The tropics begin to come alive

Images courtesy of the National Hurricane Center, Aug 3, 2012

As we endure yet another heat wave (five so far this year) the tropics have also started to heat up a bit.  After a flurry of early season storms the tropics had been quiet.  This seems to be changing a bit as we start into the peak time for tropical systems.  As of today, August 3, there is a single named storm in the Atlantic as well as a couple areas of potential development.  Tropical Storm Ernesto is heading northwestward and is expected to slowly strengthen as it gets into areas more conductive for development.  As of now the forecast track takes the storm past Jamaica, past the Yucatan and then into the Gulf of Mexico.  As with most forecast tracks with tropical system, the future location of Ernesto is subject to change drastically.  The other two areas of concern include a low probability of development over the northern Bahamas and a tropical wave near the Cape Verde Islands with a moderate risk of development over the next 48 hours.  I will update from time to time as the hurricane season progresses, especially if there is potential for impact in the area.  As I have mentioned in several previous posts, tropical systems can bring some very unusual birds inland given the right conditions.  Species such as White-tailed Tropicbird, Parasitic Jaeger, Sooty Tern, an unidentified large swift species and numerous unusual shorebirds and other species arrived with Irene last August so there is no telling what species can show up during and after a tropical storm.  Here are a few links from the blog regarding the birds associated with Hurricane Irene last year.

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/03/hurricanes-and-swifts-with-look-at.html

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/09/more-on-large-swift-species.html

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/08/amazing-hurricane-birds.html

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/08/upcoming-hurricane.html

In addition to the tropical activity I had a Louisiana Waterthrush singing at home this morning.  I have had one singing first thing in the morning on and off for the last week or two.  I also made a trip over to Quabbin and Covey WMA this evening trying for Whip-poor-wills but only got a lot of mosquito's!  One bonus was seeing a very bright meteor streak across the sky...likely part of the Perseid meteor shower.

Red Crossbill type determined

Red Crossbill (type 2), Prescott Peninsula, MA, July 30, 2012

Red Crossbill (type 2) video, Prescott Peninsula, MA, July 30, 2012

As a follow up to my reports on Red Crossbills on the Prescott Peninsula at Quabbin the specific type has now been determined.   The specific type of Red Crossbill has been determined to be type 2.  This was determined with the assistance of Ian Davies who converted the video, with its associated audio, into a wave file and then used the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s free software (Raven Lite) which can be downloaded from this link:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/raven/ravenoverview.html

The recordings I obtained were compared to those of the different known types of Red Crossbills using a spectrogram.  The determination of type was obtained in this fashion.  Type 2 Red Crossbills occur across a large area of the country including the northeast.  Other types have/could occur in this area. There are at least nine (or ten) recognized types of Red Crossbill.  The overall size of the bird and the bill varies with each type but determining all types by sight alone is difficult to impossible.  The only way sure way to differentiate the types is through calls viewed as a spectrograph.

Additional information concerning these various types and their associated calls can be found at the following link:

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/introduction-to%20crossbill-vocalizations

http://research.amnh.org/vz/ornithology/crossbills/contents.html

As with previous sightings of Red Crossbills in this area breeding is suspected (and has been confirmed in the past).  The first Red Crossbills on Prescott Peninsula were noted on June 3, 2009 and small numbers were seen through the end of the year in 2009.   The largest number seen on any one day during that year was 14.   In 2010 they were first noted in April and seen through early July.  The largest number seen on a single day in that year was 26.  During the other years of the breeding bird atlas they were not noted.  Juvenile birds with adults feeding them were noted in both 2009 and 2010.  Also during 2010 they were noted in Quabbin Park in the same area from mid October through the end of November with the greatest number seen being 14.  A great overview of breeding in the state can be found on the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas page found at the following link:

http://massaudubonblogs.typepad.com/massbirdatlas/2010/11/218-red-crossbill.html

To sum up the above mentioned link the number of breeding Red Crossbills is quite small in the state with the only confirmed records during the entire five year long atlas study occurring at Quabbin, specifically on the Prescott Peninsula.  The other probable location for breeding in the state was also at Quabbin, located in Quabbin Park.  The only block with possible breeding was located in Plymouth County.  Certainly one of the rarer breeding species in the state with only a handful of confirmed records.  It does appear that the Prescott Peninsula is a breeding hotspot for this species in Massachusetts.   

