Trumpeter Swan to start March plus a decent selection of other birds

Trumpeter Swan, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Trumpeter Swan, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Turkey Vulture, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Bald Eagle, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Black Vulture, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Eastern Coyote, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Eastern Coyote, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Mar 1, 2025

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 1, 2025

I started off March with a very rare Trumpeter Swan that showed up at the UMASS campus pond yesterday and continued through today.  It was the latest in a long line of odd waterfowl that has shown up at the small pond in the middle of the campus.  It may indeed be the same individual that has been seen in various part of the Connecticut River on and off since mid January.  Very cool to get point blank looks at it today.  I tried (and failed) to turn up an arriving American Woodcock on the southern winds overnight into the morning.  However I did find some good stuff as I visited multiple spots on the east side of the river with the highlights being an Eastern Meadowlark in Hadley and a single Snow Goose among a flock of Canada Geese headed northeast at Winsor Dam.  The open water way out at the dam also produced five other species of waterfowl.  It was a good day for unusual waterfowl in the area beyond what I found with Ted finding Cackling Goose, Pink footed Goose, Greater White fronted Goose and a Tufted Duck in Longmeadow.

Good start to year in Hampshire County with several unusual species

Northern Flicker, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Northern Harrier, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025

American Kestrel, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Brown Creeper, Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Cape May Warbler, South Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Hooded Mergansers, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Eastern Phoebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Swamp Sparrow, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Despite some rain and then cold and windy weather to start the new year as well as a variety of issues and commitments I have had a decent start to 2025 in Hampshire County with a total of 73 species so far (not my highest total to start a new year which was last year with 79 species in the first three days).  I had to work new years eve so no birding until I got out and then had to deal with some lingering drizzle and fog.  I made a brief stop in the East Meadows but it was way too muddy to access so I headed across the river to the Honey Pot where I added a number of notable including a Killdeer seen and heard across the river in Hatfield, a Rough legged Hawk, a flyover calling Evening Grosbeak and the lingering Western Meadowlark.  I then headed south with a stop along the river in hopes of a Yellow rumped Warbler (I missed on that species unfortunately).  The stop did produce some good stuff including Hermit Thrush among 31 species overall.  My main goal for the morning was to catch up with a Cape May Warbler overwintering at a private residence in South Hadley.  I was very happy to have luck finding the Cape May Warbler enjoying the feeders and getting me a warbler to start the year off right (bringing me to 93 consecutive months with at least one warbler in the county).  I then worked my way toward home with a few stops along the way which added more species for the year including the continued Eastern Phoebe at Lake Wallace.  A walk with Wilson produced a Swamp Sparrow which added the last unusual species for the day and brought my first day total to 61 species.

Red winged Blackbirds, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Jan 2, 2025

Black Vultures, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, Jan 2, 2025

Black Vultures, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, Jan 2, 2025

Song Sparrow, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, Jan 2, 2025

Field Sparrow, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, Jan 2, 2025

Dark eyed Junco, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, Jan 2, 2025

Turkey Vulture, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, Jan 2, 2025

Black Vulture, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, Jan 2, 2025

On the second I started a windy morning at the Holyoke Dam to add some waterfowl and then headed north along the river.  Some areas were just too windy to bird and I only added a few new species and nothing really unusual.  I then stopped near the Hadley/Amherst line looking for some continued vultures and got rewarded with an amazing 41 Black Vultures (possibly more) and a couple Turkey Vultures...really amazing year for both species so late in the season.  Hickory Ridge Conservation Area added three Field Sparrows.  All was going quite well and then I got a flat tire and that started a long saga of getting it looked at to find out the sidewall was punctured and I would need four new tires (an issue with Subaru's when you have a tire issue and there is not enough tread left on the remaining tires and all need to be replaced to avoid potential transmission issues).  It was too late in the day to get them so I had to make an appointment for the following day.

Pileated Woodpecker, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, Jan 3, 2025

I had a couple of appointments in Springfield (including getting new tires) which started before first light so no birding really until mid morning after I got home and picked up Wilson to go for a walk...the only bright spot of being in Springfield early in the day was seeing and hearing hundreds of crows at a roost near Mercy Hospital.  The only real notable species for the morning turned out to be a male Rusty Blackbird in Belchertown.  During the afternoon I got a quick walk in while in Amherst and added some more Black Vultures.  I finally got my first owl of the year with a Great Horned Owl calling at dusk at home (it was the first time the wind died slightly to allow any owls to be heard).  

