Early season nor'easter for the weekend could bring in some birds

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 24, 2026

View to northeast from Gate 52 showing very low water level, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 23, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 22, 2026

We look to be impacted by an early season nor'easter for the upcoming weekend and the potential certainly exists for a rarity to get blown in with the strong northeasterly winds.  In fact the winds have been fairly strong out of the northeast for several days and a rarity has already shown up thanks to the winds with a Leach's Storm Petrel flying over the Mount Holyoke College campus during Ted's bird migration class walk on Tuesday morning.  I checked multiple spots for it (or another) the last few days without any luck.  I will try to drag myself out to check a few areas during the weekend and with a lot of luck perhaps I will find something interesting to add some brightness to this crappy month.

Decent migration to close out August

Wilson's Warbler, Ware, MA, Aug 31, 2026

Magnolia Warbler, Ware, MA, Aug 31, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 31, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 29, 2026

Blackburnian Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2026

Tennessee Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2026

White dotted Prominent Caterpillar, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 29, 2026

I have had some decent luck the last few mornings catching up with some mixed flocks and having slightly less mosquitoes stealing my blood.  The migration so far has been rather slow although it certainly picked up lately.  I added four new warbler species for the month in just the last two mornings with one being a Wilson's Warbler.  Just the sign of things to come as the month of September starts and with it the peak of fall migration.  

A near record setting June comes to an end

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 30, 2026

Mallard with ducklings, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 30, 2026

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 30, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 30, 2026

June has quickly come to an end and it ended on a hot note with steadily rising temps that will continue to rise into the first few days of July with a likely record setting heat wave.  As for June I finished with a total of 144 species for the month in Hampshire County, which is just one species behind my best ever June in the county (which occurred in 2021).  Among the rarities for the month were a Great Cormorant at the Holyoke Dam, a Northern Harrier in Hadley, a Red headed Woodpecker and Merlins at Quabbin Park, multiple Red Crossbills at a variety of locations and Blue Grosbeaks at the Honey Pot.  Nothing new today but lots of evidence of breeding with fledglings and adults carrying food to hungry youngsters.  

Great Cormorant to start off June

Great Cormorant, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 1, 2026

Great Cormorant and Double Crested Cormorant, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 1, 2026

Great Cormorant, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Jun 1, 2026

Eastern Towhee, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 1, 2026

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 1, 2026

Hooded Mergansers, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 1, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 1, 2026

June started out with some great birds around and I was able to catch up with one rarity plus lots of other stuff.  Normally to start out a new month I would be out the door before dawn to add new species for the month but Wilson had surgery on Saturday and is still having some issues so I stuck around home until I knew my boy was good (he is slowly improving).  Eventually I made it out and made a few stops including a spot in Ware, Quabbin Park and Lake Wallace before I returned home.  Early in the afternoon I saw some reports of rarities including a Red necked Phalarope in the river in Hadley and then a Great Cormorant at the Holyoke Dam (found by Ted).  With Wilson doing better I decided to try for the Great Cormorant as I figured that would be the more likely rarity to be relocated.  I drove down to the dam arriving a little after one and walked to just above the dam to scan the buoys.  The Great Cormorant was the last of the cormorants in line perched on the numerous buoys.  Even without looking at other field marks the size difference compared to the multiple Double crested Cormorants was readily apparent.  I got a series of photos and videos through the scope and then let other know the bird was still present.  Great Cormorant is a rare species inland in Massachusetts and even rarer in spring with most records being in the later part of fall with only one spring record before today (at least in eBird).  This is only my fourth Hampshire County record of the species with the others being October 2004 at Arcadia, October 2008 at Quabbin Gate 5 and November of last year at Winsor Dam.  There are other recent fall records for the species in the area but I missed those as I was out of the country when they showed up.  Despite not being able to cover as many areas as I typically would to start off the month I still managed 97 species for the day...not too bad as far I'm concerned.

