Texas hill county and Big Bend National Park -April 8-10

Golden cheeked Warbler, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2026

Golden cheeked Warbler, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2026

Golden cheeked Warbler habitat, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2026

A week long, whirlwind trip down to Texas and then over to Arizona via New Mexico began with an early morning flight out of Hartford down to Dallas/Fort Worth which meant a wake up call at just after 3AM. The trip was specifically planned to add a number of species of warblers for my big warbler year in the US. The two main targets for the Texas portion of the trip were Golden cheeked Warbler and Colima Warbler. The targets in Arizona (and perhaps New Mexico) included Virginia’s Warbler, Lucy’s Warbler, Grace’s Warbler and Red faced Warbler. I also had the chance to turn up a couple of western species that would be just starting to move through including Hermit Warbler and MacGillivray’s Warbler although neither would be critical to miss as I should be able to get them later in the year when we stop in Oregon on our way home from Alaska in July. Besides the target warblers I would be looking for whatever else I may come across and exploring some new areas.  Thankfully the very early flight down to Dallas was on time and after getting through the airport and then a shuttle to the rental car center (no airport should have a shuttle for rental cars and I usually avoid any airports that have them but no choice this time). Eventually I got on the road around 10AM and then made the three and a half hour drive down to the area where I would be spending the night (an Airbnb in Liberty Hill to the northwest of Austin). Before going to the store for supplies and making it to the Airbnb I wanted to try to get some birding in. My main focus for this portion of the trip was Golden cheeked Warbler…an endangered species that only breeds in the area of central Texas. I was last down in the area back in 2017 (link to hill country post and Big Bend NP) and I remember having good luck at the appropriately named Warbler Vista area of Balcones Canyonlands NWR so that is where I headed. Trying to track down birds on a sunny afternoon with temps around 80 usually doesn’t produce much as the birds get much quieter compared to the morning. Nonetheless I managed to get a Golden cheeked Warbler fairly quickly and got a few photos and recordings. I heard a few others singing although trying to get more photos proved to be a fruitless endeavor for me. The only other species of warbler in the area (and the most abundant) were Orange crowned Warbler. I also tried briefly at Doeskin Ranch (another area of the Balcones Canyonland NWR) for additional Golden cheeked Warblers without any luck. By this time it was getting late afternoon and I still needed to drive a bit to get to my lodging so I headed out. 

Laddder backed Woodpecker, South Llano River SP, Junction, TX, Apr 9, 2026

Black capped Vireo, South Llano River SP, Junction, TX, Apr 9, 2026

My first full day in Texas would be filled with even more driving as I made the long trek out to Big Bend NP. The total trip took over six and a half hours…Big Bend is really in the middle of nowhere! I was out the door early and headed for South Llano River SP in Junction, about two hours away to break the trip up a bit. Not long before I arrived I ran into a few light rain showers and I had to deal with a little drizzle once I arrived. I explored the area for about two and a half hours before hitting the road again. Nothing really rare was found during my time there but it was great to get good looks at quite a few birds including Black capped Vireo. Eventually the sun came out as I travelled further west into more desert like habitat. I made it to my lodging in Terlingua in mid afternoon and settled in to prep for the big hike the following day. 

Colima Warbler, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Rufous crowned Sparrow, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Spotted Towhee, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Townsend's Warbler, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Bushtit, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Sunrise in the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2026

Friday was the day for a long hike at Big Bend NP to try my luck in finding a Colima Warbler. The species nest mainly in Mexico and only comes across the border to the US in the upper elevations of the Chisos Mountains within the park. The species usually starts to arrive around mid April with a few making it in around the date of my arrival. This year there were no reports so far so I was worried I would miss the species. I arrived in Chisos Basin to start my hike in the dark around 5:20AM and picked the steep Pinnacles Trail to get me into the habitat as soon as possible. I had a few Mexican Whip Poor Wills singing as I walked up making it to the pass right at sunrise. I then walked down Boot Canyon toward Boot Spring. As I picked up various species as they started singing I heard a Colima Warbler singing too. I made it down to the area where I could hear it better and started looking for it. I got a few recordings as I waited to catch a glimpse and eventually I got looks and some marginal photos…very happy to have found my main target and add one of the toughest to get species of warblers in the US for three year. After that everything would be much less stressful as missing the species would have ended my chance of seeing all the warblers in the US for the year. I possibly could have tried the following day if I missed it but that would be a tough proposition with having to drive down to the park again, hike up and back down, spend time looking for the warbler and then make the long drive to New Mexico. I had hopes of finding some more Colima Warblers so I continued on to Boot Spring (which was very quiet) and then started my long descent down via the Colima Trail and then Laguna Meadow Trail. I remembered well from my previous trip to the park that although that route is a bit less steep it is much longer in distance. I continued to add species on the way down and eventually ran out of water near the end. The biggest struggle was my right leg which started hurting not long as the trip down started and got worse the further I went. If I stopped to try to rest it it would stiffen up so I just kept pressing on and finally arrived back at the car around a bit after noon time. I had thoughts of making another few stops but my leg was hurting too much and I was done with walking after 10 plus miles with all of it on mountain trails with no flat areas. A full list from my time in Chisos Basin can be found at the following link: Big Bend trip report.

