Arizona Part 1 -Tucson area, Mt Lemmon, Saguaro NP

Gambel's Quail, Tucson, AZ, April 7, 2012

I just returned from a week long trip out to Arizona spending time around Tucson.  Yet another successful and interesting trip out west.  The total for the trip included a total of 155 species of birds, 17 new species in Arizona (total now at 205 for the state) and two life birds: Black-capped Gnatcatcher and Flammulated Owl.

Fighting Hooded Orioles, Tucson, AZ, April 7, 2012

Hooded Oriole, Tucson, AZ, April 7, 2012

Red-tailed Hawk, Tucson, AZ, April 7, 2012

Mourning Dove, Tucson, AZ, April 7, 2012

After arriving midday I spent the day around our house rental finding several birds right at the house.  Nothing too unusual but the vocal and active Hooded Oriole provided some great entertainment.

Yellow-eyed Junco, Mt Lemmon, April 8, 2012

Cassin's Vireo, Tanque Verde Wash, Tucson, AZ, April 8, 2012

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Saguaro NP, AZ, April 8, 2012

Black and White Warbler, Tanque Verde Wash, Tucson, AZ, April 8, 2012

Curve-billed Thrasher, Tucson, AZ, April 8, 2012

The first full day in Arizona I spent by making a pre dawn trip up to Mount Lemmon to try for some owls and nightjars.   I made it up as far as Rose Canyon and had Great Horned Owls, Whiskered Screech Owls and Common Poorwills.  I spent a little time around Rose Canyon looking for upper elevation birds before escaping the hordes of people out for their early morning Easter outings.  There was a selection of typical higher elevation birds including a leg tagged yellow-eyed Junco.  I made my way back down the mountain to Tanque Verde Wash and spent a couple hours there.  Highlights included a pair of Harris Hawks, Gray Hawks and a variety of migrant passerines including an unusual Black and White Warbler.  After mid morning I made it back to the rental house and then we headed out to explore the east unit of Saguaro National Park before it got too hot.  By midday the temperatures had reached around 90 so we headed back to find some shade.

New migrants at home

Yesterday evening a Louisiana Waterthrush showed up in the stream behind the house and sang until after the sun went down.  It was singing again today when I got home from work.  In addition when I got up this morning there were two singing House Wrens that had showed up overnight.  I'm sure they will stay to nest in the numerous boxes I have scattered around the yard.

Little Blue Heron at Arcadia

Little Blue Heron, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, April 16, 2012

Little Blue Heron, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, April 16, 2012

Little Blue Heron, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, April 16, 2012

Following up on a report of an adult Little Blue Heron at Arcadia in Easthamton/Northampton I made the trip over there this morning with Jacob Drucker.  The bird was last seen in the oxbow but given the boat traffic there we were not surprised it was not there when we arrived.  We thought it may have gone back into Arcadia itself and sure enough that is where we found it this morning around 6:30am.  The bird was actively feeding and still present when we left the area to continue birding the meadows area of Arcadia.  In addition to the heron there were 7 Greater Yellowlegs, 13 Wilson's Snipe, 21 Green-winged Teal, 16 Wood Ducks plus several each of Palm, Pine and Yellow-rumped Warblers as well as others. 

Vesper Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, April 16, 2012

Savannah Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, April 16, 2012

Great Blue Heron, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, April 16, 2012

In the Arcadia meadows the good birding continued with at least three Vesper Sparrows present plus 50+ Savannah Sparrows, dozens of Song Sparrows, 30+ Great Blue Herons at the rookery, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and more Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers.  We headed out of the area around 10am and the temperatures was already in the mid 70's heading toward an unseasonable high of 90.  It was like being back in Arizona again with morning temperatures in the 50's and getting up to 90!  Certainly unusual for mid April in Massachusetts in a typical year but this year is far from typical.

Back from Arizona...migration takes off!

Gila Woodpecker, Tucson, AZ, April 7, 2012

Just back from a week trip out to southeast Arizona.  Lots of good stuff and great weather.  I just downloaded the photos now so should have some more up soon.  Still tallying up the totals too so I don't have all that info yet.  Will post them up when I get them set.

As for migration here it seems to have picked up.  South winds last night brought in some migrants to the area.  I headed over to Quabbin Park this morning despite my jet lag and had some good stuff including Blue-headed Vireo, Eastern Towhee, ten Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, five Double-crested Cormorants, 30 Pine Warblers and a similar number of Chipping Sparrows plus a good variety of other birds.  I also went to Covey WMA late AM with Wilson and we had a singing Field Sparrow, a couple calling Broad winged Hawks and an Osprey.  Also had a Bobcat cross the road as we drove in.