SUMMARY (These results last updated 01 Aug 2012): Red Crossbill	Blocks
	All
Confirmed	3
Probable	1
Possible	1
Observed	1
Blocks with evidence ¹	5

Chart above courtesy of Mass Audubon and the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas.

For a little bit more information the range maps of various types can be found at the following link:

http://www.wos.org/issue27.pdf

With the permission of the staff at Quabbin I hope to continue additional research on this species on the Prescott Peninsula in the coming years.

Loon survey and other stuff including Bonaparte's Gulls

Common Loon, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loon, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loon with chick, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loons with chick, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loon with mark on back of head, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loon with leg tags, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Today the wife and I joined a Quabbin biologist at the northern end of Quabbin to assist in conducting a loon survey.  We started out at 8:55 AM and spent the morning out on the water covering a large portion of the upper and middle part of the reservoir.  We saw a total of 29 Common Loons with four of those being young of the season.  Most of the rest of the loons were singles or pairs without young plus one group of seven together in the northern part of the reservoir.  The day was just perfect as far as the weather is concerned.  Sunny skies with some AM fog with a very light breeze.  The day started out in the high 50's and warmed into the 80's with low humidity. 

Bonaparte's Gull, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Bonaparte's Gull, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Bonaparte's Gulls, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

One of the best birds of the day turned up near the end of the morning as we headed back.  I noticed a group of gulls and cormorants on a sand spit and noticed a few that were smaller.  I got a distant look and saw back hoods on them.  We came in for a closer look and found four breeding plumage Bonaparte's Gulls.  A very nice find inland here in late July. 

Osprey, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Ring-billed Gull, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Double-crested Cormorant,  northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Bald Eagle on osprey nest platform, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Black Ducks and Mallard, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

 Northern Quabbin looking toward phragmite island, July 30, 2012

 Northern Quabbin early morning, July 30, 2012

Other birds of note included Greater Yellowlegs, Osprey (unusual inland here in July), several Spotted Sandpipers, 19 Double-crested Cormorants, five American Black Ducks and others.

Lake Wallace at dawn, Belchertown, MA, July 30, 2012

Green Heron, Great Egret and Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 30, 2012

Mallard with recent young, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 30, 2012

Before heading up to Quabbin I made it over to Lake Wallace at dawn to see if anything new was around.  Although I have a feeling something unusual will show up there some time today was not that day.  Still a good number of Wood Ducks (98) and Mallards (158) with some very young Mallards included in this total.  There was also a Great Egret, half a dozen Green Herons and four Great Blue Herons.  I managed to have all three species close together for a quick digiscope shot.

In addition to the trips this morning at home I had a Louisiana Waterthrush singing as well as a Yellow Warbler.  I had not heard either in a few weeks but both were calling today.  The Alder Flycatcher was also quite vocal today which has not been the case for a few weeks either.

Morning around Belchertown before the rain

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2012



Great Blue Herons, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2012

Great Egret, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2012

Green Heron (juvenile) 'hunting' feathers, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2012

Green Heron (juvenile) 'hunting' feathers, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2012

Green Heron (juvenile) 'hunting' feathers, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2012

River Otter eating fish, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2012

Today dawned cloudy with occasional drops of rain.  It looked like it would pour any minute but the rain held off until late morning allowing me to visit several locations around Belchertown.  I started at Lake Wallace then over to Quabbin, Covey WMA and then along the Belchertown Land Trust trail.  I was looking to see if I could find any new species either dispersing after breeding or brought down by all the heavy rain yesterday and overnight.   Lake Wallace held three species of waders including Great Egret-1, Great Blue Heron-6 and Green Heron-7(one of the juvenile Green Herons repeatedly picked at goose feathers on the water surface as if practicing for hunting fish in the same manner).  There was yet again a fair number of waterfowl here with 59 Wood Ducks and 113 Mallards.  There was along a River Otter that was working the pond and finding some food to chew on.  Given the threat of rain I left my camera at home and had to be content to get photos with the phone again.  Not great quality but still fun to use to try to capture behaviors or interesting sightings.

