery of the pond and marsh.  I had some decent luck finding some good stuff (although no luck, despite a lot of effort, for a yellowthroat still hanging around).  Highlights included a total of at least five Great Blue Herons (a really good count for December), eight Red bellied Woodpeckers, a flock of 95+ Horned Larks with a half a dozen Snow Buntings mixed in, loads of sparrows with 54 American Tree Sparrows, a juvenile White crowned Sparrow, 31 White throated Sparrows, 54 Song Sparrows, and 7 Swamp Sparrows plus another eight Red winged Blackbirds.  The morning also produced some mammals including a close encounter with a White tailed Deer and a couple very active Muskrats (among other species).  Overall for the morning I found a total of 48 species and our entire area of the count totaled 56 species (a new record for Area 35!) with 2500+ individuals.  I wish I had more time to cover a few more areas but I was happy to be out at all so no complaints.  Quite productive despite the wind, cold and mud.

South Florida trip -December 5-10

Green Heron, Green Cay Wetlands, Boynton Beach, FL, Dec 6, 2021

Common Yellowthroat, Green Cay Wetlands, Boynton Beach, FL, Dec 6, 2021

Pied billed Grebe, Green Cay Wetlands, Boynton Beach, FL, Dec 6, 2021

Boat tailed Grackles, Green Cay Wetlands, Boynton Beach, FL, Dec 6, 2021

After spending the night in Dallas/Fort Worth on my way home from Mexico I took a late morning flight to Fort Lauderdale to meet up with Sherri for several days in south Florida. I arrived in mid afternoon and we then headed north to our lodging on the beach for a night. There were a few hit and miss showers as we headed north but overall a mix of sun and clouds and warm. It was too late and I was too tired to do much more than take a walk on the beach. 

The forecast for Monday was for possible showers after lunch into the afternoon. I woke up to rain falling heavily as showers moved in the from the south. Any hope of getting out earlier were quickly dashed and instead we waited it out a bit before making a drive over to Green Cay Wetland. It was spitting rain when we arrived but then the sun came out a bit. A heavy shower also moved through but thankfully I made it under cover before it hit. The skies then became much sunnier and it got warm into the 80’s. The birds were out as always at Green Cay but overall the numbers seemed down for most species but I’m not usually down in the area in the early part of December. I walked the boardwalks and had point blank views of many species. I also made a walk around the parking area and that was when I saw the most unusual species for the morning with a juvenile Red headed Woodpecker that was flushed by a passing Red shouldered Hawk. I tried to relocate it but had no luck and by this time it was getting close to noon and we had to leave to meet up for lunch with some relatives. The rain returned off and on in the afternoon after we had lunch and made the drive north to Jupiter.

White eyed Vireo, Riverbend Park, Jupiter, FL, Dec 7, 2021

White Ibis, Riverbend Park, Jupiter, FL, Dec 7, 2021

On the first day in Jupiter I headed over to the nearby Riverbend Park where I arrived a bit before dawn on what would be a beautiful sunny day. I walked quite a few trails and found a lot of expected species but nothing out of the ordinary. After a brief stop back at our cottage we returned to Riverbend Park for another round of hiking the trails there. By this point it was late morning and we then headed back for lunch and spent the afternoon hanging around the cottage plus kayaking in the small lake nearby. 

Yellow throated Warbler, John D. MacArthur Beach SP, North Palm Beach, FL, Dec 8, 2021

Orange crowned Warbler, John D. MacArthur Beach SP, North Palm Beach, FL, Dec 8, 2021

Red bellied Woodpecker, John D. MacArthur Beach SP, North Palm Beach, FL, Dec 8, 2021

Tennessee Warbler, Riverbend Park, Jupiter, FL, Dec 8, 2021

Northern Parula, Riverbend Park, Jupiter, FL, Dec 8, 2021

Wednesday we headed to the coast but not before I made another early morning trip to Riverbend Park. Although I did not expect to see too much as I only had a short amount of time I was pleasantly surprised to come across a diverse mixed flock near the end of my time there that contained eight species of warbler including a Tennessee Warbler…a bit of a rarity for the date and a species I had not had previously in the state. After my relatively brief morning stop at Riverbend Park it was off the the coast, down to John D. MacArthur State Park. We arrived there around 9:30 and it was already getting fairly hot (the high in the upper 80’s was nearly record setting for the day). Nonetheless I birded the few trails there plus a bunch of edge habitat. Not a ton of diversity but some good looks at some birds. We eventually finished our time there after lunch and then headed back to Jupiter.

Limpkin, Riverbend Park, Jupiter, FL, Dec 9, 2021

Egyptian Goose, Riverbend Park, Jupiter, FL, Dec 9, 2021

Lizard with grasshopper kill, Grassy Waters Preserve, West Palm Beach, FL, Dec 9, 2021

On my last full day I started off a foggy morning once more at Riverbend Park. The fog seemed to keep activity somewhat subdued and I didn't find anything too noteworthy but at least it was warm.  Eventually the sun burned through late in the morning while we were hiking at Grassy Waters Preserve.  We spent the rest of the day around the rental house until a medical issue had us spending hours at the emergency room...not a great way to end a vacation.