First week of November

Wood Ducks, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 1, 2024

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 1, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 1, 2024

Lincoln's Sparrow, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 2, 2024

Turkey Vultures, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 2, 2024

Gray Catbird, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 4, 2024

White crowned Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 4, 2024

Fox Sparrow, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 4, 2024

Pineapple Sage, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 1, 2024

November started off as October ended with record setting heat.  I was out on the first after an overtime shift mainly looking for warblers and finding a couple species.  I turned up a late Lincoln's Sparrow among more typical sparrows on the 2nd.  It then cooled to more seasonable levels with a hard freeze on the night of the 3rd that finally did in the Pineapple Sage for the season.  After work on the fourth I headed up to Great Pond and although I didn't find any late season warblers I did have a late Gray Catbird plus a decent selection of sparrows.  

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 5, 2024

Fire damage, Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, Northampton, MA, Nov 5, 2024

On Tuesday the 5th we started a few days of more above normal warmth with highs in the 70's.  I was stuck fighting an ongoing brush fire all day at work on Tuesday so not much for birding that day although with the earlier sunrises thanks to the return to standard time, I was able to bird a little in Hadley before work and turned up a late Palm Warbler

Dunlin, Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Nov 6, 2024

Killdeer, Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Nov 6, 2024

Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 6, 2024

Black Vulture, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 6, 2024

Turkey Vultures, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 6, 2024

After work I was out again on Wednesday morning and I headed to Arcadia where I mainly concentrated on the marsh and nearby areas as the meadows section is nearly devoid of birds as Mass Audubon has cut down virtually every square foot of fields that normally hold sparrows in fall and through the winter.  For an organization that is supposed to be focused on birds their actions don't seem to support that...sad really.  Thankfully the low water levels in the marsh supported a nice diversity of species with the most unusual being a Dunlin among the other shorebirds present.  I also had half a dozen species of  waterfowl.  I made a couple other stops on my way home in search of late warblers but the windy conditions made it tough to track any down.  A stop at Hickory Ridge in Amherst produced the continued gathering of vultures with at least two Black Vultures and 13 Turkey Vultures present.

Fox Sparrow, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Nov 7, 2024

Turkey Vulture, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 7, 2024

Bonaparte's Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 7, 2024

Ring necked Ducks, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 7, 2024

I ended the first week of November once again trying to track down late warblers (plus looking for other stuff along the way).  I failed completely to turn up any warblers unfortunately.  The morning was far from a total bust as I turned up several new species for the month including some rarities including a Evening Grosbeak at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, a Bonaparte's Gull at Winsor Dam and a Spotted Sandpiper at Quabbin Park.  It was another fairly warm day with early highs in the mid 60's before it started cooling down throughout the day follow a cold front passage.

As I end out the first week of November I have found a total of 94 species in Hampshire County so far, which puts me at my third highest total for the first week (behind 2020 with an amazing 111 species and 2022 with 97 species).

Nearly full solar eclipse

Wilson ready for the eclipse, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 8, 2024

Eclipse view through binoculars, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 8, 2024

Today marked a nearly complete solar eclipse at the house with about 93% of the sun covered by the moon.  It was a very neat astronomical event to witness and although we missed the path of totality seeing nearly the entire disk of the sun covered was memorable.  We really lucked out with the weather with nearly clear skies with just a bit of high clouds at the end of the event and warm temps in the 60's.  There was a noticeable drop in temps as the max coverage of the sun occurred.  The next total eclipse in the US is not until 2044 and it will only be visible in the Dakotas and Montana.

Black Vultures, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Apr 8, 2024

Turkey Vulture, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Apr 8, 2024

Wilson's Snipes, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 8, 2024

White tailed Deer, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 8, 2024

Before the onset of the eclipse I was out birding for the morning and although I didn't find anything too unusual it was a beautiful morning to be out.  Although it started cool in the upper 20's it warmed up rapidly once the sun got to work.

Eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 8, 2024

Before the eclipse I checked duck box #2 to see if by chance a duck had finally found the box to lay some eggs and I was pleasantly surprised to find several eggs in the box.  Not sure on species yet but I'm sure to find out soon enough.  I didn't check the other two boxes as I didn't want to disturb the Hooded Mergansers sitting on the eggs.  I put on cameras in a couple weeks to prep for the young ones fledging.