Total species for the Texas portion of the trip came to 78 species with nine of those species new for me in the state bringing my Texas state total to 279.  Full trip list from Texas at the following link.

More detailed info on warblers for the Texas portion of the trip can be found here: Texas warblers.

Brief trip to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas

Black bellied Whistling Ducks, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 18, 2026

I just finished up a short trip down to the far south end of Texas to the lower Rio Grande Valley.  I left early on the 18th and arrived into Harlingen in the middle of the afternoon, picked up my rental and then headed to my Airbnb in “beautiful”  Brownsville.  I had made previous trips down to the lower Rio Grande Valley in 2007, 2009 and 2011 (all between late October and early December) so it has been awhile since I have visited the area.  It has noticeable been built up since my previous trips down there.  My main goals for the short trip included finding my first Tropical Parula in the US (I have seen the species at many locations in the tropics but not in the US), locating a Mangrove Yellow Warbler, perhaps finding a Sprague’s Pipits overwintering in one of the vast farm fields and just adding some new species for the year.  The weather was hot and windy when I arrived and despite the conditions I tried my luck at the University Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) campus late in the afternoon after dropping my stuff off at the Airbnb.    It was just way too windy to see much of anything and I gave up after a bit.  

Tropical Parula, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Northern Parula, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 19, 2026

American Redstart, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Little Blue Heron, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Black crested Titmouse, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Mangrove Yellow Warbler, Queen Isabella Causeway east, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Brown Pelican, Queen Isabella Causeway east, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Marbled Godwits and Willet, Laguna Madre, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Reddish Egret with leg bands, Laguna Madre, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Laughing Gulls, Laguna Madre, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Long billed Curlew, Laguna Madre, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Black necked Stilt, Laguna Madre, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Black Skimmer with leg bands (M45), Laguna Madre, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Black Skimmer with leg bands (A45), Laguna Madre, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

Black Skimmer with leg bands (U32), Laguna Madre, South Padre Island, TX, Feb 19, 2026

On Thursday the 19th I was out before dawn and headed back down to the UTRGV campus.  The wind was still strong before the sun came up and continued for my entire time there.  Once it brightened a bit I started getting some passerines.  Over the course of about two and half hours I found a number of rarities among the fifty plus species including a Tennessee Warbler, American Redstart, Tropical Parula and a hybrid Tropical Parula x Northern Parula.  The small area was really great for warblers with a dozen species and I can only imagine how much better it would be when there is no wind.  With my target Tropical Parula seen I decided to make the 45 minute drive out to South Padre Island and try my luck in finding a Mangrove Yellow Warbler.  Once again I had some great tips from Aidan on where to try for the bird (always nice to be able to pick the brain of a local birder and with Aidan spending the winter in south Texas he was the perfect person to ask).  Once I crossed over the causeway to the island I quickly found multiple Mangrove Yellow Warblers and got some photos of this recently split species.  At this point it was around 10:30 and seeing I was already on the island I stayed there and drove a bit further north to check out the boardwalk and mudflats near the convention center.  The boardwalk was slow for birds (due to the wind and nearby construction) but the mudflats were very busy and I had lots of different shorebirds, waders, gulls and terns (and others).  Although having a spotting scope would have been great, many species were in fairly close and allowed extended observation.  As I scanned through the birds I noticed first one, then two and eventually three Black Skimmers with colored leg bands.  After waiting for them to move a little to be able to read the unique numbers on the bands and reported them to the bird banding lab.  I also had a color banded Reddish Egret that I also reported.  Once I hear back from the lab I will update the details on each banded bird.  By early afternoon I worked my way back to my Airbnb.  I thought about possibly going back to the UTRGV campus to try to get photos of the Tropical Parula but honestly I did not relish dealing with the absolutely shitty roads of Brownsville.  The roads in Brownsville were a mess with poor conditions and signage and reminded me more of driving in a third world country than the US.  By the end of the day I topped just over ninety species with many new for the year for me.