Field with Ring-billed Gulls and Killdeer, Belchertown, MA, July 29, 2012

Upon leaving Lake Wallace I noticed a large gathering of gulls on the soccer fields nearby and stopped to check for anything unusual.  All the 71 gulls present were Ring-billed Gulls with no odd gulls  but in among them were 37 Killdeer. 

My stops at Quabbin Park and Covey WMA were uneventful with nothing beyond the usual birds present.  My final stop of the morning along the land trust trail turned up an American Woodcock that flushed right from the side of the trail and flew within a few feet of us before disappearing into the woods.  A rather thin looking Raccoon lumbered across the trail moving toward a small swamp.  A calling Broad-winged Hawk that flew low overhead ended the morning stops. 

Red Crossbills again...26 this time.

Red Crossbill, Prescott Peninsula, July 28, 2012

Red Crossbills, Prescott Peninsula, July 28, 2012

Red Crossbill, Prescott Peninsula, July 28, 2012

Red Crossbill, Prescott Peninsula, July 28, 2012

Red Crossbill, Prescott Peninsula, July 28, 2012

After my success with finding Red Crossbills last week on the restricted access Prescott Peninsula I talked with various directors and biologists there to get permission to make another trip in to try and get some video/audio of the birds and a better overall count.  The reason to get the audio is for analysis to determine the exact type of Red Crossbills present and almost certainly breeding there.  There are nine recognized types of Red Crossbills that are may indeed be separate species and can be identified by their various calls.  Additional information concerning the various types of Red Crossbills can be found at:
http://earbirding.com/blog/archives/31

http://www.sibleyguides.com/2010/09/red-crossbill-call-types-act-like-species/

http://bl171w.blu171.mail.live.com/default.aspx

I went in this morning around 6am and stayed through midday.  My travels today turned up a total of 26 Red Crossbills in groups ranging in size from eight to two.  At times I would have a couple in view and hear another so there likely were even more than the 26 individuals I saw.  The groups I did see numbered 8, 6, 4, 3,3,2.  Most birds were adults with a near even mix of males and females but there were a few juveniles birds mixed in. 

Once I get the analysis done, through the assistance of Ian Davies, I will post the results and provide a bit more insight into one of the rarer breeding species in the state.

Additional photos and video at my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/

In addition today I found a variety of birds around with a further drop off in singing.  Some nice numbers of Cedar waxwings (with some still collecting nest material), Eastern Towhee's, Red-breasted Nuthatch's, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, etc.  I included the list from today below.

Pond at dawn, Prescott Peninsula, July 28, 2012

Prescott Peninsula

Wood Duck 8
Hooded Merganser 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Mourning Dove 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 11 One small area had half a dozen
Belted Kingfisher 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 6
Downy Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 6
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 4
Eastern Phoebe 7
Great Crested Flycatcher 3
Eastern Kingbird 5
Yellow-throated Vireo 2
Blue-headed Vireo 10
Red-eyed Vireo 56
Blue Jay 34
American Crow 2
Tree Swallow 12
Barn Swallow 6
Black-capped Chickadee 59
Tufted Titmouse 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch 22
White-breasted Nuthatch 11
Brown Creeper 1
House Wren 3
Winter Wren 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
Veery 6
Hermit Thrush 6
Wood Thrush 5
American Robin 31
Gray Catbird 29
Cedar Waxwing 58 still collecting nest material
Ovenbird 3
Black-and-white Warbler 8
Common Yellowthroat 44
American Redstart 9
Magnolia Warbler 2
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 14
Black-throated Blue Warbler 3
Pine Warbler 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 6
Black-throated Green Warbler 3
Canada Warbler 1
Eastern Towhee 51
Chipping Sparrow 18
Song Sparrow 11
Scarlet Tanager 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 9
Baltimore Oriole 2
Purple Finch 1
Red Crossbill 26 Groups of 8,6,4,3,3,2. Photographs and video. Mix of adults and a few juveniles
American Goldfinch 19

