Birds over the last several days

Black Vulture (with Turkey Vultures), Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, Jul 8, 2020

This morning I headed out on a foggy, humid morning to several areas in Hadley and South Hadley mainly looking for species I have not yet had for the month plus trying yet again to find the Black crowned Night Heron that has been seen sporadically at Lake Warner (no luck again finding that bird).  I did manage to find several species new for the month over the course of a few hours but nothing too unusual.

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 7, 2020

Pied billed Grebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 7, 2020

Virginia Rail fledgling, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 7, 2020

On Tuesday morning I made a stop over to Lake Wallace and had some good stuff including at least two juvenile Pied Billed Grebes continuing to show well plus a family of Virginia Rails working the edge of the marsh.  They were very interesting to watch as they quickly moved through the marsh disappearing and reappearing time after time.  I got some decent videos of them which can be found at the following links:
Virginia Rails video 1
Virginia Rails video 2
Virginia Rail video 3

In between long bouts at work over the weekend holiday I stopped at the Honey Pot on the morning of the fourth to follow up on a sighting of a Blue Grosbeak that Mary found on July 3rd.  There were a number of other birders already on site and after a bit of waiting the bird was heard singing multiple times very distantly.  Unfortunately it never came in close and all the land it was on is posted and could not be checked.  Very interesting to have this species back in the same general locations for two years in a row now.  Last year there were up to three present so there was certainly a good chance they bred last year and may be doing so again this year.

Other rarities around include multiple Least Bitterns in the area including one I heard at the Barrett Street Marsh in Northampton.  Others have been present (sometimes multiples) at Great Pond, Lake Wallace and along the rail trail in Amherst in Hampshire County and Fannie Stebbins and Blandford in Hampden County.  A really impressive incursion of this tough to find species into the lower Connecticut River valley of western Massachusetts this year.

There is the chance of a tropical system having an impact in the area from Friday into Saturday and if it looks to indeed take place I will post about it.

Hooded Merganser nesting season at home

Hooded Mergansers leaving nest, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 27, 2020

Another nesting season for the Hooded Mergansers at the house has come to a close as of this morning when the birds in the second active nest box fledged.  I was able to capture video of the birds leaving both active nests this year and the links to the videos are below and well worth watching.  I had mixed results with setting up game cameras to capture the birds leaving the boxes last year but worked out the kinks so this year I had good luck with both boxes (although I may need to get a camera with a longer set up for video to capture all the birds leaving the nest).  This was the first year I have had eggs in all three boxes (unfortunately the third box ended up with just a single egg in it so not sure what happened to the bird that laid the single egg).

Video of the majority of the birds leaving nest box #1 at the following link.  Additional link to second video capturing two more leaving the nest box.

Video of the birds leaving nest box #2 at the following link.

I have detailed the nesting for this year in each of the three boxes below.

First eggs in box, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 18, 2020

Lots of eggs in box, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 26, 2020

Eggs covered with down, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2020

Remaining eggs in box after fledging, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 6, 2020

The first box to have eggs in it was box #1 with the first eggs noticed on March 18.  I checked on a few occasions as more and more eggs appeared and then stopped checking once I knew the hen was sitting on the eggs.  Given the very large number of eggs in this box I suspect a bit of egg dumping occurred with this nest.  The young fledged on May 6 and there were a few unhatched eggs left behind.

Link to video of young leaving nest here

First eggs in box, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 26, 2020

Several eggs in box, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 13, 2020

Hooded Merganser sitting on eggs, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Eggs covered in down, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 11, 2020

Eggs starting to hatch, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 25, 2020

Egg remnants after fledging, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 27, 2020

The second box to have eggs in it was box #2 with the first eggs noticed on March 26.  I also checked on a few occasions as more and more eggs appeared and found the hen sitting on the eggs on April 15.  I checked a few more times over the subsequent weeks and the young finally fledged on May 27.