Crested Caracara, Estero Llano Grande SP, Westlaco, TX, Feb 20, 2026

Mexican Ducks, Estero Llano Grande SP, Westlaco, TX, Feb 20, 2026

White eyed Vireo, Estero Llano Grande SP, Westlaco, TX, Feb 20, 2026

White winged Doves, Estero Llano Grande SP, Westlaco, TX, Feb 20, 2026

View toward Mexico, Santa Anna NWR, TX, Feb 20, 2026

Wilson's Warbler, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 20, 2026

Tennessee Warbler, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 20, 2026

Long billed Thrasher, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 20, 2026

Ladder backed Woodpecker, UTRGV, Brownsville, TX, Feb 20, 2026

For my last full day in Texas on Friday I headed west to visit a few spots away from Brownsville and was out the door before dawn to drive to Estero Llano Grande SP.  On my way I was able to find an American Barn Owl hunting some fields.  I arrived at the park a bit before sunrise and spent about three hours exploring the area.  I remember the park being very productive and it was indeed productive with nearly sixty species.  I added several new species for the year plus better looks at a few species.  It was mainly overcast with less wind than previous days, which made it quite comfortable (although mosquitoes then became more of a problem).  Once the sun broke through the temps rose quickly to around 90 and the breeze picked up once again.  I had a few choices of places to spend the rest of the morning and since I was already out in the area I drove another twenty minutes west to Santa Anna NWR.  The area was quite quiet during my time there and I’m sure the high temps and the fact it was almost ten played a big part in that.  As I left the refuge and started my drive back to Brownsville I made a detour to check some sod fields to try to find a Sprague’s Pipit and I was able to find at least one thus adding a new species for me and it became species #2187.  After a late lunch I decided on trying my luck once again back at the UTRGV campus to try to get better photos of the Tropical Parula.  I spent over three hours exploring the area through the afternoon without ever seeing the parula.  All was not lost as it was actually fairly active despite the heat and wind and I ended up with 55 species, including a couple unusual warblers.  Late in the afternoon I headed back for a refreshing shower and to pack up for my trip to Arizona.  Total species for the day came to 92 (matching the high temp for the day).

Great Kiskadee, Hugh Ramsey Park, Harlingen, TX, Feb 21, 2026

Plain Chachalaca, Hugh Ramsey Park, Harlingen, TX, Feb 21, 2026

Olive Sparrow, Hugh Ramsey Park, Harlingen, TX, Feb 21, 2026

Ringed Kingfisher, Hugh Ramsey Park, Harlingen, TX, Feb 21, 2026

Peccary, Hugh Ramsey Park, Harlingen, TX, Feb 21, 2026

I had a late morning flight out to Dallas and then onto Tucson to continue my vacation.  With a few hours available before needed to get to the airport I decided on birding Hugh Ramsey Park in Harlingen.  I was on the road early once again and arrived there before dawn.  I walked the various trails there for almost three hours before making my way to the airport.

Although it was a short trip I thankfully found all my major targets.  Overall I found a total of 140 species with a dozen new for me in Texas and one life species (Sprague’s Pipit).  My Texas list expanded to 270 species.  More photos and details on the warblers from the trip at the following link: Texas warblers.  Full trip report at the following link: Texas trip report.

End of year wrap up

Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 20, 2017

Wood Stork, Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Boynton Beach,  FL, Feb 6, 2017

Cuban Pewee, Owl Hole Rd, Grand  Bahama, Feb 10, 2017

Jamaican Spindalis, Blue Mountains NP, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Mexican Jay, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2017

California Quail, River Rush Ranch, Odell, OR, July 18, 2017

Green throated Carib, Grahme Hall Nature Sanctuary, Barbados, Dec 14, 2017

I added a total of 73 life birds this year bringing my life list up to 1325 with the lifers added in the following locations as follows:  18 in the eastern Caribbean in December, 6 in Texas in April, 36 in Jamaica in March, 10 in the Bahamas in February and 3 in Florida in February.  I found a total of 461 species overall for the year and submitted 2611 eBird lists.

Although not trying for another Hampshire County big year I still managed a respectful total of 224 with three species added to my overall county list including Painted Bunting, Cattle Egret, and MacGillivray's Warbler with my current Hampshire County total at 293.

It was a good year for warblers for me, both locally and on my numerous trips to more exotic locations.  More on the warblers with lots of photos can be found at the following links:  End of year wrap up of warblers and Photo summary of warblers 2017

Red headed Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jan 5, 2017

Ruddy Duck, Quabbin Park, MA, Jan 4, 2017

The first part of the year featured some warmer than typical periods in January and February interspersed with more typical winter weather. (post on a recording setting warm time in February Warm weather in February.  Among the notables around were the continued Red headed Woodpecker at Lake Wallace, a Ruddy Duck early in January and a number of unusual waterfowl that took advantage of open water that continued through the period.