I found a total of 126 species with one of those being new for me in Florida (Tennessee Warbler) bringing my Florida list to 222.  More on warblers for the trip can be found at the following link:  Florida warblers.

Record numbers of warblers for February and other sightings for the last couple days

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle' (four in view), East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Red winged Blackbirds, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Red winged Blackbirds, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Black Ducks, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Pine Warbler, Granby, MA, Feb 23, 2020

I took advantage of a sunny and calm (but a bit cold) morning to get out and try to find some late wintering species (mainly warblers) and any early migrants I could find.  My morning began at Arcadia where I arrived before sunrise and had a couple Yellow rumped Warblers before I even made it out of the parking lot.  I checked the Mill River and although mostly still frozen there was some open water which featured some good numbers of waterfowl but not too much variety.  I made it down to the Oxbow and then back to the area near the visitor center where I once again had Yellow rumped Warblers (with at least three and possibly four present).  The areas I checked also featured at least four Northern Flickers and multiple singing Red winged Blackbirds.  I then checked another nearby area and came across another group of Yellow rumped Warblers with this group containing at least 7 birds bringing my total for Arcadia up to at least ten!   My next stop for the morning was over to the East Meadows where I made it into and out of before it warmed up too much and made the place a mud pit.  I had even more luck with warblers there with at least eleven Yellow rumped Warblers present, bringing my total Yellow rumped Warblers for the morning up to 21!  Besides the warblers I had other notables including 34 Black Ducks, a Ruby crowned Kinglet, at least 215 Red winged Blackbirds and three Rusty Blackbirds.  With my time to bird rapidly running out for the morning I decided to make a stop by the private residence in Granby that has had a Pine Warbler visiting for several weeks and it once again showed up after a short wait, adding another warbler for the day (a thank you to the homeowner for once again allowing me to stop by).  I also stopped by Winsor Dam briefly where I had three Common Loons and a few Common Mergansers.  Not as much variety in waterfowl as I hoped for but I really didn't spend as much time looking for them as I did looking for warblers.  I expect to see an uptick in waterfowl as southern winds continue for a few days and temperatures make it into the 50's and more water becomes ice free. A more detailed post about warblers for the day can be found at the following link.

I have caught up with a number of other notable species the last few days including an Iceland Gull (among several hundred gulls) at Winsor Dam yesterday, one of the continued Red headed Woodpeckers along Bachelor Brook in South Hadley on Friday morning and the continued Vesper Sparrow at the Honey Pot in Hadley on Thursday morning on my way to work.  I have also run across multiple Turkey Vultures the last few days.

Red breasted Nuthatch, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 21, 2020

Red bellied Woodpecker, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 20, 2020

Eastern Bluebirds and Downy Woodpecker, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 19, 2020

The cameras at the house have captured a few interesting species the last several days but nothing too unusual. 

Another productive morning at Silvio Conte NWR

American Pipit, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Palm Warbler 'western', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Rusty Blackbirds, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Red bellied Woodpecker, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

Eastern Phoebe, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2018

I took advantage of a rare sunny day by heading over to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River once again.  Although it started off cool it warmed up nicely by mid morning and it was comfortable to be out without a hat and gloves.  It was another banner morning there with many highlights including a single Common Redpoll (hopefully just the vanguard of many more of this irruptive species that looks to be moving in), a Black Vulure with a few Turkey Vultures, another late Eastern Phoebe and a double digit total of Palm Warblers (with both subspecies present)...more on the warblers here.  There were also a great number of Rusty Blackbirds with at least 49 individuals present, decent counts of American Pipits, continued numbers of flyover Pine Siskins and Purple Finches, a trilling Eastern Screech Owl, six species of woodpeckers and decent sparrow diversity...full list from the morning attached here.

A slightly nicer day today with warmer weather on the horizon

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 11, 2018

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 11, 2018

Red bellied Woodpecker excavating a nest hole, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 11, 2018

Black capped Chickadee, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 11, 2018

Eastern Phoebe, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 11, 2018

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 11, 2018

April continues to be cooler than normal with a little more snow yesterday but thankfully today we had a brief respite with morning sun and temperatures eventually getting to near normal (after a record low this morning of 22 degrees).  The next few days are forecast to bring warmer temperatures on southerly winds with the chance for temperatures into the 70's on Saturday.  Migration has so far been fairly slow but I suspect it will pick up a bit if the forecast plays out as advertised.  Despite fighting yet another cold I made it out a bit before a doctors appointment and found some early migrants around including three species of warblers, quite a few Eastern Phoebes and Hermit Thrushes at multiple locations. 

Eastern Phoebe with leg bands (only the white band on the right can be seen here), Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2018

Eastern Phoebe, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2018

American Robins with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2018

American Robin with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2018

American Robin with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2018

Duck box with eggs, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2018

I spent most of my time around the house today and was rewarded with multiple banded birds in the yard including the return of my banded Eastern Phoebe.  The two previously seen banded robins are still around and appear to be paired up as they stayed close to each other most of the time I saw them.  I also checked the two duck boxes with eggs in them and one had a Hooded Merganser sitting on eggs when I checked (no photo of that box) and the other box had a full clutch of eggs covered with down.  Not sure what species is in the second box but I have never had anything but Hooded Mergansers however there is always the chance the nest is from Wood Ducks as I have had them in the stream on many occasions (including today).