Link to video of the young leaving nest today here

First egg in box, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 13, 2020

Only egg in box, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 13, 2020

The final box to get eggs this year was box #3 which I relocated to a better location last year in the hopes a bird would accept the box.  I found a single egg in the box on May 6 and on subsequent checks the single egg remained the only egg to make it into the nest this year.  Hopefully next year this final box will also be successful.

Hooded Merganser chicks in  box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 30, 2012

Hooded Merganser chicks leaving nest box, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 1, 2018

I have had duck boxes up since 2012 and have had at least one active nest every year and the last couple years have featured two boxes being used with this year being the first year all three boxes had at least an egg.  Despite having Wood Ducks in the brook and marsh every year the nest boxes have always been used by Hooded Mergansers.  Over the years I have captured some nice photos of the eggs and even managed to capture the young in the nest before they fledged.  They hatch and leave the box with just a couple days so it is tough to capture them still in the nest, especially if you try not to be too intrusive. 

The storm continues to bring in strong north winds and more birds



Peregrine Falcon with prey, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

Common Raven with a tasty meal, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

Red throated Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

Red shouldered Hawk, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

I arrived at a very windy and cold Winsor Dam this morning with temperatures just above freezing and a sustained wind of 20-25 MPH and gusts over 40 MPH.  The reservoir looked like the ocean with big swells with lots of whitecaps.  It really felt more like winter than early November.  The winds were out of the north/northeast and then slowly turned north and then somewhat northwest by later in the day.  I spent three and a half hours scanning the water and the sky looking for some unusual birds being pushed in by the strong northerly winds.  I really hoped to turn up something really unusual today (like an eider or a kittiwake or who knows what else) but I had to be happy with what I did find....which I was.  Most birds were seen as they rocketed past but I did manage to find a few birds among the waves.  Waterfowl included 53 Canada Geese moving southwest in small groups, a pair of Wood Ducks, nine Black Ducks, two Mallards, a Black Scoter (female), a Long tailed Duck, 14 Buffleheads, a pair of Common Goldeneyes, four Common Mergansers, a red throated Loon (second one here in as many days), ten Common Loons and a Double crested Cormorant.  Raptors were also moving including seven Bald Eagles, a couple Red shouldered Hawks, four Red tailed Hawks and a Peregrine Falcon that just hung in the air for several minutes consuming a kill on the wing...very neat.  The gulls put on quite a show in the wind with lots of acrobatic maneuvers...unfortunately nothing beyond Ring billed and Herring Gulls.  Some crow migration was also in evidence with at least 156 moving southwest.

Link to video of Bufflheads in the waves:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/15691211381/in/photostream/

Long tailed Duck, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

Surf Scoter, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

I stopped back by at midday an stayed for a bit over half an hour and found a couple birds on the water including a Surf Scoter and another Long tailed Duck.  Also had half a dozen Common Mergansers fly past heading south plus a Northern Harrier among other raptors.

Link to Long tailed Duck in the waves:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/15507805948/

Bald Eagles, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

Ring billed Dull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2014

A final stop later in the afternoon found the winds had slackened off just a little and the sky had cleared.  The only waterfowl around were a few Common Mergansers flying north and four Bufflehead sitting on the water in the state boat cove.  Still lots of gull activity and a few Bald Eagles around but not much else.

Overall I spent a little over four and a half hours watching from Winsor Dam and despite not finding any mega rarities and being a bit cold, it was still worth every minute.  The winds should continue out of the north through tomorrow so who knows what else will show up?