Prairie Warbler, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Western Spindalis, Lucyana NP, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

Painted Bunting, Grand Bahama, Feb 7, 2017

Cuban Emerald, Grand Bahama, Feb 10, 2017

Wood Stork, Boynton Beach, FL, Feb 6, 2017

My first trip away from the local area occurred in early February with a trip down to southern Florida and then over to Grand Bahama before returning to Florida (where we got delayed due to a snowstorm back at home).  Links to that trip here:  Florida trip part 1, Bahamas part 1, Bahamas part 2, Florida part 2.  The trip had lots of highlights both in Florida and in the Bahamas.  It was my first trip over to Grand Bahama and I managed to find all my targets.

Jamaican Tody, Blue Mountains NP, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Jamaican Vireo, Blue Mountains NP, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Jamaican Woodpecker, Blue Mountains NP, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Arrowhead Warbler, Ecclesdown Rd, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Streamertail, Ecclesdown Rd, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

March brought my next long distance trip with my destination being Jamaica.  I once again had some great weather and great luck birding finding all of the 27 endemic species on the island as well as lots of other species.  Link to the trip here: Jamaica trip

Golden cheeked Warbler, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2017

Black capped Vireo, S. Llano River SP, TX, Apr 9, 2017

View from Pinnacles Trail, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2017

Mexican Jay, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2017

Colima Warbler, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2017

With the next month of the year came my next big trip away to warmer temperatures.  The Texas hill country and Big Bend were my next destinations with the main focus being finding the range limited Golden cheeked Warbler, Colima Warbler and Black capped Vireo

Two posts from the trip can be found here:  Texas Hill Country, Big Bend

The end of the month of April brought in the first big influx of migrants for the spring- End of April migrants

Painted Bunting, Huntington, MA, May 2, 2017

Cattle Egret, Hadley, MA, May 7, 2017

Golden winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 31, 2017

The month of May had many highlights as spring migration peaked in the area and brought in some unusual species including a Painted Bunting, Cattle Egret, and Golden winged Warbler.  The Painted Bunting and Cattle Egret were both new species in the county for me (#291 and #292).

Cape May Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2017

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2017

Blackburnian Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2017

Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 11, 2017

Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 20, 2017

Yellow throated Vireo, Quabbin Park, MA, May 21, 2017

Scarlet Tanager, Quabbin Park, MA, May 923 2017

Other highlights included my highest ever count of Mourning Warblers in the spring around here including a pair that stayed and bred at Quabbin Park.  I had a total of 31 species of warblers this spring with a full account at the following link:  Spring warblers

Gray Catbird with bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, June 5, 2017

Hooded Warbler, Mt Tom State Reservation, Easthampton, MA, June 12, 2017

June brought my typical bird surveys (Breeding Bird Survey, Prescott Peninsula field surveys, Eastern Whip Poor Will surveys, Neighborhood Nestwatch program and others)
A few other notable species seen during the month included Hooded Warbler

Glossy Ibis, Oxbow, Northampton, July 31, 2017

Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, July 10, 2017

The usual doldrums of July were broken up by a number of noteworthy sightings including a couple of Glossy Ibis at the end of the month and the first indication that Mourning Warblers were breeding at Quabbin Park (Mourning Warbler in July, Breeding Mourning Warblers)

American Robin being fitted with GPS locator, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 7, 2017

American Robin being with GPS locator, Home, Belchertown, MA, July 7, 2017

As an extension of the Neighborhood nestwatch program the yard was chosen as just one of a handful of spots were American Robins would be captured and fitted with GPS tags to track the movement of the birds over the course of the year.  The birds need to be captured next spring and the data downloaded...more about the program here: GPS tags on American Robins

Mt Hood from plane, OR, July 15, 2017

 Western Tanager, River Rush Ranch, Odell, OR, July 18, 2017

American Dipper, River Rush Ranch, Odell, OR, July 18, 2017

Looking north from Cape Lookout, OR, July 19, 2017

Wilson's Warbler, Cape Lookout SP, OR, July 19, 2017

Common Murre, Depoe Bay, OR, July 21, 2017

In mid July we took a trip out to Oregon for about a week with our time split between an area near Mt Hood and along the Columbia Gorge and time on the coast north of Pacific City.  Links to the trip as follows: Oregon part 1, Oregon part 2.