More shorebirds on a cool, windy and rainy day

Black bellied Plovers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Black bellied Plovers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Black bellied Plovers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Black bellied Plovers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Song Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Eastern Coyote, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Groundhog, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 30, 2026

The forecast for today was not great with near record cold for highs, wind and rain.  Today was suppose to be the date for the annual Poverty Mountain bird survey but with the forecast the survey got pushed to tomorrow.  When I woke up this morning I expected rain and instead found mainly clear conditions with a breeze.  The radar didn't show any rain nearby so I first headed over to Winsor Dam and the wind was certainly up there and viewing was not easy due to the wind.  With nothing of note there and strong winds I decided to make the drive back over to the Honey Pot in Hadley to try my luck in relocating the Loggerhead Shrike seen there yesterday.  The wind was much less there to start with a mix of sun and clouds.  I decided to walk out on the dike and use the scope to scan as many spots as I could for the shrike.  Although I had no luck finding the shrike for the day the stop was well worth the effort with a number of unusual species including a silent flyby group of Black bellied Plovers that cut across the fields and continued north in the ever increasing winds.  When I made it out to the shore of the river and started my walk back I heard a shorebird calling as it flew overhead headed north.  I could not place it right away and got a recording as it quickly moved off.  I only got brief looks at it as it was going away in bad light and could not pin down an ID.  I had thoughts of trying some other spots but the clouds rapidly closed in and the light rain started as the temperatures continued to drop.  The flyover shorebird that I got a recording of had me thinking of a few different species and all would be rare.  I sent the recording off to a few people including Ted, Mary and Aaron and the overall consensus was that the bird was a Ruddy Turnstone.  Amazing to get another Ruddy Turnstone after having one at Winsor Dam less than a week ago.  I made my way home to help get Wilson ready for a surgery he had to undergo and once he was on his way I eventually made my way over to Winsor Dam.  If I thought it was windy earlier that was nothing compared to my second stop at the dam for the day.  The water had white caps and there was a sustained wind of 30MPH with higher gusts...it was not comfortable to be outside in.  Initially there was just some sprinkles and as I scanned the water I came up with some gulls including one Bonaparte's Gulls as well as multiple Double crested Cormorants.  I then caught sight of the first of several groups of shorebirds fighting the wind as they tried to move north.  I was able to ID some but others remained unidentified.  A another slug of rain then arrived and as it did so the wind increased even more and I would estimate there were some 50MPH gusts.  The flags sounded like they were about to break free and the recently installed scaffolding on the headquarters building was creaking a bit.  As heavier rain continued to move in I called it quits and headed home.

Rainy weather brings down some unusual birds including Ruddy Turnstone and Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret, East Hadley Road, Hadley, MA, May 25, 2026

Western Cattle Egret, East Hadley Road, Hadley, MA, May 25, 2026

Western Cattle Egret, East Hadley Road, Hadley, MA, May 25, 2026

American Woodcock, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 25, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 25, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 24, 2026

The last two days has largely featured rainy weather with short bouts of drier weather and near record cold high yesterday (after having 95 degree weather a few days before).  I was able to get a short walk in yesterday before the rain started up.  I then tried my luck in finding any unusual species downed by the weather and came up empty.  I didn't hear of any other unusual species found by anyone else yesterday.  Today would be a different story.  After a brief stop at Winsor Dam I once again was able to get a short walk in, this time along the rail trail in Amherst before getting forced back to the car due to more rain...highlight of that stop would be a couple cooperative American Woodcocks that actually first appeared in the middle of the paved path.  I checked a number of fields in Hadley and found nothing of note.  At that point I decided to run a few errands in the area and then got a text from Joe letting me know that a Western Cattle Egret was present in a farm field in Hadley (not one of the ones I checked earlier of course).  I was nearby so took a quick drive over to see the very dapper looking breeding plumage Western Cattle Egret....always a nice species to get in the area.  I then headed over to Winsor Dam to see if my luck would continue in finding something unusual.  I arrived and started scanning the water and then the shoreline and dam.  I then got a text from Ted letting me know he had a number of unusual species of shorebirds at the Holyoke Dam (including Dunlin and multiple Ruddy Turnstones).  Without too much to see on the water and the visibility changing as some light rain moved in and out I started scanning the rocks on the dam closer at least found a Killdeer.  After watching the water for a bit I heard Killdeer start carrying on after they got flushed by a Red tailed Hawk.  As I followed the Killdeer flying I noticed a different species with them even with binoculars I was thinking it looked good for Ruddy Turnstone.  I got the scope on it quickly and indeed it was a Ruddy Turnstone.  I watched as the birds all headed off to the north.  Eventually at least one Kildeer returned but I never saw the turnstone again.  I assume he was on the rocks of dam and was never out in the open when I was scanning the rocks.  This was actually the second time I have had the species at Winsor Dam with the first time being during Hurricane Irene in 2011 (List from that epic day here: Hurricane Irene at Winsor Dam).  This is only the second time I have seen a Ruddy Turnstone in spring (first time was June of last year in the meadows) with all my other records occurring between late July and late August (a total of four other records for me).  There were some incredible reports of rare shorebirds being forced down by the weather in Franklin and Berkshire County with multiple record high counts for species.  As an example here are a couple lists.  The first one is from Northfield in Franklin County and the second from the Pittsfield Airport in Berkshire County.  Well worth taking a look at these crazy lists for inland Massachusetts.