The last few days around here

White tailed Deer with fawn, rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 20, 2014

White tailed Deer with fawn, rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 20, 2014

White tailed Deer with two fawns, rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 20, 2014

Tree, Barn and Bank Swallows, rail trail, Amherst, MA, July 20, 2014

I headed over to the rail trail in Amherst this morning with the highlight being non avian when I got to see a standoff between two White tailed Deer with fawns.  I was scanning the marsh at Hop Brook when I noticed a deer with a single fawn moving along the edge of the marsh.  After several minutes the adult seemed to fixate on a single location and eventually another deer with two fawns appeared.  The two adults stared each other down for a few minutes and eventually got closer and closer.  Both adults did a lot of foot stomping at each other (link to video here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14517177697/)  Quite interesting to watch!  As far as birds go it was the typical 'stuff' around with lots of adults carrying food to youngsters and lots of recent fledglings moving about. 

Lake Wallace at dawn, Belchertown, MA, July 19, 2014

On Saturday I got up before dawn to go searching for night herons but I came up empty for them.  Nonetheless it was still a very pleasant morning to be out.  I once again hit a variety of areas starting at Lake Wallace then over to a few spots around south Quabbin and then over to the land trust trail with Wilson.  Lake Wallace was once again quite productive with around fifty species including a Merlin (early migrant or possible breeder from nearby?  Who knows?) lots of waterfowl, Sora, Virginia Rails and lots of other stuff including a very vocal group of four Common Ravens that cruised by.  The other areas were active but nothing too unusual.

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 18, 2014

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 18, 2014

Belted Kingfisher, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 18, 2014

American Woodcock, Belchertown, MA, July 18, 2014

Winsor dam at dusk, July 18, 2014

On Friday I hit several spots in search of marsh birds and had some luck again with rails at Lake Wallace.  The Sora continued calling on and off but never came into view but one of at least two Virginia Rails showed itself quite well for several seconds before disappearing back into the marsh grass.  The only herons around were Great Blue and Green Herons. 

I headed back out around dusk to Winsor Dam to see if anything unusual was moving around before sunset.  Nothing too unusual but did have four Bald Eagles including three juveniles hanging around at the nest site.  Once the sun set I went to Covey WMA to listen for Eastern Whip Poor Wills and had one calling right away, very close by.  I turned up another one a little later on a return stop at Winsor Dam.

Lake Wallace and other stuff

Chimney Swift, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, July 6, 2014

Wood Duck ducklings, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Mallard duckling, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Sora, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Sora, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Muskrat, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Pileated Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

Pileated Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 6, 2014

I spent about an hour and a half this morning checking out the activity at Lake Wallace and was rewarded with 54 species including the continued Sora which showed itself briefly once again (no luck seeing the vocalizing Virginia Rail). Other highlights included a Green Heron gathering nest material, perhaps the first nesting attempt failed as it is getting late for this species to be beginning a nesting attempt (I have a video of it and other stuff linked below).  Multiple species of waterfowl with young were present including Wood Duck, Mallard, Hooded Merganser and Canada Geese. I have a few unusual species in mind whenever I stop by his location including perhaps a night heron, a Black bellied Whistling Duck or a Common Gallinule (or even a Purple Gallinule) but no luck so far. A brief stop at Winsor Dam didn't produce anything unusual but the number of Chimney Swifts around has grown to eight and the Bald Eagles all seem to have fledged from the nest there. Also had some gulls out on the water but all appeared to be just Ring billed Gulls.

Link to video with Sora calling:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14400730087/in/photostream/

Link to video of Green Heron collecting nest material:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14400834117/

Link to videos of Pileated Woodpecker:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14400716920/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/14583989501/in/photostream/



One more update on Hurricane Arthur and the impact on birds. It does indeed appear that Nova Scotia received the most storm related birds which makes sense given the track. Multiple reports of unusual terns including Royal, Forester's, Gull billed, Black and Sandwich Terns among the more expected terns plus many reports of Black Skimmers, Laughing Gulls, Purple Martins and a few nearshore pelagics pushed in a little closer to shore. It will be interesting to see reports from the New England coast over the next several days as many of these birds will likely move back down the coast over time...unfortunately the chances of any of them filtering through to western Mass is quite low but worth keeping an eye out nonetheless.