Big influx of early season migrants

Green Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 19, 2025

Eastern Towhee with white spots on face, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 19, 2025

Surf Scoter, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 19, 2025

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 19, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 19, 2025

Strong southerly winds overnight brought in the best influx of birds so far for the spring migration season with several early arrivals found for the day.  I figured this would be the case given the conditions and I was happy to be right.  I only had a couple hours available and stayed within about 15 minutes of home.  I tried for Eastern Whip Poor Wills at Quabbin early and didn't have any luck (the breeze probably cut down on the ability to hear any distant individuals).  I then hit the rail trail on the Amherst/Belchertown line and had an early Green Heron.  I then returned to the south Quabbin area with a brief stop at Winsor Dam and then a small portion of Quabbin Park.  I initially had nothing of note at the dam beyond an Eastern Towhee with some odd white markings on its face.  Quabbin Park produced a slightly early Black and White Warbler among a group of other migrants. I saw a report from Brian that he had a rare for spring Surf Scoter flying around at Winsor Dam so after my time in Quabbin Park I made another stop at the dam and was lucky to find the Surf Scoter on the water way out and got some marginal photos and some slightly better video.  After checking back at the house and then heading out with Wilson we had another Black and White Warbler during our walk.  The strong south winds drove the temps up to near 80 and kept raptors moving most of the day.  Year to date I'm at a record setting pace for the year and also at my highest total ever for the month as of the date (currently at 123 species for the month)

Today also marks the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord that kicked off the American Revolution...we now find ourselves as a country at a crossroads that may indeed tear the country apart and lead us down a path that the founding fathers tried to avoid with the checks and balances enshrined in the constitution.  Time will tell if we emerge on the other side of this current turmoil.

Black throated Green Warbler, Ware, MA, Apr 16, 2025

Yellow bellied Sapsucker, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Apr 17, 2025

Pied billed Grebes, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Apr 17, 2025

I have also found a few other early arrivals the last few days including my earliest ever date for Black throated Green Warbler and increasing numbers of other migrants including Ruby crowned Kinglets and Yellow bellied Sapsuckers plus several waterfowl species

A nearly recording setting September comes to an end

Veery, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Sep 26, 2023

Northern Waterthrush, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Sep 26, 2023

Cape May Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2023

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2023

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2023

Cape May Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 28, 2023

Northern Parula, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 28, 2023

Surf Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 29, 2023

A very productive September has now come to a close.  Although not record setting for overall species in Hampshire County it did come very close with a total of 170 species, which fell just short of my best ever September back in 2021 when I had 171 species.  Between other obligations and work for the end of the month I got out birding on a few mornings and I continued to concentrate heavily of warblers and finished with my highest total ever for me in September in the county with 28 species.  After work on the 25th the remnants of Ophelia continued to drop some rain on the area and I made a few stops on my way home and most every farm field I checked in Northampton and Hadley featured Pectoral Sandpipers (areas off to the south had several hundred birds as the storm forced birds migrating off the coast to come back to land).  On Tuesday I stayed local with stops in a few areas around Quabbin and in Ware with the most productive being along the rail trail.  On the 27th I spent a few hours at Arcadia and had a productive morning thanks to sunny conditions that got the birds active as it warmed up.  I had hopes for a full morning at Arcadia on Thursday but the low clouds and fog kept activity low and I cut my time short there and searched out other locations with more sun.  After a bit under two hours of waiting for the fog to burn off I headed across the river to look for fog free areas with my first stop at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where the fog continued.  I then headed further east and eventually got out of the fog in Belchertown.  Friday I had just a little bit of time before we had to head to Sturbridge for a ten o'clock appointment with Wilson (more on that below).  The weather was less than cooperative with rain that started around dawn and continued throughout the day, dropping a few inches of rain.  All was not lost with the crappy weather as it put down a few unusual species at Winsor Dam including half a dozen Surf Scoters and a Bonaparte's Gull.

Wilson out enjoying the start of foliage season, Belchertown, Sep 27, 2023

Wilson enjoying the sun, Home, Sep 27, 2023

After nearing his full recovery from surgery back in early June he unfortunately had the tumor on his right front paw rupture several days ago.  The tumor appeared almost exactly two years ago and after lots of consults and thought we decided to not take any drastic action at the time and we are still comfortable with that decision as it gave him almost two more years of being active (minus his unrelated surgery this summer).  We had a surgical consult regarding the tumor on Friday and as expected there are few good options.  His future holds at least a partial amputation (and possibly a full one).  Our aim is to give him the best possible quality of life for his remaining time with us.