Mid May with some good migration conditions coming up with a warm up

Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 15, 2026

Brewster's Warbler, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 15, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 15, 2026

Yellow throated Vireo, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 15, 2026

Hooded Merganser with young, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, May 15, 2026

Today would conclude our three days of overcast conditions, cooler temps with on and off rain (at least it was not as rainy as yesterday!).  Today actually started off with some early sun but the clouds quickly built in and there was some sporadic light rain later in the day.  We have now reached mid May which is usually the peak of migration and despite some less than stellar migration conditions the diversity of species is approaching their highest point for the spring.  Most days exceed a hundred species now without a ton of effort.  I spent lots of time outside today covering areas from Hadley to Amherst and then eventually back to Quabbin Park (sadly the roads are closed into the park for a least a week due to roadwork so lots of walking is involved to get to different spots).  I was mainly after warblers and had a total of 24 species.  The forecast shows warming temps over the next several days with some likely great migration conditions on at least a few nights.  I will be out as much as possible tracking down everything I can.  

Wilson's Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 14, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2026

Yesterday was mainly a rain out.  Although with some south winds I had hopes of finding some grounded migrants I had no luck.  I got a little walking in before the rain really moved in and had birds around in typical numbers.  I made multiple checks of Winsor Dam during the morning without anything unusual noted.  No rarities showed up in the county although a flock (nearly fifty individuals) of Brant in nearby Franklin County showed some unusual stuff did get forced down.  Despite my birding being curtailed by the weather I did add my 19th warbler species in the yard with a Wilson's Warbler as the rain poured down.

Veery, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 13, 2026

Spotted Sandpiper, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 13, 2026

Yellow bellied Flycatcher, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 13, 2026

Brewster's Warbler, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2026

Blue winged Warbler with black forehead, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2026

On Monday I headed out before dawn after what had been the biggest night of migration for the spring.  It was overcast and cool and some light rain started as the morning wore on.  The amount of bird song was certainly less than I expected and a fair number of species I had for the day were silent and were only picked up as they moved through the still not quite leafed out trees.  I started at Mitch's Way where I met up with Jack.  We had some good stuff including an odd singing Blue winged Warbler, at least half a dozen Tennessee Warblers and a Canada Warbler singing at the tops of the trees.  I then moved on to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River as the intermittent rain continued.  Again there was not as much song as I would expect after a great night of migration but there were birds around including an early Yellow bellied Flycatcher.  My last stop before heading home was to the rail trail in Amherst where I had a number of species with the notables including an early Willow Flycatcher (getting me to 200 species in the county for the year), the Brewster's Warbler and the continued Blue winged Warbler with a black forehead.  The rain continued to pick up and I had to wait it out a bit before taking Wilson for a wet walk.  Once back home the rain had stopped and the sun even tried to poke through and when this happened the activity increased a lot and I had 51 species in the yard in just over ten minutes...not too bad...list here.

April ends with some rain

Blackburnian Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 30, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 30, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 29, 2026

Song Sparrow, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 29, 2026

Wood Ducks, Belchertown Land trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Apr 29, 2026

Wilson relaxing after a walk, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 29, 2026

Broad winged Hawk, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 28, 2026

Red breasted Mergansers, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 28, 2026

Purple Finch, KC Trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 28, 2026

White tailed Deer, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 28, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 27, 2026

Field Sparrow, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Apr 27, 2026

April ended on a rather rainy note with rain in the morning and cool temps and then drizzle and overcast conditions for the remainder of the day.  I had hopes the rain would have downed some unusual species but no luck for me in finding any.  The previous few days were more pleasant with mainly sunny conditions and warmer temps although the winds were less than great for migration.  Nonetheless some birds continued to move into the area and each day featured the arrival of a few more species with no real big influx yet.  On Wednesday I did some guiding for a birder from India and we had a decent day with a few targets found for her.  Warblers have been slow to arrive in the typical numbers and diversity for the end of April although I did manage to add one more warbler species for the end of the year today despite the rain (more on warblers for April at the following post).  I found a total of 142 species in Hampshire County for the month which given the poor migration conditions recently and being away for just over a week in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona was quite good and fits in around average for the last ten years or so for me.  Now comes May and with it the big influx of migrants from the south moving north to breed for the summer.