Hooded Merganser nest in nest box at home, Belchertown, MA

At home the Hooded Mergansers are still on eggs in one the boxes and they should be getting close to hatching time.

Winsor Dam at dawn

Bufflehead (distant digiscope shot), Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 6, 2012

Bufflehead (distant digiscope shot), Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 6, 2012

A brief stop before work at Winsor Dam produced three Bufflehead, a Common Merganser, five Black Ducks, a Bald Eagle on the nest and a couple of very vocal Pine Warblers.  The only other birds of note the last couple days were five Rusty Blackbirds here at home first thing in the morning...three males and two females.

A new Quabbin bird and tagged goose from last week

Northern Shovelers, Quabbin Park, MA, April 4, 2012

Northern Shovelers, Quabbin Park, MA, April 4, 2012

On a brief stop this morning at Winsor Dam before work I had a species I had never seen at Quabbin before: Northern Shovelers.  I had a pair together out on the calm waters.  I managed a distant digiscope shot with my iPhone.  It is an distant, blurry but identifiable shot of the pair.  It is quite rare now that I get a new species for Quabbin.  It is indeed odd that I have had Sooty Tern and White-tailed Tropicbird at Quabbin before I had a Northern Shoveler!  In addition to the shovelers I had two pairs of Bufflehead, four Black Ducks, four Mallards and a single Canada Goose plus an immature Bald Eagle catching a large fish just off shore as well as an adult eagle on the nest.

Tagged Canada Goose, Barton's Cove, Turners Falls, MA, April 4, 2012

The information on the tagged goose I saw last week at Barton's Cove came back yesterday and here is what I found about the goose.  She was tagged on July 5, 2011 in Varennes, Quebec (about 10 miles northeast of Montreal).  She certainly has travelled around a bit so far.  Always interesting to see where various tagged birds came from. 

Connecticut valley birds plus Quabbin Park

Tagged Ring-billed Gull, UMASS, Amherst, MA, April 1, 2012

Tagged Ring-billed Gull, UMASS, Amherst, MA, April 1, 2012

Wilson's Snipe, Hadley, MA, April 1, 2012

Peregrine Falcon with prey, UMASS, Amherst, MA, April 1, 2012

Spent the early part of the morning through mid morning with Ian Davies exploring areas around Hadley and Amherst and then over to Hatfield before heading home and making a stop at Quabbin Park.  The day was cool and overcast but very calm.  We started along the rail trail at Station road and tried for the Sora but all we could find today was the starling giving a great impression of a Sora.  We next headed through the fields of Hadley around South Maple St and had a few American Kestrels as well as several singing Eastern Meadowlarks plus at least four Wilson's Snipe along East Hadley Road.  We next stopped off at Hadley Cove and had 29 Green-winged Teal plus a few Black Ducks and Mallards plus a Wood Duck.  We then crossed over the Connecticut River and headed up to Great Pond in Hatfield.  There was little in the way of waterfowl here but there were at least 40 Rusty Blackbirds plus a Yellow-rumped Warbler. The fields of Hatfield, Whately and Sunderland were very quiet except for a flock of Horned Larks near Pilgrim Airport.  Lake Warner in North Hadley was also quite quiet with a Wood Duck, a Mute Swan and a couple Canada Geese.  With little activity in many spots we headed back to UMASS to try our luck at the campus pond.  Just the typical waterfowl here plus a calling Peregrine Falcon carrying a prey item of some sort.  There was also a wing tagged Ring-billed Gull present at the pond.  I'll post more on the wanderings of this individual once I hear back from the state.  There is an interesting article about the wanderings of these gulls at the following link:
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/watersupply/watershed/study/gullsmasswildlife.pdf

UPDATE:  I got the information back on the wing tagged gull pictured above.  Here is the reply I received from Dan Clark from DCR:

Captured 2/27/12 at the Walmart in Ware, MA

Captured using a rocket net baited with bread and chips

Adult female ring-billed gull

Florescent yellow wing-tags: A290

Blue leg band: 052

Federal band: 0994-21466

Released on site

Sightings:

This is the first sighting of the bird since capture, so it is particularly important.

It will be interesting to see if I come across this bird again as the year goes on.

Belted Kingfisher on weather station, Quabbin Park, MA, April 1, 2012

After dropping off Ian I headed over to Quabbin Park.  At Quabbin I had a handful of good birds including a Red-necked Grebe, three Common Loons including two in full breeding plumage and one juvenile bird plus lots of Pine Warblers singing on territory plus the Belted Kingfisher pictured above.