More new arrivals with gulls and some early shorebirds (plus others)

 

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 6, 2023

Great Black backed Gulls with Red breasted Merganser, Herring Gulls and Ring billed Gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 6, 2023

Pectoral Sandpiper, Meadow St fields, Amherst, MA, Apr 6, 2023

Lesser Yellowlegs, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Apr 6, 2023

Louisiana Waterthrush, Hadley, MA, Apr 6, 2023

Great Egret, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2023

Fox Sparrow, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2023

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2023

Surf Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 6, 2023

Following the most restful night of sleep I have had in a week as I continue to fight (and mainly lose) against a cold that I picked up after my return from the tropics I had enough energy to get out a bit more and actually take a few longer walks (short in comparison to what I usually do but longer than I have done in a week)...by the end of the walks I was totally wiped out for sure and I may have overdone it a bit.  I started out the rather glooming morning by going to Winsor Dam where I figured I would make a quick scan and move on.  However the dam produced some great stuff with a fantastic showing of gulls including a Lesser Black backed Gull, a Bonaparte's Gull and a couple Great Black backed Gulls in addition to the more expected species.  As it got more light most gulls headed off to the southeast.  I then headed to Hadley where I located the early Pectoral Sandpiper that Scott found yesterday plus another early shorebird with a Lesser Yellowlegs at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River.  My first longer walk of the day was to try to relocate the early Louisiana Waterthrush found by Cory yesterday and I quickly heard the bird singing (seeing it took quite a bit longer)....not my earliest record for the species but very close (my record was one day earlier last year)...more on warblers for the day at the following link.  I then headed toward home with a stop off at Lake Wallace where I had the Great Egret continuing from yesterday when I found it plus lots of Palm Warblers (plus a Harvey and Craig sighting).  I then headed home and picked up Wilson for a walk with a brief stop at Winsor Dam again where the fog that had settled in was slowly starting to lift.  I had a few species of waterfowl including two that were distant and I could not determine to species (possibly Hooded Mergansers?).  After our walk was all done I was getting very tired but then saw a text from Mary about some unidentified ducks she had distantly at Winsor Dam.  I made the quick ride over and together we tried to solve the mystery.  Thankfully the fog had completed lifted and the viewing conditions were as good as they get there.  After a lot of looking we finally determined the birds to be a pair of Surf Scoters...a quite rare species in the spring around here.  The birds stayed tucked in most of the time which made the ID a bit tricky.  There were also five smaller appearing gulls even further out that I think were additional Bonaparte's Gulls.  Overall a productive morning with several early or unusual species around.

Northern Cardinal, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2023

Dark eyed Junco, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2023

I also got the water feature up and operating for the year and with a bit of luck got the camera to operate again for another year (at least intermittently).  The first visitor for the year was a Northern Cardinal and it was joined by three other species so far in the couple days I have had it open.  Look forward to seeing what shows up.

A few rare birds for the second week of October including a Nelson's Sparrow

 

Nelson's Sparrow, Hadley, MA, Oct 14, 2022

Nelson's Sparrow, Hadley, MA, Oct 14, 2022

Nelson's Sparrow, Hadley, MA, Oct 14, 2022

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Herman Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Oct 14, 2022

Palm Warbler 'western', Herman Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Oct 14, 2022

Song Sparrow, Herman Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Oct 14, 2022

Swamp Sparrow, Herman Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Oct 14, 2022

Savannah Sparrow, Herman Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Oct 14, 2022

I ended the second week of October with a few noteworthy species.  The heavy rain and wind overnight was forecast to come to an end around dawn and then get sunny but the rain and mist lingered through a good portion of the morning and the sun really never broke out.  Despite the conditions I headed out after work with my first stop down to Arcadia but the rain was too heavy to spend much time outside so I decided to swing through the very muddy East Meadows looking for shorebirds but came up empty but I didn't cover many areas.  Instead I decided to head over to Hadley where a Nelson's Sparrow has been seen for a few days.  I arrived in the area and went out in the rain and wind and was rewarded with great looks at the Nelson's Sparrow among the other sparrows present.  The area cannot take many visitors but if you keep the road open so the town can come in and out and do not trespass on the nearby private land the bird is quite easy to get (at least it was for me) and you won't create issues .  Nelson's Sparrow is a rare bird in the area and this is only my third record I have ever had in Hampshire County with my previous both being at Arcadia (Sep 30, 2004 and Oct 13, 2014).  Once I had my fill of the Nelson's Sparrow I headed home and took Wilson for a walk before I headed out on my own again.  I decided to try Covey WMA with the main goal being an Orange crowned Warbler.  I eventually found a very active spot with loads of sparrows and a few warblers and after a lot of looking I had brief but good views of an Orange crowned Warbler but the bird was just not cooperative for photos.  The Orange crowned Warbler becomes warbler species #47 for me this year worldwide and is likely the last new warbler species for the year unless a big rarity shows up by the end of the year.  More on warblers for the second week of October can be found at the following link.  Although I'm not working on a big year for Hampshire County this year and have not been immediately chasing most rarities that have shown up I nonetheless find myself at a respectable 237 species so far for the year, which turns out to be my second highest total by this date but still trailing quite a bit from my best year that occurred last year when I had 243 species at this point and ended the year with 250 species.  Still not doing a big year but it will be interesting to see what the total turns out to be by the end of the year.