Black-crowned Night Herons in Deerfield

Black-crowned Night Herons, Old Deerfield, MA, July 26, 2012

Black-crowned Night Herons, Old Deerfield, MA, July 26, 2012

Black-crowned Night Herons, Old Deerfield, MA, July 26, 2012

Black-crowned Night Heron (3rd bird), Old Deerfield, MA, July 26, 2012

Great Egret, Old Deerfield, MA, July 26, 2012

I had an appointment in Deerfield today so I decided to make a brief swing by the small ponds near Old Deerfield where Black-crowned Night Herons have been reported.  This is the most reliable spot for this species, in season, in western Massachusetts that I’m aware of.  There is usually at least one found here every season going back several years.  The question becomes: are these local breeders or dispersals from the coast?  The answer to that question is unknown at this point.  When I did stop by there this morning I immediately saw two individuals in the south pond right next to the road.  On the north side pond there was another individual on the far end of the pond near a Great Egret.  There have been up to four seen at this location over the last couple weeks.  The total of three I had this morning was the most I have ever had in one group in western Mass. 

Wood Duck eating berries (Gray Catbird in background), Old Deerfield, MA, July 26, 2012

Wood Duck eating berries, Old Deerfield, MA, July 26, 2012

Other birds of note included a Northern Waterthrush working the shoreline and a Wood Duck that would come out of the water and pluck berries from scrubs along the shore.  All photos taken with my iPhone through my scope.  Not the best quality but better than nothing.

Great Egrets and others

Great Egrets, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2012



Great Egret, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2012

Great Egrets (four in view-in tallest trees), Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2012

Belted Kingfisher, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2012

Mallards, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 22, 2012

Yet another beautiful day with low humidity and sunny skies.  The temperature started out a bit warmer than yesterday (57 degrees compared to 52 degrees) but still cool for the end of July.  It eventually warmed into the 80's.  I began my morning checking out Lake Wallace in Belchertown which is a wooded, marshy pond that looks great for waterfowl.  Today it did not disappoint with a total of 82 Wood Ducks, 131 Mallards, 51 Canada Geese and a lone Hooded Merganser.  It seems like a great spot to find a teal but there were none there today.  One bird I was looking for and found there this morning was Great Egret.  I didn't find any this spring but figured I would catch up with dispersing individuals in late summer and I found not one but four here making it species #189 for the year in Hampshire county.  Probably my largest single location count for this species in western Mass so far.  In addition there were Great Blue and Green Herons here as well plus numerous Belted Kingfisher chasing each other around. 

Common Yellowthroat, Quabbin Park, July 22, 2012

I next headed over to Covey WMA to check out a few marshes before people flush the birds deeper in and out of view.  Nothing too unusual here but did find more Green Herons, nine Bobolinks and other expected species.  I then checked my phone and saw a report of a White Pelican seen yesterday in Chicopee.  I decided I would swing my Quabbin to see if by chance the bird made it up here.  A long shot to be sure but worth a try.  No luck with the pelican but I did find another new species for the year in the county...a couple of Semipalmated Sandpipers flying low over the water and calling near Winsor Dam (#190).  As they flew around they were chased on several occasions by Tree Swallows.

I then headed home to get Wilson and go for a walk along the Jabish Canal where we added an unusual bird in July, an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Red-tailed Hawk, Belchertown, MA, July 22,2012

Red-tailed Hawk, Belchertown, MA, July 22,2012

At home the family of very vocal Red-tailed Hawks continue as does the large flock of Common Grackles feeding in the oaks and pines (300+ birds).  I also had an adult American Goldfinch come down and feed briefly on one of my hummingbird feeders..strange!