Little Blue Heron, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Aug 4, 2017

Marsh Wren, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Aug 3, 2017

 Red headed Woodpeckers, Montezuma NWR, NY, Aug 26, 2017

Trumpeter Swans, Montezuma NWR, NY, Aug 26, 2017

August produced a number of notables including a Little Blue Heron in Northampton and a Marsh Wren at Lake Wallace in Belchertown which appeared to be trying to attract a mate as it remained in the area for several days singing over and over again (an oddly unusual species in the county).  We also took a short trip out to the Finger Lakes where I managed a little birding along with Ian one day.

Buff breasted Sandpiper, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2017

Dickcissel, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 18, 2017

September featured the typical big push of migrants with some really good days...a few posts from the month help illustrate the diversity:September 4, September 10, September 13.  Among the many highlights were multiple Dickcissels abd a Buff breasted Sandpiper.

September also featured some major hurricanes that hit areas in the Caribbean as well as a few spots in the United States.  Damage to some of the islands can be best described as catastrophic with several species substantially impacted with some to the point of near extinction in the wild.

Orange crowned Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2017

Vesper Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 13, 2017

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 4, 2017

October continued the fall migration season with the sparrows coming in in large numbers and waterfowl started to move in decent numbers too.  Warbler variety and numbers dropped as the month ticked on I but still managed to find 17 species including two Orange crowned Warblers and several Connecticut Warblers.

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 13, 2017

White eyed Vireo, Arcadia, Northampton, Nov 13, 2017

Snowy Owl, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 18, 2017

November is certainly known to attract a few rarities and lingering species from time to time but this November was exceptionally good with highlights including a MacGillivray's Warbler, Snowy Owl, White eyed Vireo, Clay colored Sparrow and Baltimore Oriole.  I finished the month with 113 species in the county, which eclipsed my previous best November here by 13 species...a really good month for unusual stuff!

The last month of the year featured a few more late lingering species including my first warblers I have had in the county in December with both Yellow rumped Warblers and Common Yellowthroat still around in the early part of the month.  The rest of the month turned much colder and snowier with a continued decrease in the number of species during the month.  I did however have my best December ever in the county with 86 species tallied (way above my normal for December when I typically average a total around 65).  I also got elected in early December to serve a term on the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC)...quite an honor to be considered worthy enough to serve alongside many exceptional birders as we review unusual species reported in the state.

Lesser Antillean Tanager, Morne Gazo Forest Reserve, Grenada, Dec 15, 2017

Barbados Bullfinch, Grahme Hall Nature Sanctuary, Barbados, Dec 14, 2017

Martinique Oriole, De Rivera Blanche, Martinique, Dec 13, 2017

White breasted Thrasher, Reserve Naturelle de La Caravelle, Martinique, Dec 13, 2017

We also made a trip down to the Caribbean to take a cruise around the eastern Caribbean in mid December.  The original itinerary had us leaving from San Juan and visiting St Croix, St Marteen, Dominica, Barbados and Grenada.  My main goals were to see the Plumbeous Warbler on Dominica and the endemic species on Barbados and Grenada.  However some devastating hurricanes moved through the area we planned to visit virtually destroying some of the islands so the ports of call needed to be changed.  The new itinerary would be St Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, Barbados and Grenada.  I initially had hopes of trying to get over to Barbuda during our stop at Antigua but the logistics just would not work plus the island is still officially closed.  Full posting from the trip at the following link: Eastern Caribbean trip

Olive sided Flycatcher, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 28, 2017

Hooded Mergansers eggs in nest box #1, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 24, 2017

Hooded Merganser eggs in nest box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 3, 2017

American Robin nestlings, Home, Belchertown, MA, June 5, 2017

House Wren carrying food to nest, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 2, 2017

House Wren nestlings, Home, Belchertown, Aug 5, 2017

It was a good year right around the house this year with 124 species in the yard including four new species.  This year also marked the first year I had two active duck boxes at the same time with both boxes occupied by Hooded Mergansers.  I also had a number of other successful nests of a variety of species including Tree Swallow, House Wren and American Robin.

Field Sparrow, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 11, 2017

Black Bear, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 24, 2017

Eastern Coyote, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 6, 2017

Red Fox, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 4, 2017

Tennessee Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2017

Chestnut sided Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 20, 2017

Winter Wren, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 18, 2017

I have installed a few more motion cameras around the yard in addition to the water feature camera.  A Field Sparrow showed up in early May and is a species I have never seen in the yard before.  I have now recorded a total of 37 species at the water feature with six new species for the year (American Redstart, Chestnut sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Hermit Thrush, Tennessee Warbler and Winter Wren).