I had to work on the 13th so only had a very limited time to bird on my way in and I decided to stop off at Fitzgerald Lake and see if I could find anything unusual on the water.  The walk to the boardwalk was full of chips and songs of White throated Sparrows.  Once I got to the water I started scanning and found the usual assortment of waterfowl but on my second scan around I had a distant American Coot working its way along the edge of the reeds.  I didn't have the scope or good camera with me and the distance was too far for the iPhone binocular combo to work for photos.  A short but worthwhile stop that turned up what can be a tough species to find in the county for some reason.

Nashville Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 12, 2022

Red bellied Woodpecker, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 12, 2022

House Finch, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 12, 2022

Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 12, 2022

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 12, 2022

Wilson, Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Oct 12, 2022

On my third consecutive early morning visit to Arcadia I had to contend with fog once again but thankfully it burned off a bit after eight and then warmed up nicely.  I walked for a few miles over the course of a few hours and had some decent variety and numbers but nothing too unusual among the 59 species there.  Highlights did include a couple American Woodcocks flying around at dawn, an unidentified peep that flew past early, hundreds of sparrows with seven species represented and five species of warbler.  

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', North Hadley, MA, Oct 11, 2022

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 11, 2022

Blackpoll Warbler with growth on face, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 11, 2022

White throated Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 11, 2022

Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 11, 2022

I spent a second consecutive morning at Arcadia on Tuesday.  I drove through intermittent fog to get there but when I arrived the area was relatively fog free as it started to get light and I had hopes for a sunny morning but it was not to be.  The fog descended as the sun came up and persisted throughout my entire time there.  I spent three hours waiting for the fog to lift before I finally decided to head elsewhere in the hopes the fog would be less elsewhere.  During my time at Arcadia I had 61 species with highlights including eight species of sparrows with Song Sparrow and White throated Sparrow being the most numerous, four species of warbler with a high count of Common Yellowthroats and a single Blackpoll Warbler with a growth on its face.  I tried a few spots along the river in Hadley but the fog was just as persistent there.  The fog never lifted until I made it back to home very late in the morning at which point it warmed up nicely into the low 60's.   

Palm Warbler 'yellow', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 10, 2022

Black bellied Plover, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 10, 2022

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 10, 2022

White crowned Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 10, 2022

I spent the first of three consecutive mornings at Arcadia on Monday where I covered a variety of areas although I stayed away from the marsh where I could hear hunters firing away early on (although it is within the wildlife sanctuary if a hunter can access the area via boat it is totally legal, even if a bit ethically questionable...the hunters are certainly not doing themselves any favors with public perception with hunting in a wildlife sanctuary).  Nonetheless I had a productive morning even without a visit to the marsh and turned up 62 species with highlights including nearly a dozen Purple Finches flying over, seven species of sparrows, a late Connecticut Warbler among five species of warblers (not my latest date for Connecticut Warbler which I set last year when I had one continuing through October 15th).  I also made a brief visit to the East Meadows and had a flyby Black bellied Plover among the other more expected species.

Eastern Phoebe, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 9, 2022

Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 9, 2022

Swamp Sparrow, North Hadley, MA, Oct 9, 2022

I started the morning of the 9th at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where I spent a relatively short amount of time but still turned up some good stuff including a couple late species including Wood Thrush and American Redstart.  I then hit a few spots along the river in Hadley and had mostly expected species but did find an unexpected Yellow billed Cuckoo.  Once it got a bit sunnier I returned to Silvio Conte NWR and spent about an hour and half exploring the area.

White rumped Sandpiper, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 8, 2022

Bald Eagle ('Merica!!!), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 8, 2022

Surf Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 8, 2022

After I got out of work on Saturday morning I headed over to the East Meadows in the hopes that some of the White rumped Sandpipers seen there the previous day would still be around and I found a very cooperative individual right away.  The bird was surprisingly tolerant of all the activity on the road and did not flush at all.  After getting my fill of the sandpiper I drove down the road a bit and then had a flock of half a dozen White rumped Sandpipers briefly stop in a small puddle before taking off again...easily the largest number of White rumped Sandpipers I have ever had in the county.  I also had an American Golden Plover that flushed up and was last seen heading south over the meadows.  I then headed toward home with a stop at Winsor Dam where the highlight was a group of 17 Surf Scoters showing fairly close in (at least for Winsor Dam).  This turned out to be the largest group of this species I have ever had in the county (and the largest flock for the county in the eBird database)...a very productive morning for sure.